This weekend was one to remember for snowboarder Red Gerard.
After appearing at X Games seven times — and only making the podium with a third place finish in 2020 — the 23-year-old athlete finally added the piece of hardware he’s always wanted when he snagged the dub at Monster Energy Men’s Snowboard Slopestyle during X Games Aspen 2024 on Sunday (January 28) in Aspen, Colorado. The medal marks his third podium finish out of the four competitions he has competed in so far this season, as he finished third in Edmonton and at the Visa Big Air contest at Copper Mountain and sixth at Laax Open in Switzerland.
“Man, it feels great. It’s like the cherry on the top of the best week in the world,” Red tells Celeb Secrets host Juliet Schroder at the base of Buttermilk Mountain moments after his winning finish. “Every time we get to come to Aspen, it’s always the best, so to finish on top… I am so hype.”
With his parents, siblings, and everyone that truly matters by his side to witness this huge milestone, Red also shares that sharing this moment with them was truly the energy he needed at the bottom.
“It’s incredible,” the Slopestyle champ says of having his friends and family for support. “Luckily enough, my parents said they were going to come to all of the contests this year, and it’s been incredible. It’s always that energy you need at the bottom… they don’t care how you do and how you finish, but then if you get first, it’s pretty awesome and super cool.”
Kicking off the last day of contests at X Games Aspen, the heavy-hitting lineup of the most decorated riders in snowboarding brought even more heat to an already sunny morning thanks to their level of creativity, innovation, difficulty and progression. And despite several athletes competing in Big Air just 15 hours prior, everyone’s performances — which were deemed as “splitting hairs” by the judging panel — were a must watch as they exceeded everyone’s expectations both at home and at the base of the course.
The 2018 Olympic gold medalist was able to cut out all of the noise and land three clean runs, each of which outshined the last and earned an even better score than before. Fighting for the top spot with X Games legend Mark McMorris, Gerard was able to solidify the gold medal position by landing a cab double cork 1080, a switch backside 1620 and a backside 1800, which earned him a score of 97.
In a discipline so elite and always progressing, Red says that competing for the top spot is always hard, however, both his peers and the younger generation inspire him to be the best athlete he can be while bringing a fresh take on Slopestyle snowboarding.
“It’s hard. There’s always going to be someone behind you that wants it more, wants to learn new tricks and wants to do things differently. But it’s just about evolving and trying to be the best snowboarder that you can be. That’s kind of the way I try and go about it,” he shares.
“The younger generation — it feels crazy saying that because I’m only 23 — is unbelievable. I’ve been keeping my eyes on Instagram seeing everyone’s runs and it feels like a full-time job all of a sudden,” he continues.
Rounding out the podium was Team Canada’s Mark McMorris in the silver medal position with Norwegian Mons Røisland, who also celebrated his 27th birthday, in bronze.
It was a close call between the 23-time X Games medalist and Gerard, as his first score run earned him a 95. Despite landing a perfect 1620, McMorris ultimately earned a 96 on his final run which kept him in the silver medal position.
“I was just praying that I landed one [run] and I landed the first run and I was happy, but it wasn’t as clean as I know I could have done it. Then I had a little bobble in my second run that took me kind of out of getting a good score,” Mark tells Celeb Secrets of his performance. “And then on my third run, I really cleaned it up and kind of felt like I earned that 96 versus the first run. I was a little unsure about the 95, but that third run cemented it. Red clearly won today, but I’m so glad to stand on the step beside him.”
Nothing but smiles at the base of Buttermilk Mountain, the 3x Olympic bronze medalist was elated to see what he says Red “deserves” as he truly rides at such a high level.
“I’ve shared quite a few podiums with Mons [Røisland] here in Aspen, but I’ve never shared a podium with Red at the X Games. It’s cool to see him get what he deserves,” he shares. “He rides to such a high level and just hasn’t had the success here in Aspen, so it’s cool to see him do it on this stage.”
Things have been looking different for Sparky over the past year, as he’s not only been trying to get his body back to its full potential, but also not doing every competition out there and working on a film with Burton and Red Bull. Deciding to come back to one of the biggest contests of the year “ended up working out” in his favor, but most importantly, helped him reignite that fire he once had when competing all season around the world.
“It’s good to listen to yourself. I was kind of burning myself out and I feel like maybe the results are harder to come by when the love isn’t as much there,” Mark says when reflecting on his time off. “And sometimes you gotta step back to fall in love… distance makes the heart grow fonder.”
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As for what’s in his near future, Mark hopes to not only stay healthy and happy, but also make a monumental movie in action sports. With many medals in his collection and record-breaking runs that will go down as some of the best finishes in Slopestyle and Big Air history, the 30-year-old says that everything from here on out is just a “bonus.”
“I just wanna make a monumental movie in our space that is action sports,” he says of his goals. “I also want to mainly stay healthy and happy — everything I do from here on out is a bonus. I don’t feel like I have too much to prove, so I wanna make sure I’m having fun doing what I’m doing and enjoy being healthy.”
Check out our full interviews with both Red and Mark below and let us know if you’re hyped for their big finishes by either leaving a reaction at the bottom of the post or by sliding into our DMs on Instagram at @celebsecrets.
For more coverage from X Games Aspen 2024, click here.
