X Games XIII Big Air
Chris Wellhausen
- January 23 2009
- 5,341 views
- 103 comments
Mikkel Bang. Photo: Chris Wellhausen
This year’s big air played out a lot like last years. And then again it didn’t.
The format was the same. 4 riders. Two go head-to-head, one advances. Mikkel Bang, Torstein Horgmo, Andreas Wiig and Travis Rice were the dudes doing the damn thing. Mikkel and Andreas got knocked out in the first round, despite some seriously heavy tricks.
So, this year, like last, it was Torstein vs. Travis in the finals. Tor did a switch back 12. And Rice did a double back rodeo. And that’s how it went down again this year.
But, this time around the people were empowered. The judging was based on text messages. The viewers voted and in the end it was Travis that took it.
When the audience has the final say, flips will. They always do. And that isn’t to say that Travis’ double back rodeos weren’t gnarly. They were. But when it came down to it, this year’s big air was a popularity contest.
This sentiment was echoed throughout the night. Everyone agreed. The recognizable names got the most votes.
Consider this: Mikkel Bang put down two perfect switch backside 1260s. Tonight was the first night he’d ever done ‘em. But, Mikkel was pitted against Travis in the first round and Rice came out flipping. And when the texts settled, Travis got 92 percent of the votes and Mikkel got 8.
8 percent of the votes for stomping a switch back 12. Really? Kinda weird right? Even Travis said Mikkel deserved more credit.
Those that know, knew. But, ESPN decided that that’s how’d it go down. And so it went.
Travis and Torstein advanced to the finals, each rider took two runs, both dudes did their respective tricks, and the crowd gathered, and those watching at home texted their mind.
Travis got 78 percent of the vote, and Torstein pulled in 22 percent.
It was the democratic process applied to snowboarding and that’s it. Was it right? Did the best man win?
Talk amongst yourselves. Fill that comment board. Let’s here what you think. Is the double back rodeo 10 gnarlier or does the switch back 12 deserve the win? Or I guess the more important question is: Should big air be judged by the people?
What d’ya say?
13_X_BigAir.JPG
Travis getting his double rodeo 1080s dialed in. Photo: Chris Wellhausen
Results
Heat 1a
Torstein Horgmo: 67%
Andreas Wiig: 33%
Heat 1b
Travis Rice: 92 %
Mikkel Bang: 8%
Finals
Travis Rice: 78%
Torstein Horgmo: 22%
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January 23rd, 2009 at 3:30 am
horgmo should have won that was retarted
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:36 am
lame contest, everybody who snowboards knows that Travis didn’t really win.
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:52 am
that was bull$hit! reverts vs STOMPED SWBS 12…
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:52 am
Mikkel beat TR too…!
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:53 am
What is the deal with the text message system –TR 98% Bang 8%.??
January 23rd, 2009 at 4:02 am
travis is the best snowboarder in the world. he was not the best snowboarder tonight. its kinda cool to see americans having a little pride in homegrown shreds. kinda sad to see americans being ignorant.
January 23rd, 2009 at 4:03 am
that was total bunk. what the fuck america. no more text votes please. theres to many gapers that think they know theyre shit.
January 23rd, 2009 at 5:35 am
congratulations TR you have won the american idol…ridiculous!
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:10 am
Haha,this must be the most ridiculous way to chose a winner.
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:25 am
HAHAHA that’s so retarted, It’s like a popularity contest. Both Bang and Horgmo stomped it clean, And Travis wins because the all the voters are American. Like some childish beauty pagant! Rice is good, but he might as weel just ride passt the kicker, would still have won!!
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:25 am
H
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:51 am
Did Norway win too many gold medals in key events last year? The same would have happended in the big air in 08 if a judge didn’t have the final say. I rhink this is american arrogance in its purest form.
X Games is losing credibility fast!
January 23rd, 2009 at 7:51 am
Bad to winn in this way,everybody who snowboards knows that Travis didn’t really win.
