Snowed In

It's winter - that's obvious. Maybe to you that means cozy trips to the snow, pulling out your cutest boots & scarves, or OD'ing on hot cocco. But in the world of sports, the winter wonderland brings NFL playoffs, a big chunk of the NBA season and time off for the MLB studs. A sporting event some people tend to forget about though, are the ESPN Winter X Games. The games start today, and go until the 30th. The cold brings out some of the most extreme sports and the X games are the place to see it all. One of my very best friends is currently working for ESPN (props to you, Meg!) and living in Aspen, CO, where the Winter games are taking place this year. From her recent photos, it looks like the most gorgeous setting EVER...

The X games involve action sports, for the boys AND girls - which is refreshing. Skiing, Snowboarding, Snowmobiling - in all different variations. Athletes come from all over the world to compete for the Gold, Silver and Bronze.

A few of the USA contenders I'll be paying close attention to at the 15th WX are:

*SNOWBOARD*

Sage Kotsenburg & Tyler Flanagan - the Babies. 

Both only 16 and rookies to the games.

Shaun White - the Ginger. 

He's not only a pro snowboarder, but a pro skateboarder too! He's been competing in the X games since he was 13 and is a San Diego local - love that.

Louie Vito - the Dancer. 

You may remember him from Dancing with the Stars, in 2009, where he showed that dancing wasn't his strongest talent.

Gretchen Bleiler - the Face. 

Probably the most publicized female, American snowboarder, Gretchen has graced the pages of Self, Glamour & Vanity Fair, to name a few. 

*SKI*

Bobby Brown - the Man. 

Last year, Brown broke records, being the first skier to win 2 gold medals in one Winter X. He's the one to beat this year - and he's a cutie. 

Jen Hudak - the Baller. 

Jen racked up all sorts of medals over 2009 and 2010 and is one of the only girls able to pull off the big boy tricks. 

*SNOWMOBILE*

Heath Frisby - the Original. 

Heath is a snowmobiler who's been competing since the beginning. He'll be in 3 different snowmobiling events this year and is hoping to pull a trick called Tsunami flip. Fingers crossed!

Joe Parsons - the Trickster. 

He pulled two gold medals at Winter X '09 and has been preparing all sorts of new tricks for this years course. 

To get a full list of the athletes competing and more info on WX15, click here. 

If you're stuck indoors this weekend, due to brutal winter weather, snuggle up to the X games! And if you're fortunate enough to be in CA for this beautiful January weather, you can always soak up the sun and DVR the events! Nothing, and I mean NOTHING is better than hot guys in snow gear, plus the tricks are pretty insane. Have fun watching the babes competition! 
TV schedule


Here's a little fun from last years WX too!

Next up: Winter X Europe, March 16-18 in Tignes, France