Eileen Gu Is Joining Shaun White's Snow League As Global Ambassador
Eileen Gu of Team China reacts after winning the gold medal during the Women's Freestyle Freeski ... More Halfpipe Final on Day 14 of the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics at Genting Snow Park on February 18, 2022 in Zhangjiakou, China.
Shaun White's professional snowboarding and freeskiing competition, The Snow League, debuted this year with a host of big-name sponsors and backers. White's venture is supported by partners like Marriott Bonvoy, INEOS Automotive, Pacifico, Hublot and Tiffany & Co., and it inked a multi-year media rights deal with NBC Sports.
These partnerships have allowed White and his team to offer athletes the opportunity to compete for an unprecedented $2.5 million season purse at the end of The Snow League's four-stop season.
Now, The Snow League has announced that Eileen Gu, one of the most recognizable names and faces in action sports, is joining as global ambassador.
The news is sure to excite freeskiing fans, who eagerly await that sport's debut in the second stop of the Snow League's first season in Yunding Secret Garden in China on December 4–6, 2025.
'Eileen represents everything The Snow League stands for: greatness, creativity and a relentless drive to push boundaries,' White said. 'The Snow League is doing what no other winter sports league has done—bringing together world-class venues, premium global partners and high-profile investors to create an experience that elevates both the athletes and the sports themselves.'
Having Gu onboard, White added, 'is not only an asset for the league, but also for the future of winter sports, and I'm so proud to have her as a partner on this journey.'
Freeskier Eileen Gu, a powerhouse on and off the slopes, is joining Shaun White's Snow League as ... More global ambassador
Gu, at 21, is already making her case as one of the best freeskiers to ever do it. She is as skilled in halfpipe as she is slopestyle and rails. At Beijing 2022, Gu became the youngest freeski Olympic gold medalist at age 18. She's also the first winter sports athlete to claim three medals at both the 2021 X Games and FIS World Championships. In World Cup competition, Gu has made the podium in 89% of her starts.
But skiing represents just a fraction of Gu's platform.
Gu is a full-time student at Stanford University, where she is studying quantum physics. She is also an in-demand model, having walked the runway for designers like Louis Vuitton and Brunello Cucinelli and been featured on covers of magazines like Vogue and Harper's Bazaar.
In short, Gu is a sports and culture powerhouse, truly the freeskiing equivalent to White, who became the face of snowboarding during his pro career. Gu has already served as an ambassador for the 2022 Beijing Olympics, 2024 Gangwon Youth Olympics, 2024 Paris Olympics and Salt Lake City's 2030 Olympic bid.
Now, Gu will bring that global crossover appeal to The Snow League as the series prepares for its event in China at the same venue that saw Gu made history, becoming the only action sports athlete to win three medals (two golds and a silver) at the Beijing 2022 Games.
The inaugural Snow League event, held in Aspen Snowmass March 7–8, featured snowboard halfpipe only. The final two events of the season in 2026, at Aspen Snowmass again in February and then Laax, Switzerland, in March, will also feature both disciplines.
Shaun White poses in the halfpipe after competition on day 2 of The Snow League at Buttermilk Ski ... More Resort on March 08, 2025 in Aspen, Colorado.
The list of invited freeski athletes for the remaining Snow League events has not yet been released.
'I vividly remember the first time I heard about The Snow League," Gu told me. 'I was getting my boots fitted in the springtime when my phone rang in my pocket. Shaun and I spoke for over an hour about our common goal of sharing the joy of snowsport with kids and adults all around the world who maybe hadn't engaged in winter sports before.'
The partnership is symbolic of The Snow League's—and White's and Gu's—goal of elevating winter sports as a whole, moving beyond the tired skiing vs. snowboarding debate.
'It's about the power of sport to bring people together, cultivate resilience and build sportsmanship,' Gu added. 'I'm excited to align with TSL to make the world better through sport.'
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