Eileen Gu No. 1 Pick at Inaugural X Games League Winter Draft

X Games is ringing in a new era with the inaugural X Games League, and the draft for the exciting new team format took place on Wednesday, September 16. Chinese-American skier Eileen Gu became the first-ever No. 1 pick in the MoonPay X Games League Winter Draft. The Olympic champion was selected by XC Golden State in Los Angeles, California, as the four inaugural winter clubs built their rosters for the 2027 X Games League season.

• Related: From Aspen to the Arctic Circle: X Games League Releases 2027 Winter Season Schedule

More than 180 skiers and snowboarders entered the draft pool, but only 40 were selected. Across five rounds, each club picked 10 athletes, with every roster required to include five men and five women as well as representation from both skiing and snowboarding.

The four clubs entered the draft in an order determined by a randomized lottery, with the general managers present. Golden State drew the first position, putting general manager and Olympic moguls champion Jonny Moseley on the clock first. He did not hesitate, selecting Eileen Gu for XC Golden State.

XC New York was next on the clock, selecting Canadian snowboard legend Mark McMorris. The 26-time X Games medalist is the most decorated athlete in Winter X Games history and gives New York one of the biggest names in snowboarding.

XC Park City then selected four-time Olympic medalist Yiming Su from China, while XC Whistler secured Canadian skier Megan Oldham. Whistler then got the first selection of the second round as the draft followed a snake format, doubling down on North American ski talent by selecting American Mac Forehand. XC Park City then picked XX while XC New York snared Mia Brookes and XC Golden State grabbed Kiwi Luca Harrington.

The snake format then reversed the selection order in each subsequent round. The format gave every club five opportunities to select early in a round and five opportunities to select later, while ensuring all four clubs finished with 10 athletes.

The final draft looks as follows:

XC Golden State

• Eileen Gu
• Luca Harrington
• Scotty James
• Mari Fukada
• Hiroto Ogiwara
• Anni Karava
• Henry Sildaru
• Lainey Steen
• Marcus Kleveland
• Lily Dhawornvej

XC New York

• Mark McMorris
• Mia Brookes
• Kirsty Muir
• Finley Melville-Ives
• Taiga Hasegawa
• Zoe Atkin
• Red Gerard
• Jessica Perlmutter
• Matěj Švancer
• Patti Zhou

XC Park City

• Yiming Su
• Cocomo Murase
• Mathilde Gremaud
• Birk Ruud
• Indra Brown
• Yuto Totsuka
• Alex Hall
• Sara Shimizu
• Troy Podmilsak
• Kelly Sildaru

XC Whistler

• Megan Oldham
• Mac Forehand
• Liam Brearley
• Gaon Choi
• Rocco Jamieson
• Amy Fraser
• Valentino Guseli
• Tess Coady
• Naomi Urness
• Cam Spalding

Four Clubs, 40 Athletes

The first winter draft gives X Games something it has never had before: four permanent teams built around the world’s top freeskiers and snowboarders. XC Golden State, XC New York, XC Park City and XC Whistler will carry their rosters through the three-stop 2027 Winter League season. The clubs will compete at Buttermilk in Aspen, Colorado, from January 29-31, followed by Calgary, Alberta, from February 19-21. The season will finish in Ruka, Finland, from April 9-11, where the Winter League champion will be crowned.

The team format means athletes will no longer simply arrive at an X Games event, compete for an individual medal and leave. Their results will contribute points toward their club’s season-long championship campaign. At each stop, XGL points will be awarded based on athletes’ finishes, with the club standings updated throughout the season. If more than one athlete from the same club competes in a discipline, only the highest-placed athlete counts toward the club’s result. That makes the draft more than a way of assigning athletes to teams. The four GMs were effectively building the first rosters in a new professional sports format.

The Draft Changes the X Games Formula

For decades, skiing and snowboarding at X Games have been overwhelmingly individual sports. Athletes compete under their own names, chase medals and move on to the next event. The X Games League is attempting to change that dynamic.

The winter league is part of a broader XGL structure that launched in 2026 with summer clubs competing in skateboarding and BMX. The winter season brings the same team concept to skiing and snowboarding, with athletes representing their clubs across an entire season. The athletes will be competing in Big Air, Slopestyle, Superpipe, and the Knuckle Huck.