Winter X Games 2012: Videos, Results, And General Epicness

Even with a bum ankle, Shaun White still dominated the competition in Superpipe at the 2012 X Games, winning his fifth-straight gold medal in the event. White scored a 94.00 on his first run, wrapping up the gold before his third and final run of the night.

But on his final run, White didn't just ride it out. Instead, he scored a perfect 100, finishing off the X Games in style. Not a bad way for the Superpipe champ to go out at this year's event.

Iouri Podladtchikov, better known as iPod, finished in second with a best run of 93. Ryo Aono vaulted into third, taking the gold medal, with an 86 on his final run of the evening.

It was White who stole the show, as always, though. After pulling out of Slopestyle, many wondered how well his ankle would hold up on Sunday night in his signature event. As he showed, it was no worse for wear as he made history to cap the X Games.

Just days after having to pull out of the Slopestyle event with an aggravated ankle injury, Shaun White was proving once again why he's known as the best snowboarder in the world.

On Sunday night at the 2012 Winter X Games in Aspen, White pulled off an amazing 94-point run, rocketing into the lead in the Superpipe finals

White is known for his insane big airs which he achieves with apparent ease and his final run was no exception. With the win, White is in line to win the gold medal in the last five SuperPipe competitions at the Winter X Games. His run was immediately recognized as the best of the night as it was unfolding. All of this on a bad ankle.

Edit: Here's his final run, which put an exclamation point on his night. It scored a perfect 100.

For more updates, news and stories concerning the 2012 Winter X Games, stay tuned to this StoryStream.

This looked way easier than it was, especially considering the circumstances. Following a long delay, Heath Frisby landed the first-ever front flip on a snowmobile. Consider that Frisby just watched Justin Hoyer attempt a backflip, only to see him crash in horrific fashion. What followed was a lengthy delay, in which Frisby had plenty of time to ponder what was going on in front of him and what could happen next.

All he did was land a perfect front flip, which is insane when you think about it.

It has to be incredibly difficult to pull off a front flip on a huge snowmobile. The physics involved, the danger, everything combines for a trick that doesn't seem possible. He basically had to work against the momentum of his sled to get it around, then safely on the ground.

And he did it all like it was nothing. Good show, sir. Good show.

Props to Justin Hoyer for trying this. In the finals of the 2012 Winter X Games Snowmobile Best Trick, Hoyer went for the double backflip. Think about this, and consider the physics for a moment. That's a massive sled, trying to get around twice while flying way up in the air. It's mind-boggling.

Hoyer seemed to be psyched out before the jump, making a couple run-ups and backing off each time. He finally committed, but never had the rotation speed. He got around just about one and a half times and his snowmobile hit the ground first ... and you can figure out the rest.

Fairly sure his arm is broken -- a side-effect of a very heavy snowmobile landing on him. Another competitor will also be attempting a double backflip, but after seeing that, I might be rethinking those plans.

The 2012 Winter X games are coming to a close as Sunday afternoon's finals in the men's Mono Skier X competition represented one of the few remaining events left in the annual affair for competitors to claim a gold medal. Canadian Samson Danniels, making his first-ever appearance, took full advantage of a solid opportunity as he'll be leaving Colo. with gold following a first place finish.

The 25-year-old Daniels was able to overcome a rather large obstacle -- he broke his own monoski earlier in the week -- but it wasn't the first obstacle he's had to overcome, according to his ESPN bio.

He became a paraplegic after a mountain bike accident at age 19 and is paralyzed from the armpits down. He makes up for his lesser range of motion with a custom seat that he built himself and plenty of competition smarts from his time on the Canadian national adaptive ski team.

So, yeah ... that's pretty amazing.

Video of the event is embedded below.

For more updates, news and stories concerning the 2012 Winter X Games, stay tuned to this StoryStream.

Chris Del Bosco is no stranger to the podium for the men's Skier X finals at the annual Winter X-Games. Del Bosco took a bronze medal back to Canada in 2006, won gold in 2010 and finished with a silver during a photo-finish at the 2011 Winter X-Games behind John Teller.

On Sunday afternoon, Del Bosco added to his resume with another gold medal in the 2012 X-Games Skier X finale. Del Bosco finished with a time of 80.589 as he narrowly defeated Filip Flisar and Dave Duncan, the second and third-place finishers.

"This is my favorite event," Del Bosco said after winning the gold medal on the ESPN telecast. "To come here and win gold and get back on the podium? It's a good day."

The video below shows that Del Bosco didn't lead the entirety of the race, but moved to the front of the pack when it counted as he held on for the victory.

