Winter X Games 15 announces competition schedule

The Winter X Games 15 competition schedule has been announced. 

All events will take place Thurs., Jan. 27, through Sun., Jan. 30, on Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colo. 

Times listed are Pacific Standard Time and subject to change.

 

Thursday, Jan. 27
Event	Time
Skiing Slopestyle Men's Elimination	9 - 11 a.m.
Snowmobile Freestyle Elimination	10:30 a.m. - Noon
Skiing Slopestyle Women's Final	Noon - 1 p.m.
Snowmobile Freestyle Round One	6 - 7 p.m.
Snowboard SuperPipe Men's Elimination	6 - 7:30 p.m.
Snowmobile Freestyle Final	7:30 - 8 p.m.
Skiing SuperPipe Women's Final	8 - 8:40 p.m.

Snowboarder Kevin Pearce returns home to Vermont

Snowboarder Kevin Pearce returned home to Vermont on Saturday, following a four-month recovery and physical rehabilitation program in Salt Lake City and Englewood, Colo. He will be living in his family’s Norwich home while continuing outpatient therapy.

"It's so great to be back in my hometown with my whole family. I can’t thank everyone I met in Utah and Colorado enough. It's been a long road, and I know I still have a ways to go, but the support I have had from my family and friends, my sponsors, the Frends Crew, as well as so many fans has been amazing," Pearce said in a statement issued Tuesday.

His parents, Simon and Pia Pearce, are very grateful their son has been able to return home.

"Over the past four months our family has embarked on an unexpected yet very rewarding journey with Kevin. We are incredibly proud of how hard he has worked to recover from his injury and take joy in all of the milestones Kevin has reached so far. We have nothing but optimism and excitement about his continuing recovery and his future."

Snowboarder Kevin Pearce released from hospital

A quick and positive update on snowboarder Kevin Pearce: According to a news release issued Thursday, Pearce was released from the inpatient traumatic brain injury program at Craig Hospital on April 14 and has moved to a Denver-area home where his family has been staying.

Pearce will continue daily outpatient therapy with the hospital, which is expected to be his final step in Colorado before returning to his Norwich, Vt., home.

The Facebook Fan page created by Pearce's family is still active, and the preferred site for people posting their get-well wishes.

Pearce suffered a traumatic brain injury in January while training in the halfpipe at Park City, Utah, for the Winter Olympics qualifier at Mammoth Mountain Ski Area.

Pearce was completing a cab double cork -- a twisting double back flip maneuver he's landed before -- when he caught his toe-side edge while landing.

Though Pearce, 22, was wearing a helmet, he hit his head above one of his eyes and was knocked unconscious.

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: Kevin Pearce competes in the men's snowboard superpipe final at Winter X Games 13 last year in Aspen, Colo. Credit: Eric Lars Bakke / Shazamm / ESPN Images

RELATED:

More positive news on snowboarder Kevin Pearce

Snowboarder Kevin Pearce moved from critical care unit and continues to progress in his recovery

Snowboarder Kevin Pearce continues to recover and improve at Utah hospital

Snowboarder Kevin Pearce is regaining consciousness; has been upgraded from critical to serious condition

Snowboarder Kevin Pearce remains in critical condition with traumatic brain injury

Snowboarder Kevin Pearce in critical condition after halfpipe accident

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Winter X Games freeskier C.R. Johnson dies in skiing accident at Squaw Valley

Professional freeskier C.R. Johnson died Wednesday on the slopes at Squaw Valley USA after hitting his head on a rock outcropping, the Associated Press reports.

Johnson, 26, was skiing with a group of friends when he fell while trying to negotiate a "very, very tight, rocky area," in a part of the resort known as the Light Towers area, said Jim Rogers, a member of the resort's ski patrol.

Johnson fell face-first, then spun around and struck the back of his head on rocks. Johnson was wearing a helmet at the time of the fall, but Rogers said the helmet took a serious blow.

The ski patrol was contacted shortly before 2 p.m. and tried to revive Johnson on the slopes, but were unsuccessful, according to Placer County Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Ausnow.

Johnson was a familiar sight on the slopes of the Lake Tahoe-area resort, where his father had been an avalanche forecaster.

"This is a man of very, very strong skiing talent," Rogers said. "This young man had been a fixture here at Squaw Valley for years.... He grew up at Squaw Valley."