By Matt Higgins, New York Times

Stowing his side projects as a mogul and a musician for a moment, Shaun White was back on his snowboard beneath the lights at Buttermilk Mountain in Aspen, Colo., on Monday night, launching himself from the halfpipe during practice for this week’s Winter X Games.

A dominant and decorated competitor for a decade in a young sport, White, 28, is scheduled to compete in the superpipe final tonight to open the Games, which run through Sunday. It will be his first competition, and a chance to reaffirm his stature, since he finished a disappointing fourth in the men’s halfpipe final at the Sochi Olympics last February.

“This season is not a big contest year for me,” said White, who has remained busy with his many outside interests, including playing guitar and touring with his band, Bad Things, which released a self-titled debut album last year on the Warner Bros. label.

Last year, White, who used to ride for Northstar, bought a majority stake in Air & Style, a competitive snowboarding series and music festival with events in Austria and China. He has expanded the franchise to the United States, where it will take place at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., on Feb. 21. He is also chief executive of Shaun White Enterprises, an umbrella organization for his sponsorships with Target, Burton Snowboards, Oakley sunglasses and others.

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