How Will X Games League and Snow League Change Freeskiing?
It's been a big month for freeskiing. The nearly simultaneous reveals of the X Games League (XGL) and Shaun White's Snow League indicate that competitive freeskiing is set to receive a significant facelift over the next two winters.
To recap, the XGL is billed as a winter-spanning, four stop competition series with a unique team format (X Games currently hosts two events each year—one winter, one summer). Team investor-owners, drafts, annual incomes for athletes, and other systems pulled from mainstream sports disciplines are part of the appeal. It kicks off in 2026.
Snow League doesn't have a team component and plans to focus only on halfpipe snowboarding at its outset (freeskiing will be introduced midway through Snow League's first season—additional disciplines outside halfpipe are part of future plans).
Like XGL, it's positioned as a novel professional sports league for snowboarding and freeskiing, but launches a year earlier in 2025.
Jennifer Gardner/JJP Studios/Snow League
Both endeavors aim to create more events, draw larger audiences, and open new opportunities for freeskiers and snowboarders in a sport notorious for its risks and comparatively low pay.
There are, and will continue to be, loads of unknowns and equally numerous questions. Why the initial focus on snowboarding and halfpipe for Snow League? How will the XGL teams really work? Are XGL and Snow League worried about being in competition with one another? Are athletes stoked about all this?
We contacted Snow League and X Games to get some answers.
"We want to deliver the best possible product for athletes, fans, and everyone else involved, so we're starting with a focused approach that allows us to deliver at the highest level and scale from there," said a Snow League representative of the halfpipe question. "Halfpipe continues to be incredibly popular from a fan perspective, so it's a natural place for us to start."
Given Shaun White's deep involvement with Snow League, the initial focus on halfpipe makes even more sense. "Shaun's incredible legacy as a halfpipe champion gives us a unique perspective on what the discipline needs most as we look towards the future,” the Snow League representative said.
Snow League isn’t just a new league—it’s also shaking up the traditional competition format that dominates most park skiing and snowboarding events. After qualifying rounds at Snow League, athletes will compete in a head-to-head format that progresses through quarterfinals, semifinals, and finals. This approach is akin to Natural Selection, and is designed to create edge of the seat, nail-biting moments as star riders face-off.
The XGL, with its team component, looks similarly paradigm shifting, perhaps more so than Snow League. A few sticking points stand out. Who will own-slash-invest in the teams? Hypothetically, could a Red Bull athlete be part of Team Monster if the usual energy drink players dominate the field? Unsurprisingly, none of those questions have definite answers yet, but X Games gave us a preview.
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
"We are talking to potential investors from all different sectors. Stay tuned!" said a representative from X Games. "Teams will not be tied to geography; rather, owners can choose to tie teams to cities, states, etc if they wish."
The X Games representative noted that the problem of athletes riding for a team that conflicts with their individual sponsors will be addressed on an individual basis. "We don't want to interfere in personal endorsement deals," they said.
So far, it seems that athletes are totally on board with the prospect of two new competitive circuits. In a recent conversation with the Good Enough Podcast, halfpipe skiers Nick Goepper and Hunter Hess expressed excitement about the prospect of more competitive opportunities.
"Any sort of innovation in this competition space or in this part of action sports is amazing," said Goepper.
"It just shows that people want more, that our hard work is getting recognized a little bit," added Hess.
The discussion eventually turned to the elephant in the room: how will Snow League and XGL coexist alongside the FIS in an already niche space?
"Competition creates quality. That's the capitalist in me," said Goepper. "Everyone's saying that they're trying to create a cohesive league that everyone can pay attention to, like the NBA or NFL. Well, now we have three different tours. [A single league’s] not exactly happening… It's going to take some friction, but I think it's awesome."
Jamie Squire/Getty Images
Via email, we asked the X Games and Snow Leagues about each other. Both responses highlighted the excitement of new doors suddenly opening in the freeskiing space.
"It's always interesting to see the evolution of the competitive landscape in our sport, and it's an exciting time to now have more opportunities for athletes to perform, earn a living, and build their brands," the Snow League representative said.
"[The announcement of two new leagues] further underscores the momentum behind action sports at the moment and highlights the engagement of the fans—the more investment and energy around action sports, the better," the X Games representative said.
As long as the athletes and fans come out on top, we're sold, too.
More information about the XGL will be revealed at the X Games forum on June 27th, so stay tuned.
Related: Why The Freeride World Tour Doesn't Have More North American Stops
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