X Marks the Spot

A A A Comments By Colin Bane Thursday, Jan 27 2011

This weekend’s Winter X Games 15 marks the tenth year in a row that Aspen has hosted the X Games at Buttermilk. Getting a room won’t be easy and definitely won’t be cheap — but as always, the Games themselves are free for spectators.

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“We love having the crowds up here,” says Aspen/Snowmass spokesman Jeff Hanle, who notes that event attendance has more than doubled in the last decade. “There’s no way in the world that we could afford to buy the exposure that the X Games gives us, both domestically and internationally.”

The X Games aren’t just for onlookers, either: The X Fest SnowPark and Warheads Snowskate Park in the base-area festival village are both free. If you pony up for a lift ticket, there’s a decent chance you’ll be riding with one of your favorite athletes — and you won’t miss many of the big events while making your runs, since most of the finals are held at night for ESPN’s prime-time audience.

Competitions begin daily at 10 a.m. today and continue through Sunday. And the X Games are saving the best for last: On Sunday night, Shaun White will defend his gold in the Men’s Snowboard Superpipe Finals. For spectator information and a complete TV schedule, go to espn.go.com/action/xgames/winter/2011.
Thu., Jan. 27, 2011

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