Nick Goepper defends Ski Slopestyle title
— -- ASPEN, Colo. -- Nick Goepper won his second consecutive X Games Aspen Ski Slopestyle gold medal Sunday, kicking off the final day of competition and becoming the first to repeat in men's Ski Slopestyle since Tanner Hall's three-win streak ended in 2004.
"I feel honored to be in the same category as Tanner but couldn't be more honored to be here with my homies," Goepper said, specifically shouting out to competitors McRae Williams and Andreas Håtveit, the silver and bronze medalists, respectively. "It's Andreas' last time here, so it couldn't have been a better day."
Håtveit, who will compete in Sochi with the Norwegian Olympic team, has announced this will be his last competitive season.
On his second run, Gus Kenworthy landed a switch triple rodeo 1440, the first triple cork landed in an X Games Ski Slopestyle competition. Goepper brought the second -- a rightside triple cork 1440 in his second run -- to bump into second place and landed it again in an even cleaner third run, improving to 95, the highest score of the day.
Goepper, who broke two bones in his left hand this past fall, skied his run with a wrist brace and no poles.
He was the first to qualify for the U.S. Freeskiing Olympic team and will lead the charge as the team heads to Sochi for freeskiing's Olympic debut.
"It's going to be crazy," he said. "Definitely keep your eyes open and wake up at 2 in the morning to watch the show."
Henrik Harlaut, the Ski Big Air gold medalist from Saturday night, just missed the Slopestyle podium, finishing in fourth.
Men's Ski Slopestyle Final
SnoCross Adaptive
Mike Schultz won his fourth consecutive gold medal in SnoCross Adaptive on Sunday. Schultz dominated SnoCross Adaptive at X Games in 2010, 2011 and 2013 (the event was not contested at X Games Aspen 2012).
Schultz is an above-the-knee amputee who developed the prosthetic knee technology he and other adaptive racing competitors use. He finished more than 13 seconds ahead of silver medalist Garrett Goodwin and bronze medalist Doug Henry, who both use custom snowmobile seats for paraplegic racers.
Schultz, an X Games SnoCross competitor since 2002 before losing his left leg in a 2008 accident, also has a summer X Games streak going: He has won the Moto X Adaptive Racing event twice now, in 2010 and 2013.
Sunday's win in Aspen brings his overall X Games medal count to seven, six of them gold.
SnoCross Adaptive Final
Mike Schultz won his fourth consecutive gold medal in SnoCross Adaptive on Sunday. Schultz dominated SnoCross Adaptive at X Games in 2010, 2011 and 2013 (the event was not contested at X Games Aspen 2012).
Schultz is an above-the-knee amputee who developed the prosthetic knee technology he and other adaptive racing competitors use. He finished more than 13 seconds ahead of silver medalist Garrett Goodwin and bronze medalist Doug Henry, who both use custom snowmobile seats for paraplegic racers.
Schultz, an X Games SnoCross competitor since 2002 before losing his left leg in a 2008 accident, also has a summer X Games streak going: He has won the Moto X Adaptive Racing event twice now, in 2010 and 2013.
Sunday's win in Aspen brings his overall X Games medal count to seven, six of them gold.