The snowboard scene is experiencing a major shakeup right now.

Some marquee events like the Burton U.S. Open and Dew Tour no longer are 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 in March 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 still have 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.

@fisparkandpipe

What are the major storylines?

There are two major trends in men’s halfpipe, and they largely happen to coincide.

First, is the domination from Japanese riders. As of August 2025, Japan has five of the top eight riders in the WSPL (World Snowboard Points List) rankings, and that doesn’t even include injured 2022 Olympian Kaishu Hirano.

In particular, the trio of Yuto Totsuka, Ruka Hirano and reigning Olympic champion Ayumu Hirano are a threat to sweep the podium at any contest. Barring injury or surprise, all three should make the team for Milan Cortina.

What makes those three favorites for the podium? That brings us to the second trend: the proliferation of triple corks.

At the time of the last Winter Olympics, only Ayumu Hirano successfully had landed a triple cork 1440 in a halfpipe run (and he did it three times during the Olympic final). But now other riders, including Totsuka and Ruka Hirano, are catching up and landing their own triples.

One rider who could prevent a Japanese sweep is Australia’s Scotty James, who debuted his own triple cork last season and notched wins at the Laax Open, X Games and world championships. James, who recently became a father, has competed at four Olympics, winning bronze in 2018 and securing silver in 2022.

Will anyone else join the triple-cork club before the 2026 Winter Olympics? That’s something to keep an eye on during the upcoming season.

Who’s in and who’s out?

An Olympic champion has come out of retirement just in time to make a run at the Milan Cortina Winter Games.

No, we’re not talking about 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, is back though. The Swiss snowboarder known as “I-Pod” announced his comeback in January 2025 after a five-year hiatus. He’s competed in two World Cup events since then, one of which resulted in a sixth-place finish.

Podladtchikov will be 37 at the time of next year’s Winter Olympics. If he qualifies, it will be his first appearance since winning gold in Sochi. A traumatic brain injury prevented him from defending his title in 2018.

Who are some of the new stars?

• 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, as well as the first rider to land back-to-back triple corks. Both feats came during training, though — no rider has done either in a contest yet. If Lee manages to put those never-been-done feats into a contest run, the sky’s the limit.
• Alessandro Barbieri: Although he’s only 16 (he turns 17 in October), Barbieri already is the top-ranked snowboarder on the U.S. men’s halfpipe team. He earned his first World Cup podium in February and then finished fourth at the debut Snow League event. Barbieri earned a silver medal at the 2024 Youth Olympics — he finished behind Lee — and will look to take another step forward during the upcoming Olympic season.
• Campbell Melville Ives: Could the 19-year-old from New Zealand be on the verge of a breakout? He took a major leap forward last season, which culminated in a fifth-place finish at the world championships. His twin brother, Finley Melville Ives, is a rising star (and newly-minted world champion) in freeski halfpipe.
• Valentino Guseli: Before he sustained an ACL injury in late 2024, Guseli 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 second for halfpipe, and finished third for slopestyle. He made his Olympic debut at Beijing 2022 as a 16-year-old and finished sixth in halfpipe. Guseli's goal now is to return from injury and became the first male snowboarder to compete in all three park and pipe disciplines at the Winter Games.

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

@fisparkandpipe

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.

While Kim has reestablished herself as the gold-medal favorite, she’s not the only one making history. Last season, her U.S. teammate, Maddie Mastro, joined her in becoming the first women to land double cork 1080s in a contest.

With Kim and Mastro leading the charge, will the rapid rate of progression continue during the upcoming Olympic season?

Who’s in and who’s out?

Maddy Schaffrick previously was 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 could 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, Schaffrick finished on the podium. Although she didn’t qualify for the U.S. Olympic team in 2010 or 2014 before her retirement — the team was stacked with the likes of Kelly Clark, Hannah Teter and others at the time — Schaffrick is solidly in contention to make the Milan Cortina roster this time around.

Who are some of the new stars?

• 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 Kim, who Choi credits as an influence and a mentor. Choi, who will be 17 during the Milan Cortina Games, already is 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, who will be 16 during the Milan Cortina Games, 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 finished third at the 2025 X Games.

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 three seasons since the last Winter Games, six different riders have won World Cup titles in either slopestyle or big air. Red Gerard, the 2018 Olympic slopestyle champion, has now secured back-to-back X Games titles, 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, as of now, it appears unlikely that he’ll return in time to compete for a spot on Canada’s Olympic team for Milan Cortina. The same is true of fellow Canadian and 2018 big air gold medalist Sebastien Toutant.

Their teammate, three-time Olympic medalist Mark McMorris, has competed sparingly since the Beijing Games but has his sights set on returning to the Winter Games for another shot at a long-awaited gold medal. Despite a fresh crop of new talent on the always-strong Canadian slopestyle team, McMorris is still expected to make the Olympic roster for Milan Cortina.

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.
• Liam Brearley: Brearly, 22, enters this season as the reigning world champion and No. 1-ranked rider in slopestyle. The Canadian won a pair of slopestyle events during the 2023-24 season to earn his first-ever World Cup season title.
• Cameron Spalding: The other rising star on Canada’s slopestyle and big air team is 20-year-old Spalding. The 2024-25 World Cup slopestyle champion 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 is part of a strong contingent of big air riders from Japan.
• Taiga Hasegawa: Hasegawa, who will be 20 during the Milan Cortina Games, is the current No. 1-ranked rider, reigning 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 Matteoli, who will be 20 during the Milan Cortina Games. He’s currently the No. 2-ranked rider in big air and had several podium finishes 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, she upped the ante by becoming the first woman to land a triple cork in a slopestyle run.

Despite missing the entire 2023-24 season due to an ankle injury, the reigning Olympic, X Games and world champion from New Zealand looks hard to beat in slopestyle.

Triple corks have made their way into big air contests as well. The list of riders who have landed one includes Sadowski-Synnott and two-time reigning Olympic big air champion Anna Gasser. The (soon-to-be) 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. In between, she briefly returned to competition as part of the Natural Selection Tour, a backcountry event series.

Anderson, who turns 35 in September, is a two-time Olympic slopestyle champion and the 2018 big air silver medalist. She hasn’t officially announced her plans for the upcoming season yet but previously has said she’d consider coming back to make a run at qualifying for the Milan Cortina Games, which would be her fourth Winter Olympics.

Who are some of the new stars?

• Mia Brookes: Great Britain’s Brookes, who will be 19 during the Winter Olympics, has been one of snowboarding’s biggest breakthroughs in these last few years. A true dual threat, she won slopestyle gold at the 2023 World Championships and 2024 X Games, and also has won back-to-back big air World Cup titles. In 2023, she became the first woman to land a 1440 in a competition.
• Mari Fukada: Japan has had an influx of new talent in every discipline, and women’s slopestyle and big air are no exceptions. Fukada, who will turn 19 before the start of the Milan Cortina Games, enters this season ranked No. 2 in big air and No. 4 in slopestyle. She won World Cup events in both disciplines last season.

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