2 Norewgian was way better!!!!!!
January 23rd, 2009 at 8:17 am
i am ashamed of the sport of snowboarding for letting stuff like this happen
January 23rd, 2009 at 8:55 am
agreed….stop the texting bull shit
January 23rd, 2009 at 8:55 am
Welcome to X-Games Idol,
The X-Games Big Air just lost ALL credibility in my eyes, and it’s the last time I’ll tune it to watch it. This is snowboarding shooting itself in the foot.
January 23rd, 2009 at 9:04 am
lol that’s so fucked there’s no way the responsibility of choosing X-games big air winner should go to whichever american is watching TV at that moment with a cell phone who doest have an inkling about snowboard technique or tricks. Especially when one of the top contenders is American himself. Maybe Torstein shoulda done a backflip instead because you know how much the gapers love backflips!
January 23rd, 2009 at 9:07 am
Double cork for wiig? Think that deserved more votes than it got.
January 23rd, 2009 at 9:15 am
T-rice won because he is trying to do something different. i so sick of seeing hucked flat spins. double rodeo 10 fuck thats been landed once. screw a scrubbed landing.
January 23rd, 2009 at 9:28 am
mikkel should have won hands down. this american idol text messaging bullshit is completely ridiculous. x-games has lost all of the credibility it had left (if any) Travis’s double cork revert hand dragger in no way shape or form should have won. Mikkel did a SwitchBack 12 and landed bolts! wtf America?
January 23rd, 2009 at 9:50 am
Aspen was one of the last resorts to allow snowboarders.. now they profit from the X Games. I like TR, but the clean SB 12 should have won.. peace.
January 23rd, 2009 at 10:14 am
WIIG
January 23rd, 2009 at 10:30 am
Why should this spinny crap win? Countless numbers of pros can spin 12s… yeah, TRice cause of his fame, but whats so creative about a 12? with enough air most pros can do them. Corks and inversions take skill and practice so you dont die
January 23rd, 2009 at 10:42 am
to alph sniffer! most pros cant do sw bs 12. are u stupid?
January 23rd, 2009 at 10:48 am
yea, x-games needs to get their heads outta their asses, this isn’t a fucking reality show. funny how right before that in skiing halfpipe the 2 big hitters (tanner and simon dumont) got upset by relatively unknown frenchman xavier bertoni
January 23rd, 2009 at 10:49 am
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=46196598874
Nice idea of a non biased judge panel.
Even if Rice would have bailed in all four runs he would have won over Mikkel and Torstein.
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:06 am
yeah right
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:11 am
Look at it this way people. American is ran by corporations that want your money. So what a better way to get money than have all the sheeple text for the winner. $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. Sad really. Did you guys see all the Navy and Army banners, commercials and stickers. Somethings about to go down. No jobs in America, but their hiring for any kind of armed forces. Weird huh? Were in a recession yet they want everyone to sign up and shoot and kill someone they have never even met. HORGMO SHOULD HAVE WON. HE STOMPED IT.
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:11 am
Man that was the dumbest ever.. I have friends that does double back 180 in small local comps and dont even win.. the double back rodeo 10’s are cool but c’mon he had to revert every time, if this was a judged comp TR would be in last place. Gotta admit i enjoy watching that more than the sw bs 12’s, but Andreas double cork was sweet and clean to and when 2/3rds vote for Horgmo’s 12 over that u gotta wonder whats up with 92% for TR shady revert landing over a just as clean sw bs 12′ by Mikkel. Everyone knows it was just America voting for the American, no respect left for the x-games in my book
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:30 am
X Games is blowing it. And by the way, here’s another blunder the American public overlooked: regardless, Travis Rice is amazing, but he missed his first grab on double back rodeo ten. He is still probably the best snowboarder in the world, but in this contest he should have been beat.
