SAN FRANCISCO -- Barrett Christy is sold on the X Games -- no matter what the season. She wasn't too sure what to expect as a snowboarder in San Francisco in June. But after Saturday's big air competition, she is ready to come back to the City by the Bay next year.

Oh, and when she does, she'll do so as the defending gold medalist.

"I thought that snowboarding wasn't really a summer sport," Christy said. "And because I compete all winter, I didn't want to compete all summer. I also wasn't confident that the jump would be that good. But this is pretty good. It's about as good as it gets.

	Line won his second summer big air gold by landing an inverted 720 on his first jump.

"I'd like to come back to San Francisco."

Christy is no stranger to X Games gold. She won the 1997 and 1999 big air events at the Winter X Games. She also took '98 gold in slopestyle and silver in slopestyle this past January in Crested Butte, Colo.

She was joined on top of the awards podium by Peter Line, who won his second X Games big air gold in three summers. Line took '99 Winter X Games big air silver in Crested Butte and won the slopestyle.

"It's a little different. But it's fun to be in a cool city for a change and get to see some other things, like watching the skaters and the BMXers," Christy said. "There is so much more energy here than at the winter events. Everyone is energized by the sun I guess."

That was the common thought amongst snowboarders who thrilled the throng of spectators who filled Pier 30 -- not to mention the sun-soaked bodies on boats that parked within view of the 106-foot big air ramp. Competing in events at ski resorts during the winter is fun, but San Francisco was a whole new experience for some.

"Here everyone is relaxed. When you get up on top of the jump the first time, and the crowd responds to the announcer and cheers, you can feel it," said Chris Engelsman, who took bronze behind silver-medalist Ben Hinkley. "You are getting goose bumps. It's almost like being at Madison Square Garden or something.

"I thought that snowboarding wasn't really a summer sport. ... But this is pretty good. It's about as good as it gets." -- Barrett Christy big air gold medalist

"When you've got 30,000 people cheering you on, you want to step it up and you want to do good. They just push you. Hopefully you rise to the occasion, which I think everyone did today."

Hinkley, who instantly turned into the crowd favorite after pulling off his trademark double front flip, agreed that snowboarding in front of an X Games crowd is unlike anything else.

"This is like the ultimate. You can't ask for anything more, the sun and stuff," said Hinkley, who also won silver last year in San Diego.

But then he quickly gave winter its props: "But winter time, there is always powder."

There was no powder, but 700 tons of man-made snow allowed the guys and girls to pull off their normal assortment of high-flying tricks. Line landed an inverted, front-side 720 on his first run to set the bar higher than anyone else could reach the rest of the competition.

"It was the first time I did a 720 in a contest. I try to do new tricks at every contest," Line said. "It's a relief to land your trick the first time. Then you can relax and not be stressed out to win (the contest). Then you can do something a little crazier.

"That first jump was solid, but the second two I had trouble with my bindings. I was going to try (900s), but I just (messed) up off the lip each time. (But) it's always nice to win."

Hinkley's double flip put him in second after the first run. He tried to pull off a backflip 540 twice, but couldn't stick the landing and settled for second.

"The double flip is not always my first trick, but you never know," Hinkley said. "Actually, it wasn't going to be. But I changed my mind right at the top of the jump. So, it was for the best."

Christy's fakie front flip with a 180 also set the tone early. While she won't take credit for inventing the trick, she's perfected it to the point of having it renamed to the "Barrett Roll."

"I don't know if it's my signature trick. I'm sure someone has done it before," Christy said. "I was trying to get that trick really clean."

Tina Dixon, who won X Games gold at the first summer big air competition in San Diego, took the silver this year. The bronze went to Janet Matthews.

Pain is Derammelaere's gain in dual luge
The saying goes: "The thrill of victory and the agony of defeat." But for Dennis Derammelaere, the X Games have been "The agony of defeat and thrill of victory."

A year ago, Derammelaere shattered his lower right leg at the X Games. This year, he won dual gold with a titanium plate and eight screws in his ankle.

Derammelaere beat Lee Dansie in the final to win his third X Games medal. He'll now compete in mass luge before having a third surgery on his leg later this summer.

"It was absolutely surreal," said Derammelaere, who's family and friends were among the approximately 9,500 among the course. "It is the greatest experience of my life."

A regular threat to win gold before his injury, Derammelaere now has five medals. In 1996, he won bronze in both the dual and mass. In 1997, he improved to silver in both competitions.

Derammelaere, however, adapted quickly to the Seal Rock course. He qualified second and beat Daryl "Lugenstein" Thompson in the first round. He then took out Kurtis Head in the quarters and third-seeded Bob Pereyra in the semifinals.

Dansie had to beat Biker Sherlock to reach the final. Sherlock, last year's dual gold medalist, beat Pereya in the bronze-medal race.

Bay Area fans set single-day attendance record
Nearly 60,000 extreme sport enthusiasts crowded X Games venues Saturday under ideal San Francisco weather conditions.

At the Games' main venue, Piers 30 and 32, attendance nearly reached capacity as 48,361 spectators came through the entrance. All day long, an ongoing line of fans extended a half-mile down the Embarcadero.

At Seal Rock Run, 9,500 onlookers lined the Street Luge course, bringing the one-day total attendance to 57,861. The previous one-day attendance record was 37,450, set last summer in San Diego.

ESPN's X Games research contributed to this report.