Snowboard Athletes Hirano and Choi Claim Podium Spots in Aspen
Monster Energy's Ayumy Hirano and Gaon Choi place 3rd in Men's & Women's Snowboard Halfpipe at the inaugural Snow League Competition in Aspen Snowmass.
Monster Energy congratulates Ayumu Hirano on taking third place in Men’s Snowboard Halfpipe at the Snow League competition in Aspen Snowmass. In the snowboard contest hosted by snow sports icon Shaun White, the 26-year-old from Murakami, Japan, claimed a podium spot in an elite field of invited riders. Also rising to the podium, 16-year-old Gaon Choi from Seoul, South Korea, took third place in the Women’s Snowboard Halfpipe competition.
Buttermilk Resort hosted the first installment of the new Snow League snowboard halfpipe contest series created by snowboard icon Shaun White. For two action-packed days, the event featured 36 riders from across the globe battling for the top spots and tour points in a global ranking system.
In the Men’s Halfpipe final, Ayumu Hirano competed in a field of eight finalists from Friday’s qualifiers. The finals pitted athlete against athlete in a best two of three run, head-to-head format. According to Snow League rules, each athlete must drop into both the right and left-hand walls of the halfpipe in their first two runs. The first athlete to win two runs will advance to the next round, and ultimately, the rider that wins each of their head-to-head matchups claims the win.
In the battle for third place, Hirano faced American Alessandro Barbieri. Hirano put down a perfect run featuring his signature frontside triple cork 1440, Cab 1440, huge method crippler, and backside 1260 and frontside double cork 1080 to claim third place.
The Women’s Halfpipe final saw Gaon Choi claim her podium spot in the battle for third place against Ono Mitsuki from Japan. Standout tricks, including switch backside 900 Weddle, Cab 720, and frontside 1080 earned Choi the upper hand in the head-to-head battle for third place.
What’s next? Additional Snow League events will be contested at China’s Secret Garden (4-6 December 2025), Aspen (26-28 February 2026), and Switzerland (19-21 March 2026). At the end of the season, rankings will determine the first Snow League World Champion.
