Bodin wins Snowmobile Freestyle gold

LaVallee said, with access to the foam pit, Bodin polished a lot of the tricks he already knew. His big extensions and long holds on tricks like the seat grab flip, Kiss of Death flip and the Superman Indian Air flip gave him a 91.33 in his first run. "Gold! Goooold!" Bodin continued to scream after the final. "That was the best run of my life. I don't think I understand what just happened."

Defending gold medalist Justin Hoyer said he felt like he had the best stuff, but admitted Bodin simply rode better. "That was a battle," Hoyer said. "It was the hardest Winter X ever. We've come a long way and hopefully we can continue to grow. Next year I'm a little nervous though. It's going to get ugly. Real ugly." Hoyer landed a no-handed flip in his final run but it wasn't enough for Bodin's smooth mastery.

"I'd never done it yet," Hoyer said of landing a flip with no hands. "I said, '[Heck with] it, last run and I'm keeping them off.' I'm proud of myself for doing that." Many expected Hoyer to attempt an Underflip, a backflip-360-barrel roll combination, in the final run if he was behind. "People kept pushing me to do that and it's not something I'm real comfortable doing here. I want to live to ride another day."

Texan Caleb Moore finished third for the second year in a row, this time without the body varials that helped him earn bronze in 2010.

Medal favorite Heath Frisby, who didn't qualify when he crashed out of the elimination round, was at the start line to support the riders. He said his flip levers were not adjusted evenly and his right arm slipped out of the hold during a Kiss of Death attempt. The unevenness caused his body to twist and it ripped him off the sled. He said he didn't do his second run because his air box, pipes and other parts were bent and broken. "I just wanted to play it smart. I have two others events to run still."