Snowboarding

Shaun White has dominated the Winter X Games for a long time now.

His best event is definitely the snowboard Superpipe though, where he has been the Winter X champion every year since 2008.

He’s primed for another gold medal run in 2012, but this year he should face some tougher competition.

Let’s take a look at three snowboarders who could potentially end White’s reign of dominance in 2012.

Danny Davis, USA 

Davis has experience beating Shaun White, something not a lot of snowboarders have. He won the 2010 Winter Dew tournament, beating White in the Superpipe event.

Unfortunately, his momentum was slowed after that. He broke his back shortly thereafter.

But he’s healthy once again, and could provide quite a challenge to White.

Louie Vito, USA 

Vito is a strong young American rider who is primed for a breakout season.

He’s going to need to do better than he did in Dancing with the Stars if he’s going to beat White, though (he finished fifth in 2009).

Vito has attempted a 1440 before. If he can land that in this year’s Winter X Games, he has a really good chance of winning the Superpipe event.

He finished third in the event in 2011 and could do a lot better this year if he can land that 1440.

Peetu Piiroinen, Finland 

Piiroinen has been coming after White for a while now, finishing second to him at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Piiroinen has been on a roll of late, too, winning an event in Europe last year.

If White slacks off even for a minute, "P2" has what it takes to overtake the "Flying Tomato" and win a Winter X gold.

Watching these two square off will be some must-see TV.

Shaun White may be an 11-time Winter X Games champion, but his performance in the Slopestyle competition last year, combined with his ankle injury on Thursday, should have him worried.

When White took a year off from the Slopestyle event in 2010, he appeared to regress when he came back in 2011, finishing in 13th place and seeing rookie Sebastian Toutant take home the gold medal.

On Thursday on a practice run, White suffered a "mild sprain," per ESPN. That is just going to make his life more difficult in the Slopestyle on Friday morning.

When you take a year off, it's only natural to lose a little bit of your thunder. White won the gold medal from 2003-2006 and in 2009, but he clearly looked off in 2011.

An ankle injury, even if it's mild, is significant in a competition like Slopestyle. I don't expect a competitor like White to exactly ease up on the gas pedal, but it's certainly going to be difficult for him to be at 100 percent. He already had a lot to overcome on Friday as it was. With him not being completely healthy, I find it hard for him to win the gold.

This, of course, should open up the competition to new faces, which isn't necessarily a bad thing. There are plenty of snowboarders out there who have been excellent throughout the years only to be overshadowed by stars like White.

White will compete as usual and I could still see him winning a medal, but Thursday's injury, especially a day before the event, will prove to be too costly in the end.

The 2012 Winter X Games are going to be epic, so it's up to you to make sure you know exactly where you can find all of the Games' best events.

We're all busy—there's no way around that for most people—but I would consider the X Games to be must-watch, especially for fans of extreme sports.

In fact, I believe that's where the "X" comes from—extreme.

At the very least, make sure you check out these events:

Men's Snowboard SuperPipe: Shaun White

There is almost no arguing that Shaun White is one of the best, if not the best, in the business.

He's constantly changing the game and pushing the boundaries—so much so that even casual sports fans know his name, The guys a superstar in every right. He's in movies, on television and the best part is that he's not just a winter guy.

He's most known for his prowess on the snow, but White can also tear it up with a board with wheels, known as a skateboard, I believe.

While White is the main attraction, he's not the only competitor worth watching obviously. He's going to have a ton of competition, which is going to make this the must-watch event of the Winter X Games.

Snowmobile Freestyle/Best Trick

Hands-down the coolest competitions at the X Games, especially if you're a fan of fast machines and people doing crazy stunts with them.

I'm assuming you are, because honestly it's hard not to be when you put it into perspective. Snowmobiles weigh a ton, and these athletes are riding them around and doing tricks on them like they are toy bicycles.

Yes, I said athletes.

Seriously though, for my money, the snowmobile events are easily some of the most entertaining for even non-sports fans. The things that these athletes can do on them is nothing short of amazing.

If you're not doing anything and looking for an impressive and extremely entertaining watch—here's my recommendation.

It's awesome.