For more updates, news and stories concerning the 2012 Winter X Games, stay tuned to this StoryStream.

Marte Gjefsen was sick throughout the 2011 Winter X-Games and, while she attempted to fight her way through, she didn't end up with the results she was hoping for at the annual event. The 22-year-old from Norway recovered quite nicely in 2012, however, as she'll take home a gold medal after dominating the Women's Skier X final.

Gjefsen stayed in front of fellow Norway native Hedda Berntsen, who took second place in the final, while Australia's Jenny Owens finished Sunday's final with a bronze medal in her possession. It looked like Marielle Thompson was going to pull out the victory with just one-third of the competition left, but she self-destructed and Gjefsen took over the lead on the way to the finish line.

The video below shows the highlights of Gjefsen's performance.

Gjefsen previously won the World Cup in 2010 and finished 11th at the 2010 Winter Olympics before picking up the Skier X final on Sunday.

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The Ski Big Air event in the 2012 X-Games has come to a conclusion, with American Bobby Brown picking up gold with a score of 88.0. Brown hit two runs with scores of 44.0 as he put himself on top and stayed on top to take the gold medal. Here's video of one of Brown's 44.0 runs, where he catches air and hits a switch double cork 1260. Brown picked up a silver medal in the 2011 X-Games while dealing with a hip injury, but took home the gold this time.

Picking up silver in the competition was Swiss skier Kai Mahler who finished with an 84.0 total, with his best runs being a 43.00 and a 41.00. Rounding out the top three was two-time previous medal winner Jossi Wells of New Zeland. Wells narrowly finished behind Mahler with an 83.0 overall, as Wells best runs were a 44.00 and a 39.00.

For more updates, news and stories concerning the 2012 Winter X Games, stay tuned to this StoryStream.

Skiing Big Air had become a game of "anything you can do, I can do better" on Saturday night at the 2012 Winter X Games, with each competitor going bigger, higher and longer as the finals progressed. It was incredibly fun to watch as the skiers pulled off insane trick after insane trick during a jam-session style finals. But at some point, it seemed like someone was going to go down hard.

That someone was, unfortunately, Sammy Carlson. At the time, he was in a tie for second place, and he nearly pulled off a massive trick with some serious distance. Unfortunately, almost messed up his leg pretty bad.

Carlson didn't quite make the landing -- look how far down the transition he is -- and paid for it. His knee got caught and the force of his body spun him around. Knees really aren't supposed to bend that way.

As a result, Carlson appears to be done for the day after having been helped from the course.

In big air competitions, skiers gather a ridiculous amount of speed, then throw themselves off a really large jump, twisting and turning before hopefully landing on their feet. The run-up to the ramp is large and the room for error is very small. So one would expect the random courseworkers would be aware of their surroundings.

Nope.

Assuming this man probably got in trouble, but that's getting off easy. He's lucky he didn't get plowed by the skier, which probably would've made this gif more interesting and painful. Close call!

Dominique Maltais had a flawless finals run in the Women's Snowboarder X event on Saturday afternoon as she cruised to a gold medal victory. Maltais has had an amazing year so far, and adds a Winter X gold to her resume in just her third trip to the games. Typically focused on World Cup events, the Canadian has still made the finals in both her previous trips to Winter X. She took an early lead and avoided the embarrassing wipeout which has snatched victory from so many past competitors in this event. The smooth run led to a convincing and easy finish, as she crossed the line with a comfortable lead.

Video of her run below:

In the Men's Snowboarder X finals, it was Nate Holland who took home the gold after a crash erased Stian Sivertzen's lead. The American Holland had won gold five years in a row until the streak was broken in 2011. He had stated that the gold medal was simply on a one-year lease, and backed that up today with another first place finish.

Video of Holland's run:

For more updates, news and stories concerning the 2012 Winter X Games, stay tuned to this StoryStream.

It took a photo finish to decide Heat 1 of the Men's Snowboarder X semifinals in Aspen on Saturday. With the last spot in the finals up for grabs, a photo review was needed to decide whose board edged across the finish line in third place. Jayson Hale and Bobby Minghini flew down the course and were dead even as they came down the final stretch. Both leaned back to put the front of their boards across the line and in the end, it was Hale who edged out Minghini to move on to the finals.

Video of the photo finish:

The Ski and Snowboarder X competitions are often considered among the most intense at the Winter X games, and this was as close as is it gets. It was the highlight of the day so far in Aspen.

For more updates, news and stories concerning the 2012 Winter X Games, stay tuned to this StoryStream.

