The snowboard scene is experiencing a major shakeup right now.

Some marquee events like the Burton U.S. Open and Dew Tour are no longer around. X Games remains one of the sport’s crown jewels but is an invite-only event with small field sizes, and plans to shift to a team-based, season-long league format in 2027. Meanwhile, Shaun White’s new venture, The Snow League, got underway last year and debuted a unique competition format, which included a head-to-head knockout bracket in place of a traditional final.

The FIS World Cup circuit — which includes the prestigious Laax Open, as well as the U.S. Grand Prix events — is still around and operating under a traditional format, but it’s clear overall that the contest scene is about to look a lot different than it did four years ago.

With that said, there have still been plenty of contests to evaluate since the last Winter Olympics. Below is a deep dive into the biggest developments, new names to know and more for each park and pipe event as the 2026 Milan Cortina Games approach.

With a triple cork now in his arsenal, Scotty James won the Laax Open, X Games and world championships in 2025.

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What are the major storylines?

It took some time to get here, but triple corks have arrived in men’s snowboard halfpipe.

At the time of the last Winter Olympics, only Ayumu Hirano had successfully landed a triple cork 1440 in a halfpipe run (and he did it three times during the Olympic final). But now other riders in the field have caught up and can land at least one triple cork in their run. Some riders, such as New Zealand’s Cam Melville Ives, are even capable of landing two triple corks.

Led by Ayumu, the Japanese team continues to be strong. As of January 2026, Japan has four of the top five riders in the WSPL (World Snowboard Points List) rankings.  For years, the trio of Ayumu, Yuto Totsuka and Ruka Hirano has been a threat to sweep the podium at any contest, and now Ryusei Yamada is on the rise ahead of his upcoming Olympic debut. Ayumu, though, notably took a hard slam several weeks before the Milan Cortina Games and sustained facial injuries.

One rider who could prevent a Japanese sweep is Australia’s Scotty James, who debuted his own triple cork last season. Since then, he won the 2025 world title, a third straight Laax Open title, and a fifth straight X Games title. James, who recently became a father, has competed at four Olympics but is still seeking his first gold medal after earning bronze in 2018 and silver in 2022.

Aside from triple corks, more riders have also been learning advanced switch backside tricks that were once the domain of James. The switch backside 1260, James’ signature trick for many years, is now in the arsenal of many riders, while James and Ruka Hirano have already progressed to switch backside 1440s.

Who’s in and who’s out?

An Olympic champion came out of retirement just in time to make a run at the Milan Cortina Winter Games, but it wasn’t Shaun White. True to his word, the American superstar hasn’t competed since taking his final runs at the Beijing Winter Olympics, instead focusing on other ventures such as the Snow League.

His former rival, 2014 gold medalist Iouri Podladtchikov, announced a comeback in January 2025 after a five-year hiatus but only competed in two contests and didn’t make it to the Olympics.

Who are some of the new stars?

• Alessandro Barbieri: Although he’s only 17, Barbieri is already the top-ranked snowboarder on the U.S. men’s halfpipe team and looks to have a bright future ahead of him. After earning a silver medal at the 2024 Youth Olympics and making his first World Cup podium last season, Barbieri this season became the first American to land a triple cork in competition.
• Cam Melville Ives: The 19-year-old from New Zealand is in the midst of a breakout season. At January’s Laax Open, he became the first rider to land two triple corks in a single halfpipe run. His twin brother, Fin Melville Ives, is a rising star (and newly-minted world champion) in freeski halfpipe.
• Chaeun Lee: Lee competed at the last Winter Olympics as a 15-year-old but placed 18th. Since then, the rising star from South Korea won the 2023 world title and has become known for pushing progression. He was the first rider to land a triple cork 1620 in a halfpipe, but that feat came during training — no rider has done it in a contest yet.
• Valentino Guseli: Before he sustained an ACL injury in late 2024, the Aussie was establishing himself as a rare triple threat in snowboarding. During the 2022-23 season, he won the World Cup season title for big air, finished 2nd for halfpipe, and finished 3rd for slopestyle. He made his Olympic debut at Beijing 2022 as a 16-year-old and finished 6th in halfpipe. He’s competed in all three disciplines this season since returning but has seen the most success in halfpipe, accruing one victory and three podiums across four contests.

Following a two-year hiatus, Chloe Kim has resumed her winning ways in the halfpipe.

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What are the major storylines?

After the Beijing Olympics, Chloe Kim took two years off from competitive snowboarding. Then she came back and picked up right where she left off.

In her second contest back, Kim became the first woman to land a 1260 in a halfpipe run. She even landed a 1440 during a prior training camp, according to her coach, and could look to add it to her run at some point.

She’s not the only one who’s been making history, though. Last season, her U.S. teammate, Maddie Mastro, joined her in becoming the first women to land double cork 1080s in a contest.

While Kim has reestablished herself as the gold-medal favorite, a shoulder injury sustained one month before the Olympics could open the door for her competitors in Livigno.

Who’s in and who’s out?

Maddy Schaffrick was previously a member of the U.S. snowboard team back when she was a teenager. After a 10-year hiatus, she’s out of retirement and will now make her Olympic debut at age 31.

During her retirement, Schaffrick briefly worked in plumbing before settling in as a snowboard coach — first for kids, then for the U.S. team. As she gradually reignited her passion for the sport, she decided to give the competition scene another try. At her first World Cup contest in nearly 10 years, she finished on the podium.

Who are some of the new stars?

