The X Games is kicking off tomorrow in Austin, Texas. As a well-known hipster haunt and home of the indie-tinged South By South West festival, the city might initially seem a slightly strange choice as an X Games location.

But the organisers are putting a lot of emphasis on the music at this year’s event (there’s even a Battle of the Bands competition) and are promising one hell of a show.

Brand new tricks are always part of the X Games architecture, as are crazy stacks…

Having decided to rein in their plans for global expansion and reduce the number of events to just two (one summer, one winter) they’ve got a lot of eggs in this Texan basket, so you can be sure they’ll be pulling out all the stops.

And whether or not you’re a fan of this carefully packaged all-American action sports extravaganza you can’t deny that it’s a spectacle that’s well worth watching.

It’s exciting to see skaters, BMXers and motocross riders given a mainstream platform to perform on, and the occasion always seems to push riders to bring their A Game. Brand new tricks are always part of the X Games architecture, as are crazy stacks, as people attempt things they’d never normally try.

Here are 16 skaters, BMXers and motocross riders that we’ll be watching closely this weekend.