Shaun White’s new halfpipe competition, the Snow League, will kick off in Aspen, Colorado, next week before heading to China, where he concluded his illustrious career during the 2022 Winter Olympics.
The organization revealed its complete four-stop inaugural season schedule on Monday, highlighting a visit to Zhangjiakou’s Secret Garden snowpark in December, a return to Aspen in February 2026, and a grand finale in Laax, Switzerland, following next year’s Milan-Cortina Olympics.
The season opener is set for March 7-8 at Buttermilk, located just outside of Aspen.
White’s final Olympic performance took place at the Secret Garden, where he finished in fourth place, bringing an emotional close to his fifth Olympic appearance as a three-time gold medalist at the halfpipe.
After hanging up his board, White aimed to establish a league that would unify top-tier riders from around the globe, aiming to address the sport’s historical lack of an organized circuit and inadequate prize money at key events.
The Snow League boasts a generous total prize pool of $1.6 million, which includes $370,000 allocated for each event and an additional $160,000 reserved for the league champions at the conclusion of all four events.
Among the competitors invited to the upcoming contest next week are defending Olympic champion Ayumu Hirano and his younger brother, Kaishu. Notable mention also goes to second-ranked Ruka Hirano, an unrelated competitor, alongside American athletes Chase Josey and Chase Blackwell.
On the women’s side, the competition will include Olympic silver and bronze medalists Queralt Castellet and Sena Tomita, as well as American riders Maddie Mastro and Maddy Schaffrick.
A distinctive aspect of the league’s events will feature head-to-head finals conducted in a best-of-three bracket format, allowing riders to perform their initial two runs dropping in from both sides of the halfpipe.
Furthermore, freeskating in the halfpipe will be integrated into the Snow League starting with the upcoming event in China, although participant names for these competitions have not yet been disclosed.
At the Beijing Olympics, standout performer Eileen Gu secured medals across all three freeskiing events, capturing gold in both halfpipe and Big Air, along with a silver medal in slopestyle.
