x games medals — The medals that we have all been waiting for. *Credit: SnowBrains.*

Day two of the X Games was a nice show, with three different sports to watch. Yep, Snowmobiling is back. Several events were postponed because of the heavy snowfall overnight and throughout the day, so it was a bit chaotic at times, scrambling from one event to another, but I will never complain about snow, and it made for an active day. Celebrities, including Justin Bieber, Gunna, Johnny Knoxville, Alvin Kamara, and Alex Bregman, showed up at the X Games today to have fun.

In my opinion, Men’s Ski Slopestyle might be the most technical event of the weekend, and it was the first competition I watched today. The way that the judges are so tight with scoring, between athletes coming off rails early or making sure tricks are landed precisely at the right angle, means that no skier on the podium can win with a bobbled run. A winning run has to flow from top to bottom, and the skiers need to maximize their use of every last square inch of the course. Alex Hall, who has now been a starter in over 30 X Games events, landed on the podium with fellow Monster athletes Colby Stevenson and Luca Harrington after all three recorded their best score in their second of two runs. Congratulations to all three of them; it was a nail-biter!

ski podium — Monster athletes sweep the podium for Men’s Ski Slopestyle. (Colby Stevenson – Silver, Luca Harrington – Gold, Alex Hall – Bronze). *Credit: SnowBrains.*

The next set of competitions to highlight from tonight are the Snowboard Big Air finals on both the male and female fronts. These are the events that keep me coming to X Games. As a terrain-park, jump-loving snowboarder, I cannot get enough of Snowboard Big Air, and it seems the athletes feel the same way. X Games is not an Olympic qualifying event, but it is an amazing platform under the brightest lights, on the biggest stage, for athletes to showcase their talent to potential sponsors, thousands of fans, and a worldwide TV broadcast. Big Air is the competition where athletes push physical boundaries the most. The format is not a series of rails or repeated maneuvers; it is one kicker, taken as big and fast as possible.

Cocomo Murase, Zoi Sadowski-Synnot, Mia Brookes, Hiroto Ogiwara, and Rocco Jamieson will all be household names in the snowboard world after tonight. While most of these athletes have been making waves on social media or have even won a few X Games medals already, tonight cemented all of their places in Snowboard Big Air history. Each of them either threw down a signature trick, including Ogiwara’s backside 2340 melon (yes, you read that right), or Rocco’s nosegrab 2160, or Cocomo’s never-been-done backside triple cork 1620, or had undeniably huge or ultra-stylish tricks to win over the crowd and judges tonight.

After the Big Air Finals, I interviewed both Zoe Sadowski-Synnot and Rocco Jamieson.

I asked Zoi about the stark contrast between competing in the Slopestyle and Big Air Finals on back-to-back days, two events that require significantly different training. I also asked her about the familiar podium that had the same faces as yesterday’s Slopestyle final. Zoi explained that:

“I love riding slopestyle, but it’s really exciting and tests my nerves riding big air when you are trying your biggest trick and going as large as possible. I love scaring myself; it’s what I love about Big Air. The last year or two, Cocomo, Mia, and I have been on the podium together a bunch of times, which is really sick. Those two girls inspire me so much, and I love getting pushed by them”.

If you didn’t get to watch the Men’s Big Air Final, at least rewatch Rocco Jamieson’s insane 2160 nose grab. He pulled the board so tight to his body that he resembled a torpedo flying through the sky. I asked Rocco about his thoughts on X Games and what it’s like to be in such a high-energy atmosphere for the weekend:

“X Games takes it to a new level. It is the pinnacle of snowboarding, the best event out there. It is full hype, and it’s so dope, I love it. Honestly, bro, I am just trying to figure out how to do a 21[60] and survive it”.

mens sbd big air podium — Men’s Snowboard Big Air Podium. (Rocco Jamieson – Silver. Hiroto Ogiwara – Gold. Kira Kimura – Bronze). *Credit: SnowBrains.*

Scotty James winning his 8th X Games gold medal in Men’s Superpipe, tying Shaun White for all-time, was a moment for everyone to take in. The crowd pulse during the Superpipe Finals was as loud as the venue got all night, and is yet another reason to come out to X Games. As Craig McMorris mentioned several times on the broadcast, Scotty has such a deep bag of tricks, and there were so many ways he could have won this event. Throwing back-to-back 1400s on his final hit was one way to accomplish that feat. Scotty is a fan favorite who goes so huge but is also an extremely technical rider. His signature boxing gloves embody his riding style, and there is no one more deserving of this gold medal. Look for Scotty to break Shaun White’s record at X Games 2027, and go watch his film Pipe Dream now.

scotty celebrating — Scottie James in awe after winning his 8th X Games gold in the pipe. *Credit: X Games/Mike Yoshida.*

A dramatic element of the 2026 Winter X Games is that Snowmobiling is back for the first time since 2020, featuring two distinct events: Snowmobile Freestyle and Snowmobile Speed & Style. Watching the guys in this event throw massive airs and perform heel-clicks and seat-grabs is a spectacle to behold. In the seeding round, Brett Turcotte’s snowmobiles broke down, so he borrowed Cody Matechuck’s sled and still managed to put together an impressive run. I thought that was as immaculate a feat as I saw all weekend.

Related: Snowmass, CO, Conditions Report: Early Ups Powder for the Win!

snowmobiler flying — Snowmobiling is back! Rasmus Johansson going XL. *Credit: SnowBrains.*

On my way out of Buttermilk to the bus stop, I had to grab dinner where the kind folks at Mama’s Pierogi food truck hooked it up with a big batch of 12 fresh Potato and Farmer’s Cheese Pierogis (with onions and bacon bits on top). After quite a day of watching three different sports, these pierogis were the perfect note to end the night on. Shoutout to all of the skiers, snowboarders, and snowmobilers who made day two of The 2026 Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado, such a pleasure to be a part of. Day three should be even better.