Here Are The Snowboarders Named Founding Members Of The X Games League

The X Games League is becoming a reality, and five snowboarders have been named founding athletes.

The newest action sports league will feature teams comprised of skiers, snowboarders, skateboarders, and BMX riders. It will debut this summer.

Chloe Kim, Jamie Anderson, Mark McMorris, Scotty James, and Zeb Powell have all been named as founding athletes. Freeskier Eileen Gu is the sixth.

“We couldn’t imagine ushering in this new era of action sports with a more iconic group,” said Annie Lokesh, Head of XGL, in a press release.

Kim is an eight-time X Games gold medalist, while James holds seven X Games golds himself. The two SuperPipe riders have redefined halfpipe snowboarding in the modern era. James will also serve as a strategic advisor.

Anderson is the owner of a whopping 21 X Games medals, including eight golds, and McMorris is the most decorated winter competitor in X Games history, with 24 medals. Powell, of course, earned a gold medal at his X Games debut in 2020 and took home silver in Aspen in 2024.

The news comes ahead of the X Games Aspen that goes off next week, from January 23-25, 2026.

The announcement follows last summer’s unveiling of the League’s Summer Founder Athletes: legendary skateboarders Leticia Bufoni, Nyjah Huston, Ryan Sheckler and BMX rider Ryan Williams, round out the roster.

Founding members will provide input on competition formats, advise on athlete experience, and help shape the creative and cultural direction of the teams and league, according to a press release.

"Welcoming them as XGL Founder Athletes underscores the mission of the X Games League: to propel action sports forward by building an athlete-first, team-powered, professional league that champions progression, fosters community, and inspires the next generation of fans around the world. Each of these men and women have advanced their sport in unforgettable ways, and their leadership will be instrumental as we launch and scale something as ambitious as the X Games League,” Lokesh said.

We don’t know all of the details about XGL yet, but here are the basics: There will be two seasons: summer and winter. Every club will be privately owned. Teams will be comprised of both male and female athletes. In 2026, there will be three stops, each of which will last three days. In 2027, that number will double.

Athletes from the following “sports” will be on each team:

• Skateboarding
• BMX
• Snowboarding
• Skiing

For snowboarding, the four events that have point-earning potential are:

• Superpipe
• Big air
• Slopestyle
• Knuckle huck.

Skiing will be scored the same way. Skaters will earn points in street, park, and vert contests. BMX will earn points in men’s street, park, men’s dirt, and big air.

First place gets 100 points, second place gets 85 points, third place gets 75, fourth gets 60, fifth gets 50, sixth gets 40, seventh gets 30, and eighth gets nothing.

The format will remain the same. Each event will consist of athletes getting three runs, before making it into the “playoffs.” The best score counts.

According to their website, 150 action sports athletes have opted into the X Games League. The draft is scheduled for spring 2026, with summer 2026 kicking off the competition.