Eileen Gu enters the Season Finale in LAAX, Switzerland as the favorite for the inaugural Snow League title, but Fanghui Li and the rest of the field could still shake up the standings.
The Snow League title race is shaping up to be Eileen Gu’s to lose heading into the final event at LAAX, Switzerland set for March 19–21. Event Four marks the second and final competition for the freeski field, with the inaugural Snow League Women’s World Championship title on the line.
With both LAAX and the inaugural Snow League freeski event at China’s Yunding Snow Park weighted equally, the championship remains within reach for several athletes—though Gu, the two-time Olympic gold medalist, leads the standings with 100 points.
The battle between the two 22-year-olds is set, with Gu arriving in LAAX as the heavy favorite, holding a 28-point advantage over Fanghui Li, who sits on 72 points. Li enters with momentum after earning Olympic silver behind Gu at the Milan Cortina 2026.
Li, along with second-place finisher Kexin Zhang—who competed in China as an alternate athlete and is not on the roster for LAAX—completed a historic all-Chinese podium sweep at Yunding Snow Park, with Svea Irving rounding out the top four.
Beyond the championship, the eight-woman field will also be battling for the LAAX podium and an $85,000 USD event prize purse, along with an additional $40,000 USD championship bonus to be split among the top three Season One finishers.
Implications for The Snow League Season Two
Athletes will also be looking to finish the inaugural season inside the top four to secure their invitation to Season Two. Currently, Irving sits on the bubble, just ahead of a trio of Canadians. Cassie Sharpe, with 52 points, is only nine points back in fifth place, followed by Amy Fraser (44 points) and Rachael Karker (38 points).
With the Snow League’s unique head-to-head format, simply advancing to the semifinals—and the 61 points awarded for a fourth-place finish—could make the difference between qualifying for Season Two in LAAX or falling just short.
In the Championship race, Gu will only need a top-two finish in LAAX to secure the title. In China, she pushed her progression, landing two runs she had never performed in competition before. “I hadn’t competed in halfpipe in about a year, so everything felt new again. It was a great time,” said Gu of that win.
There is still room for late drama. If Li wins in LAAX and Gu finishes outside the top two, the championship could shift. But Gu has delivered commanding performances throughout the season, winning all three of her matchups in China with the top score of the competition, and successfully defending her Olympic halfpipe gold medal in Italy.
The entire Snow League field will factor into the leaderboard race including Irving, as well as Fraser who will be looking to make a move after finishing sixth in China but improving on that result with a fourth-place finish in Italy. Zoe Atkin, the Olympic bronze medalist who was unable to start in China due to illness will also be looking to shake up the standings.
One thing is certain: history will be made in LAAX as the inaugural women’s freeski Snow League Women’s World Champion is decided.
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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