I think of the X Games as the Olympics’ cooler younger brother. There’s no denying the two are related: Both draw the world’s greatest talent from around the globe, and both push the envelope of human athleticism. That being said, the X Games is clearly more fun at parties. There are two good reasons for this.
The first is that the X Games doesn’t drug test its athletes. Remember when Michael Phelps got a 3-month suspension because someone caught him hitting a bong in the off-season? Or when Sha’Carri Richardson lost her gold medal in Tokyo because she tested positive for THC? The X Games would have awarded both athletes with a high-five and a burrito.
The second is that the X Games loves powersports. Sure, the Olympics have tried to appeal to a younger audience in recent years with the addition of snowboarding and skateboarding, but they also retain utterly unwatchable baggage like professional badminton. The X Games would never ask you to sit through badminton when you could be watching gas-powered backflips. Never.
Snowmobiles at the X Games
In the case of the Winter X Games, the powersport of choice has always been snowmobiles. They’ve dabbled in dirtbikes in the past, but the one event that’s always stuck around in one form or another is snowmobiling. Or at least that was the case up until 2021.
That’s when the X Games decided to pull snowmobile competition of any kind from the winter roster, and there’s been a gaping hole in the lineup ever since. This year, snowmobiles are finally returning to Buttermilk Mountain, and it’s just what the Winter X Games needs.
Why Did Snowmobiles Leave in the First Place?
There’s no straightforward answer to why snowmobiles left the X Games. Some folks speculate that snowmobiles are simply too dangerous. Others feel there isn’t enough interest to make the event financially viable. Some even suggest the Aspen community doesn’t care for the noise and pollution associated with roaring two-stroke sleds.
In all probability, I’d wager it all boils down to a certain pandemic.
The running of the 2020 games was the last to feature snowmobiles, and it set a record for the highest single-day turnout in the history of the Winter X Games with a whopping 49,000 spectators in attendance. It was also the last event before the pandemic turned everything upside down.
During the 2021 competition, regulations were still tight enough during the event that only 500 people were allowed into the Buttermilk Ski Area, and most of those were athletes, their support staff, and media. The event slowly but steadily recovered in the following years, and last year, X Games CEO Jeremy Bloom shared that viewership had increased by over 100% from 2024 to 2025.
Theoretically, that should mean that the Winter X Games has finally made a full recovery, which would also explain why the X Games can afford to bring a fan-favorite like snowmobiles back into the equation.
If you like your winter sports extra spicy, both the Snowmobile Freestyle and Speed and Style events will be in the mix for 2026, so this year is not to be missed.
Why Snowmobiles Matter
As for why you should care, I’ve got two points to share here as well. The first is simply that any X Games without powersports isn’t much of an X Games at all.
That “X” in X Games stands for “extreme,” and that isn’t just some holdover from the cringe-worthy extreme sports era of the early 2000s. No, this goes far beyond baggy pants, Oakley sunglasses, and the worst nu-metal music you’ve ever heard.
Big risk and big spectacle are what set the Winter X Games apart from their khaki-wearing, law-abiding brother, the Winter Olympics. And when it comes to risk and spectacle, there’s nothing quite as spectacular as seeing someone send a 450-pound, 200-horsepower machine flying upside down across a 100-foot gap.
If you’re having trouble putting that into perspective, just imagine riding your refrigerator, fully stocked with a week’s worth of groceries, off a five-story building. If you really want the full effect, imagine doing a double backflip on that household appliance, and then landing it without breaking any eggs.
X Games 2026
As far as I’m concerned, that’s reason enough to tune in, but that’s not the only reason this year is an important one for the Winter X Games. If CEO Jeremy Bloom’s previous statement is anything to go by, the future success (and therefore quality) of the Aspen Games is entirely contingent on its viewership.
There’s a reason no one has ever managed to land a snowmobile double backflip in competition yet: just when these guys were figuring out the gnarliest tricks on the planet, their audience disappeared. In other words, the more we watch, the crazier the spectacle becomes, and this year’s lineup has been waiting 5 years for a chance to put it all on the line to prove they still belong in Aspen.
I, for one, will be doing my part this January by attending the X Games in person.
If you happen to be in the neighborhood, you can catch Winter X Games 2026 live at Aspen’s Buttermilk Ski Resort from January 23 to 25. Otherwise, it’ll be broadcast live on ESPN and streaming globally on YouTube.
