Some of the biggest names in snowboarding return to the Olympic stage in Beijing, with more action than ever.
Snowboarding was invented in the 1960s but only added to Olympic programming in 1998. In the six Olympics since its debut, the sport has taken the Winter Games by storm, emerging as one of its most popular events.
The U.S. has consistently dominated the slopes with 31 Olympic medals, the most of any country. Team USA is once again expected to field an impressive roster including Chloe Kim, Red Gerard and Shaun White. Kim and Gerard won gold in PyeongChang as 17-years-olds and are heading to Beijing with four years of experience under their boards.
Fans of snowboarding will also get to enjoy more competition with the addition of the mixed-team cross event. First contested at the 2019 World Championships, cross athletes will have a chance to compete for another medal in the event’s Olympic debut.
Here is how you can watch all the snowboarding action at the 2022 Beijing Olympics, along with streaming info, Team USA’s outlook and more athletes to watch:
When is Snowboarding scheduled at the 2022 Beijing Olympics?
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Snowboarding is slated to begin Feb. 4 with the women’s slopestyle qualification rounds, followed by the medal round on Feb. 5. This kicks off seven-straight days of competitions with medals being awarded in slalom, cross and halfpipe. Snowboarding will then take a one-day break before returning to action on the evening of Sunday, Feb. 13, for the men’s and women’s Big Air competitions.
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Below is the full event and streaming information for snowboarding at the Beijing Olympics.
| Date/Time | Event | Network/Stream |
|---|---|---|
| Fri, 2/4 9:45p |
Women's Slopestyle Qualifying | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Sat, 2/5 8:30p |
🏅 Women's Slopestyle Final | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Sat, 2/5 11:30p |
Men's Slopestyle Qualifying | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Sun, 2/6 11:00p |
🏅 Men's Slopestyle Final | NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Mon, 2/7 9:40p |
M/W Parallel Giant Slalom Qualifying | — | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Tue, 2/8 1:30a |
🏅 M/W Parallel Giant Slalom Finals | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Tue, 2/8 8:30p |
Women's Halfpipe Qualifying | NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Tue, 2/8 10:00p |
Women's Snowboard Cross Qualifying | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Tue, 2/8 11:30p |
Men's Halfpipe Qualifying | NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Wed, 2/9 1:30p |
🏅 Women's Snowboard Cross Finals | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Wed, 2/9 8:30p |
🏅 Women's Halfpipe Final | NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Wed, 2/9 10:15p |
Men's Snowboard Cross Qualifying | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Thu, 2/10 1:00a |
🏅 Men's Snowboard Cross Finals | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Thu, 2/10 8:30p |
🏅 Men's Halfpipe Final | NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Fri, 2/11 9:00p |
🏅 Mixed Team Snowboard Cross Finals | NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Sun, 2/13 8:30p |
Women's Big Air Qualifying | *NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Mon, 2/14 12:30a |
Men's Big Air Qualifying | USA | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Mon, 2/14 8:30p |
🏅 Women's Big Air Final | NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
| Tue, 2/15 12:00a |
🏅 Men's Big Air Final | NBC | Peacock, NBCOlympics.com |
*TV broadcast not live, airs 12:30 a.m. (Feb. 14)
Who are the gold-medal favorites in Snowboarding?
Team USA is looking to continue its dominance as the world’s leader in snowboarding with 31 Olympic medals, more than the next two countries – Switzerland and France – combined. They’ll be headlined by 2018 Olympic gold medalists Chloe Kim, Red Gerard, Jamie Anderson and snowboarding legend Shaun White, who currently holds the record for most Olympic gold medals at three.
White’s biggest obstacle to completing the four-peat of the men’s halfpipe is Japanese duo Yuto Totsuka and 2018 silver-medalist Amuyu Hirano. In PyeongChang, 20-year-old Yuto suffered a devastating fall and required medical attention to finish in 11th place. However, he has returned stronger than ever, sweeping all four competitions he entered this past season, including the Winter X Games and the world championships.
Who is representing the U.S. in Snowboarding at the Olympics?
In late January, 26 snowboarders officially secured spots to represent the U.S in Beijing.
Six athletes punched their ticket to the 2022 Olympics by the New Year, while the other 20 spots were confirmed throughout January, determined by final qualification contests, world rankings and coaches’ discretion. The six athletes first named to Team USA were:
- Chloe Kim - Women’s halfpipe
- Maddie Mastro - Women’s halfpipe
- Red Gerard - Men’s slopestyle/Big Air
- Dusty Henricksen - Men’s slopestyle/Big Air
- Jamie Anderson - Women’s slopestyle/Big Air
- Faye Gulini - Women’s cross
The remaining 20 spots went to:
- Tessa Maud - Women’s halfpipe
- Zoe Kalapos - Women’s halfpipe
- Shawn White - Men’s halfpipe
- Taylor Gold - Men’s halfpipe
- Chase Josey - Men’s halfpipe
- Lucas Foster - Men’s halfpipe
- Robert Burns - Parallel Giant Slalom
- Cody Winters - Parallel Giant Slalom
- Chris Corning - Men’s slopestyle/Big Air
- Sean Fitzsimons - Men’s slopestyle/Big Air
- Hailey Langland - Women’s slopestyle/Big Air
- Julia Marino - Women’s slopestyle/Big Air
- Courtney Rummel - Women’s slopestyle/Big Air
- Lindsey Jacobellis - Women’s cross
- Meghan Tierney - Women’s cross
- Stacy Gaskill - Women’s cross
- Mick Dierdorff - Men’s cross
- Nick Baumgartner - Men’s cross
- Alex Diebold - Men’s cross (OUT - head injury)
- Hagen Kearney - Men’s cross
Is Shaun White competing in the 2022 Olympics?
Qualification for fan-favorite and three-time halfpipe Olympic gold medalist Shaun White notably went down to the wire this season. White took a three-year hiatus from competition following his victory in PyeongChang, but returned to competition in search of his fifth Olympic appearance. The 35-year-old recently announced his plans to retire following the 2022 Olympics.
While White was generally expected to qualify with a discretionary selection, he struggled in qualifying competitions even withdrawing from the final automatic qualifier on Jan. 6. However, a podium-finish in Switzerland a week later secured his spot as the fourth-ranked American snowboarder and punched his ticket to Beijing
How do athletes qualify to represent the U.S. in snowboarding at the Olympics?
The U.S. selection process involves a combination of world rankings, designated selection events and discretionary selection. In any given event, up to two spots can be filled by athletes ranked in the top-6 by world rankings as of Dec. 22. Next, athletes who recorded a podium finish at one of the predetermined selection events can earn a spot on Team USA. Finally, whatever spots remain will be filled at the discretion of head coach Mike Jankowski.
Are there any new snowboarding disciplines added to the Olympic schedule in Beijing?
Mixed team cross is one of four mixed team events making their Olympic debut in Beijing. Each country is represented by one man and one woman who compete relay-style to complete the cross course. The race begins with the men, followed immediately by the women whose starting gates automatically open upon their teammate’s completion of the course.
Mixed team cross first debuted on the international stage at the 2019 World Championships with American duo Mick Dierdorff and Lindsey Jacobellis taking the inaugural victory.
