Shaun White Helps Snow League Open Winter Sports’ Olympic Window

Notte’s Notes:

• Get that rare air. 2026 is going to be filled with sports-marketing anomalies. The Milan Olympics, the North American World Cup, MLB’s Semiquincentennial All-Star Game in Philadelphia—all filled with opportunities for athletes, brands, and marketers to find year-round impact. Considering how Snow League built its event calendar to maximize the upcoming Olympic window, If you haven’t already, start looking at 2026 and consider where your plan fits amid these events.
• Be snow, not ice. If Snow League hadn’t been willing to expand both its lineup and its horizons, it never would’ve added freestyle skiing, it never would’ve placed itself in front of genuinely stoked fans at Yunding Snow Park, and it never would’ve landed a superstar like Eileen Gu. There’s no shame in starting small, but don’t freeze when it’s time to accumulate some success.
• Choose your friends wisely: To be like Formula 1, Grand Slam tennis, or other prestigious international sporting events, it helps to surround yourself with venue partners willing to rise to the occasion and sponsors willing to recognize your affluent following and cater to its needs. While Snow League events are by no means exclusive, the combination of curated premium touches makes it attractive to brands, resorts, and investors alike.

Ordinarily, the 2026 Winter Olympics this February in Milan Cortina would be the main course for winter sports athletes and fans alike.

But with U.S. Olympic gold medalist Shaun White and Snow League throwing an event at a 2022 Olympic host site in China earlier this month and in Aspen Snowmass just days after the Olympics in February, this year’s games are the rich filling of what’s now a winter sports Milano cookie.

Snow League launched in June 2024 at SPORT BEACH and held its first competition on March 7-8 at Buttermilk Ski Resort in Colorado. The inaugural event featured men's and women's snowboarding, with musical performances from Sofi Tukker and Outkast's Big Boi celebrating halfpipe winners Yuto Totsuka and Sena Tomita. NBC Sports and Peacock broadcast the event domestically, while international partners—Canada’s CBC Sports, Asia’s SPOTV, Australia’s Kayo Sports, and Latin America’s FUEL TV—brought coverage to 90 countries.

White overlooking Snow League's activation at China’s Yunding Snow Park

By its second event in China’s Yunding Snow Park—the 2022 Winter Olympics host site where White competed in his last games— the league had expanded to include freestyle skiing alongside snowboarding. This addition brought marquee athletes like Eileen Gu—the Chinese Olympic gold medalist who earned $23.1 million this year, ranking fourth among Forbes' highest-paid women in sports—to a roster that already included Japan's Ayumu Hirano, who defeated White for gold in 2022.

The timing couldn't be more strategic. With the Milan Olympics approaching, Disney and ESPN transforming the Winter X Games into its own league in 2027, and global participation in winter sports growing, Snow League believes the moment is right to drop in and compete, establishing their athletes as a consistent global presence throughout the year.

The only women in sports who’ve brought in more money than Eileen Gu play tennis, but Snow League has its own reasons for building her and the league’s winter sports athletes a Grand Slam.

“After two events, I’ve learned that the Snow League has tapped into something really special,” White said. “We created this format to bring more structure, drama, and storytelling to winter sports, and it’s been amazing to see how quickly both the athletes and fans have embraced it. The head-to-head format, the team dynamics, and the season-long narrative are giving people a new reason to follow the sport from event to event, and not just once every four years.”

On the Big Air

Broadcasters and brand partners want to be on Snow League’s team as well.

Just before the China event, Snow League secured $15 million in investment from partners including 359 Capital, the Wilf family's WISE Ventures, Linda Henry of Fenway Sports Group, David Blitzer's Bolt Ventures, and Boardroom Sports Holdings. By year's end, global media reach expanded to 175 countries through partnerships with Eurosport, Sky Sport, W-Sport, Tencent, Great Sports TV, and other outlets.

The league has also attracted premium sponsors including Marriott Bonvoy, Hublot, and Constellation Brands' Pacifico.

“It proves our commitment to growing the reach, visibility, and cultural impact of freeskiing and snowboarding worldwide,” said Omer Atesmen, CEO of the Snow League. “By bringing our athletes and events to new audiences across the globe, we’re not only expanding the sports, but we’re also celebrating the stories of our athletes, creativity, community and progression which define winter sports culture.”

NBC will air encore broadcasts of the China finals on December 21 and 28, keeping Snow League visible during the holiday season as excitement builds for Milan. After the Olympics conclude, the league returns to Aspen Snowmass on February 27-28, then makes its European debut in Laax, Switzerland, from March 19-21.

This clustering of events around the Olympics is intentional and, according to both Atesmen and White, necessary. By maximizing exposure during the brief period when global attention turns to winter sports and athletes like Snow League champ and 14-year-old Patti Zhou, Snow League can reset the game clock for athletes, fans, and brand partners alike.

“In the bigger picture, that back-to-back timing helps us break out of the old four-year cycle,” White said. “Instead of waiting for the Olympics to bring attention to the sports, the Snow League is creating its own calendar, its own drumbeat, and that’s going to be incredibly valuable as we grow.”

