“I almost consider it more of an art form,” Alex Hall said last year about freestyle skiing can become a mode of self-expression. And it looks like his dedication to perfecting his art has paid off in stellar fashion. The 26-year-old skier has already established himself as one of the most electrifying stars in modern times, and he cemented that reputation today just hours ago at the Winter X Games Aspen 2025!

The prestigious top-tier winter sports tournament returned to the Buttermilk Moutain in Colorado this year for the 24th edition of the Winter X Games. With a long list of towering figures, this year’s X Games was expected to be a thrilling event. Thanks to Hall, things are looking to be on a flying start!

The Winter X Games Aspen 2025 bringing Alex Hall a golden treat on the first day

The official X Games social media account posted on X on January 23, sharing the 2022 Olympic gold medalist’s latest feat at Aspen. As per the social media update, Hall claimed the gold in the Men’s Ski Knuckle Huck at the Winter X Games for the first time since 2020. “Alex flashed creative moves like a switch tailbutter corked 540 pullback 360,” the X post noted the highlights of Alex’s performance from Thursday. With that, it also revealed sonorously that this is the Alaska native’s 12th XG medal in his Winter X Games and World of X Real Ski career. Considering that Alex finished 7th in the event at the Buttermilk Mountain last year, this golden win only makes things more enthralling!

Thanks to his latest milestone achievement, Alex Hall now sits in second place, tied with Tanner Hall, in terms of medals in X Games skiing history, and behind only Henrik Harlaut (14). The knuckle huck, which puts special importance on style and originality, has only been added to the Games in recent times. The post’s accompanying video shows Alex’s gravity-defying routine that helped him bag gold and even the commentators can be heard being awestruck by the skier’s perfect landing.

To win the top spot on the podium, Hall executed a switch move with a hand movement and followed that with a scintillating 1080. “I really liked my last trick just because I went big and it was scary, but I landed, so it was fun,” Alex said later about his first action on the weekend. But he wasn’t the only American who had an emphatic start to the Winter X Games Aspen 2025.

The weekend action is far from over

Rell Harwood won silver in the knuckle huck on her debut at the Winter X Games last year on the Buttermilk Mountain. This time, she bumped it up to gold thanks to some incredible show with her butters. “I pop off my nose and I do two-and-a-half spins and I land a switch. It’s really fun to do,” she later was heard being gleeful about how things went down on the opening day of the 2025 Winter X Games in Aspen. While the Americans had a great beginning to the tournament, they still have a steep uphill climb ahead, and Hall will even have his opportunity to surpass Harlaut in Colorado this weekend.

Hall will take to the starting line once again on Friday for the Men’s Ski Slopestyle. He won silver in the event at the 2024 Winter X Games Aspen and will hope to retain the medal, if not have a better result than last time. Later that day, Alex will also participate in the Men’s Ski Steet Style, the latest event added to the Winter X Games Aspen. Hall is expected to finish things off at the Men’s Ski Big Air on Saturday.

On the other hand, Eileen Gu will also be one of the main attractions of the Winter X Games Aspen 2025. The 2x Olympic gold medalist, despite competing for China since 2019, started her skiing journey in Lake Tahoe, where her mother was a skiing instructor. So which of these skiers will you be following with the most excitement over the weekend? Tell us in a comment!