Shaun White introduces snowboard league with two Aspen stops

Shaun White, five-time Olympian and three-time snowboarding gold medalist, is adding another accomplishment to his resume.

The 38-year-old will debut his new league, dubbed Snow League, at Aspen Snowmass’ Buttermilk Mountain on March 7 and 8 for the first of four legs of a yearlong snowboard halfpipe competition. The professional snowboarding league is a 36-athlete global competition that will feature head-to-head competitions as well as a season-long points system.

The remainder of the schedule was announced Monday – after Aspen, Snow League will continue to Yunding Secret Garden Resort in Zhangjiakou, China, from December 4 through 6; circling back to Buttermilk in Aspen from February 26 through 28, 2026; and completing its first season from LAAX Switzerland from March 19 through 26, 2026.

The second stop, Secret Garden, was where White, the most decorated Olympic snowboarder competed in the Games in 2022, finishing fourth in his last Olympic race.

The first stop in Aspen will start with Qualifying Day, and admission tickets can be purchased for $20. The following day, Finals Day, will showcase eight men and eight women – tickets can be purchased for $50, but Colorado residents can get them at half-price if they are purchased before March 1.

The three following stops will look slightly different, adding skiers into the mix.

Freeskiers will join the league for a freesking competition that will run alongside the halfpipe competition. Switzerland and Aspen’s second stop will feature the freesking portion as well, with the first freesking and snowboarding Snow League World Champions being crowned in the former. Ticket information for the latter three stops will be provided closer to the events’ dates.

Because the four-stop event will showcase ticketed and live events, it’s designed to position the athletes to attract sponsorship opportunities. Many have noted the need for more competition seasonlong series, of which there was only one, the Snowboard World Cup. The Snow League will, in the hopes of White and professional skiers and snowboarders, create a more solid fan base, add variety to the competition schedule and provide a platform for newer competitors to be discovered.

As reported by 5280, Telluride-based Olympic snowboarder Lucas Foster, who will compete in the Snow League, noted that “The pathway to being a pro contest rider is very, very limited. There’s not much room to do anything but try to go to the Olympics. Now we finally have an actual series with structure and big prize money.”

The combined prize purse of $1.5 million is nothing to sneeze at. It’s the all-time highest prize offered for any snowsport, offering 50 percent more than the X Games – an event that White holds the record for the most gold medals, 13, won by a snowboarder.

All events will be broadcast live on Peacock through NBC Sports.

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