Head-to-head brackets are set for Saturday’s finals featuring four 2026 Olympic medalists including gold medalist Yuto Totsuka. Kaishu Hirano bests his own world record air launching 25 feet 2 inches out of the halfpipe. Fans around the world can watch action live in more than 175 countries worldwide.
ASPEN, CO (February 27) – Event Three of The Snow League at Aspen Snowmass opened with a full day of snowboard qualifying, where Olympic bronze medalist Ryusei Yamada (JPN) and 16-year-old, fourth place Olympic finisher Sara Shimizu (JPN), led a stacked field. The competition narrowed 32 athletes down to eight men and eight women who will advance to Saturday’s (February 28) Finals Day.
Qualifying featured a heat-based format, with athletes battling across two runs. The top scorer in each heat automatically advanced to Finals, while the lowest-scoring athletes were eliminated. The remaining competitors earned a second opportunity to qualify through the high-stakes Last Chance Qualifier (LCQ).
In the women’s field, Shimizu, competing in her inaugural Snow League, earned the top two scores of the day. In a display of technicality and progressive snowboarding, Shimizu bettered her 90 run one score to a 93, starting off with a backside invert 540 Indy, into a frontside 720 Indy, a Cab 720 Mute, into a frontside 900 tailgrab, finishing with a backside 900 mute.
Olympic bronze medalist, and the current Snow League World Championship Standings #2, Mitsuki Ono (JPN) put down the top two scores of heat two to advance. Maddie Mastro (USA), currently fifth in the standings, stomped her frontside double crippler enroute to her heat three win. And another 16-year-old, Rise Kudo (JPN), currently #7 in the standings, led heat four.
Also advancing through the LCQ are current Snow League World Championship standings leader Sena Tomita (JPN), along with her sister Ruki Tomita (JPN), Queralt Castellet (ESP), and Brooke D’Hondt (CAN).
In the men’s field it was Olympic bronze medalist Yamada who led the field in heat 4 with a score of 91. The 19-year-old, currently ranked fourth in The Snow League standings, Yamada launched into his run featuring four double corks, starting off with a Cab double cork 1440 mute grab, into a frontside double cork 1260 mute, a McTwist Japan, into a frontside double cork 1440 Indy, and finishing with a switch backside double cork alley oop rodeo melon 900.
Olympic gold medalist Yuto Totsuka (JPN), the current Snow League World Championship Standings leader, advanced at the top of Heat 1 with a score of 90.5. Lucas Foster led Heat 2 in a heat that saw a shock as current #2, Ayumu Hirano (JPN) missed advancing. Ruka Hirano (JPN), current #3, led Heat 3 with a 90.25.
Jake Pates (USA) led the LCQ qualifying, advancing to Finals Day along with Cam Melville Ives (NZL), Chase Blackwell (USA) and Pat Burgener (BRA).
A highlight of the day came when Kaishu Hirano (JPN) launched into Aspen airspace with a massive backside method, flying 25 feet, 2 inches out of the halfpipe, besting his own world record air of 24 feet, 4 inches set at the Olympic Winter Games Beijing 2022, drawing the loudest cheers of the afternoon. Despite the show-stopping amplitude, it wasn’t enough to secure a spot in Saturday’s Finals Day.
Women’s Final Brackets
Men’s Final Brackets
Saturday’s Finals Day will showcase The Snow League’s signature head-to-head bracket format, with athletes seeded based on qualifying results. Competitors will face off in a best two-of-three run showdown, going athlete versus athlete for a spot in the semifinals and ultimately the final. One to watch in the women’s field will be top-ranked Tomita against #2 Ono. The men’s field will see a matchup of the Americans pitting Foster against Pates.
In each matchup, riders must drop into both the right and left-hand walls during their first two runs—an innovative structure designed to reward versatility, creativity, and progression. The first athlete to claim two runs advances.
At stake are critical Snow League World Championship Standings points, as athletes battle not only for podium positions but also to secure a coveted Top 8 ranking—guaranteeing automatic qualification for Season Two.
In addition to championship implications, competitors are vying for a share of the $350,000 prize purse, split equally between men and women. Each podium awards $50,000 for first place, $20,000 for second, and $10,000 for third. Fourth place earns $5,000, while the remaining finalists take home $2,500 each. All 36 athletes also receive a $5,000 appearance fee, underscoring The Snow League’s commitment to elevating professional snowboard competition.
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 Buttermilk at Aspen Snowmass.
NBC and Peacock will present coverage of The Snow League in the United States. Peacock will host live streaming of snowboarding finals beginning at 11:30 a.m E.T. on February 28. NBC will air an Encore Presentation featuring the best of the Finals Day action on March 1 from noon to 1 p.m. ET.
Viewers in Canada can watch live streaming of the snowboarding finals on CBCSports.ca, Gem, and Game+ television network, which will also air a recap show.
European viewers can watch live streaming of snowboarding finals on HBO Max and Discovery+, with recap shows on Eurosport 1 on Monday, March 16 at 9 p.m. CET and Eurosport 2 on Tuesday, March 17 at 10 p.m. CET. 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), 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 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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