X Games 16 TV Schedule

Thurs., Jan. 26, 2012

Men's Ski Slopestyle Elimination at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3, ESPN3D

Women's Ski Slopestyle Final at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3D

Snowboard Street Elimination at 4:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3, ESPN3D

Snowmobile Freestyle Final at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Men's Ski Slopestyle Final at 9:45 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Fri., Jan. 27, 2012

Men's Snowboard Slopestyle Elimination at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3, ESPN3D

Women's Snowboard Slopestyle Final at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESP3, ESPN3D

Men's Ski SuperPipe Elimination at 8:30 p.m. ET on ESPN3, ESPN3D

Snowboard Big Air Final at 10:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Women's Snowboard SuperPipe Final at 10:45 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Sat., Jan. 28, 2012

Women's Ski SuperPipe Final at 1 p.m. ET on ESPN3, ESPN3D

Real Snow at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Men's Ski SuperPipe final at 2:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Men's and Women's Snowboarder X final at 4 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN3D

Men's Snowboard Slopestyle Elimination at 4:15 p.m. ET on ABC, ESPN3D

Men's Snowboard Slopestyle Final at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Ski Big Air Final at 9:30 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3 ESPN3D

Sun., Jan. 29, 2012

Men's And Women's Skier X Final at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Women's Snowboard Slopestyle Final at 2:15 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Men's Snowboard SuperPipe Elimination at 2:15 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Mono Skier X Final at 4:45 ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Snowboard Street Final at 5:15 ET at 5:15 p.m. EST on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Snowmobile Best Trick Final at 9 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Men's Snowboard SuperPipe Final at 9:45 p.m. ET on ESPN, ESPN3, ESPN3D

Don't miss any of the following athletes' Winter X Games 16 performances—they are going to be special.

Winter X Games 16 takes place January 26th-29th in Aspen, Colorado. That means the action will be coming fast and furious once the Games begin.

Here are the athletes who will be filling up the highlight reels. 

Shaun White

The inclusion of "The Flying Tomato" on this list should surprise no one. He has been dropping jaws and emptying seats for years now, and he just keeps getting better. 

White has won X Games gold in the Superpipe four straight times, and his last was his most impressive. His medal-winning run checked in with a score of 97.33. During that run he landed the Double McTwist 1260. 

It's impossible to say what he could do to top that, but it is a good bet he will. 

Kelly Clark

Clark is essentially the female snowboarding equivalent of Shaun White. She is the dominating figure in women's Superpipe.

She has medaled in that competition in six of the last eight X Games—including winning gold in 2006 and 2011—and she shows zero signs of slowing down.

However, Clark is now 28, and she likely realizes she is nearing the end of her great run. Look for her to push things farther than ever before to give a performance that trumps anything she has done.

Sebastien Toutant

Toutant had a stellar X Games debut in 2011. He won the Snowboard Slope Style gold and the Snowboard Big Air silver. 

This snowboarder extraordinaire is only getting better. Last spring, he became just the third person to land the triple cork backside 1440. 

Toutant is a 5'7", 145-pound stick of dynamite. He is explosive and unpredictable, and he is certainly looking to go huge in this X Games. 

The 2012 Winter X Games will be the 16th iteration of the ESPN-ran winter classic.

Aspen, Colo., is the site of the spectacle, which will begin on January 26 and run through January 29. You will be able to catch the various events on ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN3 and ABC.

Here are some of the better events that you certainly don’t want to miss if you are an action sports junkie.

*All Times EDT

Thursday, Jan. 26

Women’s Ski Slopestyle Final–3:30 p.m.–ESPN3

Men’s Ski Slopestyle Final–9:45 p.m.–ESPN

These two events will showcase men and women heading down a mountain, doing awesome flips and grinding rails.

It’s exciting to watch and it showcases some incredible talent. You are guaranteed to see things you never thought possible on a pair of skis.

Snowmobile Freestyle Final–9:00 p.m.–ESPN

These guys do some insane things on snowmobiles, and it’s highly recommended you tune in to see for yourself.

Friday, Jan. 27

Snowboard Big Air Final–10:30 p.m.–ESPN

Picture the most extreme snowboard slopestyle imaginable. That is what the Big Air contest is, and these riders will be doing wild things off the largest jumps.

Saturday, Jan. 28

Women’s Ski Superpipe Final–1:00 p.m.–ESPN3

This event is going to be an extremely somber one. Sarah Burke was a pioneer in this contest and won four gold medal in it at X Games.

Unfortunately, she passed away last week from damage stemming from a fall. There will most likely be a wonderful tribute to her life from many riders in event.

Men and Women’s Snowboarder X Final–4:00 p.m.–ABC

This nationally televised event is one of the main features of the contest and will showcase some of the world’s best riders shredding the slopes.

Ski Big Air Final–9:30 p.m.–ESPN

Just like the snowboarding one, this contest has skiers jumping insane distances and doing athletic maneuvers in the air.

Sunday, Jan. 29

Men’s and Women’s Skier X Final–2:15 p.m.–ESPN

These are the best skiers on the planet going at it for a gold medal and respect.

Snowboard Street Final–5:15 p.m.–ESPN

This event is inspired by skateboarding but on a snowboard and on a mountain. Definitely must-see TV. 

The Winter X Games in Aspen, Colorado feature some of the best athletes in the entire world.

