Scotty James Ties Shaun White Record With 8th X Games Gold

Scotty James just pulled off something no one has ever done on a halfpipe, and it earned him a place in X Games history.

The Australian snowboarder stuck two consecutive backside 1440-degree spins at Saturday's competition in Aspen, Colorado. One trick was ridden forward, the other backward (called "switch"), both spinning with his back facing downhill in moves considered among the toughest in the sport.

James briefly touched the snow with his hand after the second jump but held on. The judges gave him a 95, crushing the competition and handing him his fifth straight X Games halfpipe title and eighth gold overall, tying Shaun White's legendary record.

"I wanted to do something for myself and for halfpipe and to push backside riding as much as I can," James said while wearing his signature red boxing gloves. He celebrated by crowd surfing into the hundreds of fans cheering him on.

The timing couldn't be better. The Milan Cortina Olympics start next month, and James is entering as the clear favorite after winning the Laax Open in Switzerland last week.

His path got clearer when defending Olympic champion Ayumu Hirano suffered a serious fall at that same contest, breaking bones in his face and putting his Olympic status in doubt. James, who holds Olympic silver and bronze medals, has been transparent about what's missing from his otherwise stellar career.

Why This Inspires

James isn't just chasing personal glory. He's pushing the entire sport forward by innovating moves that others will study and attempt for years to come.

The back-to-back 1440s had never been done before, though James has also shown he can perform a triple cork (three head-over-heels flips) this season. He's drawn inspiration from groundbreakers like slopestyler Mark McMorris, 2014 Olympic halfpipe champion Iouri Podladtchikov, and White himself.

At 31, James could easily rest on his accomplishments. Instead, he's driven by something deeper: the desire to prove himself year after year.

"I get a chip on my shoulder every year, thinking maybe I wouldn't be expected to show up and try again and win again," he said. "I managed to do that today, and I'm speechless, honestly."

A documentary on his life released this winter shows James opening up about his Olympic gold mission, and now he's heading to Italy with momentum, history, and a trick nobody else can do.