19-Year-Old Kiwi Skier Wins Gold at X Games in Aspen

A 19-year-old skier from New Zealand just pulled off the performance of a lifetime, sticking tricks he'd never landed in competition to win gold at one of winter sports' biggest stages.

Fin Melville Ives took home the top prize in men's ski superpipe at the X Games in Aspen, scoring a massive 95.00 on his final run. The Wanaka native faced challenging conditions with fresh snow and gusty winds, but he turned up the heat with each attempt, improving from 89.33 in his first run to 93.33 in his second before sealing the deal.

His winning run was technically stunning. It included a switch right nine with six metres of amplitude, a switch left double 14, back-to-back 16s, and an alley-oop double 9, a combination he'd never successfully completed in competition until that moment.

"It's been super surreal. I'm just so grateful to have put down these runs in front of all the fans," Melville Ives said after his win. He was especially proud of nailing the switch 14, one of the most difficult elements in his routine.

The gold medal adds to an already impressive resume for the young athlete. He won silver at the 2024 Youth Winter Olympics and claimed the FIS freeski halfpipe world title in 2025 at his first world championships, showing he can perform under pressure on any stage.

This season has been particularly strong for Melville Ives. He's reached the World Cup podium twice, winning at Buttermilk and finishing second in Calgary, proving his X Games gold was no fluke.

Why This Inspires

Tom Willmott, Snow Sports NZ's high performance park and pipe head coach, called it "an epic night" and New Zealand's most successful X Games campaign ever. The country finished with two gold medals and four silver medals, a remarkable achievement for a relatively small nation.

Melville Ives finished fourth at last year's X Games and was determined to make the podium this time. He didn't hold back, dropping in at full speed and executing the biggest run of his life when it mattered most.

What makes this story special isn't just the technical difficulty of what he accomplished. It's watching a young athlete push past his previous limits, land tricks he'd never completed before, and do it all on winter sports' biggest stage while representing his country with pride.

Young athletes around the world now have another example that age is just a number when you combine skill, determination, and the courage to try something you've never done before.