David Wise solidified a gold medal on his second run during the Men's Ski SuperPipe Final on Day 3 of the 2012 Winter X Games. He was by far the biggest standout at the event. Noah Bowman came in second with a score of 90.00 on his third run.

Torin Yater-Wallace took home bronze after just edging out last year's champion Kevin Rolland of France with a score of 89.66 on his third run. Wise's medal was the first of his career, after entering the X Games in 2011 as a rookie.

There was a scary moment during the third round of runs at the event, when Justin Dorey misjudged the height needed to pull off a grab, and hit the hard lip of the halfpipe on his side. Luckily, he was able to walk away from the accident.

For more updates, news and stories concerning the 2012 Winter X Games, stay tuned to this StoryStream.

Roz Groenewoud recorded a 93.66 on her second run to win the gold medal in the Women's Ski SuperPipe at the 2012 Winter X Games. The score was the highest ever in the history of the event, besting 4-time winner Sarah Burke's record. Burke passed away following an accident during a training run for the sport she helped pioneer.

Brita Sigourney perhaps paid the biggest tribute to Burke on the day, pulling off a 1080 at the end of her third run, a move that only Burke had previously ever successfully pulled off during a competition.

Sigourney's run was good enough for a bronze medal on the day. Maddy Bowman took home the silver, and was perhaps the most consistent skier on the day with a 91 on her first run and a 92 on her second. She held the lead through both runs before Groenewoud put on her show.

For more updates, news and stories concerning the 2012 Winter X Games, follow this StoryStream.

The 2012 Winter X Games rolls right along. The competition heads into Day 3 on Saturday, which is the busiest day of action so far.

Both men's and women's ski and snowboard action are on the docket for Saturday, including both SuperPipe finals and both Snowboarder X finals. The evening caps off with the Ski Big Air final, which is always thrilling and a spectacle unto itself.

Here is the complete viewing and competition schedule for Saturday. All times are Eastern.

Women's Ski SuperPipeFinal: 1:00 PM, ESPN3, ESPN 3D
Men's & Woman's Real Snow Snowboard Qualifying: 2:00 PM, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN 3D
Men's Ski SuperPipe Final: 2:30 PM, ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN 3D
Men's & Women's Snowboarder X Final: 4:00 PM, ABC, ESPN 3D
Men's Snowboard Slopestyle Elimination: 4:15 PM, ABC, ESPN 3D
Men's & Women's Mono Skier X Elimination: 7:00 PM Mono Skier X Elimination, XGames.com
Men's Snowboard Slopestyle Final: 9:00 PM, ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN 3D
Men's & Women's Ski Big Air Final: 9:30 PM, ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN 3D

Snowboard Big Air is a bit of an insane venture in which competitors strap themselves to a board, pick up a ridiculous amount of speed, then launch themselves off a huge jump, twisting and turning while hoping to land upright. On Friday night, the men went big, with Torstein Hormgo winning the battle, but losing the war. At least he went out in style, though.

On his final run, Hormgo stuck his landing, earning a perfect score for his efforts.

But it wasn't enough. Earlier, Mark McMorris used Hormgo's own move against him, sticking a triple cork for a 49. McMorris' best two runs -- the 49 and an earlier 31 -- were good for first place, and a gold medal in Big Air.

Hormgo finished with 76 points, tied with three others for second place on points. He did, however, earn the silver, with Sebastien Toutant taking the bronze.

On Day 2 of the 2012 Winter X Games in Aspen, the Slopestyle qualifier took place without the presence of the world's most famous snowboarder. Shaun White aggravated a left ankle injury while practicing for the event on Friday morning, according to Dave Krause of the Denver Post.

"I'm disappointed. My priority this year was to ride in slopestyle, and unfortunately I hit my ankle again riding the course in today's practice," White told ESPN. "I'm going to rest up and get ready to ride pipe on Sunday."

According to Colin Bane of Xgames.com, White first aggravated an old ankle sprain during Thursday's practice for the Men's Snowboard SuperPipe event. Shaun had been cleared for both the Slopstyle qualifier and SuperPipe elimination events on Friday, but will now be out of action until the SuperPipe qualifier on Sunday morning.

This looks a wee bit terrifying. What you're seeing is a skier attempting to grind a surface really high in the air. It came off a tabletop transition and the idea was a great one! The execution, on the other hand, probably could've been better.

What we're left with is a moment of "Totally got this, uh oh, awww dangit this is going to hurt."
Can't tell from this angle, but it looks like a long way down.

