The all-new format proved a success at the inaugural World Challenge, introducing a team-based competition, a 720-degree spin cap in the semifinals and one-hit head-to-head battles in the halfpipe.
Cardrona, New Zealand – (September 19, 2026) – The Team Challengers, Mischa Thomas (NZL), Sara Shimizu (JPN), Fin Melville Ives (NZL), and Ryusei Yamada (JPN) topped The Snow League’s inaugural World Challenge at Cardrona Alpine Resort.
Incoming weather brought competition to an early close, with semifinal results determining the final team standings. Despite the shortened competition, Team Challengers finished the semifinals as the points leader. Yamada, Melville Ives and Thomas each won their respective divisions, while Shimizu finished second behind Queralt Castellet (ESP).
Team Challengers was a favorite from the start. Cardrona local Fin Melville Ives, competing in his first competition since the Olympics, advanced ahead of Team North America’s Hunter Hess (USA) to take the freeski title and extend Team Challengers’ points lead. He embraced the creative format, saying, “I’ve never really done butters or drifts. I thought it was really sick to show a new avenue to what competing is and show them it’s not always about the biggest spins and the butters.”
Melville Ives’ top-scoring run featured a crowd-pleasing Tokyo Drift flair, showcasing the creativity and style that made the new format so distinctive. “I was just really hyped to do these tricks. I’ve never really done them in comp before. There’s always just been tricks that I do for fun here and there, but they’re also pretty scary too.”
Women’s Freeski
Men’s Freeski
Women’s Snowboard
Men’s Snowboard
Olympic bronze medalist and Season One runner-up Ryusei Yamada, already established as a leader in creative trick selection, took full advantage of the format, throwing a McTwist and Switch McTwist in his winning semifinal run. He also laid down a crowd-pleasing backside air to fakie, easily keeping his rotations under the 720-degree limit while scoring points with the judges.
Season One standout Sara Shimizu adapted her run to meet the semifinal criteria, with a stalefish crippler among her favorite tricks of the day.
Cardrona local Mischa Thomas also pushed progression within the format, landing a progressive switch alley-oop flat 540 and a stylish carve back to alley-oop 360. “It was a really cool thing to compete on a team, having that kind of atmosphere and support for each other.” She added, “I was more nervous for my teammates, and I just wanted them to do well. And then I was also quite scared because I didn’t want to let them down.”
In addition to the head-to-head battles, three semifinal matchups went to one-hit showdowns, adding another layer of drama to the competition. One highlight saw Jake Pates (USA) throw a huge frontside crippler stalefish over his Team North America teammates on the halfpipe wall.
The Snow League World Challenge New Zealand featured a $100,000 USD purse, including $20,000 USD winning team prize, split equally among team members and $5,000 USD appearance fee for each of the 16 competing athletes ($80,000).
This event was made possible by the support of the New Zealand Government’s Events Attraction Package.
As part of the World Challenge, The Snow League has made a NZD$5,000 donation to the Yellow-eyed Penguin Trust, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting and growing yellow-eyed penguin colonies in New Zealand. As part of the initiative, Team Challengers will have the chance to name the GPS trackers placed on the beneficiary penguins, giving the team a unique connection to their conservation efforts.
Live music by Sweet Mix Kids capped the awards ceremony, as fans celebrated in the Cardrona base area.
Watch the full replay on The Snow League YouTube channel now, with the NBC encore presentation on Sunday, December 27 at 2:00 p.m. ET.
The Snow League now moves to Season Two, with World Championship titles up for grabs, and a full field of 60 athletes set to compete.
- Event One at Buttermilk at Aspen Snowmass, CO, USA | January 7–9, 2027
- Event Two at Park City Mountain, UT, USA | January 21–23, 2027
- Event Three at LAAX, Switzerland | March 11–13, 2027
ABOUT THE SNOW LEAGUE
The Snow League is the first professional winter sports league dedicated exclusively to snowboard and freeski halfpipe competition. Founded by three-time Olympic gold medalist Shaun White, the league brings together the world’s top athletes through a global, season-long competition format designed to elevate progression, storytelling, and fan experience. Season One featured four events across Aspen, China, and LAAX, with athletes competing for a $2.2 million purse and the inaugural Snow League World Championship titles. The league crowned its first-ever champions in 2026: snowboarders Sena Tomita and Yuto Totsuka, and freeskiers Eileen Gu and Luke Harrold.
The Snow League continues to expand its global footprint in Season Two, while building a year-round competition circuit and progression pathway for the next generation of snowboarders and freeskiers.
For more information, please visit www.thesnowleague.com, and follow The Snow League on X, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube.
