X Games Super Pipe finished up the '24 X Games - a stacked start list and a final set of hardware to be handed out as the sun set over Aspen.
Jon Sallinen and Hunter Hess both went down hard on their right dub 12s. Hunter's run looks to have some awesome smaller spins, like a really tweaked cork 5 safety. His tache is quite spectacular these days too. Brendan Mackay was the first to put down a full run, his switch AO dub flat 10 was gorgeous, the final rightside spin, a dub 16 also seemed to give some trouble but he held on - first real score on the board. 81.00. Geopper - new to the discipline - dropped next in jeans no less. His run kicked off with back-to-back dub 12, mute and blunt respectively with back-to-back 9s, regular into switch. His final switch dub gave him some trouble on that same wall everyone struggled with. Nico Porteous opened things with a switch 3 drop in to zero spin - he then skipped a hit carving back to the same wall. His run also had both-way 16s and a switch double - may be the most beautiful pipe run I've ever seen although his landings and grabs left something out there to be cleaned up. Aaron Blunck was skiing like a man possessed but lost a shoe on his final hit... guess the binding - Tyrolia. Alex Ferreira's second hit dub 16 and final hit dub 16 we're monsters - 16'7" highest hit... outrageous - we got a pole swing - this would surely be a top spot run. 93.33 and the bar was well and truly set. David Wise had some less-than-perfect landings, and perfection would be needed to end up on the podium.
Jon Sallinen went down hard on his final hit after a very good-looking run - opened with back-to-back both-way dubs, he landed crooked and it looked like it could have been bad. Wishing you some luck Jon! Hunter Hess shows us the progression in the pipe, back-to-back dub 12s, a switch cork 10 lead mute and ending his run with a misty 5 mute, very unique. Is this the resurgence of halfpipe? 89.00 put him in the number 2 spot for now. Brendan Mackay laced up both-way switch dub 12s and capped the shit out of a blunt in there too. This earned him a 90.66 and bumped Hess into the third spot. Geopper is something else, he brings his slopestyle pedigree and locked in his grabs - he lost a bit of amplitude through the run which docked some points, an 87.33 - maybe the jeans cost him points too? Nico's ability to cut back to the same wall out of a dub 16 is silly. His final hit 16 was squatted out and not quite as clean as it could be. Blunck also implemented some 'new wave' elements like a switch butter - it took him down though which was a shame. Ferreira tried to up the ante by turning his first hit switch cork to a switch dub but hip checked in the middle of his run. He still laced a left dub 16 for 'fun' at the end though. Wise went down on his first hit switch left dub 10 - a trick that always gives him some trouble.
Jon Sallinen sat out run 3 after his bail. Hunter Hess turned it up to 11, keeping it super stylish and holding on between his last two hits - a little iffiness on his right dub 12 kept him out of a potential first-place run. This was a beauty. Brendan Mackay went down on his 3rd run he'd have to watch nervously on for the rest of the comp. The stream decided to show Hunter's run again - because it was that good. Goepper cleaned things up and did a dance at the bottom of the pipe. Lol, when did halfpipe get good again? He earned a 92.00 and preliminary 3rd. Nico put down his run properly clean this time, 2x dub 16s, the bottom turn carve back and the switch 3 into the pipe. This is the new generation of pipe skiing. LFG! 92.66 put him into second - creativity getting rewarded. Brendan Mackay finally put down a super clean run - his switch butter/carve wasn't rewarded, unfortunately. Ferreira dropped with only David Wise able to take gold away from him. He put down 4-way doubles, 2 of them 16s and got 17.5 feet out of the pipe. Outrageous. 95.33 Ferreira you fucking animal. Wise went down again on his switch right dub leaving your podium standing at....
GOLD: Alex Ferreira
Silver: Nico Porteous
Bronze: Hunter Hess
Replay:
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