Shaun White’s ‘Snow League’ contest replaces Sundance in Park City

As the Sundance Film Festival leaves Park City, Utah, next year, Olympian Shaun White will be hitting the mountains in Snow League, a halfpipe snowboarding and freeskiing tournament.

White revealed the news Tuesday morning from atop an 18-foot halfpipe on the side of Park City Mountain, the nation’s largest ski area and site of the 2034 Winter Olympics. The three-day Snow League competition will be held in the famous Utah state from January 22-24, 2027, a weekend usually reserved for Sundance’s most high-profile premieres, but will instead be held in Boulder, Colorado, from January 21-31.

“Park City has always been one of the most important destinations for snowboarding and freeskiing, so it feels incredibly special to bring the Snow League here for Season 2,” said White. “With the Utah Winter Olympics set to return in 2034 and Park City set to play a major role in the Games, there is an incredible energy building around winter sports in our community. We’re excited to join the momentum with Snow League, bring the world’s best halfpipe athletes here, and build something that will grow with the sport for the Olympics and many more to come.”

Launched in June 2024, the Snow League is the first professional winter sports league dedicated to snowboarding and freeskiing, combining elite athletic competition with a festival-like atmosphere featuring live music and other immersive mountain experiences.

The first season featured a four-event global format where world-class athletes competed for the title and $2.2 million in prize money. The tournament began at Buttermilk in Aspen Snowmass, then traveled to Yunding Snow Park in China, back to Aspen, and ended at LAAX in Switzerland. Snowboarders Sena Tomita and Yuto Totsuka and freeskiers Irene Gu and Luke Harrold were crowned Snow League’s first world champions.

As global sports and entertainment properties continue to expand and evolve, bringing the competition to Park City for Season 2 was a “thoughtful strategic decision,” said Snow League Chief Operating Officer Ian Warda.

“Park City provides an easy-to-access location and the opportunity to present the sport’s highest level of performance to one of the largest gatherings of current and future fans in the world,” Warda explained. “As momentum builds towards the 2034 Winter Olympics, the timing couldn’t be better. By establishing a presence here, we will be able to shape the future of winter sports in one of the world’s most important markets. We are proud to build a true destination event that brings together competition, culture and community while inspiring the next generation of skiers and snowboarders.”

The complete schedule for the Snow League’s second season and details about the Park City contest, including ticket sale dates, will be announced on the league’s website in the coming months.

But one more detail is ready to be revealed. At this competition, Park City Mountain will debut an upgraded 22-foot halfpipe, setting a new standard for the process beyond traditional 18-foot builds.

“As Park City continues to evolve, investing in events like Snow League helps define what our destination does next,” said Deirdre Walsh, the resort’s vice president and chief operating officer. “Bringing world-class athletes and an innovative competition format to Park City Mountain strengthens our position on the world stage and celebrates the spirit that makes this community special.”