The countdown to the X Games Aspen 2015 has officially begun!
With only one day left until the athletes hit the slopes, CelebSecrets4U is giving you the breakdown on what you can expect from the world’s best as they battle it out for a spot on the podium in select Ski, Snowboard and Snowmobile disciplines.
Today, we are sharing our thoughts on who will snag the medals for GoPro Ski Big Air and America’s Navy Snowboard Big Air.
The Big Air course is approximately 300 feet and made up of a single 80-foot step jump. The competition features 10 skiers and riders who each attempt a single trick off the feature in a jam session format. In Round One, athletes are placed in two heats of five skiers and riders who have 15 minutes to complete as many runs as possible. Athletes will be scored immediately after each run. The top three skiers and riders from each heat in Round One advance to the Final. In the final, the jam session is extended to 18 minutes and the two best scores per skier and rider determine the final ranking.
Check out our predictions for Go Pro Ski Big Air and America’s Navy Snowboard Big Air below…
America’s Navy Snowboard Big Air:
1st Place- Torstein Horgmo – Horgmo has been in the X Games for year and is a huge competitor. Since 2008, he’s gotten gold or silver. In 2012, he scored a perfect score and in 2013 once again with his triple cork. He qualified for the 2014 Winter Olympics, but fell and broke a clavicle. He was forced to miss the Olympics. Now he’s back and ready to win the gold.
2nd Place- Mark McMorris– McMorris has placed second in the 2013 X Games and first in the 2012 games. Doesn’t have as much experience as Horgmo, so if he wants to win the gold he has to step up his game. Although, he won the bronze in the 2014 Olympics, even with an injury of a broken rib. He has a lot of drive and heart, but it’ll be really tough to beat Horgmo.
3rd place- Max Parrot – Max Parrot may have won the gold last year in Big Air, but he has not been competing in the games as long as the other two competitors. But he has a lot of drive and is out for the gold again this year. Can he come out on top and prove us wrong?
Big Air GoPro Ski:
1st Place- Henrik Harlaut – Several people are rooting for Harlaut and why wouldn’t they? We think he is definitely taking the gold in this discipline. Not only did he land the first ever “nose butter triple cork 1620” and score a perfect score, he’s also won the gold in Big Air two years in a row. I’m sure he’s hungry for another. You know what they say – third times a charm!
2nd Place- Kai Mahler – More people are predicting Alex Schlopy is going to take the silver, but we’re going against the odds because Alex may have won the gold in 2011, but Kai won silver in 2012, 2013 and bronze in 2014. I’m sure he has his eye on the gold this year, but no one is stopping Henrik Harlaut.
3rd Place- Alex Schlopy – Even though everyone is predicting that Schlopy will take home the silver, we feel Kai is going to beat him to it. Alex did win gold in 2011, however, so he may be looking to take the title back from Henrik Harlaut. But then again, Henrik Harlaut is Henrik Harlaut, and although we know Alex has a good shot to get on the podium this year, we feel he will come up in the bronze medal spot.
What are your thoughts on our predictions for Big Air? Make sure to see who claims the titles on Friday, January 23rd @ 9:30pm ET on ESPN3 (Snowboard Big Air) and Saturday, January 24 @ 9PM ET (Ski Big Air) on ESPN.
