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Aspen’s Ferreira wins silver for eighth X Games medal as Goepper holds on for gold

'I'm super grateful. That's my eighth X Games medal, and I'm just climbing.'

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Austin Colbert

Aspen's Alex Ferreira celebrates on the podium after earning silver in the men's halfpipe skiing final at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, at Buttermilk Ski Area.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

Now 30, Aspen’s Alex Ferreira seems pretty content being one of the old guys. That’s easy considering the elderly Americans — namely Ferreira, David Wise, and Nick Goepper — keep winning contests over the young guns.

This trend continued on Saturday at X Games Aspen, with Goepper winning the men’s halfpipe skiing final at Buttermilk Ski Area, and Ferreira finishing second in front of the home crowd.

“It really comes down to experience,” he said of the key to success. “It’s time on skis, and it’s time on skis in pressure moments, and Nick, he’s a mastermind. He’s got three Olympic medals for a reason. Myself, I have two Olympic medals. David’s got three. Just being able to break through and staying on top is what it is.”

This was Ferreira’s eighth X Games medal and second silver, his other coming in 2018. He’s a three-time X Games gold medalist, with wins coming in 2020, 2021, and 2023. He also has a pair of bronze medals.

The new format this year included a two-run “playoff” with all the starters. The top four advanced to the two-run final, with the best run winning. Goepper’s 92.66 on his first run of finals was just enough to hold off Ferreira’s 92 flat, also scored on his first run of finals. Oregon’s Hunter Hess was third with 85.66, and New Zealand’s Finley Melville-Ives was just off the podium in fourth with 80.


“I’m on the podium, I’m healthy, I’m happy. I’m the happiest guy in the world. I’m stoked,” Ferreira said. “I feel great. Honestly, it was a tough week of training. I didn’t have that good of a training, which is unusual for me, I’d say. I had a feeling this morning that I was going to get silver.”

Ferreira was able to throw down a few 1620s, the current standard for men’s halfpipe skiing, but Goepper’s run was a touch cleaner and better, according to the judges.

Goepper, from Lawrenceburg, Indiana, is also 30 and was already a three-time X Games champion coming into the weekend, but all those prior wins came in slopestyle (2014, ’15, ’21). He briefly retired in 2023 only to unretire that same year but came back as a halfpipe skier only, hanging up the slopestyle bib. All he’s done since is thrive, even winning a World Cup halfpipe event back in December at Secret Garden, China.

Aspen’s Alex Ferreira competes in the men’s halfpipe skiing final at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, at Buttermilk Ski Area.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times
American Nick Goepper competes in the men’s halfpipe skiing final at X Games Aspen on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, at Buttermilk Ski Area.
Austin Colbert/The Aspen Times

“I did all the hard work the last couple of weeks, and I was on autopilot all night,” said Goepper, who also put in his two cents on why the 30-somethings are having so much success right now. “We are having a lot of fun. Honestly, I think I’m doing this for the right reasons. I visualized this the last couple of weeks, and I made it happen.”

Other competitors on Saturday included Winter Park’s Birk Irving, New Zealand’s Luke Harrold, Canada’s Brendan Mackay, and Crested Butte’s Aaron Blunck. Wise, who was seen hanging out in the crowd, was a late scratch from the contest. Also notably absent was former X Games champion Nico Porteous of New Zealand.

Most of these same athletes should be back this coming week for the Grand Prix and World Cup at Buttermilk.

“I’m feeling much more ready for the World Cup after that. Under the lights is hard. It’s really icy, it’s really fast. It’s just hard to manage all the speed,” Ferreira said. “I’m super grateful. That’s my eighth X Games medal, and I’m just climbing.”

acolbert@aspentimes.com

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