Scotty James | AP News

Scotty James

FILE - Alex Hall of the United States, checks the score following his run in the slopestyle finals, Friday, Dec. 17, 2021, during the Dew Tour freestyle skiing event at Copper Mountain, Colo. There's a legion of freestyle skiers and snowboarders at the action park who refuse to subscribe to the “spin to win” theory. It's the idea that maxing out flips and twists is the only way for them to score big with the judges.(AP Photo/Hugh Carey, File)

Winter X daredevils ride fine line between height, happiness

ASPEN, Colo. (AP) — Freestyle skier Alex Hall’s happy place this winter has been sliding down hand rails outside of offices and schools all over Iowa, Nebraska, South Dakota and other midwestern spots.

Gold medal winner Japan's Ayumu Hirano celebrates during the venue award ceremony for the men's halfpipe finals at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Friday, Feb. 11, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China.(AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Hirano wins Olympic gold, and saves snowboarding from a mess

Australia's Scotty James trains on the halfpipe curse at the 2022 Winter Olympics, Monday, Feb. 7, 2022, in Zhangjiakou, China. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

EXPLAINER: All those flips and twists on Olympic halfpipe

Scotty James celebrates with his fiancé Chloe Stroll after winning a gold medal in men's snowboard superpipe at the 2022 Winter X Games in Aspen on Friday, Jan. 21, 2022. (Kelsey Brunner/The Aspen Times via AP)

44 Australians heading to Beijing for Winter Olympics

FILE - Scotty James, of Australia, rides during the men's snowboard halfpipe at the Phoenix Snow Park at he Pyeongchang 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea, Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018. James has come a long way since his dad bought him a $10 snowboard from a shop that was using it as a doorstop. He’s won three world championship titles, six World Cup races and six Winter X medals, including three gold. (Jonathan Hayward/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

In private halfpipe, Aussie boarder schemes for Beijing gold