{"id":803406,"date":"2020-01-24T00:08:00","date_gmt":"2020-01-24T07:08:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/scotty-james-bests-yuto-totsuka-to-win-third-x-games-aspen-gold-in-superpipe\/"},"modified":"2020-01-24T00:08:00","modified_gmt":"2020-01-24T07:08:00","slug":"scotty-james-bests-yuto-totsuka-to-win-third-x-games-aspen-gold-in-superpipe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/scotty-james-bests-yuto-totsuka-to-win-third-x-games-aspen-gold-in-superpipe\/","title":{"rendered":"Scotty James bests Yuto Totsuka to win third X Games Aspen gold in superpipe"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"swift-gallery p402_hide\" readability=\"6.752380952381\">\n<ul id=\"imageGallery-377860-119\" class=\"gallery list-unstyled\">\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/Xmenssbpipe-atd-012420-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/Xmenssbpipe-atd-012420-1-1024x741.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner \/ The Aspen Times | X Games Men\u2019s Snowboard Superpipe returning gold medalist, Scotty James, claps hands with the crowd on the side of the feature during his last run on Thursday, Jan. 23.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"12\">\n<p><strong>X Games Men\u2019s Snowboard Superpipe returning gold medalist, Scotty James, claps hands with the crowd on the side of the feature during his last run on Thursday, Jan. 23.<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner \/ The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/Xmenssbpipe-atd-012420-1-1024x741.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"X Games Men\u2019s Snowboard Superpipe returning gold medalist, Scotty James, claps hands with the crowd on the side of the feature during his last run on Thursday, Jan. 23.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/Xmenssbpipe-atd-012420-1-1-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/Xmenssbpipe-atd-012420-1-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner \/ The Aspen Times | Taylor Gold competes the Men\u2019s Snowboard Superpipe Final on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Taylor Gold competes the Men\u2019s Snowboard Superpipe Final on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020.<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner \/ The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/Xmenssbpipe-atd-012420-1-1-1024x683.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Taylor Gold competes the Men\u2019s Snowboard Superpipe Final on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/Xmenssbpipe-atd-012420-1-2-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/Xmenssbpipe-atd-012420-1-2-1024x772.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Kelsey Brunner \/ The Aspen Times | Yuto Totsuka watches his competitors on a television at the top of the superpipe during the X Games Men\u2019s Snowboard Superpipe Final on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"-0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"10\">\n<p><strong>Yuto Totsuka watches his competitors on a television at the top of the superpipe during the X Games Men\u2019s Snowboard Superpipe Final on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020.<\/strong><br \/>Kelsey Brunner \/ The Aspen Times<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/Xmenssbpipe-atd-012420-1-2-1024x772.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Yuto Totsuka watches his competitors on a television at the top of the superpipe during the X Games Men\u2019s Snowboard Superpipe Final on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li data-thumb=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/Xmenssbpipe-atd-012420-1-3-150x150.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/Xmenssbpipe-atd-012420-1-3-1024x683.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Liz Copan \/ ecopan@summitdaily.com | Summit Daily News | Danny Davis competes in the men\u2019s snowboard superpipe finals on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo.\" class=\"h-100\" readability=\"0.5\">\n<div class=\"caption\" readability=\"12\">\n<p><strong>Danny Davis competes in the men\u2019s snowboard superpipe finals on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo.<\/strong><br \/>Liz Copan \/ ecopan@summitdaily.com | Summit Daily News<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row no-gutters h-100\">\n<div class=\"col my-auto\"> <img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.summitdaily.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2020\/01\/Xmenssbpipe-atd-012420-1-3-1024x683.jpg\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" alt=\"Danny Davis competes in the men\u2019s snowboard superpipe finals on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020, at Buttermilk Ski Area in Aspen Snowmass, Colo.\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"caption-toggle\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/scotty-james-bests-yuto-totsuka-to-win-third-x-games-aspen-gold-in-superpipe\/#\" class=\"show-captions\">Show Captions<\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/scotty-james-bests-yuto-totsuka-to-win-third-x-games-aspen-gold-in-superpipe\/#\" class=\"hide-captions\">Hide Captions<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">ASPEN \u2013 Scotty James is good at winning. At this point, he may not remember what losing feels like. What he does know is the taste of victory is as delectable now as it was when he won his first X Games Aspen gold in 2017.