Words by Jeff Schmuck
The biggest show of them all, X Games, continued last night with one of its marquee events, Men's Ski Superpipe Finals.
Following the most impressive Women's Ski Superpipe Finals of all time (click here for a recap of what went down), eight of the best pipe skiers in the world took to the immaculate 22-foot beast that is the X Games Superpipe after being narrowed down from a field of 16 during the previous day's elimination round.
Photo by Jeff Schmuck
In eighth place was Benoit Valentin, who had a bit of a tough night after bobbling on his first run and crashing on his second and third, but still showed that he's one of the most technical pipe skiers in the game...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UkXt_2ppF0
Taking seventh was an X Games rookie, Aaron Blunck, who rose to the occasion with the local crowd behind him and laid down a run that included a massive right side double cork 12 and an alley-oop right side double flatspin 9. Expect to see Aaron competing in this event for many years to come...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzZO-FoEzac
Sixth place went to Tucker Perkins, who was competing for the first time since blowing his knee last winter, and as always, oozed with consistency and precision...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALoniDcGy0c
Placing fifth was one of the biggest (literally) stories of the night, Joffrey Pollet-Villard, who was just inches away from breaking Peter Olenick's world record for highest pipe air in the middle of his run, and without question received the loudest cheers of the night from the capacity crowd in return for his high flying antics...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnCW2LE1kXo
Just missing the podium in fourth was Kevin Rolland, who put down not one, not two, not three, but four doubles, including a double flair to switch, back-to-back double flair mutes, and as always, a perfectly executed left side double cork 12.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uS51XBwifbg
In third was the very happy owner of a shiny bronze medal, Simon Dumont, who once again proved that he's the fiercest competitor in the history of the sport by skiing with two broken wrists (and no poles as a result) and putting down the biggest, ballsiest and cleanest run of his career. What a beast...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzmQvdKlnsM
On the second step of the podium, scoring his second X Games silver medal, was Torin Yater-Wallace, who unleashed three double corks in a row (a right side double cork 12 to alley-oop right side double flatspin 9 to a down the pipe right side double cork 9) to land just two points behind the hero of the day...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b1kUMFzQTbY
And once again, bringing home the X Games gold medal in Men's Ski Superpipe Finals for the second year in a row, was David Wise, who's huge right cork 7, to switch double cork 10, to back-to-back left and right side double cork 12's, to a massive alley-oop left side 5 blunt was without question the most incredible run in the history of halfpipe skiing...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vj8YcWURhT4
Torin Yater-Wallace (2nd), David Wise (1st), Simon Dumont (3rd). Photo courtesy of ESPN
Results
1) David Wise - 95.66
2) Torin Yater-Wallace - 93.00
3) Simon Dumont - 85.66
4) Kevin Rolland - 84.66
5) Joffrey Pollet-Villard - 82.66
6) Tucker Perkins - 78.66
7) Aaron Blunck - 74.66
8) Benoit Valentin - 63.66
To see how this event affects the AFP World Rankings, visit afpworldtour.com.
http://www.newschoolers.com/watch/604806.0/Behind-The-Scenes-at-X-Games---Ski-Superpipe-Finals
Behind The Scenes at X Games - Ski Superpipe Finals
Stay tuned for more from X Games, which continues this evening with Men's Ski Big Air and concludes tomorrow with Women's and Men's Ski Slopestyle Finals. For more information on X Games along with when and where you can watch it on TV, check out xgames.com.
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