2025/2026 Snowboard FIS World Cup halfpipe, slopestyle & big air – athletes and storylines to look out for
In men’s slopestyle, the field is wide open. Among the frontrunners is American Red Gerard, the PyeongChang 2018 gold medallist, who closed out the 2024/25 season ranked second in the world— a placing that secured a quota spot for Team USA for Milano Cortina 2026. Standing just ahead of him is Canada’s Liam Brearley, who ended the 2024/25 season with a world title, and rising talent Cameron Spalding, who claimed the snowboard slopestyle Crystal Globe, and the legendary Mark McMorris, among the stacked Canadian team. A three-time Olympic bronze medallist, McMorris will be chasing a fourth Olympic Games selection.
The women’s slopestyle field has some clear leaders, starting with reigning Olympic Champ Zoi Sadowski-Synnott who is in stellar form, finishing the 2024/25 season off with the slopestyle Crystal Globe win. Sadowski Synnott’s main competition will come from Great Britain’s Mia Brookes, who finished her season off winning the overall World Cup snowboard park & pipe title after claiming seven World Cup podiums. Also in the forefront is two-time Olympic gold medallist Anna Gasser, who has announced that this will be her final Olympic bid. Expect the Austrian to throw everything she has into closing out her competitive career at the top. Japan’s powerhouse trio— Beijing 2020 bronze medallist, Murase Kokomo, two-time Olympian Iwabuchi Reira, and Fukada Mari, who won her first World Cup slopestyle competition in Calgary in February, adding to her pair of past big air wins. All will be major podium threats, as will Germany’s Annika Morgan.
Adding even more intrigue, two-time Olympic slopestyle gold medallist Jamie Anderson has revealed plans to make a run at her fourth Olympic Winter Games.
In the women’s halfpipe, two-time Olympic gold medallist Chloe Kim remains the rider to beat with her sights set on Milano Cortina 2026, for which she already secured a quota on Team USA. A third Olympic title would put her level with Shaun White as the only snowboarders to win a trio of Olympic halfpipe golds.
Hot on her heels is compatriot Maddie Mastro, fresh off a winning 2024/25 season that earned her the Crystal Globe. Armed with new tricks and fresh confidence, Mastro looks poised to challenge Kim on the sport’s biggest stage. Japan will once again field a formidable squad, led by Beijing 2022 bronze medallist Tomita Sena alongside Ono Mitsuki and the youngster Shimizu Sara—all of whom make frequent podium appearances.
The men’s halfpipe will see a battle for the ages with so many dominant riders swapping the top spot throughout the 2024/25 campaign. Japan’s Hirano Ayumu enters the season as the defending Olympic champion. His fourth-place World Cup ranking doesn’t capture the full picture of his electrifying, high-risk approach to the halfpipe. Australia’s Scotty James, the two-time Olympic medallist (silver at Beijing 2020 and bronze at PyeongChang 2018), remains one of the sport’s most consistent and stylish riders. His technical mastery was on full display with a standout victory at X Games Aspen 2025, proving he’ll be a major threat once again.
Hirano Ruka enters the 2024/25 season as a three-time Crystal Globe winner, having once again edged out his teammate Totsuka Yuto. Both Totsuka and James also boast three Crystal Globes each, underscoring just how deep the talent runs at the top of the men’s halfpipe.
In big air, the sky is literally the limit. With new dry slope /airbag training facilities popping up from New Zealand to Oregon, and back-to-back on-snow training camps throughout the off-season, riders have reportedly been pushing progression.
Big names from slopestyle tend to dominate, with some exceptions. Canadian teen Eli Bouchard stunned last season with a never-before-seen backside 1980, finishing second overall behind Japan’s Hasegawa Taiga. Italy’s Ian Matteoli, known for landing the world’s first frontside 2160, is also among the top contenders who will be aiming to make his mark in the lead-up to what would be a home Winter Games.
In the women’s field, look for Brookes, Sadowski-Synnot, Gasser, Iwabuchi, and Murase to take their slopestyle battle into big air one-upmanship.
And we’ll look forward to seeing Republic of Korea’s Chaeun Lee back in top form for this World Cup season—a rare competitor competing across all three disciplines.