Fashion Xtremes

By Lesley Kennedy, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 31, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.
Updated January 31, 2008 at 12:28 p.m.

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Photo by Steve Peterson © Special to the Rocky

Aria Cuthbertson,1,of Aspen, is the perfect snow bunny as she takes in her first X Games with Mom, Janine, 33. “Her ambition is to be a Super Pipe skier,” Janine says.

OK, so maybe we're not exactly sure what a cab 900 off the Super Booter is.* A 65-foot step-up gap with a double kangaroo flip accented with a Japan grab landing switch?* Um, sorry. Clueless.

And as for two straight airs with rear grabs* or seven hits out the pipe?* Well, those just sound like things you could get arrested for.

We're admitting it: We may not know a switch backside 180* from a crippler 540,* but we still loved watching all the crazy flips, tricks, races and runs at the 12th annual Winter X Games held at Buttermilk Mountain Jan. 23-27.

And while the names of the tricks continue to confound us, we were quick to recognize a slew of stylish fans on the slopes.

We stopped several X Games spectators sporting everything from Coach boots to beat-up leather motorcycle jackets to check out their fashion choices.

And whether they did it for warmth or style, one thing held true: X Games dressing is all about getting massive amplitude.*

* Tricked-out names

Don't know what these trick descriptions from ESPN news releases on the games mean, either? We asked Rocky snowboard columnist Gavin Ehringer and Burton's Matt Malinski to help decode.

* Cab 900 off the Super Booter: A big-air trick in which the rider approaches riding "fakie" (backwards, or opposite his or her natural stance) and spins 21/2 revolutions, then rides away facing forward. Named for skateboarder Steve Caballero. The Super Booter is a massive jump with a steep edge to throw the rider high into the air.

* 65-foot step-up gap with a double kangaroo flip accented with a Japan grab landing switch: A step-up is a jump where the landing is higher than the launch. The kangaroo flip is a jump credited to skier (and X Games gold medalist) Jon Olsson. The skier does two sideways flips, and, in this case, grabs across the body and in front of the boots with a half-twist to land facing backwards ("switch").

* Two straight airs with tail grabs: The boarder jumps straight up in the air and, with no rotation, grabs the tail of the board, then comes back down to ride away.

* Seven hits out the pipe: The rider performed seven tricks. Normally, riders get four or five.

* Switch backside 180: The rider approaches the jump backward, then rotates, landing facing forward.

* Crippler 540: A back flip with a full spin.

* Massive amplitude: Going big, getting a lot of hang time in the air.

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