Snowboard freestyle at Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Games: Preview, full schedule, rising stars, and how to watch live YOG action
Fearlessness and artistry will be on display as the world's freshest talents make their bids for Youth Olympic medals and a place in snowboard history. Find out how to tune in and the athletes to follow.
Snowboard
Get ready to witness a new chapter in snowboard progression as the next generation of trailblazers take the spotlight at the Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Games (YOG).
As in previous Games editions, Gangwon 2024 promises to deliver plenty of jaw-dropping tricks as the young up-and-comers in the park and pipe freestyle disciplines of snowboarding push the boundaries and show their artistic flair in halfpipe, slopestyle, and Big Air.
Find out all you need to know about the snowboard park and pipe competitions in our preview, including how to watch the action live on Olympics.com and the official Olympics app.
Snowboard park and pipe venue and dates at Gangwon 2024
The competitions in all three park and pipe disciplines will be held at the Welli Hilli Park Ski Resort in Hoengseong, which will also host freestyle skiing events during Gangwon 2024.
While Welli Hilli was not used during the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Games, it still has a stellar pedigree as a snowboard host. This includes hosting the 2009 FIS Snowboarding World Championships and the 2004 and 2008 FIS World Cup events.
The halfpipe course at the venue is considered the best in the Republic of Korea. Good snow quality and exciting slopes also make Welli Hilli a prime venue for welcoming the best youth riders in the world.
The park and pipe snowboard competitions will start on 24 January with the halfpipe - one of the most anticipated events at Gangwon 2024 - sending the Games off in style on 1 February shortly before the Closing Ceremony.
Freestyle snowboard competitions at Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympics
Six sets of medals will be awarded across the three park and pipe disciplines: slopestyle, Big Air, and halfpipe.
The 44 athletes competing in slopestyle are also automatically entered to compete in Big Air, while a separate group of athletes will compete in halfpipe.
In slopestyle, riders have two chances to make their best run with the top score counting. The number of attempts increases to three in Big Air where the two highest scores are added up for the total.
Athletes also get three runs in halfpipe. The best single score counts.
There are 32 boys and girls set to compete in the halfpipe event.
Gangwon 2024: Snowboarders to watch
The Republic of Korea is not holding back when it comes to the home Games. The Gangwon 2024 hosts will serve up a double punch at the snowboard competition in the form of Lee Chaeun and Choi Gaon, both accomplished athletes on the senior circuit despite being only 17 and 15 years old, respectively.
Chaeun is the reigning halfpipe world champion and has also reached the podium in both halfpipe World Cup stops so far this season. The teen star is not a novice to the Olympics either, having received a last-minute call up for Beijing 2022 where he finished in 18th place.
Choi made a glittering debut on the World Cup in December, finishing first in qualification and backing up that success with gold in the final. She is the youngest female snowboarder to win halfpipe gold at the X Games, a record that double Olympic and Youth Olympic champion Chloe Kim used to hold.
USA’s Sonora Alba will look to give Choi a challenge on the halfpipe course in Welli Hilli. The 17-year-old made her senior World Cup debut two years ago and has already broken into the Top 10 twice.
In slopestyle, keep an eye on Lucia Georgalli. She is the first junior park & pipe world champion from New Zealand and aspires to follow in the footsteps of her role model, Olympic slopestyle champion Zoi Sadowski-Synnott.
Full freestyle snowboard schedule at Gangwon 2024
All times are Korea Standard Time (UTC/GMT +9 hours) and are subject to change
Wednesday 24 January
- 09:45-16:00 – Women's slopestyle
Thursday 25 January
- 09:45-16:00 – Men's slopestyle
Saturday 27 January
- 10:15-14:45 – Men's / Women's Big Air qualification
Sunday 28 January
- 10:15-15:45 – Men's / Women's Big Air
Thursday 1 February
- 10:15-15:45 – Men's / Women's halfpipe
How to watch snowboard freestyle competition at Gangwon 2024 Youth Olympic Games
Action from all 13 competition days at Gangwon 2024, including every competition taking place at the Welli Hilli Park Ski Resort, will be streamed on dedicated feeds on Olympics.com and on the official Olympics app for mobile devices.
You can also watch full replays on demand on Olympics.com and catch highlights, reaction interview clips, news articles, and full results sections across the website and official Olympics social media accounts.