{"id":2095752,"date":"2026-08-16T01:36:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-15T22:36:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2095752"},"modified":"2026-08-16T01:36:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-15T22:36:32","slug":"x-games-turns-skiing-snowboarding-into-a-draft-day-sport-meet-the-4-general-managers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2095752","title":{"rendered":"X Games Turns Skiing &amp; Snowboarding into a Draft-Day Sport: Meet the 4 General Managers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"entry-content\">\n<figure id=\"attachment_420561\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-420561\" style=\"width: 1197px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-420561 lazyload\" src=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAoAAAAE5AQMAAAA6LgNAAAAABlBMVEUAAAD\/\/\/+l2Z\/dAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAC9JREFUeNrtwTEBAAAAwqD1T20JT6AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADgYGMJAAFrCXg5AAAAAElFTkSuQmCC\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"313\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4247.jpeg?resize=640%2C313&amp;ssl=1\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4247.jpeg?w=1197&amp;ssl=1 1197w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4247.jpeg?resize=300%2C147&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4247.jpeg?resize=768%2C375&amp;ssl=1 768w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"640\" data-eio-rheight=\"313\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-420561\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4247.jpeg?resize=640%2C313&amp;ssl=1\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"313\" data-eio=\"l\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-420561\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The X Games Winter League has arrived for the 2026 season. | Image: X Games<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-1\" style=\"margin: 8px auto;text-align: center;display: block;clear: both\">\n<!-- GAM 71161633\/SNWBR_snowbrains\/article_hrec_1 --><\/p>\n<div data-fuse=\"article_hrec_1\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p data-start=\"1180\" data-end=\"1245\"><strong data-start=\"1180\" data-end=\"1245\">X Games is turning skiing and snowboarding into a team sport.\u00a0<\/strong>The organization has announced the four general managers who will build the inaugural rosters for its new MoonPay X Games League (XGL) Winter Season, which begins in January 2027. The format already ran once: XGL\u2019s inaugural Summer Season wrapped with XC New York edging XC Tokyo for the title in New Orleans, and the four winter clubs now follow the same blueprint for skiing and snowboarding.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li data-start=\"1180\" data-end=\"1245\"><strong>Related: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/snowbrains.com\/the-moonpay-x-games-league-is-returning-to-aspen-snowmass\/\"><em><strong>The Moonpay X Games League is Returning to Aspen Snowmass, CO<\/strong><\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p data-start=\"1428\" data-end=\"1677\"><strong>Four clubs will compete in the first season \u2014 XC Golden State, XC New York, XC Park City and newly announced XC Whistler<\/strong>. Each general manager will select 10 skiers and snowboarders in the league\u2019s inaugural draft on September 16 in Los Angeles. Rather than competing solely as individual athletes, the skiers and snowboarders will represent their clubs throughout the season, earning points for their teams. The club that finishes with the most points will be crowned X Games League Winter Champion.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_420421\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-420421\" style=\"width: 2048px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-420421 lazyload\" src=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAoAAAAGrAQMAAABqgLQIAAAABlBMVEUAAAD\/\/\/+l2Z\/dAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAADhJREFUeNrtwTEBAAAAwqD1T+1tB6AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAADgDIcbAAEnbF1FAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC\" alt=\"x games winter\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/x-games-1.jpg?resize=640%2C427&amp;ssl=1\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/x-games-1.jpg?w=2048&amp;ssl=1 2048w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/x-games-1.jpg?resize=300%2C200&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/x-games-1.jpg?resize=1200%2C800&amp;ssl=1 1200w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/x-games-1.jpg?resize=768%2C512&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/x-games-1.jpg?resize=1536%2C1025&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/x-games-1.jpg?w=1280&amp;ssl=1 1280w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/x-games-1.jpg?w=1920&amp;ssl=1 1920w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"640\" data-eio-rheight=\"427\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-420421\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/x-games-1.jpg?resize=640%2C427&amp;ssl=1\" alt=\"x games winter\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" data-eio=\"l\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-420421\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">The X Games League winter season features four managers. | Credit: X Games Aspen 2026 Facebook<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p data-start=\"1941\" data-end=\"2077\"><strong>The four people tasked with building these first four teams are some interesting names from across the ski and snowboard world:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Jonny Moseley<\/strong> \u2014 XC Golden State<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dave Sypniewski<\/strong> \u2014 XC New York<\/li>\n<li><strong>Sharalee \u201cHaze\u201d Hazen<\/strong> \u2014 XC Park City<\/li>\n<li><strong>Ryan Stutt<\/strong> \u2014 XC Whistler<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Their first major task comes September 16 in Los Angeles, when each GM will select a 10-athlete roster during the inaugural XGL Winter Draft. <\/strong>For the first time in X Games history, athletes will compete as members of clubs throughout an entire season rather than simply arriving at individual events to compete for medals.