Terje Haakonsen, the best snowboarder in the world. Some say the best ever.

He who blew off the Olympics, calling them too sterile. He who hasn't been seen on the slopes much lately, either. He who has been invited to Winter X twice before, but declined the call both times.

	Terje Haakonsen is turning plenty of heads at the Winter X Games.

From the Mt. Baker Banked Slalom to the U.S. Open, and back to the World Cup and the world championships, the 24-year-old Haakonsen has won everything there is to win. His competition history reads like a binary output, the digit "1" appearing as far as the eye can see (excepting a single No. 2 finish, at the '98 U.S. Open), dating all the way back to 1991.

Whether The Man would show up this year was the big buzz on the slopes Wednesday, as the men practiced their Slopestyle and Halfpipe runs in preparation for the competitions that start Thursday.

"Is he even here yet? I haven't seen him ride too much in the last few years. If he really throws it together I'm sure he can win whatever he feels like doing. He's been the best rider for awhile," said defending Slopestyle and Halfpipe gold medalist Ross Powers during a break between runs in the halfpipe. "It would be great to see him ride and ride well out here. Hopefully he shows."

Last year's Slopestyle bronze medalist, Rob Kingwill, also said he was excited to see whether Haakonsen would show up.

"He always rides at such a high level. He just chooses to put himself up there real high," Kingwill said. "The better the riders you have here the better the competition for everybody."

Even notorious bad-mouther Shaun Palmer said he hoped the Norwegian would show.

"He's one of the best in the world; I respect that kid more than any snowboarder out there," Palmer said during Tuesday's Biker X practice.

"I'd rather have him here. If I win again, it's even that much more of good feeling with him being here."

But not everyone was gushing with good words for the Burton team rider, who has been competing for 10 years.

Todd Richards, who took the bronze at last year's Halfpipe competition, said he doesn't care whether Haakonsen shows up.

"If it takes away from a lot of these other rippers getting coverage that have actually been riding, it'll suck," he said. "Because there's a lot of people that are here besides Haakonsen and Palmer."

Sometime around noon a hush settled over the crowd.

"Is that him?" "Is Terje here?" "That looks like Haakon." "Terje's here." "I see him."

The Michael Jordan of snowboarding had dropped into the halfpipe, and the awe he inspires was immediately clear.

"He definitely deserves all the press," Powers said. "He can just show up and do whatever -- not even ride and then just drop in and win a contest."

Why the X Games, when he had a chance at fame in Nagano?

Head halfpipe judge Greg Johnson thinks he knows the answer.

"He wants to go to contests that have a certain attraction and allure to him, as far as what he deems fun and in the spirit of snowboarding. To him the Olympics did not have that," said Johnson, who also served as the head judge at the 1998 Winter Olympics.

"The X Games is more a fun type of atmosphere, more of an atmosphere that the riders feel comfortable in, so that's why you get the best athletes coming here."

Haakonsen is registered to compete in Boarder X on Friday, Slopestyle on Saturday and Halfpipe on Sunday.