X Games Austin 2016… Where to begin? Ever since X Games announced it was moving to my hometown Austin I could’t decide if I was excited or not. I had been going to the X Games in LA for a couple years before it moved and really enjoyed it. I think LA was the perfect city to host the summer X Games. The weather was tolerable, there were hotels 5 minutes walking distance to the courses, and X Games and LA reminded me of each other. Now that it was in Austin all I could think about is how hot it was going to be and how far the venue was. I also don’t feel X Games is the best way to represent BMX to the masses. They just randomly took street out last year and then added it back this year. Street is arguably the most popular discipline in the core BMX scene, how are you going to take that out with no explanation? It’s also hard for me to get motivated to shoot photos there. All the riders seem a little stressed figuring out their lines, dealing with the heat, and taking turns on the course. I like shooting photos that I plan out with the rider not just point and shoot hoping to get a shot. I do see the upside to the X Games though, they definitely expose kids to a sport that they might never see otherwise. I also enjoy seeing all my friends that come to town and hanging out with them and the “thirsty” girls at the various parties. This was the last year of X Games Austin. They cut having it here by a year and I think that is indication that ESPN must of realized it wasn’t the best fit. This is a collection of some random photos I took during X Games. It’s a pretty close representation of my experience this year and every year, get a couple riding photos then hang out and party with the homies.