• Bea Kim: At 19 years old, Kim (no relation to Chloe) is the youngest member of the U.S. team in this event. After a very promising rookie campaign, she was sidelined last season by injury but is back in action and returned to the podium in December.
• Gaon Choi: In 2023, the South Korean made her X Games debut at age 14 and became the event’s youngest-ever snowboard halfpipe champion. That broke the record held by Chloe Kim, who Choi credits as an influence and a mentor. Choi, 17, is already entrenched as a podium contender but is still on the rise.
• Sara Shimizu: Japan continues to be a strong force in women’s halfpipe, and Shimizu, 16, is one of the country’s newest stars to break through. She earned silver at the 2024 Youth Olympics, won a World Cup event last season (an event that included Kim in the field), and won gold at the 2026 X Games. This season, she became the latest woman to land a double cork in the halfpipe.
• Rise Kudo: Another new name on the Japanese team, 16-year-old Kudo is on the rise and enters with momentum after finishing 2nd (behind Choi) at the Laax Open and 2nd (behind Shimizu) at X Games in January.

Ollie Martin's breakout season came last winter — as a 16-year-old — and included his first-ever World Cup slopestyle victory.

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What are the major storylines?

Ahead of the Milan Cortina Olympics, the men’s field looks wide open in both slopestyle and big air.

In the four seasons since the last Winter Games, seven different riders have won World Cup titles in either slopestyle or big air. Red Gerard, the 2018 Olympic slopestyle champion, secured back-to-back X Games titles in 2024 and 2025, but in general there have been a whole slew of different winners across major slopestyle and big air contests.

There have been some familiar names in the mix, such as Gerard and China’s Su Yiming, the 2022 big air gold medalist and slopestyle silver medalist, but also a ton of young athletes breaking through.

During this time, big air has seen a lot of progression. The last Olympic final featured several riders landing 1800s and questions of whether someone might try a 1980. Since then, we’ve seen 2160s and, at the 2025 X Games, the first-ever 2340.

Who’s in and who’s out?

Although he hasn’t officially retired, Max Parrot hasn’t competed since winning slopestyle gold and big air bronze at the last Winter Olympics and will not be competing at the Milan Cortina Games. The same is true of fellow Canadian and 2018 big air gold medalist Sebastien Toutant.

Their teammate, three-time Olympic medalist Mark McMorris, competed sparingly after the Beijing Games but is back in action and will return to the Olympics for another shot at a long-awaited gold medal. The 32-year-old legend won the X Games slopestyle contest in January, proving that he can never be counted out among the favorites.

Who are some of the new stars?

• Ollie Martin: The 17-year-old American is coming off a breakout season which included a World Cup slopestyle victory and bronze medals in both slopestyle and big air at the world championships.
• Cameron Spalding: A rising star on Canada’s slopestyle and big air team, 20-year-old Spalding was the 2024-25 World Cup slopestyle champion and won two events, including the Laax Open, last season.
• Hiroto Ogiwara: At the 2025 X Games, Ogiwara became the first snowboarder to land a 2340 in a contest as he won big air gold. The 20-year-old, who repeated that feat in January, is part of a strong contingent of big air riders from Japan.
• Taiga Hasegawa: Hasegawa, 20, is the current No. 1-ranked rider, 2024-25 World Cup season champion and 2024 X Games gold medalist in big air. In 2024, he became the first rider to land a switch backside 1980 in a competition. The rising Japanese star isn’t just a big air specialist though — he’s also had strong results in slopestyle.
• Ian Matteoli: Host nation Italy’s strongest medal hopes in snowboard park and pipe events lie with 20-year-old Matteoli, who had several podium finishes in big air last season.

The arrival of Mia Brookes has added a new gold-medal contender to the mix in women's snowboard slopestyle and big air.

Miha Matavz/@fisparkandpipe

What are the major storylines?

Before the Beijing Olympics, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott made headlines by becoming the first woman to land back-to-back double corks in a slopestyle run. In January 2025, after missing the entire 2023-24 season due to an ankle injury, she upped the ante by becoming the first woman to land a triple cork in a slopestyle run.

The reigning Olympic and world champion from New Zealand looks hard to beat in slopestyle, but Great Britain’s Mia Brookes and Japan’s Kokomo Murase are right there in the mix with her. That trio of riders have become the podium favorites in both slopestyle and big air.

Triple corks have made their way into big air contests as well, most recently with Murase becoming the first woman to land a triple cork 1620 in competition.

The list of riders who have landed a triple cork includes Sadowski-Synnott and two-time reigning Olympic big air champion Anna Gasser of Austria. The 34-year-old Gasser is one of several women who could become the first snowboarder to three-peat at the Winter Olympics.

Who’s in and who’s out?

It’s been an eventful few years for American legend Jamie Anderson, who gave birth to her first child in March 2023 and her second child in April 2025. The two-time Olympic slopestyle champion, now 35, attempted a comeback this season ahead of the Milan Cortina Games but fell one spot shy of qualifying for the U.S. team.

Who are some of the new stars?

• Mia Brookes: Great Britain’s Brookes, 19, has been one of snowboarding’s biggest breakthroughs in these last few years. A true dual threat, she’s earned the 2023 slopestyle world title, two X Games slopestyle titles, and two World Cup big air titles. In 2023, she became the first woman to land a 1440 in a competition. Brookes often differentiates herself by opting for flatspins, rather than corked rotations, on her biggest tricks.
• Mari Fukada: Japan has had an influx of new talent in every discipline, and women’s slopestyle and big air are no exceptions. Fukada, 19, is currently ranked No. 3 in big air and No. 4 in slopestyle, and has notched World Cup victories in both disciplines.
• Lily Dhawornvej, Jess Perlmutter: The transition to a new generation is underway for the U.S. snowboard team, with this pair of 16-year-olds about to make their Olympic debuts in Livigno.

Learn about the biggest developments in other events ahead of the 2026 Winter Olympics.