Eileen Gu, Gus Kenworthy, and More: Who To Watch at Snow League's First Event

Shaun White’s game-changing Snow League is about to kick off its second-ever event at Yunding Snow Park in China.

From December 4-6, 2025, the best athletes in freeskiing and snowboarding will compete at the Snow League at the site of the 2022 Beijing Olympics.

The event not only kicks off the 2025/26 winter season for the Snow League (although last winter’s Aspen event will be counted towards this season), but it’s also the debut of the freeskiing category for the Snow League.

The Snow League has worked to put some of the best freeskiing athletes around into the competition, which will be broadcast to more than 175 countries worldwide. They’ve tapped in skiers from around the world, and each athlete will be financially compensated just for competing, regardless of results.

There’s no doubt every skier competing this week is noteworthy and talented, but here are a few to keep an extra eye on.

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Gus Kenworthy

Gus Kenworthy burst onto the freeskiing scene in the early 2010s as one of the most versatile skiers around. Kenworthy captured the ski industry’s hearts with his easy-going nature and style in film segments while claiming both Olympics and X Games medals in several freeski disciplines. With a reputation as an incredible athlete cemented in the sport’s history, Kenworthy went on to become one of the first openly gay professional skiers and engage in extensive activism for the LGBTQ+ community. Kenworthy’s work launched him to celebrity status, which also coaxed him away from skiing to pursue opportunities like acting. However, earlier this year, Kenworthy returned to skis and quickly showed the world the he most certainly still has it. Between Kenworthy’s talent and extensive experience, he’s definitely one to watch in the Snow League.

Eileen Gu

Few names in freeskiing have become as household as Eileen Gu. It almost goes without saying that the 22-year-old is one of the most accomplished freeskiers in history. A skier to watch for her athletic prowess alone, Gu is the first woman to land a double cork 1440 and unnatural double cork 1620 in competition and has podiumed at a whopping 89% of her World Cup starts. Gu has also shown up just as gracefully off the slopes as she has on, with her work as an advocate for female empowerment, an ambassador for four Olympic Games, and on the covers of Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, and other publications.

Cassie Sharpe

Cassie Sharpe is about as badass as they come, and she finds every chance to remind the world of it. The Canadian halfpipe skier has multiple Olympic medals, including Canada’s first Olympic gold in the discipline. Sharpe briefly took a break from competition to start her family, but returned to the halfpipe arguably stronger than ever in 2024, taking a bronze medal at the Copper Mountain World Cup and a gold at X Games Aspen. Sharpe’s performance on skis over the last season was about as hard-hitting as it gets, and the contrast of watching her ski down to her adorable infant daughter was just the cherry on top. Sharpe is undoubtedly a strong halfpipe competitor and one to watch at the Snow League.

Birk Irving

Call us biased, but Birk Irving grew up skiing one of the coolest parks in Colorado (Winter Park‘s Dark Territory) and it paid off early on in his career. Irving already boasts a Youth Olympic Gold Medal, quite a few World Cup podiums, and a 5th place Olympic finish in 2022. Accolades aside, Irving is one of the most fun skiers to watch and never holds back when it comes to style. Irving and his sister, Svea will both be competing at the Snow League holding it down for Colorado skiers alongside Gus Kenworthy and Hanna Faulhaber.

Snow League Freeski Roster

Women

• Zoe Atkin
• Hanna Faulhaber
• Amy Fraser
• Eileen Gu
• Svea Irving
• Rachael Karker
• Fanghui Li
• Cassie Sharpe

Men

• Luke Harrold
• Hunter Hess
• Birk Irving
• Nick Goepper
• Gus Kenworthy
• Brendan Mackay
• Fin Melville Ives
• David Wise

Fans can watch the Snow League’s freeskiing event on Saturday, December 6 with Quarterfinals starting at 9:40am local Beijing time and Semis + Finals starting at 11:50 local Beijing time.

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