I walk past a sea of fur-lined jackets and designer labels, a heavy reminder that Aspen has always been a place where money talks louder than words. There’s an energy here, but it’s not the usual one. Not the rowdy pre-contest gatherings in a rental cabin or a wax-stained hotel lobby where a crew debates whether to tune their boards or their beers first. No, this is something different.
It started at the airport. Grand Junction wasn’t exactly where most planned to land, but a storm rerouted flights and forced a caravan of Gucci bag-clutching travelers onto coach buses. What was supposed to be a grand entrance turned into something else—people gripping their carry-ons like lifelines, muttering into their phones about champagne being on ice somewhere they weren’t. This, of course, has nothing to do with the actual contest, but it was a moment of irony I couldn’t help but enjoy as I stepped into such a highbrow event.
The Contest
Maddie Mastro. PHOTO: BLOTTO
Qualifiers trickled in around 9:30 a.m., and I followed the path to the bottom of the halfpipe, where I entered the structure—a sleek, glass-walled building designed for VIPs to take in the event in comfort. Inside, intricate floral arrangements, fur-covered furniture, and oxygen containers were passed around like party favors. By noon, the noticeably attractive had made their rounds, congratulating Shaun White. He had done it: The Snow League had officially arrived.
The contest took place over two days. The first day was structured as a heat bracket, narrowing down the field, and the second day shifted into a head-to-head format—arguably the best move for engaging an audience that doesn’t necessarily understand snowboarding.
Sena Tomita. PHOTO: ADAM MORAN
The level of riding was worthy of the hype. That much I can say without hesitation. Maddie Mastro, fresh off qualifying first on day 1, put on a show but was ultimately edged out by Japan’s Sena Tomita in the final run by just 0.5 points. Tomita linked a massive 1080 tailgrab into a switch 720, capping it off with a 900 and a classic method to take the win. On the men’s side, Yuto Totsuka took the top spot with a monster run complete with back-to-back 1440s and a switch backside double cork 1080, all with the kind of execution that left nothing up for debate.
Yuto Totsuka PHOTO: BLOTTO
This event was undeniably the best thing to happen to halfpipe snowboarding in a long time. The front-facing drone angles were groundbreaking—finally, a way to film a halfpipe run that actually does it justice. And for those who claim Shaun White doesn’t do enough to give back to snowboarding, this undeniably works against that argument.
Beyond the podiums, there were some truly wild moments. A spectator’s helmet slid into the pipe mid-run on Day 2, forcing Maddie Mastro to ollie over it at the last second. Ayumu threw a triple on his fourth or fifth wall—usually a first-hit move—making it even more surreal to witness. Cam Melville Ives, the 18-year-old from New Zealand, was incredibly impressive, and Alessandro Barberi put down the run of his life. And Noah Avallone’s double KD roll is a trick that no one else is doing.
It’s easy to focus on the money spent on the spectacle, but a significant chunk went straight to the riders—$50K for first place, $20K for second, $10K for third, and $5K just for showing up. That’s real investment in the culture, and it shouldn’t go unnoticed.
My only real concern—maybe more of a lingering unease—is this: And this isn’t just about Snow League—it’s a trend across all major televised contests.
There was a time when snowboard contests dictated the culture. Snowboarders put on a contest that showcased our lifestyle, to pull people in and make them want to be part of it. Now, it feels like they’re being repackaged in a way that prioritizes familiar, mainstream terms rather than emphasizing the raw energy that once made snowboarding feel distinctly countercultural. There was a "halftime show," the announcers only referred to them as “athletes” instead of “riders.”
Ultimately, I’m here for it—an excited spectator watching how it all unfolds. The event delivered exactly what it set out to be: a high-end, high-visibility snowboard contest that ensures riders are taken care of financially.
PHOTO: BLOTTO
