Winter Sports Icons Unite in Beijing Ahead of Freeskiing’s Debut at The Snow League’s First Event in Asia
BEIJING, China (December 3) – Snowboarding legend Shaun White and freestyle skiing superstar Eileen Gu came together in Beijing on Tuesday to launch the second event of The Snow League’s inaugural season, which also includes the debut of freeskiing in the league. The two global icons shared their vision for the future of winter sports, their passion for growing the community, and insight into the league’s innovative head-to-head format.
The Snow League is set to kick off Event Two at Yunding Snow Park in Chongli, China – the iconic venue of the Beijing 2022 Olympic Games – on December 4-6, as the race to crown the champions of the inaugural season of the first professional snowboarding and freeskiing league heats up this winter. The stage is set for fans across six continents to witness an unprecedented showcase of halfpipe progression, with audiences tuning in live in more than 175 countries through a comprehensive lineup of television, streaming, and digital media partners.
White, who retired from the sport during his final Olympic performance at the same venue in February 2022, spoke about the meaning of returning to this venue not as a competitor, but as the founder of The Snow League. “Coming back here is incredibly nostalgic. This halfpipe was the closing chapter of my competitive career, and now it feels like the beginning of a new one,” said White. “I knew from the start that The Snow League had to come to China – the fans, the energy, the talent here are remarkable. The popularity of winter sports in China is growing so quickly, and the level of athletes emerging from here is outstanding. Bringing The Snow League to this venue felt not only important, but essential.”
The three-time Olympic gold medalist highlighted the importance of having Gu join the league as both its Global Ambassador and as a competing athlete, saying “We needed someone who could authentically represent freeski and inspire fans, especially across Asia. Eileen brings excitement, global recognition, and a deep understanding of her sport. She asks the right questions, she pushes boundaries, and she has the same passion for innovation that drives this league.”
For Gu, joining The Snow League felt both natural and meaningful, saying “I’ve always believed sports can connect people and cultures. When Shaun called me, I immediately felt the potential this league had to change our sport and introduce snow sports to more young people not just in China, but around the world.”
She also shared that being part of the league carries special significance for her, as China is a place where she’s visited her entire life. “Last event, I felt like a kid watching from outside the playground. Now freeski is officially part of The Snow League, and getting to debut it here in Beijing, a place that means so much to me, feels like the perfect storm.”
The Snow League’s distinctive head-to-head, multi-run format brings new strategic depth to halfpipe competition. White explained the inspiration for the new bracket-style format was intended to give fans something they could instantly understand, and something that challenges the athletes’ creativity, endurance, and strategy in a whole new way.
Gu echoed the excitement, sharing how the format pushes athletes further, saying “it’s really forced everybody to kind of come up with a little bit more variety and to kind of reconsider what their strengths are. And I think it’ll also test the depth of a skier, the depth of their bag, not just their one heavy hitter or run, but also the variety they have and the execution that they have in being able to reshuffle those tricks or even introduce new tricks. So yeah, I’m really excited.”
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 Yunding Snow Park.
NBC and Peacock will present coverage of The Snow League in the United States. Peacock will host live streaming of all freeskiing and snowboarding finals beginning at 8:30 pm ET on December 4 and 5. NBC will air two recap shows starting with snowboarding on Sunday, December 21, from 4:30 to 6 pm ET, and freeskiing on Sunday, December 28 from 2 to 3 pm ET.
Viewers in China will have access to live coverage, highlight shows, and social media distribution across China’s most influential sports and digital platforms including Tencent (Tencent Sports, Tencent Video, Tencent News, and JIGUANG TV) and Migu (WeChat, QQ, Weibo, and Bilibili) and Youku. Great Sports TV will air prime-time highlight programs with multiple encore airings, along with live streaming of both competition days on both Douyin and Xiaohongshu featuring six hours of live coverage with Chinese commentary on December 5 and 6 (9:00 AM–3:00 PM China Standard Time).
Viewers in Canada will be able to watch live streaming on CBCSports.ca and Gem, with recap shows on Game+ television network.
Viewers across Europe can watch live streaming on HBO Max and Discovery+, with recap shows on Eurosport 1.
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), heading next to Yunding Snow Park, China (Dec. 4–6, 2025), where 16 of the world’s top freeskiers will join 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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