\u00a0\u201cFor the first time in X Games history, someone has to build a championship roster, not just produce a championship run,\u201d X Games CEO Jeremy Bloom said. \u201cThat makes the GM role incredibly important. Jonny, Dave, Haze and Ryan each bring deep credibility with athletes, real roots in these sports and a different point of view on how to build a winning club.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-15\" style=\"margin: 8px auto;text-align: center;display: block;clear: both\">\n<\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_317260\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-317260\" style=\"width: 700px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-317260 lazyload\" src=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAoAAAAGqAQMAAACh3GetAAAABlBMVEUAAAD\/\/\/+l2Z\/dAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAADhJREFUeNrtwQENAAAAwqD3T20ON6AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAD4NobKAAFhB0TLAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"426\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/jonny-moseley-gondola.webp?resize=640%2C426&amp;ssl=1\" data-eio-rwidth=\"640\" data-eio-rheight=\"426\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-317260\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/jonny-moseley-gondola.webp?resize=640%2C426&amp;ssl=1\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"426\" data-eio=\"l\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-317260\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Jonny Moseley. | Credit: Palisades Tahoe<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-2\" style=\"margin: 8px auto;text-align: center;display: block;clear: both\">\n<!-- GAM 71161633\/SNWBR_snowbrains\/article_hrec_2 --><\/p>\n<div data-fuse=\"article_hrec_2\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h3>Olympic Champion Jonny Moseley Leads Golden State<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Few names have deeper roots in the evolution of modern freeskiing than Jonny Moseley. <\/strong>The Olympic gold medalist and World Cup champion became one of the defining skiers of his generation with his groundbreaking performance at the 1998 Nagano Olympics. He later became the first skier to win medals at both the Olympics and X Games.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Now, the 1998 Olympic champion will trade the competition venue for the front office as GM of XC Golden State. <\/strong>Moseley grew up skiing in Northern California and Lake Tahoe, giving him a natural connection to the club\u2019s territory. \u201cGrowing up in Northern California, I saw firsthand how the Bay Area and Lake Tahoe helped shape skiing and snowboarding,\u201d Moseley said. \u201cIt\u2019s where I learned to ski, where I competed, and where my passion for the sport began.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><strong>Moseley will oversee Golden State\u2019s roster construction and athlete strategy as the club attempts to build a championship team from scratch.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>XC New York Brings Snowboarding Experience<\/h3>\n<p><strong>XC New York will be led by longtime action sports executive Dave Sypniewski<\/strong>, <strong>who has spent much of his career working at the intersection of athletes, brands and snowboarding culture. <\/strong>His r\u00e9sum\u00e9 includes work with Thrasher, Burton and Boost Mobile, where he helped develop athlete opportunities, partnerships and events.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Sypniewski will also have an experienced sounding board in Barrett Christy Cummins, an 11-time X Games medalist, U.S. Olympian and U.S. Ski &amp; Snowboard Hall of Fame inductee, who will serve as a special adviser.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>The club enters the Winter League with momentum from its Summer counterpart, which won the inaugural XGL championship in New Orleans. <\/strong>\u201cSuccess won\u2019t come from one superstar,\u201d Sypniewski said. \u201cIt\u2019ll come from putting together a club with the right mix of talent, versatility and competitive mindset.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>Haze Takes Over Park City<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Sharalee \u201cHaze\u201d Hazen will lead XC Park City after serving as general manager of XC Los Angeles during the XGL\u2019s inaugural Summer Season. <\/strong>Hazen has built her career around athlete marketing, experiential sports and creating new opportunities for action sports athletes. She also co-created The Uninvited Invitational, an event designed to provide new opportunities and platforms for female athletes.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Her focus in Park City will extend beyond simply assembling a competitive roster.