Silje Norendal Defends Gold Medal; Mark McMorris Grabs Double Gold

I watched this slopestyle event go down in the middle of my 48 minute cardio sesh, and let me tell you, I’ve never been more hyped to be doing a cardio workout in my entire life. Before I address the podium results, I’d like to address Spencer O’Brien. Last night Chloe Kim made history by being the youngest ever to win X Games gold, and today Spencer O’Brien threw down a backside 900. Though she didn’t podium, I couldn’t be more stoked on the way the ladies represented this weekend. Correction: An earlier version of this post mistakingly said Spencer O’Brien was the first woman to land a 900 in competition. Janna Meyen Weatherby was actually the first woman to land a 900 in competition. The necessary changes have been made to what was previously written.

The podium results are as follows:

1. Silje Norendal
2. Jamie Anderson
3. Christy Prior

Next up were the men – and with another slopestyle contest comes another Mark McMorris win. The judging may have been slightly controversial, with Craig McMorris even commenting that he thought Stale’s run was better, but at the end of the day, Mark is still a damn good rider. He’s had a lot of success and has also managed to not be a huge dick about it so, for that, he is someone I’m grateful to have representing the sport. (Though according to people like YoBeat, that sentence is probably controversial too. *Rolls eyes.*) Winning today also means that Mark is one of the few riders to win double gold again, after winning Big Air ahead of Max Parrot and Yuki Kadono on Friday night.

The podium results are as follows:

1. Mark McMorris
2. Stale Sandbech
3. Sven Thorgren

Image via xgames.espn.go.com

The unsung hero of slopestyle for the dudes was definitely LTC extraordinaire Sage Kotsenburg, who laid down the most stylish and creative runs of the competition. I’m not a judge, but I wish they would’ve given a little bit more credit where credit is due.

And with that wraps up another year of the X Games. From Craig McMorris commentating to Danny Davis’ repeat win to Chloe Kim’s gold medal run, this was definitely one of my favorite X Games to date. Don’t forget I’ve only been snowboarding for four years, and am a product of the Shaun White dominance era, so it’s nice to see a changing of the guard, if you will. I am quite happy with the direction the sport is heading. Until next year, Asssssspen.

Girl Power

I get really excited whenever I see anything about female snowboarders. I’m not sure if it’s the years I spent listening to the Spice Girls that instilled this sense of girl power hype in me, but it’s just so cool to see.

My most recent find of girl power in the snowboarding world is a video of Christy Prior killing it during a recent New Zealand spring riding sesh. I’m jealous of the way she rides and also of the fact that she’s in New Zealand right now. I really screwed up my life but not learning to ride earlier. Then I could be a pro and be IN New Zealand right now. Oh well. Guess I’ll just have to live vicariously through her videos like the rest of us non-professional snowboarding post grads.