Winter X Games 2012: Videos, Results, And General Epicness

Props to Justin Hoyer for trying this. In the finals of the 2012 Winter X Games Snowmobile Best Trick, Hoyer went for the double backflip. Think about this, and consider the physics for a moment. That’s a massive sled, trying to get around twice while flying way up in the air. It’s mind-boggling.

Hoyer seemed to be psyched out before the jump, making a couple run-ups and backing off each time. He finally committed, but never had the rotation speed. He got around just about one and a half times and his snowmobile hit the ground first ... and you can figure out the rest.

Mono Skier X was already completely insane. Strapping a single ski to one’s backside and rocketing down a mountain takes a bit of crazy, especially when it’s done in a race format with three other competitors. Add in huge jumps and, well, we’ll go ahead and pass on trying this ourselves.

You just knew the wipeouts were going to come fast and furious. And at the conclusion of the finally heat of Mono Skier X at the 2012 X Games, everybody hit the deck.*

Dominique Maltais had a flawless finals run in the Women’s Snowboarder X event on Saturday afternoon as she cruised to a gold medal victory. Maltais has had an amazing year so far, and adds a Winter X gold to her resume in just her third trip to the games. Typically focused on World Cup events, the Canadian has still made the finals in both her previous trips to Winter X. She took an early lead and avoided the embarrassing wipeout which has snatched victory from so many past competitors in this event. The smooth run led to a convincing and easy finish, as she crossed the line with a comfortable lead.

Video of her run below:

The 2012 Winter X Games rolls right along. The competition heads into Day 3 on Saturday, which is the busiest day of action so far.

Both men’s and women’s ski and snowboard action are on the docket for Saturday, including both SuperPipe finals and both Snowboarder X finals. The evening caps off with the Ski Big Air final, which is always thrilling and a spectacle unto itself.

Snowboard Big Air is a bit of an insane venture in which competitors strap themselves to a board, pick up a ridiculous amount of speed, then launch themselves off a huge jump, twisting and turning while hoping to land upright. On Friday night, the men went big, with Torstein Hormgo winning the battle, but losing the war. At least he went out in style, though.

On his final run, Hormgo stuck his landing, earning a perfect score for his efforts.

This looks a wee bit terrifying. What you’re seeing is a skier attempting to grind a surface really high in the air. It came off a tabletop transition and the idea was a great one! The execution, on the other hand, probably could’ve been better.

Skier Sarah Burke passed away one week ago, following a tragic crash during a superpipe training run in Utah. Burke suffered significant injuries in the crash nine days before her passing and was in a coma following emergency neurosurgery to repair a tear in one of the main arteries to her brain. Burke was well-known in the skiing world, where she excelled in freestyle events at all levels.

On the first night of the 2012 Winter X Games, the athletes paid tribute to Burke with a cool moment in the superpipe. As Burke’s family watched on, the pipe went dark, and the competitors slowly made their way down the darkened mountain carrying white lights.