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Rad Alert: The X Games Asia

The biggest extreme sports event in Asia, the KIA X Games, take place over the May Day holiday. Four days of mad air - so here's the lowdown...
Last updated: 2015-11-09


For all you thrashers, boarders, bladers, and aggressive in-liners, the KIA X Games rip into Shanghai this weekend. It’s the biggest extreme sports competition in Asia and draws tens of thousands of people to the Jiangwan Stadium in the north east of the city. It goes on for four days, from Saturday to next Tuesday. More than 60,000 people went last year and 2012 looks like it will be even bigger. Tickets are still on sale here. This is what you’re going to see:



Skateboarding


Skating is the most popular event at the games. There are competitions in vert, street and mini-mega ramp, which is a long launch ramp that shoots you out into the vert ramp. This is where you see the wildest tricks and highest air. Look out for Canadian Pierre Luc-Gagnon and the legendary Andy MacDonald, both looking to increase their already-ridiculous stack of X Games gold medals. Skating practices and qualifying rounds happen on Saturday. The mini-mega ramp finals will take place on Monday. Street and vert finals are on Tuesday. They’re the climax of the games. Winners in each competition take home eight grand US.



Aggressive In-line


Yeah, aggressive in-lining is cool, right? What? Haven’t you seen Prayer of the Rollerboys? Don’t get no tougher than that. OK, so there’s street and vert inline skating competitions, though no mini-mega ramp. Each promises hearty doses of grinding and air time and all that. Japan’s five-time gold medalist in-line champion Takeshi Yasutoko will be there, no doubt ruling in the vert competition. The AIL street final takes place on Sunday and the vert final is on Monday morning.



BMX


BMX still garners a huge following among extreme sports enthusiasts. This year there are vert, street and mini-mega competitions. Leading the field of international BMX talent are Kevin Robinson, Chad Kagy and Simon Tabron, all of them X Games champions. The BMX vert final is on Sunday, with the street final on Monday and the mega ramp final on Tuesday morning.



Moto X


There’s no motocross competition, but there will be big air displays and trick exhibitions happening throughout the weekend. Each rider will get three jumps from a huge dirt ramp, trying to pull off the best trick or the longest jump. This is where you get the best likelihood of huge painful fails, too.

Extreme Other Stuffs


In addition to all the action sports goodness, you’ve got extra extreme performances by a bunch of Chinese pop and rock acts: Anson An-Ping, Benny Yanjun-Shao, Astro Ding-Xiang and the X-Games Event Ambassador Andrew Zhilin-Chueng. There’s also a park where you can show off your own skating, BMX or inline skills. Prizes for those with mad skills.



Tickets cost 200rmb a day if you buy them at the gate or 150rmb in advance from here. Buy advanced tickets Thursday at the latest. Seats in the grandstand are 580rmb per day. You can find more about who's competing in what right here.

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