Widening the Window

White competed in his first Winter Olympics nearly 20 years ago in Turin, Italy, eventually winning three Olympic gold medals in halfpipe snowboarding and 13 Winter X Games gold medals. But that success came in brief, intense bursts tied to the Olympic calendar.

”It can be incredibly intense…I lived that cycle my entire career,” White said. “When it’s open, the whole world is suddenly paying attention to winter sports, and the athletes get this huge surge of visibility. But as soon as the Games wrap, that spotlight can disappear almost overnight. That’s one of the big reasons I wanted Snow League to exist: to create consistent moments throughout the year that keep the sport in the conversation.”

Will Blair, Head of Partnership Development at Snow League, notes that the league's format and strategic timing distinguish it from one-off events like the X Games or touring competitions like the now-defunct Dew Tour. For broadcasters and brands, it also creates an easier value proposition—extending what would typically be a one-month Olympic window into a three-month engagement period, comparable to NBC’s packaging of the Milan games, Super Bowl, and NBA All-Star Game.

“Having a Snow League event air during the holiday season, right as the build-up to Milan starts, is huge: People are home, they’re watching with family, they’re looking for something new and exciting,” White said. “We’re able to give them a fresh, high-energy product at exactly the time winter sports start to heat up again. It’s going to help introduce new fans to both snowboarding and freeskiing, and remind longtime fans why they love this community… And rolling straight into Aspen after that is just as important. Momentum is everything for a new league.

“When you follow one big moment with another, you start to create a rhythm that fans can lock into.”

Further down the halfpipe, the challenge will be maintaining that momentum consistently. Snow League is building beyond its event schedule with content like the three-part "Road to Aspen" docuseries chronicling athletes' journeys to the league's first competition. The league is also hosting a ski and snowboard camp with White and its athletes next July on Oregon's Mount Hood to connect directly with fans.

Going Global

China and Switzerland represent just the beginning of what's envisioned as a truly global league. As Snow League completes its first season, it's exploring winter sports destinations in the Southern Hemisphere to extend its calendar and reach even more audiences.

Snow League’s CEO Atesmen said sponsors and investors will play a big role in keeping the window open for winter sports well after the Olympics.

“Our mission is to elevate the experience for athletes, fans, and partners alike, combining world-class competition with premium entertainment and storytelling,” Atesmen said. “We’re proud to have the support of investors who share our vision and are helping us bring the next era of snow sports to life.”

Atesmen emphasized that the league and its $1.6 million prize pool are built around athlete comfort and input. Regular conversations with stars like Eileen Gu—who commands endorsements from Louis Vuitton, Tiffany, Victoria's Secret, Estée Lauder, Cadillac, Beats By Dre, Fendi, Brunello Cucinelli, and IWC Schaffhausen—help set expectations for brand and resort partners.

When Marriott Bonvoy signed as a founding partner in February, it offered members packages for the Aspen event that included a private mountain experience with White, VIP competition access, and a three-night stay at W Aspen. Similar packages were available in China, with guests staying at the Courtyard by Marriott Chongli.

But most importantly, Marriott Bonvoy opened its hotels and experiences to Snow League athletes throughout the league’s first season and co-hosted championship parties at various events.

“The Snow League is set to be the next global sports phenomenon and Marriott Bonvoy members will have unparalleled access to its debut season,” said Peggy Roe, Executive Vice President and Chief Customer Officer, Marriott International. “Travel brings fans closer to the action, whether that is music, culinary, adventure, or sports. Marriott Bonvoy’s mission is to provide our members with access unlike any other and we know this partnership with Shaun and The Snow League will be unforgettable.”

Constellation Brands’ Pacifico, meanwhile, has followed Snow League around the globe on social media, but hosted its The Hideaway RSVP-only party in Aspen—which White considers ”one of the most iconic stops in our sport, with one of the best halfpipes in the world.” The brand met with an energetic fanbase that cared about the league’s personalities and rivalries, but brought their online energy onsite for the competition.

Premium Partnerships for a Premium Audience

The demographics of winter sports—more than 150 million predominantly affluent participants worldwide—naturally attract premium brands. But so do the destinations. Drawing comparisons to Formula 1's worldwide portfolio of premium partners and iconic race venues, the Snow League team sees similar potential among sponsors and resort partners.

White’s own experience at Yunding Snow Park during the 2022 Olympics gave him a firsthand look at the scale of the halfpipe and infrastructure around the mountain that made it “a natural fit for Snow League.” Returning with the league, he saw how the athletes loved a halfpipe that “rewards both technical riding and amplitude” while being spurred by an Olympic-scale crowd of fans filled with questions and taking full advantage of the league’s hospitality offerings—with many coming onto the grounds for free.

These international venues, combined with broadcast partnerships and premium brand support, give Snow League athletes a longer runway before and after the Olympics—not just a place to compete, but opportunities to be "seen, followed, and invested in by fans around the world."

“From the start, Snow League offered more than just logo placement,” White said. “The venues, broadcast quality, and athlete storytelling give brands like Hublot, Pacifico and Marriott Bonvoy a premium environment where their identities feel natural and not forced. These are brands that value precision, endurance, and experience, and those qualities show up in how the league is produced and presented.”