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:34 am
fuck travis rice…he sucks…horgmo shoulda won….x games are jock as fuck…go suck on some more flute tips u bitchases……Go Home DILT’S!!!!!!!!!
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:42 am
I agree Horgmo should have won. Your just mad Satan cause you cant have it your way. God will beat your ass and you already know it. Shit a Shepherd could beat your ass.
January 23rd, 2009 at 11:58 am
the people that actually know snowboarding and know the difference and difficulty in those tricks aren’t the type of people that are going to grab there phone and text a vote
the ones that are the type of people that text and vote are the random kids that have gone snowboarding a few times in there life and think any flip is cooler than anything else
or its the one kid that just does a front flip off every rail in a rail jam
have people that know snowboarding judge snowboarding
maybe even let everyone that competes in slopestyle judge it cause they know the jumps and the tricks better than anyone
January 23rd, 2009 at 12:03 pm
Rice should NOT have won! cuz obviously people who texted in don’t know how to judge an event. to the guy above, most pros probably can’t do 12s, and they won’t need to to be a pro…but especially switch backside. thats *&%@in insane to spin that much and land. It is obvious a popularity contest…unless you’re a schredder you probably don’t even know Mikkel or Torstein. WTF?! x-games suck!
January 23rd, 2009 at 12:35 pm
78% of America doesn’t know jack shit about snowboarding.
Last year, Todd Richards described this event here on TWS as a “circus show”.
Anyone catch how he kept saying he was glad he wasn’t part of the judging? He didn’t even want to be associated with the result, because he knew it was going to be bunk.
January 23rd, 2009 at 12:52 pm
mikkel lookes the best ive ever seen him in the video, flawless riding, torstein stomps that 12 better than anything ive ever seen him stomp, all tight and bunchie! o0o love
January 23rd, 2009 at 12:52 pm
mikkel lookes the best ive ever seen him in the video, flawless riding, torstein stomps that 12 better than anything ive ever seen him stomp, all tight and bunchie! o0o love
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:10 pm
Good, I am happy to see someone do something different. I’m tired of seeing these ghey contests where you ’spin to win’. Even one of the commentators asked “… are you ready to spin to win?” at the begining. I think that tr would have won it with a back one. You know why? Because it is different. It’s not corporate, its progression.
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:12 pm
Too bad so sad for Torstein and the norwegian riders, they took out Rice hands down! text message judging has failed the true winner at X-games big air!
To all contest organizers, please have some respect for snowboarding… and realize that a sw/bs 12 stomped clean should take out a BS rodeo 10 with a reverted landing on a qualified judges score card! One of the Lamest contests in snowboard history in my opinion!
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:21 pm
Snowboarding isn’t freestyle ski jumping. Snowboarding’s cousin is skateboarding not skiing. Travis flipping his way to victory just like in Moto X. Hey everybody, lets do backflips, watch some UFC and celebrate Travis’s victory by putting a new lift kit on our trucks BRO!
Travis does ski inspired tricks and that’s it, that’s all. Maybe him and Tanner Hall can start an EXTREME stunt team/company.
Please just stop putting snowboarding on TV. Lame.
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:28 pm
bitching about medals in the X-games is like competing in the special olympics. Even if you win/are right, you are still retarded.
It’s the X-Games people!!! May they rest in peace. Now if we can only get snowboarding outta the olympics and have 3 events:
1. Banked Slalom
2. US Open
3. Terje’s gig over in Norway
oh, and travis rice deserved to win. Progression over rotation any day baby.
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:29 pm
You want snowboarding off of TV, but I would have to bet you watched it…..on TV.
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:29 pm
wow…totally agree. popularity contest. tr should have been knocked out in the first round.
