Two hundred fearless competitors set the Staples Center in Los Angeles on fire from August 2 to 5 during the 13th edition of this highly popular event, which was a chance to admire daredevils on skates or two-wheelers putting on an amazing show as usual.

The party was in California, the traditional venue of this atypical event: the Olympic games of extreme sports. It even has a summer and a winter version, which date back to 1994 and 1997, respectively. However, unlike the Olympics, they take place annually instead of every four years. Broadcast by ESPN, the X Games are always held in North America.

The winners, who are not hardcore amateurs but often full-fledged professionals, receive gold, silver and bronze medals as well as a total of nearly one million dollars in prize money. The atmosphere is relaxed, with bands performing on the events' sidelines. On snow, the athletes compete in various skiing, motoX, snowboarding and snowmobiling specialties. Ditto in summer with skateboarding, BMX (biking), FMX (motorcycling) and their respective variants.

Five Frenchmen (Charles Pages, Rémi Bizouard, David Vuillemin, Stéphane Chambone and Hierry Van Den Bosche) took part, all in the motorcycling events. None climbed to the highest step on the podium. It should be pointed out that competitors are asked to the games by a jury instead of being selected by the bodies in their home countries.

Scott Murray, for example, was invited to compete in the FMX Best Trick event on the basis of an Internet video that showed him performing an exceptional move, a double backflip over his bike's handlebars. In the absence of the front-runner, American Travis Pastrana, his 20-year-old countryman Kyle Loza won the event.

Others winners who shone include Daniel Dhers in BMX Park and Brazil's Bob Burnquist in Big Air skateboarding (ramps). Le Carioca defeated Jake Brown, who miraculously escaped an unforgettable 15-meter fall unharmed. Kevin Robinson, of the United States, won the BMX Big Air event. Last but not least, hats off to a peerless star, Shaun White, who won the Green skateboarding event after being the half-pipe Olympic champion in Turin in 2006 and winning several medals at the Winter X-Games. Did somebody say versatile?

Eurosport