Skier Aaron Blunck claims first X Games gold in crash-filled night

ASPEN, Colo. — Aaron Blunck joked that he hadn’t landed a clean halfpipe run in his previous four X Games appearances.

But on a night when every skier in the field crashed at least once, it was Blunck’s ability to run that led the Colorado native to the top of the podium.

Blunck claimed his first X Games medal with a score of 84.66, opting for an easier run that he could land on his second time down the pipe.

“I’ve never landed a fully executed X Games run before,” Blunck said. “I’ve come close. I’ve butt-checked a few times, but I’ve never fully landed one so I could not be more happy right now.”

Blunck had never finished higher than 10th in his previous X Games appearances here before landing a second run that included three double corks.

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Only bronze medalist Noah Bowman landed a clean run in the first round of competition. Blunck and two other skiers, including silver medalist Miguel Porteous, landed their runs in the second round.

Several skiers got caught on the lip of the pipe on the left-side wall, something Blunck said was because it wasn’t vertical enough.

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“It was hard conditions on that wall,” he said. “It’s just hard conditions out here for everyone. It was really icy and it was really fast, so with that everybody was going so big, which makes them get a little bit closer to the deck.”

Blunck came into the contest after a third-place finish at the U.S. Grand Prix at Copper Mountain last month.

He was 17 when he made the U.S. Olympic team for Sochi, and Blunck said he’s focused on training in the gym in the years since he finished seventh in those Games.

Blunck hopes his win here can set him up for the road to the PyeongChang Olympics, which is just more than a year away.

“I’m also training a lot more, but I’m also just skiing and realizing it’s all just for fun,” said Blunck. “It’s not just about the competition or the money anymore. I ski because I love it, and that’s what’s really changed for me.

“It just feels so good, and right now I have the confidence to go into all the next events and keep charging and keep going hard.”