Thou shalt not judge. Especially when unscripted tricks flash by in milliseconds, moves are invented daily, scores submitted ASAP. But it's tempting, no? Judges make the most important, most subjective decisions at Winter X. They define "overall impression," they break hearts, elicit boos and cheers, withstand threats of angry athletes storming the stand. Judges, after all, choose winners and losers. Unfortunately, they're not allowed to blink. So we asked the judges a few wide-eyed questions. Just to learn how it's done.

Where do we throw the tomatoes?

SNOWBOARD SUPERPIPE:
Five judges and one head judge sit in a tower at the bottom of the superpipe, 12 feet in the air.

SNOWBOARD SLOPESTYLE:
Five judges and one head judge have TV monitors and watch each full run live on the screen.

MOTO X BIG AIR: Five judges and one head judge have a bird's-eye view of the course. They sit centered on the long side of the rectangle course.

SKI SLOPESTYLE:
Five judges and one head judge sit in a 30-foot tower in view of the last half of the slopestyle course. They watch the first half on a video monitor.

SKI SUPERPIPE:
Five judges and one head judge are stationed at the bottom of the half pipe, about 30' off the ground.

For J.J. Thomas' Mctwist off the first wall, the judges ruled - Gold.

You think you know, but you have no idea.

SNOWBOARD SUPERPIPE:
Scores range from 1-100 and are based on "Overall Impression" (an unformulaic mix of degree of difficulty, execution, amplitude, originality and style, progression of tricks and combos, timing of risky moves, hard rotation on both walls, landings).

SNOWBOARD SLOPESTYLE:
Scoring system is similar to the pipe, but judges also factor in rails, table tops, hips-i.e. use of course. Judging is less about subtracting for flaws than giving points for positives.

MOTOX BIG AIR:
Scores range from 1-100 and are based on overall impression. Judges look for degree of difficulty, "crazy"-factor, clean execution, amplitude, speed of rotation, how long the rider holds the trick, how long the rider stays off the bike, creativity, clean landings.

SKI SLOPESTYLE:
The coolest run of the day wins. Unlike the Olympics, there is no FIS formula. Fans and judges often agree on overall impression. Difficult tricks, big tricks, clean runs with no breaks, no falls take the top scores ranging from 1-100. Missed grabs are minor infractions, falls and touch downs kill you.

SKI SUPERPIPE:
Like ski slopestyle, pipe is based on overall impression with few hidden criteria. A major focus is amplitude and recovering from big moves with style. Judges give major points for keeping it "core." Degree of difficulty, creativity, "Stoke factor" and clean execution are also key.

Ain't No Half Steppin' …

SNOWBOARD SUPERPIPE:
Some riders have control issues. To stabilize a shaky landing, they might scrub speed (slow down) in the flat bottom of the pipe, because untrained eyes just watch the release off the walls.

SNOWBOARD SLOPESTYLE:
Riders know how important grabs are. So if a trick is off balance, they'll swipe at the board and pretend to grip it. Judges know a clean hold and want to see the grab last the full rotation.

MOTOX BIG AIR:
Some have tried to disguise shaky landings by pretending to jump off the bike to pump up the crowd. The judges aren't fooled.

SKI SLOPESTYLE:
Skiers who land on their back feet, might lean back, do a funky tuck to the next jump and pretend to be skiing "gorilla style" to disguise the landing.

SKI SUPERPIPE:
If a young skier does a hot run, he'll act like he won the comp as soon as the run is over. Judges write that off to the raw adrenaline and emotion that comes with the rookie experience.

Ski Superpipe made it's debut at last year's Winter X Games VI in Aspen. Jon Olsson's style tested the wits of a new breed of ski competition judging.

If that was then, what is now?

SNOWBOARD SUPERPIPE:
The Mike Jacoby J-Terror-an inverted handplant-used to score big when inverted ariels were banned from resorts. Now a back-to-back 900 combo with good amp, a grab and lots of style or a 1260 spin in the middle of a run cashes in.

SNOWBOARD SLOPESTYLE:
The basic frontside rodeo is played out. Backside 9's and butter 9's off the features, progressive switch 270's on the rails impress the judges.

MOTOX BIG AIR:
A dead sailor is nothing now-a 65 score at best. The back flip is the latest tech trick. A clean flip nets 90-100.
SKI SLOPESTYLE: Back in the day a switch backflip was huge, now a switch misty 1080 with an insane grab sets the bar.

SKI SUPERPIPE: Single tricks used to cut it, now you've got to have a developed combo. Last year's insane progression? A misty 900 one way followed by a 900 the other way.

How can I be down?

SNOWBOARD SLOPESTYLE & SUPERPIPE:
You must snowboard, have good eyesight, steel integrity. Ex and injured pro riders often judge the big comps. Most go through IJC Pro clinic for training on judging Pipe, Slopestyle, Big Air and Rails.

MOTOX BIG AIR:
Hang around the scene. Judges tend to be part of the pro Moto X circuit and familiar with the athletes and tricks-many are ex-pros or ride at a very high level and are singled out for their non-partisan and fair reps.

SKI SLOPESTYLE & SUPERPIPE:
Compete in the X Games. All the ski judges at Winter X are ex-pros and ex-X Games jocks. Panels of skiers are picked for their understanding of the moves and the creative, free-form nature of the X Games.

What's the Payoff?

SNOWBOARD SUPERPIPE & SLOPESTYLE:
Somewhere between lunch & a handshake and $300/day.

MOTOX BIG AIR: Room and board, air, and enough to buy a bag of cheap candy.

SKI SLOPESTYLE & SUPERPIPE: A Taco Bell dinner.

The Toughest Part of the Job?

SNOWBOARD SUPERPIPE:
Focus and reaction time. Runs aren't pre-set, there are no pre-determined DOD numbers, there is no instant replay, and tricks and combos happen quickly. Split second decisions have to be made.

SNOWBOARD SLOPESTYLE:
Knowing how to judge two diverse disciplines. Skate elements are as prominent as snow features today. Judges have to be a serious blend of snow skills and rails/kicker features.

MOTOX BIG AIR:
Deciding what tricks are really the hardest. Travis Pastrana says the back flip is really easy, others think it's impossible. Who's right, who's wrong?

SKI SLOPESTYLE:
Staying warm.

SKI SUPERPIPE:
Finding judge groupies. Athletes have it infinitely easier. Judges just aren't that cool.