The July 2026 World Snowboard Points List: Brearley and Kim Hold Top Spots as the Olympic Dust Settles

The dust has settled on a historic 2026 Winter Olympic season, and the mid-summer update to the World Snowboard Points List (WSPL) has crystallized the global hierarchy. Calculated over a rolling 52-week period, the July 2026 WSPL standings serve as the definitive benchmark for freestyle snowboarding, tracking performance across slopestyle, big air, and halfpipe.[1][2]

In the men's slopestyle division, Canada's Liam Brearley retains the number one spot with 926.09 points, a testament to his sheer dominance prior to a devastating knee and ankle injury in late 2025.[2][4]

Brearley, the 2025 World Champion and X Games Knuckle Huck gold medalist, missed the Milano Cortina Games due to the injury. However, the WSPL's injury protection rules have frozen his points, allowing him to maintain his ranking while he undergoes extensive rehabilitation with plans to return to the snow later this year.[4][5]

Breathing down Brearley's neck is China's Su Yiming, who sits in second place with 890.70 points. Su's trajectory over the past year has been nothing short of meteoric, culminating in a spectacular performance at the 2026 Winter Olympics in Italy.[2][6]

Celebrating his 22nd birthday on the slopes of Livigno, Su captured the Olympic gold medal in men's slopestyle, adding to the big air bronze he won earlier in the Games.[3]

Su's Olympic triumph was complemented by his capture of the FIS World Cup discipline crystal globes in both halfpipe and slopestyle, cementing his status as the most formidable active rider on the competitive circuit.[6]

The American contingent also flexed its depth in the slopestyle rankings, occupying the next three spots in the top five. Jake Canter, who seized Olympic bronze with a clutch backside 1980, sits in third with 822.50 points, though he is also currently navigating an injury with protected points.[2][3]

Following Canter are fellow Americans Oliver Martin with 780.71 points and Justus Henkes with 770.06 points, highlighting a robust pipeline of United States talent ready to challenge for the top podium spots in the upcoming 2026–27 season.[2]

Transitioning to the halfpipe, the women's division remains the undisputed kingdom of Chloe Kim. The American superstar ended the Olympic cycle ranked number one in the world, a position fortified by her historic landing of a switch frontside double cork 1080 at the Laax Open.[1]

While Kim's veteran prowess keeps her at the summit, the WSPL reflects a surging youth movement. South Korea's 17-year-old phenom Gaon Choi and Japan's 16-year-old Sara Shimizu are rapidly climbing the ranks, proving that the next generation is already capable of challenging the sport's established icons.

In the men's halfpipe, the standings paint a picture of absolute national dominance by Japan. Pushing the technical limits of the sport with consistent triple corks, Japanese riders currently occupy four of the top five spots on the WSPL.

Led by Ayumu Hirano, the Japanese squad—which includes Yuto Totsuka, Ruka Hirano, and Ryusei Yamada—has created a near-impenetrable fortress at the top of the halfpipe rankings, setting a daunting standard for the rest of the world.[1]

As athletes utilize the Southern Hemisphere winter and specialized airbag facilities to train during the off-season, these July standings provide a clear roadmap of the targets on everyone's backs. When the Northern Hemisphere winter returns, the battle for WSPL supremacy will resume with unprecedented technical stakes.[1][7]