From Breakout Stars to Shocking Upsets: 5 Takeaways From the 2026 X Games

I'm not usually someone who will sit down to watch live sports, especially if it cuts into my ski time. However, this past weekend I found myself turning on the X Games intermittently to try and catch some of the ski events, and ended up watching a chunk of them and really enjoying it. 

After all, freeskiing is undeniably fun to watch, and both the men's and women's fields are absolutely stacked with talent right now. Between epic comeback stories like Gus Kenworthy and Nick Goepper and the level of fresh talent in skiers like Fin Melville Ives, Kirsty Muir, and more, there's a lot to pay attention to. 

It feels like there's a collective feeling of discomfort in skiing right now that could be chalked up to a million factors, but watching parts of the X Games instilled something like hope in me. Skiing hasn't passed its heyday, and if you watch closely, there's a lot to be excited about here.

Here are a few of the main takeaways I had while watching X Games ski events this weekend.

The 2026 POWDER Photo Annual is here! Look for a print copy on a newsstand near you, or click here to have a copy shipped directly to your front door.

1. Women's Big Air Was So Sick

Both women's Knuckle Huck and Big Air got the short end of the stick when it came to conditions and timing. Big Air was moved from Saturday to Sunday due to conditions and, like Knuckle Huck, took place mid-afternoon, in flat light, with snowy, windy conditions. 

It's a far cry from the under-the-lights primetime broadcast spot given to the men, and yet the women's field still showed the f*ck up. Mathilde Gremaud absolutely stomped her winning nose butter 1260. Arguably, Kirsty Muir's massive dub 16 was even cooler, but the nose butter no doubt got Gremaud some extra points. Not to mention Megan Oldham's textbook dub 10 and dub 12 mute. 

It was top-to-bottom epic skiing from the gals, not in a 'one day they'll catch up to the men's field' kind of way, but in a way that stands alone for women's freeskiing.

2. The Men's Ski Halfpipe Field Is Stacked

Men's ski Superpipe was the final ski event of the weekend and was a true nail-biter with such an amazingly talented field. The big question going into the event was whether or not Alex Ferreira would take the top spot back from slopestyle-turned-halfpipe skier Nick Goepper, but as soon as Matt Labaugh dropped in with an excellent first run, the gloves were off. 

The entire event had me on the edge of my seat as soon as it became apparent that a lot of these athletes were there to throw down winning runs, had the skills to do so, and weren't afraid to try. 

Fin Melville Ives' first run made it clear he was not there to mess around, especially after taking gold at World Champs a few days before. The same could be said for Hunter Hess, who took a heartbreaking crash early in his run. 

A series of further crashes, as well as impressive performances over runs two and three, kept the show interesting, but it was clear early on that Goepper and Ferreira were no longer the only forces at play. Ultimately, the 19-year-old Kiwi skier took gold with Goepper and Ferreira behind him and Labaugh, who skied impressively, just off the podium. 

Every single run that took place started looking like it could be a winning run, and in a field of ten athletes, that's impressive. Melville Ives' win just goes to show that Gen Z is not here to mess around, and not just in skiing.

3. Jesper Tjader Got Robbed in Knuckle Huck

I have a bone to pick with men's ski Knuckle Huck this year. For several years, skiing has wondered if the 'spin to win' format was all it was cracked up to be. 

Do more rotations actually make you a better skier, more worthy of a podium, and has the benefit of style been completely lost in competition? I've always been in the 'more style, less spins' is cooler camp. After all, a zero spin is kind of the sickest trick you can do. 

I'm not disputing that Alex Hall, Colby Stevenson, and Tormod Frostad laid down unbelievably stylish, technically advanced, and gravity-defying runs during Knuckle Huck. But I also feel like Jesper Tjader kind of got robbed after that insane reverse backflip he did, and then the underflip to backflip combo on his third run. 

Both of those runs are still living rent-free in my mind, and I feel like he deserved a better spot. Maybe spinning is more technically difficult, but going upside down off the knuckle is gnarly.

4. The Dedication of These Athletes Is Bonkers

Can we talk about how many of these athletes are about to go to the Olympics and were still out at X Games, giving it their all? I couldn't stop thinking 'What if this person crashes before the Olympics?' when watching some of the events. The X Games is no doubt a big deal, but it's not an FIS event and doesn't qualify athletes for anything else. There were some athletes who opted to sit it out in anticipation, but others were out there full force, winning medals.

I'm simply in awe of how much they put into every run, every competition, over and over all winter, doing things I would never even consider attempting. In short, I'm so damn impressed and would also like to petition to give these athletes a break post-Olympics. You all deserve a spa day or some really nice, low-stakes, pow skiing.

5. Women's Freeskiing Is More Stylish Than Men's

Just to double down on the point I made about women's ski Big Air, female freeskiers are absolutely on fire right now.Pretty much every single women's Superpipe run was epic—5-plus hits in the pipe, amplitudes over ten feet regularly, multiple massive switch rotations in runs—are you kidding me? Every single one of them is my hero. 

Women's ski Knuckle Huck was dripping with steeze. I could rave about every single run, how stylish they were, the variety of tricks, and also how much fun they looked like they were all having. Also, as I said before, I love a zero spin, and Marin Hamill (who won gold) delivered during knuckle huck. 

The point is, it's 2026, and we're still asking for ski boots and outerwear that fit women, but the X Games makes it darn clear that women's skiing is not some afterthought to be included for the sake of feigned equality anymore. There are full fields of high-level athletes, performing with as much talent (and arguably more style, I'll say it) than the men.