The 2015 X Games event this weekend in Aspen will have new angles for its ski and snowboard events, compliments of a battery of aerial drones outfitted with action cams, .
ESPN worked with several agencies to secure permission to shoot with drones, including the Federal Aviation Administration, which approved their commercial use last year. The drones will have to stay away from crowded spectator areas and out of the flight path of Aspen’s local airport, which is just down the road from the Buttermilk ski area, where the games are being held.
This isn’t the first time drones have been used to capture winter sports. Some skiing and snowboarding events were filmed with drones at the Sochi Olympics. College football teams have been using them to record practices from new angles, .
ESPN vice president of production Rich Feinberg compared advancement in broadcasting technology to progress in winter sports. “It’s kind of like the sports here,” . “They’re all about progression, and we want the coverage to progress as well.”