Mt. Hood-trained freeskier phenom Nick Goepper looked uncharacteristically wobbly in the elimination round of this year’s X-Games slopestyle, but he made the most of a lucky break to return to high-flying form in the finals, winning his third consecutive X-Games gold medal.

Goepper crashed and finished ninth in the qualifying round and only squeaked into the finals after Alex Beaulieu-Marchand of Canada pulled out due to injury.

It turned out to be a golden opportunity for the 20-year-old Goepper, who moved from his native Indiana to Oregon as a teenager to train year-round on Mount Hood and is well-liked around the mountain.

He rode the rails with style and nailed a huge triple cork 1440 with a mute grab (three flips and four rotations) to become the first freeskier to win three slopestyles in a row at the Winter X Games since Tanner Hall in 2002, 2003 and 2004.

Here is a video of Nick’s winning run:

Last modified: January 28, 2015