Secret Garden Halfpipe World Cup: Gu and Choi headline season openers

China’s Eileen Gu won the Freeski women’s final with 91.75, her 19th World Cup victory at the same venue where she won Olympic gold. Great Britain’s Zoe Atkin led after run one before Gu’s last run flipped the result. Australia’s 15-year-old Indra Brown earned a debut podium in third.

New Zealand opened the Freeski men’s season strongly. World champion Finley Melville Ives posted 90.00 and led a Kiwi one-two with Luke Harrold second, while Hunter Hess rounded out the podium. 

Korea’s Gaon Choi took the Snowboard women’s win with 92.75 after climbing from seventh into first on her second run. Japan’s Rise Kudo was second and China’s Cai Xuetong third. 

Japan swept the Snowboard men’s podium. Olympic champion Ayumu Hirano won on 93.50 ahead of Yuto Totsuka and Ruka Hirano. Totsuka’s result moved him to a record 22 career Park and Pipe podiums. 

Early takeaways for rankings: Gu resumes as clear favorite after an injury-affected 2024–25, while Melville Ives signals consistency with a second career World Cup win. Japan’s depth continues to define Snowboard Halfpipe, and Choi’s high ceiling at 17 keeps her in Crystal Globe contention from round one. 

Podiums

Freeski Women

1. Eileen Gu, China, 91.75
2. Zoe Atkin, Great Britain, 90.25
3. Indra Brown, Australia, 82.00 

Freeski Men

1. Finley Melville Ives, New Zealand, 90.00
2. Luke Harrold, New Zealand, 89.00
3. Hunter Hess, United States, 86.25 

Snowboard Women

1. Gaon Choi, Korea, 92.75
2. Rise Kudo, Japan, 90.25
3. Cai Xuetong, China, 80.50

Snowboard Men

1. Ayumu Hirano, Japan, 93.50
2. Yuto Totsuka, Japan, 90.25
3. Ruka Hirano, Japan, 89.00 

Results, rankings, stats & predictions provided by: https://wyldata.com

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Article Sources: https://www.fis-ski.com/freeski-park-and-pipe/news/2025-26/victory-for-gu-as-new-zealand-dominate-men-s-halfpipe-season-opener-in-secret-garden, https://www.fis-ski.com/snowboard-park-and-pipe/news/2025-26/japanese-men-dominate-secret-garden-halfpipe-choi-wins-world-cup-opener

Image Source: FIS Ski