The All-Star Ski Gear of the 2023 X Games

Published on 02/01/2023 · 10 min readThis year's Winter X Games were full of excitement and surprise for the skiers. Read on to find out what skis the winners were using to get to the top of the podium!

By Ski Expert Allie Staffen

Photo by Zach Dischner with added logo

If there is one thing that you should know about the X Games, it’s that anything can happen and anyone can surprise you. There were surprises all weekend in every event that no one could have predicted! If you were too busy shredding the gnar and missed all of the spectacle and glory, don’t worry! I have all of the scores, ranking, and gear breakdown right here for you. You can also head over to YouTube to watch it yourself. Honestly, please do! The athletes threw down some major steeze this weekend, and you really shouldn’t miss out on that.

Women’s Big Air

Last year, we saw Tess Ledeux throw the first double cork 1620 for a female skier in competition, and our minds were blown. This year, she did it again, but Kirsty Muir also joined the club by throwing her very own double cork 1620 and absolutely stomping the landing. Ledeux repeated her legendary performance, but it wasn’t enough to beat Megan Oldham for the Gold. Oldham continued the trend that this competition has become known for—ground-breaking, history-making, and mind-blowing tricks. She really proved that the third time's the charm when she became the first female to land a triple cork on her third run of this event!

Results

Megan Oldham’s Skis

Oldham rocked the new 2023 Atomic Bent 90’s all weekend, and they looked absolutely stunning floating through the air. The Atomic Bent 90 is fit for a freestyle enthusiast. With its Poplar wood core, Atomic was able to keep this ski fairly light. It features "resist edges,” meaning this ski delivers ultimate durability for jibbing your way through the park (as we will see later during Women’s Slopestyle). You can absolutely blast off in side-hit city on this Atomic rocket, as it craves any and all features the frontside has to offer. When you come back down to Earth, you’ll find smooth and damp sailing from here on out. The Bent 90 boasts an all-mountain rocker profile with a bit more rocker in the tip than the tail. This will make it a heck of a lot easier to keep your skis on edge through long drawn-out carves.

Knuckle Huck

The Knuckle Huck has seen five different competitions in the X Games, and all five times, a different athlete has won this competition. As they all stood together at the bottom of the course, I think they all knew that Jesper Tjader was taking home the Gold Knuckles. AND HE DID! As always, the energy from the course and the stands was electrifying. Maybe next year we will finally see a Women’s Ski Knuckle Huck! It’s 2023, and these women are already proving that they can absolutely have just as much fun and throw just as electrifying tricks as the boys.

Results

Jesper Tjader’s Skis

When most people think of a Head ski, they certainly do not think of a park ski. However, Tjader demonstrated just how sick these skis can be on Friday night. The Head Oblivion 94 allows for nimble, quick turns which you will need as you’re setting up for any trick off of a knuckle. This ski is powerful, balanced, and allows you to really control your edges on hardpack and groomers if you’re taking it outside of the park! I would really classify this as an all-mountain freestyle-oriented ski that can absolutely hang in the park, and Tjader proved just that under those Friday night lights.

Men’s Slopestyle

Not even Ferdinand Dahls’ consistent and unique Bio rotations (which are a forward corking, non-inverted spin that Dahl is really the only skier able to do in both directions, and he’s doing them back to back) or Forehand’s switch 1020 with the Cuban grab could top Colby Stevenson. Stevenson put down 1620 after 1620, showing just how many rotations he could add to his runs. He was reliable and consistent throughout all of his runs on Saturday.

Results

Colby Stevenson and Ferdinand Dahl’s Skis

The podium saw two different K2 Poachers on it this year for Men’s Slopestyle, and this was one part of the X Games that did not surprise me one bit. For years, this ski has made its way through parks and to podiums in not only the X Games but also the Olympics and Dew Tour. The Poacher is another great all-mountain, freestyle-oriented ski that shines bright in the park. The flex pattern allows for all the butters you could possibly want with its carbon stingers and well-blended wood core. Don’t get it wrong though, this is no noodle. The Poacher is stiffer than your dad’s park ski, with a more consistent flex across the whole ski due to K2's Carbon Boot construction. As I said, there is a reason the Poacher routinely sits atop freestyle podiums.

Women’s SuperPipe

Entering her final run in the SuperPipe, Zoe Atkin started out strong with a massive 540 where it seemed like time froze and everything held still before she finally wraped it up and made that grab. With Rachael Karker having back-to-back 900s in her second run in the SuperPipe, this was really anyone’s game. Thankfully, I just make the predictions and tell the results, because I could not be a judge and make a decision between those two this weekend.

