Gu sealed the Championship in the opening quarterfinal round, while 17-year-old Harrold claimed the men’s title in a third-run finals tiebreaker at the Season One Finale
LAAX, Switzerland (March 20, 2026) – Eileen Gu (CHN) and Luke Harrold (NZL) made history tonight, claiming The Snow League’s inaugural freeski World Championship titles at the final event of Season One in the halfpipe at LAAX, Switzerland. Both Harrold and Gu also took first place at the Season Finale at LAAX.
Olympic Champion Gu secured the Snow League World Championship title in the early-afternoon when she advanced in quarterfinals. Gu went on to win the event under the lights ahead of Amy Fraser (CAN) who finished second, followed by Zoe Atkin (GBR) taking third in her Snow League debut. Gu earned a total of 200 league points after winning both Freeski events in China and at LAAX.
In a press conference following the awards ceremony, Gu was asked about whether competing in LAAX was worth missing the Academy Awards for and said, ”There will be another red carpet, but there will not be another inaugural championship.”
Gu, the most decorated freeskier of all time with six Olympic medals, went on to share how special this win is, saying “I take a lot of meaning in being the first to do things. To be a part of this League means so much to me—to be an athlete ambassador for this League is really exciting. I believe so much in the vision and the direction that it’s pushing the sport.”
Looking ahead to Season Two, Gu said, “There’s so much I’m looking forward to. The new tour stops being talked about are very exciting. More fan interactions, new formats. There’s so much constantly being talked about behind the scenes. I think so much of it stands to really revolutionize what this industry has seen before. It’s a responsibility and a privilege.”
The Top 3 in the Snow League Women’s Championship standings are rounded out by Fraser finishing in second place with 129 points, followed by Svea Irving (USA) taking third with 105 points. The top four Season One freeski athletes are guaranteed an invite to Season Two – Rachael Karker (CAN) earned that final spot with 90 points.
The men’s championship was decided in a nail biter final that saw 17-year-old Harrold and Brendan Mackay (CAN) once again battle in a third run tiebreaker, but this time it was Harrold who earned the victory with Mackay as the runner up. The two faced each other in the final at Yunding Snow Park, China in December. Both finished Season One with 185 points – the Snow League World Champion tiebreaker determined by the most recent result, which favored Harrold’s victory at LAAX.
The LAAX podium was rounded out by Hunter Hess (USA) in third place – his sixth place finish in China resulted in a League points total of 116, to also earn him third in the Championship rankings. Gus Kenworthy (GBR) finished in fourth with 104 points to secure his Season Two invite.
Tonight marks Harrold’s first professional win after finishing as runner up on the World Cup circuit.
“It’s a pretty surreal experience,” said Harrold. “The past two events have been a battle. All the athletes have done incredibly well, and to become World Champion is pretty incredible. I think what Snow League’s doing to the industry is pretty incredible,” he said, ”I think it’s really going to be the top tier event in no time.”
Two additional awards were handed out, with the Jeep Biggest Air winners going to Atkin, who blasted 16’ 9” (5.11 meters) on a leftside 540 in her dramatic head-to-head battle with Gu; and Mackay airing 20’ 8” (6.30 meters) out on a right side double cork 1260 in his matchup against Hess.
Three-time Olympic Champion and Snow League founder Shaun White presented the Snow League World Championship trophy, designed by Tiffany & Co., to Gu and Harrold.
The freeski prize purse for Season One of The Snow League totals $580,000 across two events. At LAAX, the $85,000 prize purse is split evenly between men and women, with $50,000 awarded to first place, $20,000 to second, $10,000 to third, and $5,000 to fourth.
In addition, the top 3 overall Snow League freeski athletes share $80,000 in championship awards: Gu and Harrold are awarded $25,000 USD each, with second-place finishers receiving $10,000 USD and third-place earning $5,000 USD.
All 52 freeski and snowboard competitors also receive 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 – an initiative The Snow League is proud to lead.
The Snow League Season One Women’s Championship
- EIleen Gu (CHN), 185 points
- Amy Fraser (CAN), 129 points
- Svea Irving (USA), 105 points
The Snow League Event Four at LAAX Women’s Podium
- EIleen Gu (CHN)
- Amy Fraser (CAN)
- Zoe Atkin (GBR)
The Snow League Season One Men’s Championship
- Luke Harrold (NZL), 185 points
- Brendan Mackay (CAN), 185 points
- Hunter Hess (USA), 116 points
The Snow League Event Four at LAAX Men’s Podium
- Luke Harrold (NZL)
- Brendan Mackay (CAN)
- Hunter Hess (USA)
How To Watch:
The Snow League is available for viewing in more than 175 countries worldwide, through an unprecedented lineup of television, streaming, and digital media partners spanning six continents.
In the United States, coverage will air on NBC and Peacock. Peacock will host live streaming of snowboard finals on Saturday, March 21 (7:30 PM local time / 2:30 pm ET). NBC will broadcast a snowboarding recap show on Sunday, March 29, from 2:00–3:00 PM ET, with a freeski recap show to follow on Peacock.
In Canada, viewers can watch live streaming of the snowboarding finals on CBC Sports via CBCSports.ca and CBC Gem. The Game+ television network will also air a recap show for Canadian audiences.
Across Europe, fans can stream the snowboarding finals live on HBO Max and Discovery+. Eurosport 1 will broadcast a snowboarding recap show on Monday, April 6, 2026, at 20:00 CET, followed by the freeski show at 21:00 CET.
In the UK, TNT Sports 6 will live stream the snowboard semifinals and finals on Saturday, March 21 from 18:30–21:30 (GMT). TNT Sports 3 will air the freeski recap show on Tuesday, April 7 at 21:00 (GMT), with the snowboard recap airing later that evening at 22:00 (GMT).
Additional global broadcasters and further details are listed here.
The Snow League is powered by our partners, including Marriott Bonvoy, a Founding Partner and the Official Hotel and Hotel Loyalty Partner; Jeep, the Official Automotive Manufacturer; Pacífico, the Official Beer Partner in the U.S.; Google Cloud, the Official Cloud and AI Partner; Ares Management, the Official Alternative Investment Partner; Tiffany & Co., the Official Trophy Provider; and Adobe Express, the Official Content Creation Partner of The Snow League.
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), then headed to Yunding Snow Park, China (Dec. 4–6, 2025), where 16 of the world’s top freeskiers joined the roster at the 2022 Beijing Winter Games venue. The League returned 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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