The Winter X Games, taking place in Aspen, is to get underway this Friday (January 23). Over 100,000 people are expected to flock to Aspen during the Games, with up to 500 million more viewing from their homes worldwide. It’s also been estimated that there will be a predicted event spend of approximately $60 million over the three days.
The Winter X Games is returning to Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen Snowmass for the 25th consecutive year, with the cream of the snowsports crop competing in a multitude of stunning ski, snowboard and snowmobile events. Some of those iconic events include SuperPipe, Slopestyle, Big Air and Knuckle Huck. As well as all the jaw-dropping sporting spectacles, the Winter X Games has morphed into a festival-like experience over time, with music artists blasting out the tunes each night. This year, world-renowned Alesso, Disco Lines and TESSLA are just some of the acts performing in Aspen. In the past, the likes of Metallica, Kanye West, Tiesto and Nicki Minaj have all made X Games appearances.
Let GOAL show you all the high-octane snowsports action that awaits at the Winter X Games in Aspen this month and how you can watch all the chilly thrills and spills.
When are the Winter X Games Aspen 2026?
Winter X Games Aspen 2026 is taking place at Buttermilk Mountain from Friday, January 23, to Sunday, January 25. As well as the established four skiing and five snowboarding disciplines, snowmobile events are also returning after a five-year absence.
🇺🇸 How to watch the Winter X Games Aspen 2026 in the US
Action from the Winter X Games 2026 in Aspen will be screened on ESPN and ABC and streamed on ESPN Unlimited. There will be over 13 hours of live coverage, including SportsCenter segments and in-depth storytelling from Friday, January 23.
Fubo is a top-quality streaming service that now has ESPN included in all its packages, so it offers access to the Winter X Games and a whole world of sports. Fubo offers multiple subscription plans, including the 'Fubo Sports', which costs $45.99 for the first month and then $55.99 per month for subsequent months. It's streamlined and sports-focused with over 28 channels, including ESPN Unlimited, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPNU, NFL Network, Tennis Channel, and local networks like ABC, CBS, and Fox.
🌎 How to watch the Winter X Games Aspen 2026 worldwide
International fans can watch the event on the official X Games YouTube channel. This global streaming option allows viewers outside the United States to enjoy the spectacle for free, bringing all the sensational snowsport action to a worldwide audience.
Winter X Games Aspen 2026 - Venue & location
Aspen is in a remote area of the Rocky Mountains' Sawatch Range and Elk Mountains in Colorado. The city’s fortunes boomed in the mid-20th century when neighbouring Aspen Mountain was developed into a ski resort. Aspen is the world's second-highest-rated ski resort in terms of the quality and reliability of their skiing conditions. The north face of Aspen Mountain is the location of the mountain’s ski area, which is one of four adjacent ski areas operated collectively as Aspen/Snowmass.
Buttermilk Ski Area is situated about halfway between the cities of Aspen and Snowmass Village, and it’s renowned as being one of the best beginner mountains in the country to learn how to ski or snowboard. The Winter X Games has been held in Aspen at Buttermilk (ski area) every year since 2002.
What is the Winter X Games Aspen 2026 Schedule?
| Date | Time (MST) | Event | Watch | Stream |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Friday, January 23 | 12:00pm | Women's Snowboard Slopestyle | ESPN/ABC | Fubo |
| 1:45pm | Women's Ski Knuckle Huck | ESPN/ABC | Fubo | |
| 4:45pm | Women's Snowboard SuperPipe | ESPN/ABC | Fubo | |
| 6:15pm | Women's Ski SuperPipe | ESPN/ABC | Fubo | |
| 7:30pm | Men's Ski Big Air | ESPN/ABC | Fubo | |
| 8:35pm | Snowmobile Freestyle | ESPN/ABC | Fubo | |
| Saturday, January 24 | 10:30am | Men's Ski Slopestyle | ESPN/ABC | Fubo |
| 12:45pm | Women's Ski Big Air | ESPN/ABC | Fubo | |
| 2:30pm | Women's Snowboard Knuckle Huck | ESPN/ABC | Fubo | |
| 4:30pm | Snowmobile Speed and Style seeding | ESPN/ABC | Fubo | |
| 5:45pm | Women's Snowboard Big Air | ESPN/ABC | Fubo | |
| 6:45pm | Men's Snowboard Big Air | ESPN/ABC | Fubo | |
| 7:45pm | Men's Ski Knuckle Huck | ESPN/ABC | Fubo | |
| 8:30pm | Men's Snowboard SuperPipe | ESPN/ABC | Fubo | |
| Sunday, January 25 | 10:30am | Women's Ski Slopestyle | ESPN/ABC | Fubo |
| 12:00pm | Men's Snowboard Slopestyle | ESPN/ABC | Fubo | |
| 4:00pm | Snowmobile Speed & Style | ESPN/ABC | Fubo | |
| 5:15pm | Men's Snowboard Knuckle Huck | ESPN/ABC | Fubo | |
| 6:00pm | Men's Ski SuperPipe | ESPN/ABC | Fubo |
Winter X Games History
Since its inception in 1995, X Games has evolved from The Extreme Games in Providence, Rhode Island, into the leading action sports competition and lifestyle brand, spotlighting the world’s best action sports athletes at the summer and winter versions of the X Games. X Games events also now feature world-class eSports competition and interactive festival villages, offering experiences for fans of all ages. The X Games were originally a series of action sports events founded by ESPN Inc. and aired on ESPN networks and ABC. Despite selling the brand to MSP Sports Capital in 2022, the event is still aired on those channels in the United States.
The winter version of the extreme sports extravaganza, the Winter X Games, was first held in 1997 at Mountain Resort in Big Bear Lake, CA. In that inaugural year, 38,000 spectators attended the four-day event. The attendance may have dipped the following year, but just three years later, in 2001, 83,500 people attended Winter X Games 5 at Mount Snow in Vermont. Since 2002, the games have found a longstanding home on Aspen’s Buttermilk Mountain. Aspen seemed the perfect location, considering its long history of celebrating the greatest in winter sports athletes. From the FIS and the World Cup ski races and now to the X Games, Aspen continues to inspire the next generation of snowsport stars.
The Winter X Games have generated many magical moments over the years and have created numerous sporting legends. Canada’s Mark McMorris, the three-time Winter Olympic bronze medallist, holds the record for being the most honoured Winter X Games athlete, having claimed 24 medals between 2011 and 2025. McMorris' medal haul includes 11 golds, 10 silvers, and 3 bronzes in the Slopestyle and Big Air disciplines, and the snowboarding sensation is gunning for further glory in Aspen this January.
The most decorated female athlete is Jamie Anderson, another snowboarder, who grabbed a 21-medal haul at Winter X Games between 2007 and 2020. The American may fall short of McMorris’ Winter X Games medal total, but she went one better than him on the Winter Olympics stage, where she claimed gold in both 2014 and 2018 in the Slopestyle competition.