Shaun White Launches The Snow League: A New Era for Professional Snowboarding and Freeskiing

By all accounts, Shaun White has already cemented his snowboarding legacy. He’s a three-time Olympic gold medalist, with 13 X Games gold medals in snowboarding and two in skateboarding, and he owns the namesake snowboard brand, Whitespace. While these accomplishments are monumental, White is now looking to leave a legacy beyond his personal achievements—one that will elevate the sport he loves.

On Monday, Shaun White announced the launch of The Snow League, the first professional winter sports league for snowboarding and freeskiing competition. White hopes this league will provide athletes with the best opportunity to support themselves through competition and offer a clear path to being crowned world champion.

A New Platform for Winter Sports

Debuting in winter 2025, The Snow League will feature a five-event season with a global competition format. The first event will take place in the U.S. in March 2025, with subsequent events held at winter resort destinations around the world, culminating after the 2026 Milano Cortina Games.

The inaugural season will include five men’s and women’s snowboard halfpipe events, with freeskiing added midway through the season. The league also aims to introduce other disciplines, such as slopestyle and big air, in future seasons.

Competition Format

Athletes—the world’s top 20 men and top 16 women—will accumulate points based on their results from each event, with a world champion being crowned after the final event. Riders will be selected via a modified ranking from the World Snowboard Points List, recognized globally for competitive snowboarding.

Each event will consist of a training day and two days of competition: a qualifying day and a championship day. In the qualifiers, athletes will be seeded into four heats, with the top qualifier from each heat advancing directly to the championship. The second- and third-highest scorers from each heat will compete for the remaining championship spots. The championship round will feature a head-to-head bracket format with quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. Athletes must win two of three runs to advance to the next round.

Leadership and Vision

Sandy MacDonald, Olympics head judge and competition director for premier winter sports competitions, will serve as the league’s head of competition. White, drawing from his extensive experience, aims to address the gaps he observed during his career. He recalls a season where he competed in every major event and went undefeated, yet was not recognized as the world champion due to the fragmented nature of the sport’s events.

“There is no one-stop destination for snowboarding and freeskiing,” said The Snow League COO Ian Warda. “The content is scattered; the media landscape is very fragmented. It’s hard as a fan to follow it.”

Athlete and Fan Experience

White’s vision for The Snow League is to create a more cohesive and accessible platform for both athletes and fans. Chloe Kim, a two-time Olympic gold medalist in halfpipe, expressed her excitement: “It’ll be great to have competitions that focus more on the athletes, giving us more opportunities to shine and do what we do best: snowboard.”

The total prize purse for the first season will be at least $1.5 million, the highest in the sport. Prize money will be awarded at each of the season’s five events, as well as at the end of the season, providing significant financial support for the athletes.

Media and Community Impact

The Snow League plans to have comprehensive media coverage, including premium on-site and broadcast production from top-tier partners. While specific media rights and distribution plans are still being finalized, there will be a strong focus on storytelling and behind-the-scenes content to engage a broader audience.

Beyond the professional circuit, The Snow League has the potential to positively impact amateur skiers and snowboarders. The increased demand for 22-foot halfpipes at local resorts could lead to more facilities being built, inspiring the next generation of athletes.

A Legacy Beyond Competition

“The Snow League really will be Shaun’s biggest legacy,” said Warda. “Bigger than anything else he’s ever done.” By creating a structured, professional league, White aims to elevate the sport of snowboarding and freeskiing, ensuring that future generations have the opportunity to compete, excel, and be celebrated on a global stage.