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:32 pm
thank youuuu, i agree with you. lago threw an accidental sw back 12 at the dew tour at mount snow and i asked him about it.he was shocked–its a hard trick and any person who snowboards will tell you spinnings harder then flipping. basically only horgmo, and now bang are cleanly landing 12s. even stupid white isnt landing them clean in contests and he might be lame as hell but hes definitely got skill…
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:34 pm
I find this whole thing hilarious for the following reasons:
1. People act like they respected X-games representation of snowboarding - Wow, I’ve never considered them to have a clue.
2. Suprise at texted judging - c’mon, its a big-air comp. Its the clowniest type of snowboard comp (and one of the funnest to watch). It’s not like it’s some “pure” aspect of the sport. Don’t you realize the network cares about viewers and texting increases viewers?
3. Dissing on Americans. Please, Americans have about 2% of the national pride in their athletes as Euros do. Apparently you forgot that Terje was considered a traitor by some when he boycotted the olympics. You think euros would have voted more fairly?
4. Travis shouldn’t have won - probably true, but he definitely should have won last year, so they are even.
5. Travis is “jock” and thus not a true snowboarder. Anyone who says this has never ridden at Jackson Hole and did not watch the parts of TITA where he exhibited his freeriding skills. As far as fundamental snowboarding skills that can be applied to any discipline, few can hang with TR.
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:39 pm
mikkel stomped 2 clean switch back 12s…travis reverted out of nearly all his runs. mikkel should have taken out travis judging on style and cleanliness–and why doesnt travis throw down a sw bk 12 once in a while to prove he can do it instead of just double rodeoing everywhere. its clear they are easy for him–watch thats it thats all. see thats where the double rodeos belong–in videos, where they can be slowed down and appreciated, oh and landed clean.
america way to text you way to making the xgames a giant popularity contest. glad you know nothing about snowboarding. lamest judging format ever.
the real contest should have been mikkel vs horgmo..so what do YOU all say
HORGMOS switch back 12s OR BANGS switch back 12s??
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:47 pm
kelli r: I say you leave lame contest results to sponsors and media outlets.
I have a better vote. what is lamer:
1. More people know Shaun White than Craig Kelly
2. People hate on Jake Burton just cuz he’s successful
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:50 pm
haha..and they dont know his name isnt jake burton—jake carpenter. anyway…im just curious what people think you know? nothing wrong with that.
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:55 pm
ooo wow - middle name is what he uses - you are truly the sage of all things snowboarding for pointing out his last name by birth. lame.
January 23rd, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Ok dumbass lets do the math. You say flips are easier than spins…..so why then are there no triple flips being thrown down then. Eero Ettala can do a switch triple backy but says he needs a huge jump for it and the x games jumps are not big enough. Go take a math class bud.
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:17 pm
I have another thing to say, it’s not spin to win if you grab all the way through and then stomp the shit out of it, even if you do a 1260, that’s progression.
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:30 pm
+1
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:33 pm
actually, everyone who snowboards probably knows that backflips, inversions etc are way harder than spins, whether its regular or switch.
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:35 pm
honestly theyre both super gnarly tricks. but i think the real fuck up here is on the x games and espn for letting the “people” judge the contest. most people have no idea that the fuck they’re talking so they should just leave it to the pros or something like the gap session
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:36 pm
correction* leave it to the pros judging eachother like the gap session or oakley stylewars. or just let real judges do it.
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:39 pm
a single back flip is easier then a 360..im sorry for not being clear. my bad. take a manners class dipshit.
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:39 pm
well, i never realized there were so many sore losers outside the states. americans dont have half the pride or bias to their own riders as the europeans do. rice would not have gotten 1% of the vote if he threw a flawless triple rodeo 1440 in norway
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:40 pm
i didnt mean it like that i wasnt being an ass i was simply pointing out that most people wouldnt know that. why are there so many fucking haters.
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:41 pm
i was on ur side.
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:41 pm
but i do agree that the texting thing is pretty ridiculus
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:43 pm
besides i thought u were on horgmos side…just cuz im a female u think im stupid but i actually probably know more then you think.
