White’s halfpipe golden

ASPEN, Colo. – If this is the way Shaun White handles pressure, it could be a golden trip to Turin.

Frazzled by the tension at last year’s Winter X Games, White has used it as motivation this year, winning every event he’s entered leading into the Turin Olympics. He closed out his final tuneup in typical flair, landing three 1080s during a final-run 91 Monday night for his second gold at this year’s Winter X Games.

“It’s crazy because this whole thing to the Olympics has really messed my head up because everybody’s telling me how important the Olympics are,” White said. “And I was like, ‘whatever, just do well and go to the Olympics.’ Just that having that kind of mellow attitude made me land everything. It was really soothing. I just can’t wait for the Olympics now. It’s been an awesome season.”

That’s for sure.

The 19-year-old from Carlsbad, Calif., let the pressure get to him in last year’s Winter X Games and was bumped out of the top three on the final run. Frustrated that he failed on such a big stage, White went to New Zealand to work on combining jumps, in particular consecutive 1080s (three complete rotations). He got it down and hasn’t lost since, winning all five Olympic qualifiers to make the U.S. halfpipe team.

White kept his roll going at Winter X, winning the slopestyle competition Saturday and capping it with his sixth gold overall – tying Shaun Palmer’s all-time record – in a halfpipe field that included seven Olympians.

Want a favorite for Turin? White has left little doubt.

“I’ve still got some stuff up my sleeve for the Games,” White said. “I don’t want to let it out of the bag right now, but I definitely have something planned.”

Nicknamed the “Flying Tomato” for his mop of scraggly red hair, White took the lead after the first of three runs, landing consecutive 1080s for a 90.33. No one came close the rest of the way – U.S. Olympian Mason Aguirre was second with an 88.66 on his first run – but White capped the night by hitting consecutive 1080s in the middle of the run and another at the end.

“It’s definitely the run I’ve been working on for a while,” White said. “It was nice to see it work.”

Aguirre, a high school senior from Duluth, Minn., had the last chance to beat White and had a good run going, but fell midway through trying to land a 1080.

The happy-go-lucky 18-year-old joins White, Andy Finch and Danny Kass on the U.S. halfpipe team.