You’ve seen the clips. A tiny silhouette launches off a massive snow-covered kicker, spins so fast they look like a blurry fidget spinner, and somehow—miraculously—stomps the landing on a 40-degree pitch. That’s X Games Big Air. It’s not just a contest. It’s basically a controlled car crash where the driver decides to do four backflips before impact.
For years, people thought we’d hit a ceiling. How many rotations can a human body actually handle before physics says "no"?
But then guys like Marcus Kleveland or Takeru Otsuka show up and prove that we aren't even close to the limit. We’re currently living in an era where a 1620—that’s four and a half full rotations—is basically a "safety run" trick. If you want a podium spot in 2026, you better be pushing toward 1980s or even 2160s. It’s getting heavy out there.
The Evolution from "Big Air" to "Outer Space"
Back in the day, Big Air was about style. You’d see a clean 720 with a massive, bone-dry Method grab, and the crowd would lose their minds. Now? If you aren't doing a quad-cork—that’s four times your head goes below your board or skis while spinning—the judges might not even look up from their coffee.
The jump itself is a monster. We’re talking about a gap that usually spans 70 to 80 feet, but the riders are often flying over 100 feet in total distance. The "knuckle"—the part where the flat top meets the landing—is the danger zone. Clear it, and you’re golden. Case it, and your knees might never forgive you.
Actually, the transition from snowboarding to skiing in this discipline has been fascinating to watch. For a long time, snowboarders led the charge in technical rotations. Then, the skiers caught up and surpassed them in sheer complexity because they have two independent edges to work with. But snowboarding reclaimed the "wow" factor with the "knuckle huck" sub-event, which took the raw energy of Big Air and stripped away the massive jump, forcing riders to use the roll of the landing to launch. It changed the vibe of the whole weekend.
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Why the Scoring is So Controversial
Judging X Games Big Air is a nightmare. Honestly, I don't envy them. They use a system that theoretically rewards "Overall Impression," but when you have five guys all landing different variations of a 1980, how do you pick a winner?
- Difficulty: This is the obvious one. Is it a triple or a quad?
- Execution: Did they bobble on the landing? Was the grab held the whole time?
- Amplitude: How high did they actually go?
- Variety: In the best-of-three-runs format, you can't just do the same trick twice. You have to spin different directions—frontside, backside, switch backside, or "cab."
The real controversy usually stems from "style vs. tech." You’ll have a rider like Dusty Henricksen who does something incredibly stylish and "steezy," but he might lose to a kid who does a more technical spin with a "muted" or poked-out grab. Fans hate it. The purists want the soul of the sport kept alive, while the Olympic-track coaches want to see the numbers go up. It’s a constant tug-of-war.
The Mental Game of the 100-Foot Gap
Imagine standing at the top of a scaffolding structure that’s ten stories tall. It’s freezing. The wind is gusting at 15 miles per hour, which doesn't sound like much until you realize it can blow you sideways mid-air. You’re looking down a narrow strip of ice.
That’s the reality for these athletes.
The mental toughness required is staggering. Most of these riders use visualization techniques that are closer to what fighter pilots use than what you’d expect from a "laid-back" skater type. Mark McMorris, a legend who has more X Games medals than most people have pairs of shoes, has spoken openly about the "dark places" you have to go to mentally to hurl yourself off that jump after a major injury. Remember, this is the guy who broke nearly every bone in his body in a backcountry accident and came back to win.
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It’s not just about bravery; it’s about math. They’re calculating speed based on the "slip"—the practice run where they check how fast the snow is. If the sun goes behind a cloud, the snow slows down. If it gets colder, it speeds up. One foot-per-second difference in speed can be the difference between a perfect landing and a helicopter ride to the local trauma center.
The Gear that Makes it Possible
You can't just rock up to X Games Big Air with a board you bought at a garage sale. The tech has changed.
Boards are stiffer now. They need to be. When you land a quad cork, the G-forces are immense. A soft board would just fold or wash out. We’re seeing more carbon fiber stringers and sophisticated dampening systems. The boots are stiffer too, acting almost like a second skeleton to prevent ankles from snapping like dry twigs upon impact.
Skiers are using shorter, wider platforms for Big Air than they do for downhill racing, obviously, but the swing weight is the real focus. By thinning out the tips and tails, manufacturers allow athletes to spin faster with less effort. It’s basic physics: $I = mr^2$. Reduce the mass ($m$) at the radius ($r$), and the moment of inertia ($I$) drops, making that fifth rotation possible.
The Rise of the "Airbags"
One thing nobody talks about is how these tricks are actually learned. Nobody just "tries" a 1800 on snow for the first time anymore.
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The secret is the massive progression landing pads. These are giant, inclined airbags that mimic the shape of a real landing. Riders can huck the most dangerous maneuvers of their lives, and if they mess up, they just bounce. This has compressed the timeline of progression. We used to see a new "world first" every two or three years. Now, we see one almost every month during the preseason in places like Saas-Fee or Stubai.
What to Watch for in the Next Broadcast
If you’re tuning in, don't just look at the spins. Look at the "tweak."
A tweak is when a rider grabs their board and pulls it, bone-out, to show control. It’s a middle finger to the laws of physics. It says, "I’m spinning so slowly and with so much control that I have time to pose." That’s what the real heads are looking for.
Also, watch the "Switch" takeoffs. Taking off backward into a 70-foot gap is objectively insane. If a rider does a Switch Backside 1620, they are essentially blind for the first half of the trick. It’s pure muscle memory and faith.
Actionable Takeaways for Following the Sport
To really appreciate X Games Big Air, you need to look past the flashy colors and loud music. It’s a high-stakes chess match played at 50 miles per hour.
- Follow the "Qualies": The finals are great, but the qualifying rounds are where you see the raw hunger. Young riders will often throw "never-been-done" tricks just to make the cut.
- Watch the Wind: If you see the flags at the top of the jump fluttering, pay attention to the scores. High wind usually means lower technicality and more "safe" tricks, which shifts the advantage to the veterans who have better board control.
- Check the "Knuckle Huck": If you want to see the creative side of the sport without the terrifying height, this is the event for you. It’s become a fan favorite for a reason.
- Research the Rookies: Every year, a 15 or 16-year-old from Japan or Norway shows up and resets the bar. Keep an eye on the entry lists for names you don't recognize; they are usually the ones about to disrupt the podium.
The progression isn't slowing down. We are rapidly approaching the point where the human eye can barely track the rotations. Whether that's a good thing for the "soul" of the sport is up for debate, but as a spectacle, there is absolutely nothing else like it on earth. Underneath the neon lights and the Monster Energy logos, it’s just a person, a board, and a very long way down.