Zoe Atkin dominates 2026 X Games Aspen Women’s Freeski Superpipe

The contest got off to a strong start, with nearly every competitor except one (Svea Irving) putting down a clean run on their first go. X Games rookie Indra Brown of Australia kicked things off with a score of 80.00 flat, showing the pipe game that has netted her three straight podiums on the World Cup this season. Kelly Sildaru made her much-anticipated return to the X Games—she hasn’t competed here since 2022—with her classic combination of clean spins and grabs, but lacking the amplitude that halfpipe judges love.

But it was the last three riders in the pack who set the bar for the rest of the contest. Zoe Atkin, a favorite for gold, came out blasting with her signature massive left 540 mute, keeping the amplitude high through a right 720 blunt, switch left 720 japan, right 540 tail, alleyoop right 360 japan and switch right 720 safety—a monster of a first run that was rewarded with a score of 91.

The Canadian two-pack of Amy Fraser and Cassie Sharpe followed. Fraser, looking steezed out in a baggy kit, stomped her opening switch right 720 japan and followed with back-to-back flairs and 900s on both walls. Sharpe—last year’s champion in this pipe—showed off her technical prowess with not only 900s in both directions, but 1080s on both walls. Sharpe slid into second place with a score of 85.66, with Fraser two points behind her.

In Run 2, the rookie Indra Brown stepped up both her amplitude and tricks, boosting her opening left and right 900s big and going switch left 720 instead of of switch 3, and was promptly rewarded with a score of 88.33 and provisional second place. Hanna Faulhaber and Kelly Sildaru were unable to improve their runs, and Svea Irving put down her big alley-oop flat 540 clean to move into fifth place.

Rachael Karker added japan grabs to her pencilled-out left and right 900s to improve from 6th to 5th place, but Zoe Atkin quickly grabbed the spotlight back, landing her run bigger and cleaner than before to improve on her dominant lead. Amy Fraser crashed on her attempt to do the same, and Cassie Sharpe also improved her score slightly to keep her toehold on third place.

After two runs, Zoe Atkin remained in a league of her own with two scores in the 90s, with Indra Brown vaulting into second place and Cassie Sharpe holding onto third place.

On the third run the drop order was changed, running from the bottom of the ranking to the top—except with the current second-place rider (Indra Brown) dropping last, apparently to keep things interesting and eliminate the possibility of a victory lap for the leader. Besides Kelly Sildaru, who opted out of her third run, and Rachael Karker, who washed out on a switch 540, every rider was able to improve on their scores, while leaving the overall ranking unchanged.

On her final run of the night, Zoe Atkin blasted her first-hit 540 mute 16 feet (4.8 meters) out of the pipe, finishing with a 94.66 and impressively improving her score on every run. Indra Brown closed out the night with her own strong run to improve to a 90—a respectable second place for the 15-year-old rookie.

In sum, it was a night in which Zoe Atkin showed her current domination of the halfpipe field—notably, without a single 900 in her run, but with huge amplitude, spins in all directions and reliable grabs. You love to see it. Evidently, it’s only Eileen Gu—not competing at X this year—who can seriously challenge her. Rookie Indra Brown showed her own burgeoning talent to claim silver at her first X Games appearance, while Cassie Sharpe—who at 33, is over twice as old as Indra!—showed she’s still got what it takes to podium at the X Games.