Debuting in 1998 in the Nagano Games, Olympic snowboarding has captured viewers' attention for its diversity of events and athletes who seem to defy gravity. Beginning with giant slalom and halfpipe in its first Olympic appearance, the sport's presence has grown to include snowboard cross, slopestyle and big air.
Snowboarding gains especially great traction in the United States thanks to its dominance in the sport and top Olympic athletes, such as Shaun White, Chloe Kim and Lindsey Jacobellis. These big names along with other great riders have put Team USA well ahead of the competition, contributing to its 17 gold medals and 35 total medals over the years.
Here are key facts about snowboarding at the 2026 Winter Olympics.
Where and when will snowboarding take place in the 2026 Winter Olympics?
The various Olympic snowboarding events will be held from Feb. 5 to 18, all taking place at Livigno Snow Park.
What are the different snowboarding events, how are they scored, and what is their format?
Halfpipe
In this event, riders perform downhill tricks within a semicylindrical shape with the goal of getting big air and landing tricks with great technicality. During qualifying, competitors will complete two runs, with their top score being counted. The 12 top scorers will continue on to the finals, where they will have three runs to prove themselves in the same format to claim the gold. Each run is scored between 0 and 100 by a team of six judges, whose scores are averaged after dropping the highest and lowest score. Riders will be judged on five key components throughout each run: amplitude, difficulty, variety, execution and progression. Some of the most difficult tricks to keep an eye out for this year are the triple cork 1440 (three inversions and four rotations) on the men's side and the double cork 1080 (two inversions and three rotations) on the women's side.
Parallel giant slalom
In this event, riders race head-to-head down parallel tracks, maneuvering around gates with the objective of being first to the finish line. During qualifiers, 32 competitors will take turns racing each of the two tracks, trying to clock the fastest combined time. The top 16 will advance to the elimination rounds, where the competition then follows a knockout bracket format. Starting with the round of 16, winners of each pair advance to the quarterfinals, then semifinals and finally the medal final, where the overall champion is determined. Not only is speed important, but so is accuracy, as missing a single gate during a run results in automatic disqualification.
Snowboard cross
Unlike the other snowboarding events, snowboard cross includes both individual and mixed team racing. The event itself, like parallel giant slalom, follows a knockout bracket style where four competitors race together down a course that consists of obstacles, with the winner being the first rider to cross the finish line. Riders can be penalized throughout their run for interfering with other competitors intentionally, involuntarily or incidentally, with each degree of interference coming with different consequences. The individual competition begins with a seeding round in which the top 16 fastest individual run times are seeded for the knockout rounds. The remaining riders are then seeded 17 through 32 based on a second run time. From there, the fastest two riders from each race will advance through the bracket. Starting with the round of 32, winners will advance to the quarterfinals, then semis, and then a final to determine first through fourth place. Those who lost in the semis will compete in another race to determine fifth through eighth place. In the mixed team competition, 16 teams made up of a man and woman each will race in their respective heats. The men will race first to determine a staggered start for the women, and the result of the women's race will determine the result of the heat. The top two teams will advance each round until the winning team is determined.
Big air
In this event, riders take turns dropping into a massive ramp and executing a single aerial trick. During qualifying, each rider takes three runs, and their top two scores are added for a total score. The top 12 riders will then advance to the final. In the final, riders will take another three runs, combining their top two scores to determine their final score. The overall top scorer wins the event. For riders' scores to qualify, they must perform a different trick for each of their runs. Six judges will score these tricks on a scale of 0 to 100 based on five criteria: difficulty, execution, amplitude, landing and progression. After dropping the highest and lowest scores, the remaining judges' scores are then averaged to get the official run score. Some of the most difficult tricks to look out for this year are a 2340 (6½ rotations) on the men's side and triple corks (three inversions) on the women's side.
Slopestyle
Many riders who compete in big air will also compete in slopestyle due to the transferable skills across both competitions. However, rather than focusing on landing one major trick, slopestyle requires riders to put together a run consisting of multiple tricks on a six-section course that is made up of jumps and rails. During qualifying, each rider will get two runs, with their best single run score counting. The top 12 scorers will advance to the finals, where they will attempt three more runs. The best score for each rider will count toward their final result. Nine judges will split the scoring responsibilities, scoring on a scale of 0 to 100 throughout the competition. Three will evaluate overall impression, and the remaining judges will split into groups to focus on the different sections of the course. Section judges will score based on the following criteria: amplitude, difficulty, variety, execution and progression.
Who qualified to compete for Team USA in Milan?
Men: Alessandro Barbieri, Nick Baumgartner, Chase Blackwell, Jake Canter, Sean FitzSimons, Red Gerard, Chase Josey, Oliver Martin, Nathan Pare, Jake Pates, Jake Vedder, Cody Winters
Women: Brianna Schnorrbusch, Lily Dhawornvej, Stacy Gaskill, Faye Gulini, Chloe Kim, Beatrice Kim, Maddie Mastro, Hahna Norman, Hanna Percy, Jess Perlmutter, Iris Pflum, Madeline Schaffrick
Check out the ESPN Olympic hub page for more information.