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cThe feeling never gets old. Winning is such an amazing feeling. So much hard work goes into this,\u201d James said. \u201cThat feeling is unbelievable. To do it here at X Games is very, very special to me. X Games is a pinnacle for us. I dreamt of getting one X Games medal and I\u2019ve added another one to my collection. So I\u2019m absolutely pumped and just excited about the whole event.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">James, the charismatic Australian who has taken over the snowboarding world, won his 10th straight contest \u2014 including non X Games events \u2014 on Thursday, holding off Japan\u2019s Yuto Totsuka in the men\u2019s snowboard superpipe final at X Games. It was the third Aspen gold in four years for James, his lone defeat coming in 2018 when he took silver to Japan\u2019s Ayumu Hirano, who hasn\u2019t competed at X Games since then.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Going back to, essentially, the 2018 Winter Olympics, won by Shaun White with Hirano claiming silver and James bronze, the Aussie has been untouchable. White, who has a Winter X Games record 18 medals, hasn\u2019t competed in a halfpipe contest since the Olympics.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Their absence in recent years hasn\u2019t bothered James, who keeps racking up wins.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI had to learn some adversity, especially coming from Australia and I persevered and here I am with three gold medals,\u201d James said. \u201cRiding the halfpipe is getting more and more technical. It\u2019s becoming more and more physically demanding. So when you get to stand on top of the podium, the feeling is still much the same as the first one.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Thursday\u2019s contest was a little different than in the past. ESPN opted for a 30-minute jam session in the eight-rider final as opposed to the traditional untimed three-run final format. The winner was determined more by overall impression instead of their best score on a single run.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">It wasn\u2019t wildly different, per se, but it was different enough that it tested riders in ways it never had before.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cMy riding fits really good in the format. I always like to do creative stuff that\u2019s kind of hard to put into contest runs,\u201d Switzerland\u2019s Jan Scherrer said. \u201cWhen you have a session like this without a time, it feels more natural. It feels more like riding.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Scherrer, a relatively veteran 25-year-old rider who competed in the past two Olympics, finished third Thursday to win his first X Games medal. Runner-up Totsuka also finished second to James at X Games Aspen last winter.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cAmazing. I can\u2019t believe it yet,\u201d Scherrer said. \u201cWinning a medal at X Games is pretty much a dream of every competition rider. I\u2019ve been riding competitions for so many years now, it\u2019s a big dream come true.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">James also seems on board with the new format. The best single run still makes up the bulk of a rider\u2019s score \u2014 not that there actually is a score, just standings \u2014 but a small percentage is about that overall impression, which can mean a number of things, from variety to general creativity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">\u201cI really enjoyed it. I think it was an awesome show and display of snowboarding and how you have to diversify yourself and your tricks,\u201d James said. \u201cHistorically that\u2019s what snowboarding has always been about. It\u2019s a way to express your creativity and a format like this really does that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">Coming in fourth Thursday was Idaho\u2019s Chase Josey, who owns that position. He\u2019s finished fourth in Aspen \u2014 one off from medaling \u2014 each of the past four competitions. His only X Games medal is a 2016 bronze in Oslo.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText\">California\u2019s Danny Davis, who won X Games bronze last year, finished fifth, followed by Steamboat Springs native and Breckenridge resident Taylor Gold in sixth, California\u2019s Toby Miller in seventh and Longmont native and Dillon resident Chase Blackwell in eighth.<\/p>\n<p class=\"STND-STND BodyText Tagline\"><a href=\"mailto:acolbert@aspentimes.com\">acolbert@aspentimes.com<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/news\/scotty-james-bests-yuto-totsuka-to-win-third-x-games-aspen-gold-in-superpipe\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>X Games Men\u2019s Snowboard Superpipe returning gold medalist, Scotty James, claps hands with the crowd on the side of the feature during his last run on Thursday, Jan. 23.Kelsey Brunner \/ The Aspen Times Taylor Gold competes the Men\u2019s Snowboard Superpipe Final on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020.Kelsey Brunner \/ The Aspen Times Yuto Totsuka watches [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-803406","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-24 19:53:31","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803406","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=803406"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/803406\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=803406"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=803406"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=803406"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}