A pipe dream: SkiCo announces trifecta of park and pipe events, including return of X Games
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
Aspen Skiing Co. on Tuesday formally announced a three pack of park and pipe events for the upcoming winter ski and snowboard season, including the return of X Games to Buttermilk Ski Area.
The lineup includes X Games from Jan. 23-25; the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix and Visa Big Air from Jan. 30-Feb. 6; and the debut of Shaun White’s “The Snow League” on March 7-8.
“We’ve had some monster event years in the past, but this one might just top them all,” said John Rigney, SVP of Business Development at SkiCo, in a news release. “With X Games, Grand Prix and the new Snow League coming to town, we look forward to hosting the world’s top freeski and snowboard athletes to Aspen Snowmass, not once, not twice but three times this winter. Never before have we seen this level of competition in our pipes and parks.”
The return of X Games for the 24th straight year to Buttermilk comes despite the most recent five-year contract having ended with the conclusion of the 2024 event. With relatively new ownership — MSP Sports Capital — there were doubts about X Games having a long-term home in Aspen, but for now, it seems it does. Buttermilk has served as the home of Winter X Games since 2002.
Following X Games, athletes will remain in Aspen for the Grand Prix and World Cup. This will be the first of a three-year agreement between SkiCo and U.S. Ski & Snowboard to host the event in Aspen, with next winter’s Grand Prix serving as an official Olympic team qualifier ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.
“Our investment in this arena is purposeful,” Rigney said. “It’s a progressive and evolving setting to stay connected with young skiers and riders, to feed the generational pipeline for our sports and our resort and to, in tandem with our community, welcome back the very best and celebrate athletic achievement at the highest levels. We’re excited for Aspen Snowmass to continue to be the center of the winter action sports universe.”
Finally, White’s Snow League will launch its new series in early March in Aspen. The famed snowboarder has created what will be a “four-event global competition format” dedicated entirely to snowboarding and freeskiing. The league will feature both a points-based ranking system and a head-to-head format, with a $1.5 million prize purse up for grabs.
“Aspen’s long history of successfully hosting world-class winter sports competitions, along with Shaun’s deep appreciation for Aspen’s contributions to his career, makes it the perfect place to launch our new league,” said Ian Warda, COO of The Snow League, in the news release.
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