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:44 pm
OK…….well lets see you do a backflip on flat ground, cause I can three on flat ground but I atleast need a two foot jump to backflip. How about this….to prove your not the DIPSHIT, or DUMBASS, film a flat ground backflip and post it. My tolerance for low intelligence is running out.
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:46 pm
how many kids at the local mountain do you see doing backflips? 360’s? and a double rodeo 1080? he has the spin plus the backflips, way harder. people like you make me ashamed to be human
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:49 pm
oh shit, she tried pulling the whole sexism thing on you… pathetic
January 23rd, 2009 at 2:51 pm
Blatant proof your a dipshit…….how would I know your a chick…….jus because your name is kelli……hhmmmmmm kelly slater must be a girl then. How about you just quit posting and go ride.
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:09 pm
where do you want me to post it. in ur disadvantage, i was a gymnast for 15 years so i actually can do a backflip on flat ground. if you dont believe me, ill post it later tonight.
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:10 pm
anyway..point made about the sexism thing and i take it back..if i keep having this attitude girls are never going to step it up like we should so im sorry for that comment.
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:12 pm
and u can think im a dipshit, fine. im over it…glad ur ashamed to be human. im not really saying anything is easy, cuz if it were i could do it. i can do a backflip on the ground but not on my snowboard–thats a total fear thing for me. anyway dbl back rodeo–thats insane, hence why trav is one of the only people doing it. it wasnt clean and in a contest setting it didnt deserve to win
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:16 pm
Yeah progressing from a 10.
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:18 pm
Real judges? Why not have a computer with a scorecard do it? Snowboarding is democracy.
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:20 pm
Post yourself doing the splits. I think us guys would really appreciate it. Go Horgmo.
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:28 pm
haha ok i deserved that. at least we can agree on horgmo.
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:30 pm
I didn’t mean a plain 1260 is progression, the progressive part about it is actually grabbing the entire way through and landing it flawlessly.
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:42 pm
satan is a fucking dumb ass dude i wanna see you triple backflip 180 off a backcountry booter…. send me a video of that… but until then dont talk shit
January 23rd, 2009 at 3:56 pm
BooRadley “I have another thing to say, it’s not spin to win if you grab all the way through and then stomp the shit out of it, even if you do a 1260, that’s progression.”
wøøøøøRd
January 23rd, 2009 at 4:57 pm
NO PLACE FOR GOD HERE
and x-games is all for the $ching$
January 23rd, 2009 at 5:08 pm
trive didnt land the tripple back 1 idiot…suck my dick…go back to ur lil sking world
January 23rd, 2009 at 5:30 pm
screw a scrubbed landing? what are you talking about last time i checked you have to land something to count it otherwise any mark like you could go out and shoot a photo and count it. bangs 12 was not hucked it was so clean that richards thought it was a 9, im guessing you have never in your life thought of hitting a jump switch and are one of the kids at your local resort throwing the same wack ass front 3 off every jump, i bet you grab tindy also
January 23rd, 2009 at 5:33 pm
you dont snowboard then, or youre one of the kids at your local hill throwing backflips off everything, dope, mark. i bet youre the kid that sticks to 3s so he doesnt have to land switch. get a clue mark as bitch go ride your long board
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:19 pm
he might has well have. he stomped the shit outta the landing before he lost it on the out run.
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:24 pm
tricks are corporate now? damn.
January 23rd, 2009 at 6:54 pm
there’s nothing wrong with owning a successful snowboard company. burton could smaller and more core, but that’s not the aim of owning a business and neither is just handing out the shit you’ve designed and patented to other people so they can make money off of it. you don’t see lib just telling everyone to use their magnetraction system, do you?
if jake didn’t care about snowboarding, he wouldn’t shred and would have sold his company off to the highest bidder a long time ago. if anything, the dude should be looked at as a model of how to grow a business. i don’t necessarily get stoked on everything the company does, like building gear in china, but if that’s what your competition is doing, you’re not going to keep your prices competitive without doing the same thing.
one last point. i didn’t even watch this contest, but you shouldn’t diss travis for being more popular than mikel because he’s a good rider who’s made a name for himself. if he didn’t deserve to win, whatever, but the “jock” label just doesn’t fit.
