Featured Image: Courtesy of The Snow League | Skier : Kelly Sildaru
The inaugural World Challenge event from The Snow League (TSL) wrapped up in New Zealand this weekend, and it was the perfect segue into Season Two of TSL . While poor weather got in the way of the finals and the event was determined based on semifinal standings, these eight skiers still put on a great show as global teams battled it out in the halfpipe.
Cardrona locals and TSL riders alike took to the mini-pipe | Photo: Dean Blotto-Gray
The World Challenge showcased TSL's head-to-head bracket format with some unique twists. A 720-degree spin cap was imposed in the semifinal rounds, encouraging more creative antics; a "one-hit battle" replaced the third run of the best two-out-of-three run format; and the best clip captured in the days before, as voted on by riders, determined the seeding.
Most notably, we saw skiers and boarders teaming up. The competition brought together Team North America, Team Europe, Team Asia-Pacific, and Team Challengers, with the ladder being comprised of up-and-coming riders from around the world. Each team featured two TSL skiers and two boarders.
The team formations weren't the only interesting part of the World Challenge. The event was a true New Zealand experience, with athletes arriving days before the competition weekend to take part in multiple events around Cardrona and Treble Cone resorts. There was a mini-pipe event with locals partaking in the madness. A pow-day clip battle at Treble Cone yielded some incredible sends. Shoutout to Hunter Hess for that tornado-caliber tomahawk .
We've rarely seen a freeski comp of such a high-level connect with the local atmosphere like this. Not only did athletes take time to ride classic zones and explore the mountains, but between press events, the mini-pipe showdown and free live music, TSL made a noticeable effort to bridge the gap between local hosts and riders.
Spray it high! Team Challengers takes the dub in Cardrona at the inaugural TSL World Challenge
Photo: Courtesy of The Snow League
When it came time for the contest, announcers Ed Leigh and Jossi Wells (yes, that Jossi Wells ) made sure to note that wind was a factor from the start. With the teams already locked in, the brackets were divided up into men's ski, women's ski, men's snowboard and women's snowboard, with one rider from each team in each bracket. Points were given based on final seeding within the bracket, and the team with the most points would be crowned champion.
TSL's PAVED judging criteria was used, with runs being evaluated based on Progression, Amplitude, Variety, Execution and Difficulty. That said, the criteria had to be altered for the semifinals, as the 720-degree spin cap prioritized creative execution over sheer amplitude.
On the women's ski side, Amy Fraser from Team North America teed off against Mischa Thomas from Team Challengers. As a Cardrona native, Thomas was hungry to sneak out a win on her home court, and that's exactly what she did. Her switch alley-oop flat 540 and carve back to alley-oop had the judges fired up. It was certainly her day, as she scored an 83.00 on run one and a 91.00 on run two, defeating Fraser handily.
"It was a really cool thing to compete on a team, having that kind of atmosphere and support for each other," said Thomas after her win, recounting the team-based format. "I was more nervous for my teammates, and I just wanted them to do well. And then I was also quite scared because I didn't want to let them down."
In a closer battle, Kelly Sildaru from Team Europe matched up against Indra Brown from Team Asia-Pacific. With more experience under her belt than Brown, Sildaru found ways to get creative given the spin cap, while Brown didn't quite impress to the same degree. With back-to-back 540s, a capped blunt 360 alley-oop and perfect grabs throughout both runs, Sildaru took the win, with her highest score being 77.00. It wasn't enough to knock off Thomas, as her 91.00-point run stole the day.
On the men's side, the trick variation was very entertaining. Hunter Hess from Team North America went up against Fin Melville Ives from Team Challengers. Two heavy hitters, they each used the deck to their advantage, with Hess lacing two distinct jibs, intentionally landing on the deck. In response, Ives debuted a wild nose butter pull-back 540 and a Tokyo Drift flair.
Ives took the win in two rounds, scoring 92.00 first and narrowly beating Hess by one point on the second run with a 90.00. The NZ native was stoked on the spin cap, saying, "I've never really done butters or drifts [in the halfpipe]. I thought it was really sick to show a new avenue to what competing is and show them it's not always about the biggest spins."
The second men's ski matchup featured Team Europe's Jon Sallinen against Team Asia-Pacific's Luke Harrold. Harrold, the 2025 TSL champion, was a favorite coming into the battle. Sallinen showcased incredibly fluid style in both runs, but it was likely his lack of polished grabs that led Harrold to gain the upper hand. The NZ local had noticeably more confidence coming into run one.
While Stallien finished his second run with one of the best tricks of the day, a gigantic, smooth alley-oop, he couldn't quite edge out Harrold, who squeaked out a win with scores of 85.00 and 80.00 across each run, respectively.
With the snowboard brackets included, Team Challengers held first place in men's freeski and snowboarding, as well as women's freeski, giving them the win. While everyone was disapointed with the lack of a finals round, the reason for the cancelation was understandable.
The days spent in New Zealand were still a success, with TSL once again proving they've got a winning formula that engages both fans and riders, with riders being especially grateful for the $100,000 cash prize purse. The winning team was rewarded with $20,000 split among four riders, with all 16 athletes recieving a $5,000 apperance check.
Since only a handful of total TSL athletes were able to compete, the results here won't count towards the rest of Season Two, which is fast approaching . The halfpipe madness returns in January in Aspen, Colorado before heading to Park City and LAAX, Switzerland.
2026 TSL World Challengers - Final Standings
Women's Freeski
(1) Mischa Thomas - Team Challengers
(2) Kelly Sildaru - Team Europe
(3) Indra Brown - Team Asia-Pacific
(4) Amy Fraser - Team North America
Men's Freeski
(1) Fin Melville Ives - Team Challengers
(2) Luke Harrold - Team Asia-Pacific
(3) Hunter Hess - Team North America
(4) Jon Sallinen - Team Europe
