Winter X-Games report, January 26

Troy Hooper, Special to the Rocky

Published January 26, 2008 at 12:45 a.m.

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Photo by Darin Mcgregor / The Rocky

Gretchen Bleiler left many spectators with their mouths open Friday night during her run in the snowboard superpipe final at the Winter X Games in Aspen. Bleiler won her third Winter X Games gold in the superpipe.

Photo by Darin Mcgregor / Rocky Mountain

Shaun Crapo, right, shoots through a cloud of snow kicked up by another rider in the the snowmobile snocross.

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Hometown hero doesn't disappoint

Aspen snowboard star Gretchen Bleiler continues to turn heads.

The bold competitor took gold in the women's snowboard superpipe final Friday night, besting 2007 Winter X Games gold medalist Torah Bright with a string of flips and jaw-dropping tricks.

The win was redemption for Bleiler, who took silver in the halfpipe at the 2006 Turin Olympics and landed in the same position at last year's competition, which just so happens to be across the highway from her home.

After gold-medal wins in 2003 and 2005, Bleiler met the expectations that she, and her many fans and neighbors, placed on her. She answered the call with grace and athleticism.

Bright, of Australia, showcased her technical prowess to earn a silver medal. Kelly Clark of Vermont came in third. Clark went for the first attempted 1080 in the women's halfpipe but never landed the trick cleanly. But she did land some of the biggest tricks of the night, at one point soaring 13 feet above the pipe's edge.

Bleiler also proved that unlike Sports Illustrated, notorious for its cover-story jinx, ESPN The Magazine has no such bad voodoo for her. She appeared on the cover of the latest issue.

Still, Bleiler admitted she was nervous in the days leading up to her latest performance, which was nearly flawless.

"That might have been the best night in women's snowboarding," she said after the contest. "I've been working really hard recently, and it is great to come back home and win this."

Record win spurs controversy, protest

Not every hipster was stoked that Tanner Hall became the first ESPN Winter X Games athlete to win seven gold medals. A smattering of boos crashed down on the edgy skier Thursday night in Aspen after he clinched the record, and during his victory lap a snowball came flying out of the crowd.

The snowball soared toward Hall as he launched off the lip of the superpipe, but it missed wide. Many spectators thought silver medalist Simon Dumont deserved the win - a sentiment that also was expressed last year. The judges awarded the last two ski superpipe titles to Hall based on his video gamelike precision and technical expertise. Dumont impresses with amplitude. Both skiers have had back-and-forth battles at X Games for years, but despite the controversies, they are close friends.

Afterward, Hall acknowledged his win was controversial and said the rivalry makes him perform better. He said, "This kid right here next to me pushes me harder than anyone else in the halfpipe."

The judges said the key to Hall's win was that he pulled more tricks than Dumont to boost his score.

Numbers game

7gold medals by Hall surpasses snowboarders Shaun White and Shaun Palmer for the most won at the Winter X Games. Hall is tied for most medals, regardless of color, with a collective 10.

Falling stars

A few of the bigger names in the men's snowboard slopestyle elimination round came up short Friday.

In the case of 2001 superpipe champion and three-time slopestyle medalist Danny Kass, the fall from grace was especially far. He finished last out of a field of 20 riders, after botching a landing on his first run and missing one of the course's many features during his second run. The performance left him with a lowly score of 38.33 points. By comparison, first-place finisher White garnered 95 points.

Antti Autti of Norway and Travis Rice, of Jackson Hole, Wyo., also walked away disappointed after they failed to place in the top 10. The snowboard slopestyle finals are scheduled for tonight.

As for White, aka "The Flying Tomato," he's the favorite to walk away with gold - a feat that would put him back in a tie with Hall for most top finishes.

In the women's slopestyle event, reformed party girl Janna Meyen of Oregon also failed to reach the final, which is scheduled for today.

Celebrities get extreme

The star power at the X Games has reached a new plateau. While famous athletes are the norm for the X Games, other luminaries also are making the trek to Aspen, which is no stranger to celebrities.

Attracting the most attention - and on purpose - are Hayden Christensen and Rachel Bilson, who are in town to promote their new film, Jumper. They are expected in the studio with Sal Masekela for the snowboard big-air contest tonight and are planning on other ESPN Winter X Games appearances as well.

As for celebrities who are attracting attention unintentionally, rapper Lil Jon is winning that race. He showed up unexpectedly at an Aspen Daily News opening party for the X Games at Belly Up on Wednesday. The next night, he threw an enormous party, inviting throngs of Aspen locals and X Games visitors, that has the town buzzing about the rapper.

Other sightings have included skateboard superstar Tony Hawk, who has been signing autographs at a wrist-injury-prone pace.

She said it

"Girls ski is really getting better and better. I can't believe (Sarah Burke) busted out a 900. Everyone here better start training for next year."

Mirjam Jaeger, silver-medal winner, after Sarah Burke, reigning superpipe gold medalist and ESPY winner for Female Action Sports Athlete of the Year, walked away with another gold medal Friday.

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