January 23rd, 2009 at 7:39 pm
First off…who cares who won the X Games! Travis is fucking rad and put out the most popular video this year. Thats why he won. Horgmo is fuckin sick too and he’ll win again!
Second, I agreen with Ben on the Burton deal. Burton is fucking rad! If it wasn’t for Jake Burton, we wouldn’t be on this post arguing shit, and would all be riding snowboards! so give the dude some respect.
AND speaking of respect, Shawn and Craig are 2 completely different riders and are influencers at different times> you can’t compare the two! Craig was amazing and helped pioneer snowboarding and give pro riders the careers they have now. Shawn is pioneering it for the future!
If you are truely a snowboarder you wouldn’t be hating on any other pro snowboarder, or dude at the resort for whatever type of riding they do!
I don’t give a fuck if you wear baggy pants, tight ass girl pants, shred powder, ride the park, hit city rails, do backflips…whatever!! As long as you ride and have fun!
Fuck it…
January 24th, 2009 at 12:50 am
was there only 4 riders competing?… i want to se all the heat? who won who and all the shit
and I think mikkel should have won… he is fkn 18 yrs old and doing sw bs 12… horgmo did the same trick,, but he won last year and i just think mikkel did it more clean!!
and wtf hating on travis,, they are just all sick, and all of u haters want to be as good as them
peace
January 24th, 2009 at 8:20 am
i have a friend that can do that dubble back rodeo but with a 12
instead of a ten. thats a fuckin ski trick mikkel should have won damn it
January 24th, 2009 at 1:38 pm
the problem isn’t that it’s a popularity contest. that’s bad already! but if you have 3 norwegians and 1 american in the starting gate and then you say “you know what, the US viewer decide who wins” that’s just fucking stupid. Also consider the fact that americans are awfully patriotic especially when it comes to sport. it shouldn’t be about flags and nations, it shouldn’t be popularity like american idol it should be a contest to find out who’s the best rider that night. and everyone who knows anything bout snowboarding knows that mikkel bang, torstein horgmo and andreas wiig were all better than travis rice.
January 24th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
actually they’re not you fuckhead. a backflip is one of the easiest moves, so is the frontflip
January 24th, 2009 at 1:41 pm
uuuh you seen TITA and now you think what’s going on. you’re pathetic
January 24th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
who do you think you are to have the knowledge and experience to decide who’s the best snowboarder in the world?? Tell me can travis kill rails like simon chamberlain or jonah owen?? no. and don’t tell me that’s not part of snowboarding.
btw the thing is. ppl like you like to think there’s a godly shredder who’s better than everybody else. but the truth is. there’s no such rider. there will be always different styles, different talents and neither shaun nor rice nor andreas nor eero nor peter line or whatnot is better than everybody else.
January 24th, 2009 at 1:46 pm
american idol… with one american contestant
January 24th, 2009 at 1:52 pm
he did the same trick he did last year!!!! what kinda progression is that???? he even couldn’t land it this year. and then last year he actually did do a DOUBLE bs rodeo 10, this year he almost only did a bs rodeo 10 (without the double) go watch it again. and then he clearly saw eero ettala do that trick back in 2006, so he just copied from him. (the first time travis did that move was in 2007) WHAT KIND OF PROGRESSION IS THAT?? TELL ME!!!
January 24th, 2009 at 2:21 pm
I just lost all my respect for the X-games right there, what a joke.
travis should´ve given away his gold medal to horgmo or bang. typical money loving america with text message voting. its so embarising. i saw what everyone else saw including all americans: horgmos second X-games gold getting stolen infront of his nose.
