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 6) – Eileen Gu (CHN) and Brendan Mackay (CAN) made history by claiming The Snow League’s inaugural freeski victory at China’s Yunding Snow Park, the iconic venue of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games where Gu won Olympic halfpipe gold. Each earned a first-place prize of $50,000, part of the $250,000 total freeski prize purse. Gu and Mackay each take the lead in The Snow League World Championship Standings, claiming 100 points each, with the field set to reconvene in LAAX, Switzerland in March 2026.
Freeski Finals Day opened with 16 competitors advancing through head-to-head matchups in the quarterfinals, followed by semifinals and then the final, where they battled for a spot on the inaugural Snow League freeski podium.
Gu kicked off the competition in dominant form, earning her top score of the day, a 90.00, in her opening run against Cassie Sharpe (CAN). Gu then advanced past teammate Fanghui Li (CHN) before meeting another teammate Kexin Zhang (CHN) in the final. Gu never once triggered a tiebreaker, winning each matchup decisively.
Gu’s top scoring run of the day featured a left 900 tail, into a right 720 reverse tail, a switch left 720 Japan, a right 900 Buick, a right alley oop flat spin 540 critical, finishing with a left alley oop mute.
Zhang claimed second, with Li taking third, marking a historic first-ever all-Chinese halfpipe podium.
Reflecting on the milestone moment, Gu said: “It’s so much fun competing here in China and sharing the podium with two friends and teammates. Growing up, one of my biggest goals has always been to introduce freestyle to more young people, particularly girls. To see the first Snow League event happening here in China, where in just six years, over 346 million people have been introduced to snow sports is absolutely incredible. Seeing all the excited spectators cheering the three of us on today was really special.”
Gu also spoke about her role within The Snow League: “I have the great honor of being the global ambassador for The Snow League, and in that role it’s been exciting for me to help introduce the sport to more people. One big advantage The Snow League has is its accessibility. For a lot of people watching freeskiing for the first time, judging can feel convoluted—what the grabs are, what makes something technical. But with the head-to-head format, there’s a familiarity that makes it easier to understand. Being part of that, working behind the scenes as a sounding board with Shaun [White] and the team, has been really exciting.”
She added, “Participating as an athlete takes the cake. There’s nothing I love more in this world than skiing and competing. Today I had the added challenge of doing two runs I’d never done in a contest before. I hadn’t competed in halfpipe in about a year, so everything felt new again. It was a great time.”
The men’s finals turned into a showdown of 1620s between 17-year-old Luke Harrold (NZL) and Brendan Mackay (CAN). Harrold struck first, winning run one. With the pressure on, Harrold opened run two and stepped things up, bettering his first run score to earn an 88.50 leading with a switch left alley oop double 1260 mute and increasing difficulty with a left double 1620 safety into a right double 1260 mute to finish.
Mackay needed a huge second run to force a tiebreak, and delivered exactly that. He fired back with a switch left alley-oop double 900 critical, a massive switch left double 1080 double Japan, a left alley-oop flat spin 540 mute, and then matched Harrold’s firepower with a left double 1620 safety into a right double 1260 safety. His 89.00 edged Harrold’s 88.50, pushing the final into a third run.
In the tiebreaker, Harrold washed out, leaving Mackay needing only a clean run to secure the title. Instead, he opted for a crowd-pleaser to close out the first Snow League freeski competition.
The third-place matchup saw Gus Kenworthy (GBR) claim third in his first competition since Beijing 2022, as Nick Goepper (USA) was unfortunately unable to continue after a semifinal crash and finished fourth.
Mackay said, “To walk away on top is incredible, and I’m so stoked.” He added, “It was really cool competing in this format. There’s a lot of strategy, and also a lot of luck with who you’re up against—whether you can conserve energy or if you have to put it all out there in quarters. I feel super grateful to have put down my runs. I’m so stoked.”
When asked how he managed a day of eight competition runs, he said,: “It helps when the pipe is perfect and the day is perfect. It’s easier to push yourself when everything is just amazing.”
The freeski field will reconvene at LAAX, Switzerland, March 19–21, for the final showdown where The Snow League’s Season One champions will be crowned.
The freeski purse for Season One of the Snow League is $580,000 across both events, with equal prize money for men and women. Each gender competes for an $85,000 purse, broken down as follows: $50,000 for first, $20,000 for second, $10,000 for third and $5,000 for fourth. This payout structure applies to both events in Season One. The overall Snow League freeski champions will receive $80,000 in Championship awards, split between the top three men’s and women’s finishers.
The Snow League prides itself on being athlete-first, with all 52 freeski and snowboard competitors receiving a $5,000 appearance fee, totaling $260,000 per event. This unprecedented level of support reflects a long-overdue commitment to athletes in winter sports and is an initiative The Snow League is proud to enact and champion.
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 hosted live streaming of the freeskiing finals with the full broadcast available on demand. 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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