Elena Hight finally bags herself X Games gold. Photo: Joshua Duplechain/ESPN

Of all the freestyle events in snowboarding, the halfpipe usually delivers the most spectacle. Even the sight of riders chucking themselves off a monstrous, icy kicker doesn’t compare.

At the 2017 X Games, excitement was already at fever pitch before the first rider dropped. With a young prodigy on for a three-peat, and some contest veterans ready to do anything to prevent it, the contest was bound to be a stormer. Here’s who made the podium.

3rd: Chloe Kim (USA)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3ulJEChBt0

Given her recent dominance, including the last two X Games and the 2017 Laax Open, many were assuming another Chloe Kim victory was a done deal. However, after sketching out early in her first attempt, she had it all to do on her second. The resulting run was fairly conservative, and in the end was only good enough for bronze.