Snowboard Best Method Added, Snowmobile Speed & Style Returns; Twenty-Four Hours of Live Coverage on ESPN and ESP

Winter X Games will celebrate its 15th anniversary in Aspen/Snowmass, Colo. January 27-30, 2011, with live coverage on ESPN and ESPN2. This year will mark the 10th consecutive year it will be held in Aspen and will feature new events, more than 200 athletes and primetime coverage on ESPN on Sun., Jan.30. One new discipline makes its debut and one discipline returns to the slopes with a new format. In addition to 24 hours of live programming on ESPN, Winter X Games 15 will be offered for the first time on ESPN 3D, as well as on ESPN International, XGames.com, ESPN360.com, SportsCenter and ESPN2’s X Center.

Snowboard Best Method will feature the top six snowboarders in the world in a final-only competition in a 10-minute jam format for best method – similar to a Best Whip in motocross. Best Method is a fundamental trick in snowboarding where each athlete has their own, individual style. The final will be 100% fan judged and voted on via text messaging. Snowmobile Speed & Style made its Winter X Games debut in 2008 and will return this year with a format that proved to be successful at X Games 16 this summer for motocross. It will feature eight athletes competing in a single elimination format with two riders competing head-to-head. Both riders will receive Freestyle “style” score. The first rider across the finish line receives “speed” margin of victory bonus points which will be added to Freestyle score.

For the complete, updated list of Winter X Games 15 athletes, log on to www.xgames.com.
*PLEASE NOTE: The invited athlete list is constantly being updated and is subject to change.

Among the first wave of confirmed athletes:

• Gretchen Bleiler: Four-time and defending Winter X Games Snowboard SuperPipe gold medalist and 2006 Winter Olympic silver medalist

• Bobby Brown: The first skier to win two Winter X Games gold medals at the same event and earned the first-ever perfect score in Skiing Big Air at Winter X Games 14

• Tucker Hibbert: Five-time and defending Winter X Games Snowmobile SnoCross gold medalist and will attempt the first five-peat in Winter X Games Snowmobile history

• Jenny Jones: Two-time and defending Winter X Games Snowboard Slopestyle gold medalist

• Iouri Podladtchikov: Defending Winter X Games Snowboard SuperPipe silver medalist and Winter X Games Europe Snowboard SuperPipe gold medalist

• Kevin Rolland: Defending Winter X Games and Winter X Games Europe Skiing SuperPipe gold medalist

• Tyler Walker: Three-time Winter X Games Mono Skier X gold medalist will attempt the first-ever three-peat in Mono Skier X

ESPN and ESPN2 will televise 24 hours of live high-definition programming January 27 30, and ESPN 3D will televise 18 hours of original Winter X Games coverage.

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For X Games media information, including press releases, logos and additional images from past events, log on to www.espneventmedia.com. For general information and updated athlete lists, log on to www.xgames.com. Follow the X Games on Twitter at Twitter.com/xgames.

Contacts:

Winter X Games: Print Media – Danny Chi, 310-642-1509; [email protected]
Broadcast Media – Alex Rozis, 310-642-1533; [email protected]
Radio Media – Crystal Yang, 310-642-1550; [email protected]

ASC: Jeff Hanle, 970-300-7021; [email protected]