Japan’s rise has been systematic, with a deep talent pool, while the United States struggled to find a clear successor to Shaun White.

Scotty James, Ayumu Hirano and Cam Melville Ives are among the names to know as men's snowboard halfpipe commences with the qualifying round on Wednesday, Feb. 11.

The first snowboarding gold medal has been handed out at the Milan Cortina 2026 Games, after Japan's Kira Kimura took gold in men's big air on Saturday. Now, it's the women's turn.

In the early 1970s, Dimitrije Milovich and Wayne Stoveken began building boards meant specifically to surf the snow, testing ideas in Utah’s deep powder. This became Winterstick, one of the earliest companies to treat the snowboard as serious winter sport gear with a purpose-built design.

The men’s snowboard big air final takes the spotlight Saturday, with riders launching off massive jumps as medals are decided in the trick-based event.

The United States has dominated the snowboarding events at the Winter Olympics since the sport was introduced at the Games in 1998.

Live updates from the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics on Tuesday. Get the latest news, results, medal count, TV schedules and highlights from Italy.

Mikaela Shiffrin seeks her first Olympic gold medal since 2018. Michal Cizek / The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics. Mikaela Shiffrin arrives at the 2026 Winter Olympics as her sport’s decade-long statistical outlier and standard-bearer.