When you watch the XGames on television, you see the crowds, a huge half pipe and a slopestyle course. What you probably don’t see is the outdoor concert venue, concession stands, cornholers, carnival games, video game tent, and the sheer volume of this operation. Imagine a theme park but instead of roller coasters you get perfectly-shaped mounds of snow made for extreme athletes.
When you first walk in to this spectacle, the atmosphere is relaxed and energetic. There seems to be some order despite the swarms of people in every direction. The sky is blue and attendees are enjoying the carnival side of Winter X in between spectating sporting events. Little kids are tossing mini basketballs in mini hoops and throwing footballs into outlined targets.
Fast forward a few hours. The sun has gone down and attendees have been, well, enjoying the concessions. The Monster Energy structure is blasting dub step. People who look like they don’t listen to EDM are loving every second of it, a drink in their right hand. It’s the kind of environment where someone wearing a Carolina Panthers hat would never hear the end of it, given Denver’s Superbowl birth.
Walk further away from the main area and there’s the concert stage. The migration to this section is dominated by teenagers and college-goers. This is their music festival. Thirty minutes before the men’s snowboard superpipe final, the size of the crowd in front of the concert beats that in front of the pipe. The X Games is an event about athletic competition, right?
I’m not bashing the way Winter X is organized. I’m just taken aback by the size of this operation considering I’d only seen it on the tube. It’s an event dedicated to watching athletes perform, but the whole thing is a spectacle in itself. Even if you’re not a fan of freeskiing or snowboarding, there’s plenty to keep you occupied. You could spend a whole day here and not do the same thing twice, all while dedicating a little time to watching the best winter sports athletes in the world do their thing. Seeing them go big on TV is one thing, but seeing them in person is something else entirely. Just another illustration of how television doesn’t do the X Games justice.
A veteran employee of the games described to me how “in the last five years, we’ve really started to try to make it more of an experience for the guests. More of a festival.” Job well done, X Games. You nailed it.
