The reigning Olympic gold medalist and 14-year-old rising star deliver standout performances, marking a thrilling conclusion to the second event of the inaugural season
CHONGLI, China (December 5) – Ayumu Hirano (JPN) and Patti Zhou (CHN) claimed victory at The Snow League Event Two at Yunding Snow Park in a series of matchups showcasing the excitement and the progression of The Snow League Finals Day head-to-head format. Hirano triumphed in the same halfpipe where he earned 2022 Olympic gold, while 14-year-old Zhou earned the first professional win of her young career at her home resort in China in her league debut.
Finals Day featured eight men and eight women battling in high-stakes matchups, with nonstop action as athletes unleashed their biggest tricks to advance from the quarterfinals to the semifinals and ultimately the finals, where both the men’s and women’s matchups came down to nail-biter third-run tiebreakers.
The women’s field saw Zhou up against Mitsuki Ono (JPN). Ono advanced into finals against third-place finisher, 16-year-old Rise Kudo (JPN), while Snow League World Championship Standings leader Sena Tomita (JPN) was unable to complete her semifinal matchup against Zhou after falling in practice.
Ono opened the final by taking the lead in run one, but Zhou fired back in run two to force a tiebreaker. Dropping first, Zhou set the tone with a frontside 1080 truck driver ten feet out, followed by a Cab 540 melon, a switch backside 900 Weddle, a Cab 720 Weddle, and a frontside 720 Indy to close. Ono answered with a clean run of her own, leaving the outcome to the judges, and Zhou ultimately claiming the winning score of 79.66 to Ono’s 76.33.
A smiling Zhou, who came into the weekend event as an alternate, said that winning in her first Snow League appearance means so much to her saying “Yunding is my home mountain, I love this place. I’m so grateful to be here, and I’m so happy.”
The men’s field delivered nonstop drama, with tie-breakers unfolding throughout the day and culminating in a gripping final between Hirano and eventual runner-up Yuto Totsuka (JPN). Hirano struck first with a win in run one; Totsuka answered in run two, pushing the matchup into a must-see tiebreaker.
Totsuka opted to unveil a brand-new trick, a frontside double cork 1620 tail grab, landed perfectly, only to go down on his final hit. That left the door open for Hirano, who needed only a clean run to seal the victory. He delivered under pressure, opening with a switch backside 900 Weddle, into a Cab double cork 1440 Weddle, followed by back-to-back 900s and a frontside double cork 1080 truck driver to close with a score of 81.33 to Totsuka’s 59.33, finishing off an unforgettable day of competition at the first Snow League event in Chongli, China.
Hirano, speaking through an interpreter, said he hadn’t achieved the results he wanted at the first event in Aspen, where he finished third, and was happy to win at a competition founded by Shaun White. Reflecting on the day, he described it as “tough and intense,” noting that a crash on his second finals run shook him. On the final run against his friend, he said, “It was like we were competing in the Olympics, it was a real battle.”
The men’s third-place matchup saw Ryusei Yamada (JPN) defeat Alessandro Barbieri (USA) with a final score of 75 to take the podium, with Barbieri finishing in fourth place for the second time this season.
Hirano and Zhou each earn a first-place prize of $50,000 out of a total prize purse of $370,000 for the event. Hirano jumps up The Snow League World Championship Standings to second place behind League leader Totsuka, with Zhou’s first-ever result landing her in fourth place. Each claimed 100 Snow League World Championship points, with two events remaining in Season One to determine the league champion.
Competition continues on Saturday, December 6, with the highly anticipated debut of freeskiing competition. Headlining the 16-athlete field is Olympic champion Eileen Gu (CHN), joined by fellow Olympians including Cassie Sharpe (CAN), David Wise (USA), Nick Goepper (USA), Rachael Karker (CAN) and Gus Kenworthy (GBR).
Women’s Finals Day Bracket
Men’s Finals Day Bracket
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 the freeskiing finals beginning at 8:30 pm ET on December 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.
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.
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