Sara Shimizu and Ryusei Yamada claim Event Four wins under the lights at historic LAAX halfpipe; Totsuka and Tomita become first-ever season champions
LAAX, Switzerland (March 21, 2026) – Following an intense first season of Snow League competition, the inaugural World Championship snowboard titles were officially awarded to Yuto Totsuka (JPN), the 2026 Olympic gold medalist, and Sena Tomita (JPN) at the final event of the season in LAAX, Switzerland. Both athletes have led the championship standings throughout all four competitions of Season One.
Shaun White, three-time Olympic Champion and Snow League founder, presented the Snow League World Championship trophy, designed by Tiffany & Co. He said, “To see the Snow League vision come to life, and even surpass what we imagined in Season One, has been incredible. It exceeded every expectation, from the level of riding to the enthusiasm from fans and the progression across both snowboard and freeski. What we’ve built in year one is just the beginning, and I couldn’t be more excited about where we’re headed in Season Two.”
Due to inclement weather concluding the event’s action early, Event Four results were based on the last completed full round of competition: the women’s semifinal round and the men’s quarterfinal round. The podium was determined by the highest scores in those rounds from the athletes who advanced in their matchups.
The winners at Event Three in Aspen were once again atop the podium in LAAX, with Olympic bronze medalist Ryusei Yamada (JPN) and 16-year-old Sara Shimizu (JPN) continuing their winning streaks.
Snowboard quarterfinals were held under sunny skies in the afternoon, with the men’s and women’s field reduced to eight athletes set to compete under the lights in the legendary halfpipe at LAAX.
The women’s field competed through a full evening semifinal round before the weather became an issue, with crowds lining the walls of the halfpipe. The resulting all-Japanese podium was led by Shimizu, who earned the top score of the round to take the win, followed by Rise Kudo (JPN) improving on her third-place finish in China to take second, and Xuetong Cai (CHN) earning her first Snow League podium.
The men’s result was decided based on the leading scores in the quarterfinals. The all-Asian podium saw Yamada (JPN) earn the top score to advance and secure his second-consecutive Snow League victory. Totsuka delivered the second-highest advancing score, resulting in a second place finish mirroring his recent Aspen result. And Chaeun Lee (KOR) earned the third-highest score of 86 to claim third and his first Snow League podium.
Two additional awards were handed out, with the Jeep Biggest Air winners going to 14-year-old Patti Zhou who blasted 13’ 0″ (3.96 meters) on a Cab 720 in the women’s quarterfinals, and Yamada, airing 21’ 4″ (6.50 meters) on a McTwist in quarterfinals.
The winners of Event Four each earn a first-place prize of $50,000 USD out of a total prize purse of $370,000 for the event with payouts extending through the top eight finalists.
In addition, the top 3 overall Snow League snowboard athletes share $160,000 in championship awards: Sena Tomita and Yuto Totsuka are each awarded $50,000 each, with second-place finishers receiving $20,000 and third-place earning $10,000.
The Snow League Season One Women’s Championship
- Sena Tomita (JPN), 277 points
- Mitsuki Ono (JPN), 264 points
- Maddie Mastro (USA), 227 points
The Snow League Event Four at LAAX Women’s Podium
- Sara Shimizu (JPN)
- Rise Kudo (JPN)
- Xuetong Cai (CHN)
The Snow League Season One Men’s Championship
- Yuto Totsuka (JPN), 355 points
- Ryusei Yamada (JPN), 334 points
- Ruka Hirano (JPN), 230 points
The Snow League Event Four at LAAX Men’s Podium
- Ryusei Yamada (JPN)
- Yuto Totsuka (JPN)
- Chaeun Lee (KOR)
How To Watch:
The Snow League live finals and recap shows are available in 175 countries worldwide, through an unprecedented lineup of television, streaming, and digital media partners spanning six continents.
Recap shows are scheduled In the United States, 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, the Game+ television network will air a recap show for Canadian audiences.
Across Europe, Eurosport 1 will broadcast a snowboarding recap show on Monday, April 6, 2026, at 20:00 CET, followed by the freeski show at 21:00 CET.
In the UK, TNT Sports 3 will air the freeski recap show on Tuesday, April 7 at 21:00 (GMT), with the snowboard recap airing later that evening at 22:00 (GMT).
Additional global broadcasters and further details are listed here.
The Snow League is powered by our partners, including Marriott Bonvoy, a Founding Partner and the Official Hotel and Hotel Loyalty Partner; Jeep, the Official Automotive Manufacturer; Pacífico, the Official Beer Partner in the U.S.; Google Cloud, the Official Cloud and AI Partner; Ares Management, the Official Alternative Investment Partner; Tiffany & Co., the Official Trophy Provider; and Adobe Express, the Official Content Creation Partner of The Snow League.
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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