Summit Daily file
Editor’s note: Scroll down to the bottom of this post to watch live broadcast coverage of Thursday’s X Games Aspen action, including Chris Corning and Red Gerard in men’s snowboard slopestyle at noon!
ASPEN – This winter’s X Games Aspen at Buttermilk Ski Area got off to a soft, snowy start Wednesday evening when Longmont native and Dillon resident Chase Blackwell qualified through in the final position to Thursday night’s primetime men’s snowboard superpipe final (8 p.m. MST, ESPN).
For Blackwell, it was a dream come true at his first X Games years after he and his father made it a tradition to attend the event.
Thursday’s primetime men’s snowboard superpipe final, which is taking place with a new jam format this year, is far from the only event going on at Buttermilk on Thursday’s first big day of the X Games. And, at high noon, Summit County snowboarders Chris Corning and Red Gerard will compete in a talented and deep men’s snowboard slopestyle elimination round.
Corning and Gerard will look to make the cut to Saturday’s snowboard slopestyle final (1:45 p.m. MST), from a 16-rider field that fetures one heavy-hitter after another. Names like Sebastien Toutant, Sven Thorgren, Max Parrot, Stale Sandbech and Darcy Sharpe litter the elimination round roster. Then there’s talented young riders like Brock Crouch, Judd Henkes and Luke Winkelmann also competing.
Needless to say, it’s no guarantee Gerard and Corning make it out of qualifiers. The good news for the Olympic gold medalist Gerard and the multi-time reigning FIS World Cup season champion Corning is that they will drop in 13th and 15th respectively, meaning they’ll have a good idea of what they need to execute on the Buttermilk slope course.
Outside of the noon men’s snowboard slopestyle elimination round serving as the main event today for Summit County fans, here’s today’s schedule:
X Games Aspen 2020 Thursday schedule:
Noon-1:30 p.m.: Men’s snowboard slopestyle elimination
1:30-2:15 p.m: Men’s ski big air elimination
7-7:30 p.m.: Ski knuckle huck final
8-9 p.m.: Men’s snowboard superpipe final
9-9:45 p.m.: Women’s snowboard big air final
X Games Aspen 2020 competition previews:
Men’s snowboarding: Scotty James, Mark McMorris back for more
Women’s snowboarding: Without Chloe Kim, Maddie Mastro has chance to shine
Men’s skiing: Alex Ferreira goes for repeat gold
Women’s skiing: Kelly Sildaru returns for another attempt at the golden trifecta
Aussie rider Scotty James goes for 10 straight wins as new format hits superpipe at X Games
Wednesday X Games notes: Parrot rallies back from cancer, Gus talks Olympics
More X Games coverage
ESPN, snowboarders to honor Jake Burton Carpenter in first X Games since his death
Jack Mitrani back for fourth year as X Games Aspen host
Colorado artist Lisa Issenberg embraces opportunity to make X Games medals
Dillon’s Chase Blackwell realizes dream of competing at X Games
The lead-up to X Games
Breckenridge resident Taylor Gold podiums at Laax Open superpipe final
Watch: Red Gerard finishes as runner-up at Laax Open slopestyle competition
Watch: Silverthorne’s Chris Corning stomps quad-cork 1800 to win big air World Cup in Atlanta baseball stadium
Red Gerard takes us behind the scenes of the journey to film ‘Joy’
Scotty James bests Yuto Totsuka in weather-affected Copper Grand Prix superpipe final
Americans Blunck, Wise tame powder-filled Copper pipe to go 1-2 in Grand Prix