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Marcus Kleveland Wins Men’s Slopestyle At X Games 2017

Watch the top three runs from X Games men's slopestyle finals

Mark McMorris going for broke in the slopestyle finals. Photo: Trevor Brown/ESPN

For anyone who’s been following men’s slopestyle recently, it’s been hard to ignore the rise of the Canuck. Most of the discipline’s heaviest hitters carry Canadian passports, and they were all in Aspen looking to add to the country’s already formidable X haul.

After his Big Air success, Max Parrot was looking to do the double, while Seb Toots would have been hoping for a chance to redeem himself after missing the Laax Open final despite qualifying in first place.

Strong contingents of Norwegians and Americans had also come to Aspen, so all the medals going north of the 45th parallel was by no means a formality. Here’s how it played out.

3rd: Mark McMorris (Canada)

The ability to stomp flawless back-to-back triple corks is one of the reasons why Mark McMorris has so many X medals in his trophy cabinet. He does it again here, but a sketchy first rail tarnished his score, leaving the top two spots open to others in this highly competitive field.

2nd: Tyler Nicholson (Canada)

Tyler Nicholson often forgoes the multi-cork approach of his peers in favour of flat spins, and it was good to see the judges rewarding him for it. The switch backside 1260 japan was particularly tasty, as was his switch backside 270 on to the rainbow rail.

He’ll no doubt be a little bummed about being so near and yet so far from the gold, but at least this way he and squeeze Jamie Anderson have got matching medals.

1st: Marcus Kleveland (Norway)

If anyone was going to spoil Canada’s party, it was going to be Marcus Kleveland. Still only 17, he put together a run that just about edged Tyler’s. Rail tricks don’t come much more techy than his, and despite starting with a relatively straightforward switch backside 1080 double cork, his last two hits were a triple cork masterclass. It’s Marcus’ first X Games sloepstyle gold, but we doubt it’ll be his last.

 

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