- 28-Year-Old Brendan Mackay from Canada Takes 2nd Place in Men’s Freeski Halfpipe and Finishes the Snow League Season in 2nd Place Overall; Also Wins Jeep Biggest Air Award
- 16-Year-Old Rise Kudo from Japan Earns 2nd Place in Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe
- 23-Year-Old Zoe Atkin from Park City, Utah, Claims 3rd Place in Women’s Freeski Halfpipe; Also Wins Jeep Biggest Air Award
- 23-Year-Old Svea Irving from Winter Park, Colorado, Earns 3rd Place in Snow League Season Overall
LAAX, Switzerland, March 23, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The first season of Snow League is in the books! Monster Energy congratulates team rider Brendan Mackay on claiming second place in Men’s Freeski Halfpipe at The Snow League competition in Laax, Switzerland, this weekend. In the fourth and final event of the season, the 28-year-old from Calgary, Canada, rose to the podium and secured second place overall in season rankings as well as the Jeep Biggest Air Award.
The heated Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe competition saw 16-year-old Rise Kudo from Sapporo, Japan, claim second place in an elite field.
In the Women’s Freeski Halfpipe final, 23-year-old Zoe Atkin from Park City, Utah, rose to the podium in third place. Atkin also claimed the Jeep Biggest Air Award in the women’s competition. The overall season rankings in the Women’s Freeski Halfpipe discipline concluded with 23-year-old Svea Irving from Winter Park, Colorado, in third place.
From March 19–21, The Snow League brought the world elite of freeski and snowboard halfpipe riding to legendary Laax resort in Switzerland. The event marked the season finale and the crowning of the first Snow League World Champions, following initial events at Buttermilk in Aspen Snowmass, Colorado (March 2025 and February 2026) and at Yunding Snow Park, China (December 2025).
Created by professional snowboarder and three-time Olympic Champion Shaun White, The Snow League is an invite-only contest series focused on intense head-to-head battles between top international snow sports athletes. With a prize pool of $2.2 million, the series raises the bar for snow sports halfpipe competitions. The weekend’s action from Crap Sogn Gion Mountain was broadcast live to fans around the world in more than 175 countries.
In the Men’s Freeski Halfpipe event on the legendary Laax SuperPipe, eight of the world’s top athletes in the discipline faced off during intense head-to-head battles.
For his quarter-final matchup, Mackay faced fellow Canadian Andrew Longino and dominated his way into the semifinal against American Hunter Hess. In the match against Hess, Mackay pulled massive tricks, including a 21-foot high double cork 1260 into a 15-foot double cork 1620 to advance to the final.
Facing New Zealand’s Luke Harrold in the final, Mackay opened strong with a perfect first run out of three, including switch double cork 1080, and two double cork 1260s. After facing some difficulty in Run 2, the final turned into a showdown on the final run. But when Mackay bobbled the landing on his first 900, the door was open for Harrold to take the win, leaving Mackay in second place.
Mackay also earned a special performance bonus this weekend: The Canadian received the Jeep Biggest Air Award for blasting a 20′ 8″ high right side double cork 1260.
In the overall rankings for Season One of Snow League, Mackay took second place with 185 points and earned an automatic invite to the next season. Finishing fourth in overall rankings with 104 points, 34-year-old Gus Kenworthy from Telluride, Colorado, secured his invite to Season Two of Snow League.
In the Women’s Freeski Halfpipe competition, Monster Energy’s Atkin entered as a favorite after claiming the gold medal at X Games Aspen in January. Atkin started her quarterfinal, battling Canada’s Rachael Karker to advance to the semifinal with stylish grabs and the highest airs of the field.
In the semifinal, Atkin faced off against China’s Eileen Gu and put together a technical run featuring consecutive 720 into switch 720 and a huge 17-foot 540 mute but did not advance to the final. In her battle for third place, Atkin faced New Zealand’s Mischa Thomas and put down a perfect run featuring rightside 720 tailgrab, switch leftside 720 Japan, massive right 540 tailgrab, right alley-oop 360 Japan, and switch leftside 720 Japan for third place.
Atkin also earned the Jeep Biggest Air Award for landing a 16′ 9″ high leftside 540 air in her Snow League debut. When it came to ranking the first Snow League World Championships, Monster Energy’s Irving from Colorado finished in third place on the strength of 105 points collected during the season.
The podium spots continued in the Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe final, where 16-year-old Japanese team rider Kudo rose all the way to second place. In her quarter-final matchup, she outperformed Spain’s Queralt Castellet to advance to the semifinal against Cai Xuetong from China.
In the final battle, Kudo faced Japan’s Sara Shimizu in a heavy exchange of technical tricks amid heavy snowfall over the SuperPipe. Kudo posted highlight tricks, including frontside 900 melon into a backside 900 Weddle, frontside 720, Cab 720 Weddle, and frontside cork 1080 stalefish. When all was said and done, Kudo settled for second place after stoking the fans in Laax.
Kudo finishes the Snow League World Championships in fourth place with 218 points. In the overall rankings, 27-year-old Ayumu Hirano from Murakami, Japan, finished fourth with 185 points.
Look forward to Season Two of Snow League, as locations and dates will be announced soon. The best news: Monster Energy riders Mackay, Irving, Kenworthy, Hirano, and Kudo already earned their invitations based on their season one performances.
For more on Brendan Mackay, Rise Kudo, Zoe Atkin, Svea Irving, Gus Kenworthy, Ayumu Hirano, and the Monster Energy snow sports team, visit www.monsterenergy.com. Follow Monster Energy on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok for exclusive updates from the 2026 snow sports season.
For interview or photo requests, contact Kim Dresser.
About Monster Energy
Based in Corona, California, Monster Energy is the leading marketer of energy drinks and alternative beverages. Refusing to acknowledge the traditional, Monster Energy supports the scene and sport. Whether motocross, off-road, NASCAR, MMA, BMX, surf, snowboard, ski, skateboard, or the rock and roll lifestyle, Monster Energy is a brand that believes in authenticity and the core of what its athletes and musicians represent. More than a drink, it’s the way of life lived by athletes, bands, believers, and fans. See more about Monster Energy including all of its drinks at www.monsterenergy.com.
CONTACT: Kim Dresser C: (949) 300-5546 E: kim.dresser@indiepragency.com
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