Team USA Olympian Hunter Hess finishes third in LAAX Switzerland Snow League

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) — Bend native and Team USA Olympian Hunter Hess placed third in the Snow League Men's Championship in LAAX Switzerland this week. The performance also secured Hess's third place in the overall season championship rankings with a total of 116 points.

Hess, a professional halfpipe skier representing the United States, competed against athletes from around the world in the final event of the season. The Snow League is a global competition where freeskiers and snowboarders go head-to-head in the halfpipe for world championship titles.

In the overall season standings, Luke Harrold of New Zealand and Brendan Mackay of Canada finished at the top of the rankings with 185 points each. Hess secured his third-place championship rank after earning a sixth-place finish in China earlier in the season.

The podium finish follows several years of success for the Oregon native on the professional circuit. Hess won back-to-back bronze medals at the X Games in 2024 and 2025. He also holds multiple podium finishes from the World Cup halfpipe circuit.

Beyond his competitive results, Hess is recognized in the freeskiing community for his creative work. He splits his time between halfpipe contests and filming video parts for the MAGMA series, which focuses on backcountry features and style.

The Snow League event in LAAX Switzerland, served as the fourth and final stop of the league's inaugural season. The competition took place over three days and featured the top 16 athletes in both freeskiing and snowboarding. Qualifying rounds led to head-to-head semifinal brackets and finals held at night under the lights.

For viewers in the United States, NBC Sports provided live coverage of the finals on the Peacock streaming service. The network also scheduled encore presentations of the competition on the NBC broadcast network.