Aspen Snowmass Announces Its Biggest Season of Freeskiing Competitions Ever

This coming winter, Aspen Snowmass, Colorado, will host its biggest season of slopestyle, park, and pipe competitions ever. X Games, the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix, and the all-new Snow League are on the docket. The events are set to be held at Buttermilk Mountain, one of Aspen's four resort areas.

"We've had some monster event years in the past, but this one might just top them all," said John Rigney, SVP of business development at Aspen Skiing Company.

The X Games is a mainstay of Aspen Snowmass' winter schedule. This January, the high-octane action sports event will return to Aspen for its 24th season. Scheduled events include Ski and Snowboard SuperPipe, Slopestyle, Big Air, and Knuckle Huck.

Aspen Snowmass has entered a three-year partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard to hold the Toyota U.S. Grand Prix. Next winter's event at Aspen will be part of the athlete qualification and team naming for the 2026 Winter Olympics. The winter action sports tour has been a significant part of the Stifel U.S. Freeski Team and Hydro Flask U.S. Snowboard Team Olympic qualification series since 1998. Grand Prix athletes will compete in slopestyle, halfpipe, and the Visa Big Air at Aspen.

Then, there's the wildcard—The Snow League. First announced this summer, The Snow League is billed as an attempt to shake up the snowboarding and freeskiing competition scene. It features head-to-head championships, a points-based ranking system, and at least a $1.5 million prize purse. In March, Aspen Snowmass will host the Snow League's inaugural event.

“Aspen's long history of successfully hosting world-class winter sports competitions, along with Shaun's deep appreciation for Aspen’s contributions to his career makes it the perfect place to launch our new league,” said Ian Warda, COO of The Snow League.

The event's organizers—including Olympian and snowboarder Shaun White—plan to focus on halfpipe snowboarding at its outset. However, the Snow League is slated to include freeskiing at the series’ second event in late 2025.

"We want to deliver the best possible product for athletes, fans, and everyone else involved, so we're starting with a focused approach that allows us to deliver at the highest level and scale from there," a Snow League representative told POWDER earlier this year.

Rigney, Aspen Skiing Company’s SVP of business development explained that Aspen Snowmass' commitment to the freestyle arena with three headlining events is purposeful.

"It's a progressive and evolving setting to stay connected with young skiers and riders, to feed the generational pipeline for our sports and our resort, and to, in tandem with our community, welcome back the very best and celebrate athletic achievement at the highest levels," he said. "We're excited for Aspen Snowmass to continue to be the center of the winter action sports universe."

Aspen Snowmass Upcoming Winter Action Sports Event Dates

• X Games —January 23rd through January 25th, 2025
• Toyota U.S. Grand Prix & Visa Big Air —January 30th through February 6th , 2025
• The Snow League —March 7th through March 8th, 2025

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