Trip Report
Summer X Games, 2025, brought the heat this year—literally. Barely a week after its Osaka, Japan, event, the organization set up in Salt Lake City, Utah, on one of the hottest weekends. But, despite the upper-90-degree weather, the fans still rallied to watch the top athletes go for gold. Around 100 athletes from across the world, competing in 19 different events, followed by exciting musical performances, made for an exciting weekend.
The 19 events comprised different disciplines categorized by skateboarding, BMX, and Motocross. For skateboarding, athletes competed on a street-style park, a bowl course, and a half-pipe vert ramp. BMX adds its dirt jump course, and Motocross athletes stunted over the biggest jumps of the weekend with a monstrous 75-foot gap. Athletes would be allowed 30-40 minute practices to plan their runs. Events would vary in structure; some were the best of three runs, some competed for best trick in a 20-minute jam session. Depending on the event, judges would score differently. Some scores were based on a 100-point scale, others were a simple leader board for who held the best trick.
X Games has always been at the forefront of bringing the stoke to events worldwide. The energy from the crowd was only further amplified by the wide array of talent on display. SnowBrains reached out to Boyd Hilder, one of the competing BMX street park athletes, about his thoughts on the event. What motivated riders like himself to show up and show out? His motivation came from the other athletes around him, he said. “These guys are so skilled…I try to bring big obstacles to life, do what I can to try and impress the crowd, and get up on the leaderboard.We just rode for fun just now, but the pressure was there.” The athletes were also excited to see the other events, showcasing the overall hype surrounding the weekend. “Dirt BMX best trick? Those guys are gladiators,” Hilder exclaimed.
The tricks alone are inspiring enough, but watching the riders overcome adversity was truly impressive. One notable moment (of many) was during the BMX park course event. Kevin Paraza took his run and attempted a never-been-done (NBD) tail-whip to wallride transfer. However, in his first try, he slipped up and crashed hard back into the bottom of the bowl. An impact like that would leave most riders out for the remainder of the event. However, Paraza had other plans and in his next run, approached the wall and effortlessly spun the bike around, popped off the wall, and smoothly landed back into the transition. A deafening roar erupted from the crowd as Paraza stood triumphantly with a gold medal in sight.
A similar experience happened to 35-year-old skater Ryan Sheckler during the street-style course event. After two unsuccessful runs attempting an absolutely massive leaping kickflip-indy grab into a transfer, Sheckler dropped into his third run while the crowd held their breath. No one wanted to see a third washout and have him leave empty-handed. As he rolled up to the lip, it was dead quiet. A perfectly executed flip, grab, and stomp on the landing sent the crowd into a frenzy. Despite not reaching the podium, it was clear that the battle was a highlight of the event.
From new youthful talent to veteran riders pushing the limits, SLC X Games was full of highlights. Captivating an audience is second nature to these athletes. The stunts that they perform are truly next-level impressive. Among all the heavy hitters, some stood out among the rest. It’d be difficult to find anyone not impressed by 10-year-old Ema Kawakami’s performance. Three flawless 900s in the skate vert event awarded him a bronze medal, making him the youngest male medalist in X Games history. Ryan Williams, a long-time X Games athlete, landed the first in-competition triple backflip in the BMX dirt best trick event. Watching him pull around rotations at that speed had jaws on the floor. The younger riders continued to impress with Arisa Trew’s vert performance. An NBD kickflip body-varial 540 awarded her her 8th gold medal of her X Games career. Moto X rider Tom Richards came in hot with his own NBD, completing a superman grab-body varial into a barrel roll with a clean ride out. It would be an understatement to say the movement was mind-bending. This landed him a silver medal next to his bronze-bedazzled brother, another X Games first to have siblings on the podium which hasn’t happened in 20 years.
Of course, X Games had to overdeliver to its loyal fans. Friday and Saturday featured impressive musical performances from big headliners Deadmau5 and Sublime. The concerts provided an energetic finish to an already action-packed day. X Games overall provided a place for all walks of life to rally behind the most extreme of athletes. Skater kids, motor heads, and BMX enthusiasts alike all wandered the fairgrounds with no lack of amusement. With so much display of talent, it was a summer highlight for all those in attendance.
