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3w ago

X Games League Finalizes Winter Rosters With Eileen Gu Picked No. 1

The league completed 40-player team rosters and set a three-stop 2027 winter schedule to build season-long franchises for freeskiing and snowboarding.

China's Eileen Gu competes during the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe final at the 2026 Winter Olympics, Feb. 22, 2026, in Livigno, Italy.
Gold medalist China's Eileen Gu celebrates winning the women's freestyle skiing halfpipe final at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Livigno, Italy, Sunday, Feb. 22, 2026.

Overview

  • The inaugural X Games Winter Draft, which took place Wednesday night, assigned 40 skiers and snowboarders to four franchises: XC Golden State, XC New York, XC Park City and XC Whistler.
  • Eileen Gu was selected No. 1 overall by XC Golden State and posted a video saying she felt honored and excited to help grow the league.
  • Draft rules required balanced squads of five men and five women spanning both skiing and snowboarding, and more than 180 athletes opted in with the 40 draftees representing about 14 countries and ages ranging roughly from 14 to 32.
  • The X Games League published its 2027 winter stops for Aspen (Jan. 29–31), Calgary (Feb. 19–21) and Ruka, Finland (April 9–11), and reporting has cited a reported $500,000 team prize purse for the season that has not been uniformly confirmed.
  • Non-drafted athletes remain eligible to compete as free agents and the franchise model, backed by title sponsor MoonPay, seeks to create season-long narratives and new commercial opportunities for athletes and organizers.