The Winter X Games are a snowboarding and skiing paradise. The X Games are home to some of the most amazing and talented boarders and skiers out there. But what we don’t think about, is how the X Games is also home to some of the most talented and creative terrain park engineers in the world. The hard work and dedication that goes into creating the world class jumps is second to none. The snow doesn’t simply fall in the perfect shape of half pipe, so how do they do it?
The impressive size of X Games courses are created by designers, engineers, and workers on Snow Cat vehicles. Months and months of work go into the implementation of one jump. Designers and construction workers cooperate together to build some of the most extensive courses in the history of winter sports. X Games is ever-evolving, which means the courses must improve and get more intricate as time passes. The technicalities must stay consistent however. For example, some things that must always remain in check are the transition radius and height, and the degree of flat bottom and width. Without the correct proportions, skiers and snowboarders will not be able to reach the optimum momentum to execute their stunts safely successfully. To achieve the exact shape the half pipe was designed to have, snow cats are used to maneuver and transform the snow in exactly the right way.
Liz Hyde, Associate Producers of Mountain Movers, posted a blog on nationalgeographic.com about what it’s like creating one, specifically what it’s like seeing the finished project. She expressed that it is rewarding and awe-inspiring, saying, “When the jump was actually completed, it looked like it was designed for someone who had no fear of dying.” Read more about what it was like building jumps for the Winter X Game here.