Freestyle, Snowboard & FIS Calendar, Finance and Eligibility Changes
Key Questions
What updates are there on the Snow League and X Games League?
Snow League Season 2 is confirmed with Eileen Gu and Luke Harrold returning. The X Games League has announced its second club, with over 180 athletes in the draft, salaries introduced, and its inaugural event drawing 12 million viewers.
How is freeride being incorporated into the Olympics?
Freeride has been officially added to the 2030 Olympics, and U.S. Ski & Snowboard has added it as a new discipline. The Freeride World Tour Qualifier is returning to New Zealand to support this Olympic pathway, with Colorado athletes beginning qualification efforts.
Who has been named head coach for the U.S. Snowboard Team?
Snowboard icon Danny Kass has been named U.S. Slopestyle and Big Air Head Coach for the Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team ahead of the 2026–27 season. This move strengthens the team's roster for upcoming competitions.
The Snow League’s second season expands to four events, including Aspen on January 7-9, 2027, while Park City is also scheduled for January. The MoonPay X Games League selected Eileen Gu first overall, and Indra Brown’s selections highlight the shift toward club-based, entertainment-oriented formats. FIS’s financial crisis is intensifying: reserves could be exhausted by 2028, staffing and subsidies are being reduced, and the proposed 2028 World Championships have been cancelled; the snowboard calendar is also filling in with Carezza and Špindlerův Mlýn dates.