Ok, before we start talking X Games Big Air, let’s get one thing out of the way, BIG AIR IS CRAZY and the guys that do it are out of their minds.


Nestled inside of Staples Center, the Mega Ramp has a giant roll in, if you safely make the drop, you then get to choose either a 50ft or 70ft gap to clear, those who successfully clear the gap are greeted with a 27ft quarter pipe. It’s hard to truly appreciate the massiveness of the ramp until you see it in person. The mega ramp has a mysterious way of making those who choose to tackle it, an instant celebrity. You don’t always have to make the jump to be a hero, as we saw a couple years ago when Jake Brown got the speed wobbles as he approached the quarter pipe and fell 50ft in the air to flat bottom. Miraculously Brown walked away and became an instant hero for surviving the worst fall in X Games history.

At X Games 15, Big Air has changed, a sign of progression in the sport. There’s your standard Skateboard Big Air which Bob Burnquist will most likely win his 3rd consecutive X Games gold, Kevin Robinson and Chad Kagy will go as high as ever in BMX Big Air, but this year, the first ever woman, Lindsey Robertson is charging the mega ramp. Also Danny Way is leading the charge in Big Air Rail Jam. That’s right they’re putting a rail in the middle of the gap, for the skaters to rail slide before they hit the monster quarter pipe. As if it’s not hard enough to stay alive, they needed to add another level of difficulty.


Yesterday during practice everyone was killing it, going ridiculously high. I have a good feeling that you’re going to want to tune in and see what happens…

Predictions for Big Air-
I’m not really going out a limb here, but it’s hard not to think Burnquist will win his 3rd straight gold, in practice he was doing things I didn’t think were possible. But my sleeper pick is no name Elliot Sloan. I saw him training 2 years ago for this moment; I’m pulling for him.

Kevin Robinson continued to go bigger than everyone else, plus he drops in from the very top, which makes him even gnarlier.

The God Father of Big Air Danny Way will continue his brilliance and win Big Air Rail Jam.

ESPN and Disney will release the first sports-themed 3D film this summer with a special, limited one-week theatrical run starting Aug. 21. ESPN Films will produce and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures will distribute X Games 3D the Movie nationwide into digital 3D theaters around the country. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Steve Lawrence (Down the Barrel), the film will use groundbreaking digital 3D techniques to immerse sports fans into the world of action sports and its top stars. Iconic action sports personalities chronicled in the film are: Shaun White, Travis Pastrana, Danny Way, Ricky Carmichael and Bob Burnquist.

"ESPN is extremely proud to join Disney in bringing the 3D experience to action sports fans," said Ron Semiao, senior vice president, ESPN Films. "The proximity of the cameras to the action combined with the amazing performances by the athletes provides a jaw-dropping, storytelling encounter for fans of all ages."

Mark Zoradi, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures Group, said, "There is absolutely no sporting event better suited for the Digital 3D medium than X Games. ESPN continues to break boundaries by using digital 3D to put sports fans literally in the center of the action: preparing to launch down the big air ramp with Danny Way, racing downhill on Shaun White's snowboard and flying through the air in Travis Pastrana's Rally car. And Disney is proud to add X Games 3D the Movie to its robust, industry-leading slate of 17 other upcoming Disney Digital 3D releases."

The full-length feature film will capture the drama and spectacle that play out every year at the X Games events and will also tell the stories of the featured athletes showing the sacrifices they make in pursuit of glory and progressing their sport on the industry's biggest stage.

"I'm excited to be involved with ESPN and Disney on this project," said Shaun White, X Games and Olympic gold medalist. "I think the style of filming will bring something new to viewers."