LAAX, Switzerland – (March 18, 2026) – Ahead of an action-packed weekend at The Snow League Season Finale in LAAX, the world’s top snowboarders and freeskiers came together to set the stage for one of the winter’s most anticipated events.
With snowboard qualifiers kicking off tomorrow, Thursday, March 19, in one of the most iconic halfpipe venues in the world, Snow League athletes shared their thoughts on the league’s arrival at the iconic LAAX halfpipe, progression of the sports, the significance of being crowned the first-ever Snow League champions, and what fans can expect on the mountain this weekend. Below are key highlights and standout quotes from today’s media sessions.
Athletes, including snowboarders Sena Tomita (JPN), Jonas Hasler (SUI), Maddie Mastro (USA), Patti Zhou (CHN) and Jake Pates (USA), spoke to members of the international media, and were followed by freeski athletes Zoe Atkin (GBR), Gus Kenworthy (GBR), Luke Harrold (NZL), Svea Irving (USA) and Brendan Mackay (CAN).
Sena Tomita, Women’s Snowboard (JPN)
On leading The Snow League standings currently:
“I am almost in disbelief that I am currently in the lead. Now that I’m here, of course, I want to try to win it, but, aside from that, I really just want to showcase my very best riding, and that’s what I am going for here in LAAX.”
Jonas Hasler, Men’s Snowboard (SUI)
“It’s always special to compete in your home pipe with the best riders. I grew up in LAAX, riding up here since I was 7. I learned how to snowboard in this pipe. I watched Shaun White competing here back in the day. As a small kid this was my dream, this is what I wanted to achieve as well. And now being able to ride here together with all the best snowboarders in the world, just feels incredible. It’s like a dream! Night finals with the crowd in LAAX are always incredible.”
Maddie Mastro, Women’s Snowboard (USA)
Currently ranked 3rd ranked in the Snow League Championship Standings
On The Snow League format: “It has been a fun challenge to figure out the format and to figure out, do I need a strategy? Do I not want to have a strategy? It was fun to figure that out this season and it helped bring out the best of me. In a way, it has taken my attention off of a normal, everyday contest, and given me a different perspective on a contest.”
On the progression in the sport: “I mean, we always kind of see this spike of progression around that Olympic cycle, and this year was probably a historical spike in progression from the men’s and the women’s side, which is really exciting. It has been a long season for us, but it’s nice to end the season in this really amazing halfpipe and great conditions.”
Patti Zhou, Women’s Snowboard (CHN)
14-year-old Event Two winner in China. 7th ranked
“I’m really excited. This is actually my first time ever competing in a night final. So I’m really excited, just trying to do my best.”
Jake Pates, Men’s Snowboard (USA)
Event Three 3rd place finisher in Aspen. 10th ranked
On the Snow League format: “The format is enjoyable, and it adds a lot of different pieces of strategy to this that we haven’t really had. It’s exciting. It’s new. It’s refreshing. I am looking forward to see how it helps snowboarding progress.
About his heat: “The first reaction was like, it’s gonna be heavy, for sure, but I think it’s like that in every heat. You know, that’s the nature of this event. It’s the best of the best. The field is stacked always, and that’s how it is. So, yes, bring your A game. Get it done, enjoy it.
Brendan Mackay, Men’s Freeski (CAN)
Event Two winner, top ranked men’s freeskier
About the LAAX pipe: “I’ve always heard that the LAAX pipe is the best in the world. And then I got to come here for the first time right before the Olympics, and it blew my mind. Getting to actually compete here is awesome. Getting to compete in the spring is also extra fun and maybe a bit more chill.”
Gus Kenworthy, Men’s Freeski (GBR)
Event Two third place finisher in China. 3rd ranked
“I got a win at the LAAX Open Slopestyle back in the day. I’m excited to compete here in the halfpipe. I came here to train before the Olympics, and it’s definitely one of the best halfpipes I’ve ever been in. I think it’ll be a high-level competition, I’m excited.”
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 Freeski Finals on Friday, March 20 and Snowboard Finals on Saturday, March 21 at 2:30 pm ET both days. 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 April 6, 2026, at 20:00 CET, followed by the freeski show at 21:00 CET.
Additional global broadcasters and further details are listed here.
The men’s snowboard field includes: Alessandro Barbieri (USA), Chase Blackwell (USA), Pat Burgener (BRA), Levko Fedorowycz (USA), Lucas Foster (USA), David Habluetzel (SUI), Jonas Hasler (SUI), Kaishu Hirano (JPN), Ruka Hirano (JPN), Chase Josey (USA), Chaeun Lee (KOR), Jio Lee (KOR), Cam Melville Ives (NZL), Joey Okesson (USA), Jake Pates (USA), Jan Scherrer (SUI), Yuto Totsuka (JPN), Ryan Wachendorfer (USA), Ryusei Yamada (JPN), and Mischa Zuercher (SUI).
The women’s snowboard field includes: Xuetong Cai (CHN), Queralt Castellet (ESP), Brooke D’Hondt (CAN), Felicity Geremia (CAN), Bea Kim (USA), Rise Kudo (JPN), Isabelle Loetscher (SUI), Maddie Mastro (USA), Mitsuki Ono (JPN), Maddy Schaffrick (USA), Sara Shimizu (JPN), Ruki Tomita (JPN), Sena Tomita (JPN), Rochelle Weinberg (USA), Lura Wick (SUI), and Patti Zhou (CHN).
The men’s freeski field includes: Luke Harrold (NZL), Hunter Hess (USA), Birk Irving (USA), Gus Kenworthy (GBR), Matt Labaugh (USA), Andrew Longino (CAN), Brendan Mackay (CAN), and David Wise (USA).
The women’s freeski field includes: Zoe Atkin (GBR), Hanna Faulhaber (USA), Amy Fraser (CAN), Dillan Glennie (CAN), Eileen Gu (CHN), Svea Irving (USA), Rachael Karker (CAN), and Mischa Thomas (NZL).
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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