X Games

A parachutist fills the sky with colored smoke as he descends over downtown Los Angeles, California, during the 2005 X Games on August 6 2005.

The X Games are an annual multi-sport event with a focus on extreme sports. The X Games are aired on ESPN (with occasional supplemental coverage on ABC), and are broken into seasons: the Winter X Games, held in January or February, and the Summer X Games, usually held in August. The Games are held in a different city every few years, and the events are subject to change from year to year.

Competitors perform in many different categories and styles, vying to win bronze, silver, and gold medals. The competition has helped to make extreme sports more popular. In addition, because of the prestige of the games and the fame of the competitors, the X Games are often the showcase for broken records and never-before-seen tricks (for example, the "900" in skateboarding, and the "body varial" in MotoX).

The X Games also showcase bands at live venues, creating a festival-like atmosphere.

Summer Games

*BMX
**Stunt Vert
**Stunt Park (originally known as "Stunt Street")
**Stunt Dirt
**Stunt Flatland (no longer held)
*Aggressive In-Line Skate
**Vert
**Downhill (no longer held)
***Men's
***Women's
**Street (no longer held)
***Men's
***Women's
**Vert Triples (no longer held)
*MotoX
**Best Trick
**Freestyle
**Step Up
**Supermoto
*Skateboard
**Big Air
**Street
**Vert
***Men's
***Women's
***Best Trick
**Vert Doubles (no longer held)

*Surfing
**The Game (TM)
*Wakeboarding
**Men's
**Women's
*Barefoot Jumping (no longer held)
*Sportclimbing (no longer held)
**Difficulty
**Speed
*Skysurfing (no longer held)
*Street luge (no longer held)
**Dual
**Mass
**Super Mass

Winter Games

*Skiing
**Skier X
***Men's
***Women's
**Slopestyle
**SuperPipe
*MotoX
**Best Trick
**Big Air
*Snowboarding
**Big Air (no longer held)
**Slopestyle
***Men's
***Women's
**Snowboarder X
***Men's
***Women's
**SuperPipe
***Men's
***Women's
*Snowmobile
**HillCross
**SnoCross
**Junior SnoCross
**UltraCross

History

Summarized from EXPN.com

Summer X Games

*1994: First Extreme Games, Rhode Island
*1995: X Games I - Newport, Rhode Island & Mount Snow, Vermont (June 24 - July 1, 1995)
**198,000 in Attendance
*1996: X Games II - Newport, Rhode Island
**200,000 in Attendance
*1997: X Games III - San Diego, California (June 20-28, 1997)
**221,200 in Attendance
*1998: X Games IV - San Diego, California (June, 1998)
**233,000 in Attendance
*1999: X Games V - Pier 30 & 32, San Francisco, California (June 25 - July 3, 1999)
**275,000 in Attendance
**After numerous failed attempts, skateboarder Tony Hawk finally lands a 900-degree spin ("the 900"), winning the Big Air competition by a substantial margin.
*2000: X Games VI - Pier 30 & 32, San Francisco, California (August 17-22, 2000)
*2001: X Games VII - First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (August 17-22, 2001)
**235,000 in Attendance
*2002: X Games VIII - First Union Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (August 15-19, 2002)
*2003: X Games IX - Staples Center, Los Angeles, California (August 14-17, 2003)
*2004: X Games X - Staples Center, Los Angeles, California (August 5-8, 2004)
**Summer 2004 marked the introduction of "Skateboarding Big Air." This event requires competitors to drop into a ramp resembling that used in a ski jump.
*2005: X Games XI - Staples Center, Los Angeles, California (August 4-7, 2005)
** ESPN has signed a contract to keep the Summer X Games in Los Angeles through 2009.
*2006: X Games XII - Los Angeles, California (Dates TBD)
*2007: X Games XIII - Los Angeles, California (Dates TBD)
*2008: X Games XIV - Los Angeles, California (Dates TBD)
*2009: X Games XV - Los Angeles, California (Dates TBD)

Winter X Games

*1997: Winter X Games I, Snow Summit Mountain Resort, Big Bear Lake, California (January 30 - February 2, 1997)
** 38,000 in Attendance
*1998: Winter X Games II, Crested Butte, Colorado
** 25,000 in Attendance
*1999: Winter X Games III, Crested Butte, Colorado
** 30,000+ in Attendance
*2000: Winter X Games IV, Mount Snow, Vermont (February 3-6, 2000)
** 83,500 in Attendance
*2001: Winter X Games V, Mount Snow, Vermont
** 50,000+ in Attendance
*2002: Winter X Games VI, Aspen, Colorado (February 1-5, 2002)
*2003: Winter X Games VII, Aspen, Colorado (January 30 - February 5, 2003)
*2004: Winter X Games VIII, Aspen, Colorado (January 22-25, 2004)
*2005: Winter X Games IX, Aspen, Colorado (January 29- February 1, 2005)
*2006: Winter X Games X, Buttermilk Mountain, Aspen / Snowmass, Colorado
**Scheduled for January 27-31, 2006
*2007: Winter X Games XI, Buttermilk Mountain, Aspen / Snowmass, Colorado (Dates TBD)
**ESPN has signed a contract with the Aspen Skiing Company to keep the Winter X Games in Colorado through 2007.

External links

*X Games
*Asian X Games
*Latin X Games