Olympic champions Eileen Gu, Ayumu Hirano, David Wise, Yuto Totsuka, and Sena Tomita headline the all-star lineup as opening round heats are revealed ahead of the league’s first competition in Asia
CHONGLI, China (December 3) – The Snow League is set to kick off Event Two at Yunding Snow Park in Chongli, China – the iconic venue of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games – on December 4-6, as the race to crown the champions of the inaugural season of the first professional snowboarding and freeskiing league heats up this winter.
Reaching audiences in more than 175 countries through an unprecedented lineup of television, streaming, and digital media partners spanning six continents, fans will have front-row seats as athletes debut groundbreaking new tricks honed during intense pre-season training camps, setting the stage for what promises to be an unprecedented showcase of halfpipe progression.
Fifty-two of the world’s top snowboard and freeski athletes have finalized halfpipe practice at Yunding Snow Park and are locked in for competition. This event also marks the official debut of freeskiing in The Snow League, founded by three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White.
“It’s incredible to see The Snow League hosting our first-ever event in China. Yunding Snow Park is the perfect stage to showcase what these sports are about, and a venue that holds a special place in my heart,” says White, who competed on the same halfpipe for the last time during the 2022 Winter Games. “Expanding the league to include freeskiing alongside snowboarding marks a huge step forward for us, and I can’t wait to see the energy the athletes bring this weekend.”
The successful first event in Aspen Snowmass, held in March 2025, showcased the debut of The Snow League’s signature bracket format – including the innovative requirement for athletes to drop in from both sides of the halfpipe.
Today, the opening-round snowboard heats and freeski brackets were revealed to the field during the draw in a packed room of athletes, setting the stage for three days of competition starting tomorrow.
Snowboarders Kick Off Event Two
Snowboard qualifying begins Thursday, December 4, featuring current Snow League World Championship Standings leaders Yuto Totsuka (JPN) and Sena Tomita (JPN), who claimed the historic inaugural wins at Event One in Aspen Snowmass. They’ll be joined by a stacked roster of 36 snowboarders, including Olympic champion Ayumu Hirano (JPN) and winner of the 2025 halfpipe World Cup title, Maddie Mastro (USA).
All 36 snowboarders (16 women and 20 men) have been seeded into four heats for Qualifying Day based on Snow League World Championship Standings, with the heats revealed to the athletes during The Draw. Each athlete gets two runs, with the highest score counting. The top athlete from each heat will automatically advance to Finals Day, Friday, December 5, while second- and third-place finishers will enter the Last Chance Qualifier for the remaining spots. A total of 16 (8 women and 8 men) athletes will advance to the quarterfinals, where the head-to-head competition format takes center stage.
Women’s Snowboard Heats
Men’s Snowboard Heats
Freeskiing Premieres at The Snow League
The freeskiing field makes its highly anticipated debut Saturday, December 6, as athletes drop into the Yunding Snow Park halfpipe for the inaugural Snow League freeski competition. Headlining the 16-athlete field is Olympic champion Eileen Gu (CHN), joined by 12 Olympians including Cassie Sharpe (CAN), David Wise (USA), Nick Goepper (USA), Rachael Karker (CAN), and Gus Kenworthy (GBR).
Competition opens with the Quarterfinal rounds, where four men’s and four women’s head-to-head matchups face off. The brackets, seeded by worldwide ranking, were unveiled to the field today during The Draw. Each matchup follows a best-of-three run format, with athletes required to drop in from opposite walls for their first two runs. The first competitor to win two runs advances to the Semifinal and then the Final, where they’ll battle for a spot on the inaugural Snow League freeski podium.
Women’s Freeski Bracket
Men’s Freeski Bracket
Athlete-First Prize Purse
The total prize purse for Event Two of The Snow League is $620,000 USD, with equal prize money for women and men. Each of the 52 freeski and snowboard competitors receives a $5,000 appearance fee, totaling $260,000 per event.
This athlete-first approach underscores The Snow League’s commitment to setting new standards in professional winter sports and ensuring meaningful support for athletes across all disciplines.
How to Watch The Snow League
The Snow League will be available for viewing in more than 175 countries worldwide, through an unprecedented lineup of television, streaming, and digital media partners spanning six continents, inviting fans everywhere to experience the action live from Yunding Snow Park.
NBC and Peacock will present coverage of The Snow League in the United States. Peacock will host live streaming of all freeskiing and snowboarding finals beginning at 8 pm ET on December 4 and 5. NBC will air two recap shows starting with snowboarding on Sunday, December 21, from 4:30 to 6 pm ET, and freeskiing on Sunday, December 28 from 2 to 3 pm ET.
Viewers in China will have access to live coverage, highlight shows, and social media distribution across China’s most influential sports and digital platforms including Tencent (Tencent Sports, Tencent Video, Tencent News, and JIGUANG TV) and Migu (WeChat, QQ, Weibo, and Bilibili) and Youku. Great Sports TV will air prime-time highlight programs with multiple encore airings, along with live streaming of both competition days on both Douyin and Xiaohongshu featuring six hours of live coverage with Chinese commentary on December 5 and 6 (9:00 AM–3:00 PM China Standard Time).
Viewers in Canada will be able to watch live streaming on CBCSports.ca and Gem, with recap shows on Game+ television network.
Viewers across Europe can watch live streaming on HBO Max and Discovery+, with recap shows on Eurosport 1.
The complete global listings are available at this link.
The Snow League is powered by our partners, including Marriott Bonvoy, the Official Hotel and Hotel Loyalty Partner; INEOS Automotive, the Official Automotive Partner; and Tiffany & Co, the Official Trophy Provider. Tmall, Li-Ning, and YAYA are partners in the Yunding Snow Park event.
Follow The Snow League on Instagram, Facebook, X and YouTube.
About The Snow League
Launched in June 2024, The Snow League is the first professional winter sports league dedicated to snowboarding and freeskiing. Founded by three-time Olympic gold medalist and entrepreneur Shaun White, Season One features a four-event global format boasting a $2.2 million season purse, with athletes competing to earn points to determine the overall champions. The season kicked off at Buttermilk in Aspen Snowmass (March 7–8, 2025), heading next to Yunding Snow Park, China (Dec. 4–6, 2025), where 16 of the world’s top freeskiers will join the roster at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games venue. The League returns to Aspen (Feb. 27–28, 2026) and concludes at LAAX, Switzerland (March 19–21, 2026), where the first-ever Snow League World Champions will be crowned.
Follow The Snow League on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
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