And i dont even wanna talk about the elimination of bang that was so horrible.
January 24th, 2009 at 2:48 pm
This text message thing is corrupt. Look like travis are conf and sure he is going to win …
plus travis rice has difficult to do a bs 360 http://snow.dcshoes.com/videos/#t-rice-wins-aspen-x-big-air
while tor do everything smooth like he was an extraterrestre, wiig double cork sssssteezy and mikkel first time he try sw bs 12
Good way to kill snowboard…
January 25th, 2009 at 7:05 am
espn should be handing horgmo money for letting him get completely robbed. pro shreds should straight up start boycotting xgames and olmpics.terje has the right idea. the public media doesnt know shit about snowboarding nor do they even care enough to try and learn. either the companies that run xgames have no common sense and didnt know the public text vote would be unbelievably biased or they did know and thats why they created so much hype around the fact there was only one american rider. in which case that would mean its fixed. conspiracy in snowboarding?? really???? fuck xgames
January 25th, 2009 at 11:30 am
x games judging is as credible as publishing not landed photos, t rices tricks were not technically “landed”
January 25th, 2009 at 7:49 pm
word
January 29th, 2009 at 3:38 pm
I thought Rice through down a few good runs, but there is no way he should have beaten either Bang or Horgmo. All three are great riders, but the text-to-win is only going to ensure a win for Rice being as he was the most popular rider out of the three.
Unless anyone has ever really watched videos or read articles, etc. etc. no one knows much about either Bang or Horgmo.
All three of them rode great, but the win was only ensured due to Rice’s popularity.
Still fun to watch though.
Oh, and those of you who said back-flips and front-flips are the easiest tricks, show me your videos…
February 1st, 2009 at 4:10 pm
totally agree, horgmo was robbed. that swak 12 was sick. but if u know youre ridin in a comp where punters are doing the judging who cant tell the difference between a swak 12 and a front 7 u should probably not be wasting your time doing a swak 12. if horgmo wanted to win that popularity contest he should have rolled a straight up double wild cat. nothing gets punters frothing like a wild cat. oooh yea!
February 2nd, 2009 at 1:21 am
I’ll never watch the X games again…
it’s a joke having…90 % of American
viewers texting in their votes on the winners!
X games sucks from now on and turned in to
the lamest competition in extreme sports EVER up
to date… was it fare that Shaun White won?
NOooo
WaS it fare that Dumont won instead that the Swede
Jon Ohlson IN SKI BIG AIR?
Nooo
Was it fare that Rice the American won instead
of the Norwighian in big air snowboard?
Nooo
X games Sucks!!!!!!!!
February 3rd, 2009 at 12:29 pm
i hate spin to win, its kinda bullshit,switch 1260? sure its fuckin hard, but spinning a 1080 and corking it twice? thats definately sweeter and harder in my opinion.i think TR’s win was backed by his populatrity a bit too but thats cause he does his own thing, i dont think hes all into spin to win.
February 3rd, 2009 at 6:13 pm
ok first of all you guys are judging based on what you’ve seen and obviously you cant do the shit that they do. everyone like ohhhh a 12 they cant land them blah blah. you cant land them either. and for all of you saying that TR stole his trick from eero ettala you are a hipocrit my friend. if youve ever been snowboarding you probably have pulled the same trick as someone. that doesnt mean yyou copied them. its television. how long will it take you people to understand that if someone else other then travis rice won all of america would flip out. get over yourselves.
February 3rd, 2009 at 6:16 pm
and jmang is right. hes doing his own thing. all the other riders did 12’s. and you dont think that they copied someone???????
February 22nd, 2009 at 1:56 am
are you fucking kidding me you telling me that hitting a a big air jump switch plus the added difficulty of hitting the mofucka backside and throwing a disgustingly sick 12 with out reverting at all.. not the slightest , beats a flip + a rodeo??? Have you ever hit park jump switch man seriously