Photo: Mammoth Resorts
So here’s a weird one from Aspen: Shaun White, one of snowboarding’s most decorated athletes wasn’t invited to the 2016 X Games and won’t compete this weekend. White had started off the year extremely well, winning the Dew Tour Halfpipe event in December.
“He wasn’t invited,” Danny Chi, a spokesman for the Winter X Games told the Denver Post. No further explanation was given but White pretty much helped put the X Games on the map: the 29-year-old, two-time Olympic gold medalist has won 15 X Games golds over some 16 years (he made his debut in 2000 at 13).
White fought through tough, snowy conditions in Breckenridge, Colorado during his December win on the Dew Tour, earning the praise of 2014 Olympic champ Iouri Podladtchikov: “It was super impressive. You could see Shaun’s got the most experience out of all of us.”
The “Flying Tomato” is clearly still a marquee name that resonates with the mainstream. Definitely a bummer, especially for those of us who love comeback stories.
White made news this week when he became an investor in Mammoth Resorts, which owns, Bear Mountain, June Mountain, Snow Summit and Mammoth. “I’m going to help make it better than ever, and I’m thrilled with the opportunity,” he said.
