In a way, it feels like now is the time for Chris Corning to have his championship moment close to home.<\/p>\n
The 19-year-old Silverthorne resident is days removed from winning the Laax Open World Cup snowboard slopestyle in Switzerland, a breakthrough result on foreign snow.<\/p>\n
On the homefront, though, Corning has yet to top the podium at one of the sport\u2019s major events. He\u2019s weeks removed from finishing in a close second place behind Norwegian star Stale Sandbech in the slopestyle competition at Dew Tour at Breckenridge Ski Resort. He\u2019s months removed from finishing in an even closer second behind Canadian star Mark McMorris at the Burton U.S. Open at Vail Mountain last March.<\/p>\n
That all followed up his maiden Olympic appearance last February when he finished off the podium in both slopestyle and big air while his fellow under-21 Summit County snowboarders, Red Gerard and Kyle Mack, won gold and silver in slopestyle and big air, respectively.<\/p>\n
The good news for Corning is two-fold. One: He is as confident as he\u2019s ever been in his snowboarding following an offseason of next-level strength and conditioning and an early 2018-19 season chock-full of one World Cup competition after another. Two: After the Laax victory, he\u2019s a favorite to win both the big air and slopestyle events at this week\u2019s Winter X Games at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen.<\/p>\n
Or, judging by recent competition results, he should be. Despite his recent podium finishes, Corning\u2019s presence still feels under the radar heading into this year\u2019s X Games.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think for sure that people are starting to notice a little bit,\u201d Corning said from Aspen on Wednesday. \u201cI can start seeing that change a little bit, but no matter what, I sort of feel like an underdog in the whole thing, with not as much of a following as the other guys. But that\u2019s alright with me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Other snowboarders possessed that drive to win through last year\u2019s Olympic cycle. The question is, is it still simmering within those riders? For Corning, the answer to that question seems to be an affirmative \u201cyes.\u201d It feels like the 5-foot-8 rider has a bit of pitbull in him whenever he attacks a slopestyle or big air course.<\/p>\n
Riding with that fire to further prove himself, this will be Corning\u2019s second go-round at the X Games. Last year, he gutted through a sudden stomach illness and a lingering hip injury before finishing fifth in big air and sixth in slopestyle.<\/p>\n
Since last year\u2019s stress-filled Olympic run, which included X Games, Corning has opted to compete routinely in World Cup slopestyle and big air competitions across the world. At the same time, other top riders have opted to compete in a select few events. Heading into what many would deem the year\u2019s biggest event, Corning is hopeful that his hours devoted to actual competition will help to set him apart come drop-in time at Buttermilk.<\/p>\n