On the ESPN family of networks—ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN 3 and for some events ESPN 3D—you can watch it all.

Shaun White and Gretchen Bleiler will be there. Hannah Teter and Scotty Lago too.

The X Games in Aspen is a preview of the type of talent that will be on hand at the 2014 Winter Olympics at Sochi.

We'll keep track of all the medals and highlights right here.

Event	Gold	Silver	Bronze
Men's Ski Slopestyle Elimination	Tom Wallisch	Nick Goepper	Andreas Hatveit
Women's Ski Slopestyle Final	Kaya Turski	Devin Logan	Anna Segal
Snowboard Street Final	Forest Bailey	Ryan Paul	Nick Visconti
Snowmobile Freestyle Final	Colton Moore	Joe Parsons	Caleb Moore
Men's Ski Slopestyle Final	Tom Wallisch	Nick Goepper	Andreas Hatveit
Men's Snowboard Slopestyle Elim.	Mark McMorris	Sage Kotsenburg	Peetu Piroinen
Women's Snowboard Slopestyle Final	Jamie Anderson	Enni Rukajarvi	Kjersti Oestgaard Buuas
Men's Ski SuperPipe Elimination	David Wise	Justin Dorey	Torin Yater-Wallace
Snowboard Big Air Final	Bobby Brown	Kai Mahler	Jossi Wells
Women's Snowboard SuperPipe Final	Kelly Clark	Elena Hight	Hannah Teter
Women's Ski SuperPipe Final	Roz Groenewoud	Maddie Bowman	Brita Sigourney
Men's Ski SuperPipe Final	David Wise	Noah Bowman	Torin Yater-Wallace
Women's Snowboarder X Final	Dominique Maltais	Alexandra Jekova	Maelle Ricker
Men's Snowboarder X Final	Nate Holland	Nick Baumgartner	Jayson Hale
Men's Ski Big Air Final	Bobby Brown	Kai Mahler	Jossi Wells
Men's Snowboard Slopestyle Final	Mark McMorris	Sage Kotsenburg	Peetu Piiroinen
Men's Skier X Final	Chris Del Bosco	Filip Flisar	Dave Duncan
Women's Skier X Final	Marte Gjefsen	Hedda Berntsen	Jenny Owens
Men's Snowboard SuperPipe Elimination	Shaun White	Luke Mitrani	Ryo Aono
Mono Skier X Final
Snowmobile Best Trick Final
Men's Snowboard SuperPipe Final

Gretchen Bleiler will be turning heads in the coming weeks, and in the process she will get more people interested in women's snowboarding.

That kind of interest is what happens when beautiful athletes don the cover of a magazine without wearing any clothes. 

Bleiler is one of the four cover athletes for ESPN The Magazine Body Issue.

ESPN had been trying to get the stunning blonde snowboarder in their Body Issue for three years. This was not a decision that Bleiler made lightly.

Bleiler, as quoted on ESPN.

            "I took it so seriously. It's such a vulnerable thing for an athlete to do."

"That's why I turned down the Body Issue the first two times they asked. I wasn't ready. This time, I was saying yes because I wanted to do it. And I felt confident in my decision."

Bleiler has good reason to feel confident in her decision. Here is the cover and another photo from the magazine.

This magazine will be viewed by a much broader audience than the typical women's snowboarding audience. There is no doubt a few of these new eyes will be tuning in the next time they see a women's snowboarding event on TV.

ASPEN, CO—In near negative temperatures and under the lights in Aspen, Shaun White was under the gun going into his last run of the night in the Men’s Superpipe final.

He dropped in for his final run, stomping every trick—including his now infamous double McTwist 1260—which earned him a 97.33 run score and his fourth consecutive Winter X gold medal in Superpipe. When he dropped in for his final run, he was three points behind former Olympic teammate Scotty Lago.

“Sitting in second is not fun. If I came out here, I had to earn my leather,” White said about the black leather jacket he was wearing under the lights in Aspen, “Put something mean down. You can’t show up with this and not pull something cool.”

White had to pull out all the tricks to take the gold away from Lago, who had his best finish at Winter X with the silver medal.

Afterwards, Lago was still proud of what he had accomplished in the pipe, “I think [my run] was better than the run I put down at the Olympics. I obviously knew Shaun was going to throw down. It’s Shaun White.”

Shaun White has now won 16 total medals at the Winter X Games dating back to winning silver in Slopestyle and Superpipe in 2002. Since failing to medal in Superpipe in both `04 and `05, he has won gold every year except in 2007 when he took home his third and most recent silver medal.

After his gold medal winning performance, Shaun was excited for the revitalization the weekend had brought him, “It takes so much for me nowadays to get fired up about something. All I want to do is go hit jumps now.”