ASPEN — There’s no substitute for experience. Except maybe raw, unadulterated talent. And a little bit of experience.
That appears to be the winning formula for Cherry Creek High School graduate and Breckenridge-based freeskier Bobby Brown.
In only his second year of Winter X Games competition, the 18-year-old Brown claimed gold medals in two skiing disciplines by setting some of the highest scores the X Games have ever seen.
“Last night, when I won gold at big air, I was freaking out,” Brown said Saturday after picking up a second X Games gold medal in slopestyle. “Now I am freaking out twice as much. This is crazy.”
Less than 24 hours after using a “switch double-misty 1440” to notch a perfect score of 100 points in big air competition, Brown again used the trick to set the second-highest score in ski slopestyle history. Brown’s winning score Saturday (94.33) beat Norway’s Andreas Hatveit (92.00). Bronze went to Oregon’s Sammy Carlson (89.33).
Brown’s effort attracted even more attention as a second-year competitor who made his Winter X debut as an alternate last winter.
“Last year, I came in as an alternate, and I was kind of wishy- washy on whether I was going to do the contest or not,” Brown said. “This year I came in with a lot more confidence because I knew I was in, and I charged as hard as I’ve ever charged before.”
