The opening halfpipe round of the FIS Snowboard World Cup 2025–26 was held at Secret Garden (Yunding Snow Park Halfpipe) in Zhangjiakou, China. In the men’s event, Ayumu Hirano claimed victory with a score of 93.50, followed by Yuto Totsuka and Ruka Hirano as Japan swept the podium. In the women’s final, Gaon Choi of Korea produced a dramatic comeback win with 92.75, while 16-year-old Rise Kudo scored 90.25 to finish 2nd and earn her first-ever World Cup podium.
The competition, held on 12 December 2025, marked the first halfpipe World Cup of the season. It returned to the Olympic halfpipe used at the Beijing 2022 Winter Games in Secret Garden. With snow falling throughout the day, riders faced flat light and slow conditions in a challenging season opener.
Men’s halfpipe final: Hirano’s dominant run leads Japanese podium sweep
The men’s final featured 14 riders and two runs each. From his very first run, Japan’s ace Ayumu Hirano went all-in. He opened with his newly added switch backside double 1260 nosegrab, then linked together a cab double 1440 mute, frontside double 1260 Japan, backside double 1260 mute and frontside double 1440 tail. Hirano landed the full high-difficulty combo with no major errors to post 93.50 – a score that nobody could beat for the rest of the contest.
Yuto Totsuka finished 2nd with 90.25, impressing with big amplitude and a series of highly polished double corks. This podium marked his 22nd career FIS Snowboard Park & Pipe World Cup podium, putting him alone at the top of the men’s all-time podium list.
In 3rd place, Ruka Hirano – winner of the halfpipe Crystal Globe in each of the last three seasons – scored 89.00. On his final run he stepped up to a switch backside double 1440, pulling together a challenging routine under pressure to secure yet another podium. The result underlined the depth of the Japanese squad, as they completed a men’s World Cup halfpipe podium sweep.
Even as many riders struggled with falls in the snow and flat light, the Japanese team landed high-difficulty tricks from their very first runs. In height, difficulty and cleanliness, they clearly out-performed the rest of the field.
Men’s final results (Top 8)
| Rank | Rider | Nation | Score (Best) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ayumu Hirano | Japan | 93.50 |
| 2 | Yuto Totsuka | Japan | 90.25 |
| 3 | Ruka Hirano | Japan | 89.00 |
| 4 | Patrick Burgener | Brazil | 81.25 |
| 5 | Ryusei Yamada | Japan | 80.50 |
| 6 | Jio Lee | Korea | 75.25 |
| 7 | Konosuke Murakami | Japan | 74.00 |
| 8 | Wang Ziyang | China | 70.00 |
Women’s halfpipe final: Gaon Choi’s comeback win, Rise Kudo takes first World Cup podium
In the women’s event, 17-year-old Gaon Choi (Korea) delivered a dramatic comeback victory. After the first run she sat in 7th place, but on her second run she put down a world-class line: switch backside 720 stalefish, backside 900 stalefish, frontside 1080 melon, switch frontside 720 double grab and frontside 720 indy. The combination of amplitude and technical difficulty earned her 92.75 and her second career World Cup win, almost two years after her last victory.
Rise Kudo (Japan, age 16) laid the foundation for a big result with an 88.00 in run one to take the early lead, then improved to 90.25 in run two with another clean performance. In the end she was edged into 2nd place by Choi’s brilliant second run, but finishing runner-up in such a strong field at the World Cup opener is a huge step forward – and her first World Cup podium.
In 3rd, China’s star Cai Xuetong scored 80.50. With two Chinese riders, one Korean and three Japanese riders all reaching the final, Asian athletes once again showed their strength in women’s halfpipe.
Women’s final results (Top 10)
| Rank | Rider | Nation | Score (Best) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gaon Choi | Korea | 92.75 |
| 2 | Rise Kudo | Japan | 90.25 |
| 3 | Cai Xuetong | China | 80.50 |
| 4 | Wu Shaotong | China | 67.00 |
| 5 | Isabelle Loetscher | Switzerland | 59.75 |
| 6 | Brooke D’Hondt | Canada | 56.00 |
| 7 | Queralt Castellet | Spain | 54.25 |
| 8 | Sorana Ohashi | Japan | 52.00 |
| 9 | Mitsuki Ono | Japan | 44.00 |
| 10 | Liu Jiayu | China | 29.00 |
Japan’s growing strength and momentum toward Milano Cortina 2026
In men’s halfpipe, Japan’s dominance continues to be remarkable. Over the past seven years, Japanese riders have reached the podium in every World Cup men’s halfpipe event. This latest podium sweep extends that streak even further. Hirano now has eight World Cup wins, Ruka Hirano remains a three-time consecutive Crystal Globe winner, and Totsuka has set a new record for most World Cup Park & Pipe podiums. It truly is a golden generation for Japanese halfpipe snowboarding.
This season’s halfpipe World Cup calendar moves on from Secret Garden to Copper Mountain (USA), Calgary (Canada), Aspen, Laax, Bankei (Japan) and Silvaplana (Switzerland). The opening three events are particularly important for securing Olympic quota spots for the Milano Cortina 2026 Winter Games, making this dominant start even more meaningful for Team Japan.
On the women’s side, a new generation is rapidly emerging. Riders such as Rise Kudo, Mitsuki Ono and Sorana Ohashi are increasingly pushing into World Cup podium contention. Following the path forged by the men, it may not be long before Japanese women are also battling at the very centre of the world stage.
Related links & official information
- FIS official news: “Japanese men dominate Secret Garden Halfpipe, Choi wins World Cup opener”
- FIS official results: Men’s Halfpipe World Cup Secret Garden (final results)
- NBC Olympics: “Ayumu Hirano overcomes snowy conditions to win World Cup snowboard halfpipe opener”
- FIS official: 2025/26 FIS Snowboard Halfpipe World Cup season preview
Related X posts
On X (formerly Twitter), the official J SPORTS Ski account posted about the event in Japanese, highlighting the Japanese men’s podium sweep and Rise Kudo’s 2nd place in the women’s contest, while pointing viewers to on-demand replays on J SPORTS On Demand.
The official Olympics account also celebrated the result with a post congratulating Ayumu Hirano and the Japanese team on their sweep of the men’s podium in the World Cup opener at Secret Garden.
The season has only just begun, but as we look ahead to Milano Cortina 2026, Japan’s status as a leading contender for halfpipe gold is growing stronger with every event. All eyes now turn to the next stop at Copper Mountain.