Yeah, you read that right. That sequence in the headline was Colten Moore's night at Winter X. First, he crashed incredibly hard in the semifinals of snowmobile freestyle. This doesn't quite do it justice, so watch the video. He was upside-down and lost his sled during a 120-foot jump, and managed to walk away.

After all that, he still advanced to the finals, then put together the winning run to claim gold. So after crashing and nearly injuring himself in a bad way -- if he didn't manage to tuck and roll right before impact, he probably lands on his head -- Moore hopped right back in the saddle and handled his business.

And because this is 2012, he Tebow'd. Of course.

I don't even know. I guess after the night he had, he might as well do whatever he pleases. Moore cheated death, then won gold. Not a bad way to cap the night.

In the semifinal round of snowmobile freestyle at Winter X, Colten Moore lost his sled. He didn't just lose his sled, though -- he was upside-down in the midst of a 120-foot just when he missed a grab. It was a scary moment, but Moore was fine and still advanced to the finals, despite the nasty crash.

His older brother, Caleb, is also one heck of a snowmobiler, and ran into a little trouble himself in the finals. By a little bit, I mean he almost did the exact same thing as his brother, but he managed to save it. Watch as the elder Moore misses his grab, then scrambles to find the sled, narrowly averting disaster.

That wasn't planned. Nobody is insane enough to plan a trick like that. Nice save from the fearless man, though.

For more updates, news and stories concerning the 2012 Winter X Games, follow this StoryStream.

Skier Sarah Burke passed away one week ago, following a tragic crash during a superpipe training run in Utah. Burke suffered significant injuries in the crash nine days before her passing and was in a coma following emergency neurosurgery to repair a tear in one of the main arteries to her brain. Burke was well-known in the skiing world, where she excelled in freestyle events at all levels.

On the first night of the 2012 Winter X Games, the athletes paid tribute to Burke with a cool moment in the superpipe. As Burke's family watched on, the pipe went dark, and the competitors slowly made their way down the darkened mountain carrying white lights.

ESPN also put together a very well-done video package on Burke ahead of the athletes' tribute. Burke had won four X Games gold medals, in addition to numerous other accomplishments and honors in the world of freestyle skiing, from the pipe to the park.

The 2012 Winter X Games are underway and the Women's Ski Slopestyle Final is in the books with Kaya Turski winning her third consecutive gold medal.

She did it in style, landing the first switch 1080 by a woman in Winter X Games history and doing so on the final jump of the contest's final run.

Her historic final run overtake leader Devin Logan and her competitors mobbed her at the bottom of the course before her score had been posted. The score bumped her from bronze to gold.

Logan had to settle for the silver, though her Cork 720 was something to see.

Australia's Anna Segal took bronze after leading most of the competition, and two-time silver medalist Keri Herman settled for fourth.

Kim Lamarre is certain to make headlines after crashing once again. Lamarre, a 23-year-old from Lac-Beauport QB, Canada, took fifth place in Ski Slopestyle in 2011and was looking to improve on that in 2012, but she crashed during a run in the medal round.

For more updates, news and stories concerning the 2012 Winter X Games, follow this StoryStream.

The 2012 Winter X Games kick off on Thursday, with five events and three finals that will award the first nine medals of the competition. And fans will be able to tune in and watch the action in Aspen on both ESPN and ESPN3.

The 2012 Winter X Games begin with the elimination round of men's ski slopestyle, continues in the afternoon with women's ski slopestyle's final and the snowboard street final, and finishes in primetime with the finals of the snowmobile freestyle and men's ski slopestyle.

Related: Winter X Games Athlete Profiles

Men's ski slopestyle will be decided at night for the first time in the event's history, and boasts a deep field that includes defending gold medalist Sammy Carlson and 2010 Winter X gold medalist Bobby Brown, both of whom will have to fend off more than a half-dozen legitimate challengers for the top prize.

Snowmobile freestyle will be wide open, but for a different reason: defending champion Daniel Bodin and world record-holder Levi LeVallee will both miss the event due to injuries.

Here's the full competition and TV schedule for Day 1 of the 2012 Winter X Games. All times are Eastern.

Men's Ski Slopestyle Elimination: 12:30 p.m., ESPN3/ESPN 3D

Women's Ski Slopestyle Final: 3:30 p.m., ESPN3/ESPN 3D

Snowboard Street Final: 4:30 p.m., ESPN3/ESPN 3D

Snowmobile Freestyle Final: 9:00 p.m., ESPN/ESPN3/ESPN 3D

Men's Ski Slopestyle Final: 9:45 p.m., ESPN/ESPN3/ESPN 3D