<\/strong> \u201cOur goal is to create an environment where athletes feel supported, authentic stories emerge naturally and XC Park City becomes a team people connect with on and off the snow,\u201d Hazen said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_420562\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-420562\" style=\"width: 400px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-420562 lazyload\" src=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAGQAQMAAAC6caSPAAAABlBMVEUAAAD\/\/\/+l2Z\/dAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAACpJREFUeNrtwTEBAAAAwqD1T+1vBqAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgDdPsAABlEEYXAAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==\" alt width=\"400\" height=\"400\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4249.jpeg?resize=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4249.jpeg?w=400&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4249.jpeg?resize=300%2C300&amp;ssl=1 300w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"400\" data-eio-rheight=\"400\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-420562\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4249.jpeg?resize=400%2C400&amp;ssl=1\" alt width=\"400\" height=\"400\" data-eio=\"l\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-420562\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Ryan Stutt will be the Whistler GM. | Image: X Games<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>Whistler Gets Its Club<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The addition of XC Whistler completes the four-team Winter League lineup and gives one of North America\u2019s most influential ski and snowboard destinations a team of its own. <\/strong>The club will be led by Canadian action sports media executive Ryan Stutt, who has spent more than two decades documenting and shaping Canadian ski and snowboard culture.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Stutt founded Forecast Ski and King Snow, two prominent Canadian winter sports media outlets, and most recently produced and co-directed the award-winning documentary <em>Our Kind of Chaos<\/em>, which explored Whistler\u2019s influential <em>Whiskey<\/em> snowboard film series.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>He will now attempt to turn that cultural influence into a competitive advantage. <\/strong>\u201cWhistler represents the pinnacle of ski and snowboard culture,\u201d Stutt said. \u201cThe expectation here is excellence, and that\u2019s exactly how we\u2019ll approach the X Games League.\u201d<\/p>\n<h3>The First Winter Draft<\/h3>\n<p><strong>The four GMs will meet in\u00a0Los Angeles on September 16 for the XGL Winter Draft, selecting 10 athletes each from a pool of the world\u2019s top skiers and snowboarders. <\/strong>The draft will determine the inaugural rosters for all four Winter Clubs.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The move represents another major expansion for X Games, which is attempting to move beyond its traditional event-based model and create a season-long league around action sports. <\/strong>The inaugural XGL Summer Season attracted 18.3 million U.S. television viewers across ABC and ESPN, an increase of 78.5% compared with 2025.\u00a0Now, X Games is taking the concept to the snow.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The inaugural MoonPay X Games League Winter Season begins in January 2027 in Aspen, with additional stops and dates still to be announced.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>And before the first athlete drops into competition, four general managers have one very important job: build a team capable of winning it all.<\/strong><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_420563\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-420563\" style=\"width: 820px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-420563 lazyload\" src=\"image\/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAoAAAAEZAQMAAAA9ggZ2AAAABlBMVEUAAAD\/\/\/+l2Z\/dAAAAAXRSTlMAQObYZgAAAAlwSFlzAAAOxAAADsQBlSsOGwAAAC1JREFUeNrtwTEBAAAAwqD1T20Hb6AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATgNY6QABJV9HuQAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"281\" data-src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4248.jpeg?resize=640%2C281&amp;ssl=1\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4248.jpeg?w=820&amp;ssl=1 820w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4248.jpeg?resize=300%2C132&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4248.jpeg?resize=768%2C337&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4248.jpeg?resize=800%2C350&amp;ssl=1 800w\" data-sizes=\"auto\" data-eio-rwidth=\"640\" data-eio-rheight=\"281\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" class=\"size-full wp-image-420563\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/snowbrains.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_4248.jpeg?resize=640%2C281&amp;ssl=1\" alt width=\"640\" height=\"281\" data-eio=\"l\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-420563\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Get excited for the XGL draft on September 16. | Credit: X Games<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"code-block code-block-3\" style=\"margin: 8px auto;text-align: center;display: block;clear: both\">\n<!-- GAM 71161633\/SNWBR_snowbrains\/article_hrec_4 --><\/p>\n<div data-fuse=\"article_hrec_4\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- CONTENT END 1 -->\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The X Games Winter League has arrived for the 2026 season. | Image: X Games X Games is turning skiing and snowboarding into a team sport.\u00a0The organization has announced the four general managers who will build the inaugural rosters for its new MoonPay X Games League (XGL) Winter Season, which begins in January 2027. The [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[226,267],"class_list":["post-2095752","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-crawlmanager","tag-snowbrains-com"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2095752","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2095752"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2095752\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2095752"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2095752"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2095752"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}