The Snow League: Why Olympics, X Games star Shaun White is bringing his new venture to NZ
Shaun White has long been a believer in winter sports.
Now, the Canadian multiple-time Olympic and X Games gold medallist gets the feeling the mainstream audience is beginning to take notice.
White will bring The Snow League to New Zealand in September for a pre-season showcase, featuring 16 of the top athletes across men’s and women’s freeski and snowboard halfpipe disciplines.
The event, to be held at Cardrona Alpine Resort near Wānaka, will precede the league’s second season, which officially gets underway in Colorado in January and will be in a four-team format.
The teams will be made up of male and female athletes in the freeski and snowboard fields, with Asia-Pacific, Europe, North America, and a team of future talents being represented.
While the roster for season two is yet to be confirmed, freeskiers Eileen Gu (China), Luke Harrold (New Zealand), and Japanese snowboarders Yuto Totsuka and Sena Tomita all won their respective season one titles to earn automatic requalification.
Should all four athletes be returning and available for the New Zealand challenge, they could form a team of champions for the Asia-Pacific group.
“We weren’t an Olympic competition when I began. X Games had just started. Those things really hadn’t become anything and so it was a really strange time to kind of pave the way for the sport,” White told Newstalk ZB’s Jason Pine.
“Then obviously the Olympics took it on and when you look at the Olympics, we’re the top-rated events that take place at the Olympics, the most viewed. There’s that appetite for these competitions.
“People enjoy viewing it, the characters are colourful, the athletes are colourful and so when we started out, I was like, gosh, I know that the field is deep.”
White said despite having to build season one around the Winter Olympics schedule and when athletes would be available, there was clear interest in the competition.
A unique offering in the sport, The Snow League puts athletes in head-to-head match-ups on finals day rather than having everyone completing a couple of runs and having the best score win.
It’s a bracket format, with athletes having to win a number of one-on-one match-ups to succeed at the event.
“I think Snow League is all about bringing something new to the table,” White said.
“For this, we really wanted to keep fans engaged during the US and European somewhat off-season. Obviously [there’s] Chile, New Zealand and these places that have the incredible snow at a different time in the season, so I thought it was amazing to come down there, do our event, but also kind of shake things up and do it a little different.”
Winning the inaugural season, Kiwi Harrold automatically requalified for season two, while snowboarder Cam Melville Ives also made the cut for an automatic return by finishing fifth in season one. Skier Mischa Thomas also featured in season one, finishing eighth in the women’s competition.
Reigning freeski halfpipe world champion and crystal globe winner Fin Melville Ives was also signed for the inaugural campaign but was unable to compete in either freeski event. While the athlete line-up for season two is yet to be announced, it is expected all four Kiwi athletes will return.
The event will be getting funding from the Government’s Events Attraction Package – the invitation-only pool that also helped to fund such events as the World Surf League Championship Tour in Raglan, the Linkin Park, Robbie Williams and Post Malone concerts, and the upcoming New Zealand International Football Festival, when English Premier League side Tottenham Hotspur take on A-League champions Auckland FC.
“[I’m a] huge fan of New Zealand. I’ve been down plenty of times, competed there, [there are] so many reasons that we’re bringing the Snow League to New Zealand,” White said.
“But look, there’s amazing talent that comes from New Zealand. The scenery’s beautiful, the culture’s amazing and it’s got that outdoor playground thing going on. There’s so much to do down in New Zealand and I absolutely love it.
“It’s been on my wish list for The Snow League to come to New Zealand. So, it’s a very pinch-me sort of moment that we’re finally bringing the event there and I just can’t wait.”
Christopher Reive joined the Herald sports team in 2017, bringing the same versatility to his coverage as he does to his sports viewing habits.