Results

Zoe Atkin’s Skis

Head made a second appearance at the top of the podium this past weekend with the Oblivion 84. This ski really wants to do it all. Like the Oblivion 94, the 84 allows you to make quick pivots. With the narrower waist of the 84, getting those skis all the way around—whether you’re in the pipe, park, or finding whatever you can to jump off of on the mountain—is a breeze. If you find you just want to rip fresh cord and really get up on your edges, the Oblivion 84 will not disappoint. But, next time try to do it switch!

Women’s Slopestyle

Friday night held a devastating crash for freestyle skier Eileen Gu in a training run which led to her withdrawing from the Games. However, it somehow felt right to hear Gu’s voice as a commentator on Sunday afternoon during this event. Thankfully while there is an ACL and MCL strain, as well as a bone bruise, Gu’s knee is intact, and with some rest, she’ll be out there competing again soon. It was super uplifting to hear her praise for Gold medalist Megan Oldham’s consistent, clean, and technical runs. We love hearing athletes support and celebrate their competitors when they push the boundaries of the sport.

Results

Mathilde Gremaud’s Skis

Now here is a name that is often at the front of your mind when you think of park skis—the Faction Prodigy 1X. While these skis were technically sitting at silver on the platform, I figured that Oldham’s Bent 90s wouldn't mind sharing the spotlight on this one. The Faction Prodigy 1.0X is a directional twin-tip, so no matter if you want to point your skis and bomb that hill, ski switch going in for your newest trick, or really take off into the air from any direction, your bases are covered! The Prodigy is definitely known for its elliptical sidecut which results in easier turn initiation and creates a fun, pivot-y style that puts you in the driver's seat to meet any trail, jump, or pipe head-on with confidence.

Men’s Big Air

Mac Forehand and Birk Ruud were battling it out going into the fifth run with both sitting at 90 points. Now if you remember, I predicted that yet again history would be made this weekend. Well, surprise, surprise! Not only did Forehand go all the way into the future with a 2160, but he threw the world’s FIRST forward 2160. Absolutely mind-blowing!! Of course, he had to add some steeze and polish it off with a Cuban grab. Ruud immediately followed Forehand’s final run with a switch triple cork 2160, following Forehand into the future. Unfortunately, this was not enough to improve his overall score, and Teal Harle snatched the Silver from Ruud in the end.

Results

Mac Forehand’s Skis

Mac Forehand chose the Faction Prodigy 1 as his ski of choice to help propel him into the future, and you may be thinking that ski sounds familiar. It is! We just discussed the Prodigy 1X that Mathilde Gremaud took down the Slopestyle course earlier in the day. What’s the X for? Is there a difference? Ultimately, no. The 1 is designed for men and the 1X is a unisex ski, but there is no difference between the two skis besides the lengths they come in—with the 1X being more accessible to shorter skiers that can still absolutely rip.

Men’s SuperPipe

While he may have had to wait five years to bring home another title, this one is pretty sweet. David Wise won his fifth X Games Gold Medal on Sunday night during the Men’s Ski SuperPipe—having previously won the Gold in 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2018. Uncharacteristically, Alex Ferreira hit the deck twice before ultimately pulling out of the competition. I’m sure he’s ready for a rematch at Mammoth Mountain for the U.S. Snowboard and Freeski Grand Prix.

Results

Davis Wise’s Skis

Wise was rocking a pair of Moment Transition Skis on the podium, but unfortunately, those skis are for him and him alone. The Transitions were built for Wise specifically for the SuperPipe, and they are not designed for riding outside of the pipe. They are also not designed for anyone besides Wise, so you will not find Moment selling the Transition to the public.

We’ll See You Next Year

I’m already counting down the days to the 2024 X Games and their return to Buttermilk Ski Resort in Aspen, CO! Whether you made the trip out to Aspen to watch these athletes battle it out in person or if you watched it from the comfort of your home or your favorite chairlift, I’m sure your mind is still just as mind-blown as mine is. Seriously, if you still haven’t watched the highlights, go check them out. What are you waiting for? If you are interested in learning more about the gear that helped bring these incredible athletes to the podiums or want to chat about the perfect gear for you, reach out to me or one of my fellow Ski Experts here on Curated. Geeking out over ski gear is our love language!

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