To quote the main event themselves, “Ah sh*t, here we go again.” That’s right, it’s TIME for another edition of perhaps the greatest event in freestyle skiing; X Games Aspen. From January 26 to January 28, the best of the best from around the globe will collide in Aspen, Colorado, to duel it out in SuperPipe, Slopestyle, Big Air, Knuckle Huck and even… SLVSH? Yes, this year’s X Games look to be one of the best we’ve ever seen. New editions to the comps, a beyond-stacked rider invite lineup, returning veterans, eager youngbloods and much more. Let’s unpack everything that you can expect to see at the 2024 X Games Aspen.

Below, you’ll find what’s new, event info, a detailed schedule of X Games Aspen, our top five early takeaways and much more.

First, let’s address the new additions to the ski events this year:

• SLVSH Games & SLVSH Cup Snowmass

Freeskiing’s favorite game of SLVSH (pronounced slush) has made its way to X Games Aspen. The long-time treasured series has brought together skiers from around the globe for years now to duel it out over a game of SLVSH, which is basically a game of Horse played on skis. Riders get to call and trade tricks until someone has been unable to complete the other person’s tricks multiple times in a row, earning a letter for each failure and eventually spelling out SLVSH.

Currently, there are games being played in the SLVSH Cup Snowmass between Tormod Frostad, Cody LaPlante, Elias Syrjä, Kuura Koivisto, Tristan Feinberg, Ferdinand Dahl, Sam Zahner and Matěj Švancer (click here to read our piece on the event). The winner will receive a cash prize as well as a spot on X Games Knuckle Huck. This ain’t no joke!

There will also be games of SLVSH played at 11 a.m. Friday, January 26, between Jesper Tjader vs. Max Moffat, Colby Stevenson vs. Ferdinand Dahl, Olivia Asselin vs. Taylor Lundquist and more. This will be a great way to kick off the events.

• Women’s Knuckle Huck

It’s about time. Women’s Knuckle Huck is debuting for its inaugural run at X Games Aspen 2024. Riders use the knuckle of the Big Air jump to showcase their best hand drags, butters, corks, or, if you’re Henrik Harlaut, Griselda flips. It’s been a fan favorite for a few years now in the men’s division (click here for the highlights from last year’s Knuckle Huck). With eight women competing for glory, this is going to be an event you won’t want to miss.

Zoe Atkin during Women’s Ski SuperPipe Practice at 2023 X Games Aspen. ©Trevor Brown, Jr./X Games

Event Details

X Games Official Descriptions Provided

SLVSH Games

One athlete will throw their chosen trick utilizing any obstacle, and the second will have a chance to land that same trick or receive a letter. The first skier to receive all letters of SLVSH will be eliminated. Think of it as the freeski version of HORSE. Athletes will compete for cash prizes.

• One heat of six athletes (men’s and women’s)

• One athlete executes a trick for the other athlete to match

• Miss a trick and receive a letter

• The first athlete to receive all five letters in SLVSH is eliminated

Big Air

The Big Air course is approximately 300 feet long and made up of a single 75-foot hybrid jump. The men’s and women’s finals each feature eight athletes who each attempt a single trick of the feature in a jam session format. Athletes will have a 30-minute jam session to complete as many tricks as possible, and their two best scores will count toward the overall ranking. Big Air is judged on aggressive execution of maneuvers, degree of difficulty and variety of tricks, originality and style.

• One heat of eight athletes

• 30-minute Jam Session

• As many runs as time permits

• Two best scores per rider count

Slopestyle

The Slopestyle course is approximately 1,700 feet long with six features and a vertical drop of 290 feet. The top of the course will test the athletes’ rail prowess with three different rail-based features. Then the remaining three booters will show off their jump skills. In the men’s and women’s finals, riders will have three chances to put together their best runs. Slopestyle is judged on progression, execution, difficulty, variety and amplitude.

• One heat of 10 athletes

• Three runs for each athlete

• Best run counts

SuperPipe

The X Games SuperPipe is approximately 567 feet long and 66 feet wide, with 22-foot walls. Skiers link tricks from wall to wall, attempting to get the most amplitude and maintain flow between tricks. In the men’s and women’s finals, each rider will have three runs to link their best tricks.

SuperPipe is judged on progression, execution, difficulty, variety and amplitude.

• One heat of eight athletes

• Three runs per athlete

• Best run counts

Knuckle Huck

The Knuckle Huck discipline uses the same course as the Big Air jump, however instead of hitting the jump, athletes utilize the rollover or “knuckle” to throw their most stylish tricks. The men’s and women’s final will be a 20-minute jam session where athletes take as many runs as possible and will be ranked based on overall impression.

Knuckle Huck is judged on execution and difficulty of maneuvers, variety, progression of attempt, originality and style.

• One heat of eight athletes

• 20-minute Jam Session

• As many runs as time permits

• Score based on overall impression

X Games 2024 Event Schedule

Ski events only are listed below. Sorry snowboarders!

Friday, January 26

Saturday, January 27

Sunday, January 28

Fabian Boesch during Men’s Ski Slopestyle Practice at 2023 X Games Aspen. ©Trevor Brown, Jr./X Games

FREESKIER’s Top 5 Early Takeaways

• Eileen Gu is pretty much as dominant as any athlete has ever been in any sport, ever. She’s as good at her job as it gets. Competing in SuperPipe and Slopestyle this year, she has to be on your list to watch. She’s already racked up medals this year, with a recent second-place finish in Slopestyle at the LAAX Open (her first Slopestyle comp since 2022) and first in SuperPipe at the U.S. Grand Prix in Copper.

• This year’s additions of SLVSH and Women’s Knuckle Huck into the X Games are awesome. For SLVSH, it shows that they are making an effort to appeal and cater to what the fans want. The game is incredibly popular amongst freeskiers and is a great way to see your favorite skiers outside of the big events and bright lights. For Women’s Knuckle Huck, this addition is overdue but very welcome. The lineup is stacked, and it’s sure to be a stylish brawl.

• Nick Geopper should be the most favored underdog of all time. He has undergone some transformations, from the blue hair to coming out of a brief retirement and switching from Slopestyle to SuperPipe. He already has six X Games Medals under his belt and will no doubt be looking to add to that as he continues to climb towards his goal of making the 2026 US Olympic Halfpipe Team.

• Judging will continue to be a heated debate this year. The requirements understandably vary from event to event, and the language can sometimes be ambiguous. Official judging terms such as ‘originality’ and ‘style’ can mean different things to different people. There have been athlete complaints about this. Notably, Henrik Harlaut dropped out of Slopestyle in 2021 after a heated disagreement regarding judging. Does style matter more than technicality? Should another rotation score higher than a beautiful grab? These are things the freeskiing community will continue to debate, and perhaps there is no clear answer to them. But overall, keep an eye out for how the judges decide their scores.

• X Games is heading in the right direction. Adding SLVSH and Women’s Knuckle Huck shows that they are listening to what their viewers and the freeskiing community at large want. There’s more money coming in than ever before, which can be a tricky line to walk. Money and freeskiing have a unique relationship. The culture and sport should never be only about the money, but freeskiing does need funding to make these awesome events possible and to give those who devote their life to the sport, culture and community a chance to earn a living doing so. If the money is coming in and we, as skiers who love the sport, are happy, it’s a win-win.

Click here to watch X Games 2024 LIVE and free

X Games Aspen 2024 Kicks off Friday, January 26 at 11 a.m. with live games of SLVSH followed by Men’s Big Air that night. Stay tuned for X Games updates, info and the occasional lip on blind 2 off shoutout (the only trick in the world that matters) from FREESKIER.