The fourth and final event of The Snow League Season One in Laax, Switzerland not only crowned the inaugural Snow League World Champions, but also determined which athletes secured automatic invites to Season Two.
At the conclusion of the season, 16 snowboarders and 8 freeskiers finished above the cutline to guarantee their place in next year’s field. The freeski division required athletes to rank inside the top four men and women, while the snowboard field awarded automatic qualification to the top eight men and women.
Women’s Snowboard Cutline
Among the women earning their return to The Snow League is overall World Champion Sena Tomita. Tomita started the season strong, holding off competitor’s challenges through a mastery of the head-to-head format to finish on top. She’s joined by Olympic bronze medalist Mitsuki Ono and top American finisher Maddie Mastro, who all clinched qualification through their consistent season-long podium results.
Two of the sport’s most exciting young prospects—teenagers Rise Kudo and Sara Shimizu—also earned their invites for Season Two, with Shimizu winning the final two events outright, showing serious momentum leading into the 2026-27 season. Veteran presence Xuetong Cai of China, at 32 years old, also secured her return.
Rounding out the women’s snowboard cutline are two more of the season’s breakout stars: 14-year-old phenom Patti Zhou, who won Event Two in China in her Snow League debut, and 17-year-old Olympic gold medalist Gaon Choi, whose Snow League season resulted in some of the most exciting and memorable head-to-head battles and top scoring runs—an Olympic injury was the only thing slowing down her rise, which we expect to see a return to in Season Two.
Men’s Snowboard Cutline
The men’s field earning guaranteed invites back to Season Two is headlined by a dominant Japanese squad that set the pace throughout Season One, led by World Champion and Olympic gold medalist Yuto Totsuka who topped the field from the start to the finish of the season. His closest rival, Ryusei Yamada, finished just one point behind Totsuka after a late-season surge that included wins in the final two events. Joining them are Ruka Hirano and Beijing 2022 Olympic champion Ayumu Hirano, rounding out a formidable Japanese core that defined the season at the top.
New Zealand’s Cam Melville Ives delivered one of the most compelling climbs of the year, showcasing progressive and high-risk snowboarding that have positioned him as a legitimate threat to disrupt Japanese dominance heading into Season Two.
And Korea’s Chaeun Lee also gained momentum as the season progressed, with his strongest results coming in the final stops, signaling another breakout trajectory to watch next year.
Rounding out the top eight are the Americans, Chase Blackwell and Alessandro Barbieri. Blackwell impressed with steady consistency and quiet progression throughout the season, while Barbieri showed his top-tier potential despite a late-season dip—expect him to make a strong push to re-enter the uppermost ranks in Season Two.
Women’s Freeski Cutline
The most dominant force in women’s freeskiing, two-time Olympic halfpipe champion Eileen Gu, also added Snow League World Champion to her résumé, earning a perfect 200 points across Season One to automatically secure her return for Season Two.
Canada’s Amy Fraser landed on the podium at LAAX to push herself above the cutline and lock in her invite back. American Svea Irving also secured her return with a crucial fourth-place finish in China and sixth at LAAX. And Canadian Rachael Karker surged from below the cutline to a crucial fourth-place finish at LAAX, earning her spot in Season Two with a strong late-season push.
Men’s Freeski Cutline
Snow League World Champion, 17-year-old New Zealander Luke Harrold built on his runner-up finish earlier in the season to claim victory in a repeat matchup against Canada’s Brendan Mackay. Mackay finished first and second against Harrold to guarantee his return.
Team USA’s Hunter Hess climbed above the cutline at LAAX with a standout all out performance that left nothing in the tank to punch his ticket back for Season Two.
Rounding out the group is Gus Kenworthy, whose consistency and continued progression in his return to competition secured his invite for Season Two.
The complete field of athletes set to join this already stacked Snow League lineup will be announced in the lead up to Season Two.
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