TL;DR: From its humble beginnings as a fringe lifestyle sport, snowboarding has grown to be one of the more popular sports watched at the Winter Olympics today. With such a quick rise into hearts across the globe, and just a couple years until the next Winter Olympic Games, we’ll go over a few things that should be expected, and a few riders to watch out for, come 2026.

The Rise of Freestyle Snowboarding

Before we cover what the future of snowboarding may look like, it’s important to acknowledge the sport’s past.

In a Tahoe City garbage dump during the mid-80’s, a young man by the name of Terry Kidwell proved that one man’s trash was another man's treasure when he essentially gave birth to freestyle snowboarding. His skateboarding-influenced approach to snowboarding changed the face of snowboarding, and earned him the name “The Father of Freestyle.”

It took another decade or so before the masses recognized snowboarding as a legitimate sport. At its Olympic debut at the 1998 Nagano Games, halfpipe and giant slalom were the first two snowboard events on offer. At the 2006 Torino Games, snowboard cross was added to the list of events. And 2014 marked the year that slopestyle was added to the Olympic Games, during which the US’s very own Sage Kotsenberg took home the first ever Olympic slopestyle gold medal. Big air was added the following Winter Games and ever since, freestyle snowboarding has remained an spectator favorite.

Snowboarding Highlights from Beijing 2022

The level of snowboarding that both the men and women are riding at right now is nothing short of heroic. The amplitude in the half pipe and straight mind-melting spins being done on the slopestyle and big air jumps has me beyond amazed—and honestly, fearing for their safety at times. Truly though, the tricks are progressing so rapidly that it is hard to predict what the level will be by February 2026 in Milano Cortina, Italy.

Already since the last Olympic Games, the 1800 has gone from the pinnacle of jump tricks to a pretty standard feature. Many of the men riding slopestyle and big air have the 1980 in their bag of tricks. And just a couple weeks ago, Italian rider Ian Matteoli landed the first ever frontside 2160 after the first backside 2160 was performed by 16 year old Hiroto Ogiwar last year.

One of the most exciting things for me to watch these days is women’s snowboarding. Their style is impeccable, and it really is a treat to watch such powerful riders incorporate a distinct level of grace. It is such an incredibly exciting time for women’s snowboarding, and I look forward to seeing what these riders bring to the 2026 games.

Judging on Style

Style has always been one of the criteria in freestyle snowboarding contests. Style distinctly differentiates riders from one another. Among video pros, it is quite easy for someone immersed in the snowboarding world to watch a rider for under 10 seconds and know exactly who that rider is, and that’s because of style.

However, tricks have been progressing so quickly that it has been difficult for a rider’s individual style to progress along with their rotations, or to shine through on some of these bigger spins and corks. With a field of athletes that are all performing such highly technical tricks, we may be reaching a bit of a ceiling on how many rotations can be done. A way that I see snowboarding continuing to progress in the next Olympics—without just adding more and more 180s until contest judges are going to need a PhD in mathematics just to call the tricks—is style.

Now, with the 2160 lining up to be a common trick at the 2026 Olympic Games, these riders are spinning well into the future. This not only defies physics but the entire time-space continuum. The athletes that are going to have the best chances at landing on the podium are those who can perform a couple of the latest and greatest tricks, but be able to add their own sort of special sauce. That being said, here are some riders to look out for in 2026.

Riders to Watch For in 2026

Here are a couple of my favorite riders who I can see fighting for an Olympic title in 2026—although, given that we’re still a couple years out, and the sport that is progressing so rapidly, I probably wouldn’t bet any money on who’s going to be there representing their country in snowboarding. The names and faces in snowboarding are changing so quickly as this new generation of youth—many of which grew up training with airbags—are coming to maturity and progressing snowboarding tricks at dizzying speeds.

Women

• Zoi Sadowski-Synnott: Two years after the Beijing Winter Games, Zoi remains at the forefront. She continues to push the limits of women’s snowboarding, bringing timeless style to the tricks she’s pioneering, such as her switch backside 1260 double cork. I would be in disbelief if we didn’t see Zoi back to defend her Olympic title.
• Cocomo Murase: Cocomo is another woman that is leading the charge right now, and is a force to be reckoned with in the space of women's snowboarding. She was just 17 when she won bronze at the Beijing Winter Games in 2022, and is poised for an even better showing this next time around.

Men

• Scotty James: Scotty recently stated that he is “driven” for gold at Milano Cortina in 2026, and I wouldn’t put it past him to achieve it. His focus, as well as his consistency, are what makes James such a major threat in any competition he attends. He’ll be into his thirties by the time the next Olympics come around, but it remains to be seen if that will be a hindrance.
• Ayumu and Kaishu Hirano: Both Ayumu and younger brother Kaishu are major contenders in any halfpipe event they attend. Both are extremely focused and disciplined athletes. Another advantage is that they train alongside each other, progressing their riding (and snowboarding as a whole) to new heights.
• Rene Rinekangas: I’d imagine that the Finnish powerhouse Rene will give it another go, and he certainly has the style and technicality to win. Rene has such a unique and personal approach to snowboarding. His style is all his own, and he has the ability to make even the scariest most technical tricks look fun.
• Su Yiming: This 2022 Olympic slopestyle silver medalist has just returned to competition for a win right out the gate. Su is in a really good place going into the 2026 games, having one of the best balances of youth and experience. Su’s domination is just beginning.

These are some of my quick picks—however, only time will tell, so we will have to just sit tight and stay tuned.

Closing Ceremonies

No Olympic Games is complete without the closing ceremony, and neither is any article written on the Games. This was no marathon to Olympus, but I hope it was enough to get you looking forward to snowboarding in the 2026 Milano Cortina games and beyond—I know that I am. Just when we think that snowboarding can’t get any crazier, the next Olympics acts like gasoline thrown on the fire, escalating things to wild levels. I look forward to 2026 and beyond, as I expect not only the riders’ styles and tricks to get more entertaining to watch, but also the terrain parks and jumps they are competing on to continue to advance.

Speculating is fun, yet there’s really only one way to know for sure what’s in store—and that is spectating when the time comes. In the meantime, have fun and stay safe out there on the snow this winter! And, of course, if you need an Expert opinion when making your next gear purchase, don’t hesitate to reach out to myself or any of our knowledgeable experts here on Curated for free, personalized advice.