X Games Brings Back Snowmobiling in 2026: Aspen Prepares for the Roar
The mountains just got louder again, and the sled world is ready to tear at full throttle. Snowmobiling is coming back to the X Games, and this time it’s not a whisper – it’s a roar.
When & Where
Circle January 23–25, 2026 on your calendar, the stage is Buttermilk Mountain, Aspen, Colorado. That’s where the world’s top sledders will defy gravity on the X Games circuit once more.
Why It Fell Off
Snowmobile events were dropped from the X Games lineup in 2020. The reasons? A perfect storm of risk, logistics, cost, and shifting focus. Crashes and mechanical failures, already part of the Games, became increasingly expensive to underwrite. Venue requirements at altitude, infrastructure demands, and spectator safety added more complexity. Motorsports took a back seat in programming, and many assumed sleds had been benched for good.
This is more than nostalgia. It’s a statement: sledding is reclaiming its seat at the table.
For athletes, it means renewed global exposure. For brands – Polaris, Ski-Doo, Arctic Cat, Yamaha, and aftermarket names in suspension, skis, and turbo systems, the spotlight is back on innovation and performance. For fans, it’s the return of big air, high risk, and huge payoffs in winter motorsports.
As X Games CEO Jeremy Bloom put it:
“One of the biggest requests we’ve received is to bring snowmobiles back to Winter X Games. We hear you, and couldn’t agree more— Snowmobiles are officially coming back to Aspen Jan 23-25th!”
Voices from the Front Lines
Brett Turcotte (eight-time X Games medalist, gear partner with 509) says:
“Coming off of one of the most progressive backcountry years that I’ve ever had, this is like Christmas in September.”
Brandon Cormier (2020 X Games snowmobile freestyle gold medalist) has also expressed how humbled he is to receive his 2026 X-Games invite.
And then there’s Levi LaVallee, already embedded in X Games history. Whether he’s competing, mentoring, or pushing the boundaries in Speed & Style and Freestyle, his name guarantees that snowmobiling belongs on this stage.
Expect disciplines like Snowmobile Freestyle, Speed & Style, HillCross, and Best Trick to return with even more intensity. The sleds will be faster, the tricks riskier, and the brands more aggressive in R&D than ever. Polaris, Ski-Doo, Arctic Cat, and even KTM (if they reenter snow markets) will all fight for podium presence. Watch for lightweight chassis builds, high-performance ignition systems, custom suspensions, and boosted engines to become part of the storyline as riders push their machines to the edge.
This is a moment for sledders everywhere to lean in. Snowmobiling’s return to X Games Aspen 2026 is more than a comeback — it’s a cultural reset. The mountain’s calling. The sleds are back.
