Young face.
Aspen native Torin Yater-Wallace is the youngest competitor at this year’s X Games. The 15-year-old freeskier placed third, qualifying for today’s superpipe finals. When Yater-Wallace was 7, he joined the Aspen Valley Club freestyle team. “Lessons were too boring, and I always wanted to go off jumps and do tricks,” he said.
New addition.
One of the four new events this year is tonight’s snowboard “best method.” The method, which is a straight jump with the rider grabbing the heelside of the board between the bindings, became famous when race leader Lindsey Jacobellis tried to pull off her best method near the finish of the 2006 Olympics boardercross but crashed and finished second.
Missing out.
Breckenridge freeskier Colby West was last out of 15 in the slopestyle qualifiers and did not advance to Saturday’s finals. West has two bronze medals (2007 and ’09) in the event but also failed to qualify last year.
Rough landing.
Evergreen High School grad Walter Wood, who was looking at his first X Games, crashed in practice and had to pull out of the skiing superpipe event.
Big number.
Event coordinators said Thursday’s crowd of 15,400 was the largest for the opening day of any X Games.
David Krause, The Denver Post
