The Snow League's Docuseries is Live on YouTube

The first two episodes features the stories of Americans Maddy Schaffrick and Alessandro Barbieri, and South Korea’s Gaon Choi.

Episode 1 begins with 16-year-old Barbieri walks through Aspen Village with his parents, talking about how he spent his prize money from his first podium finish on a cat. Then Ben Wisner explains how Choi was spinning 720s in all four directions at a Mammoth Mountain camp without ever trying before.

“I just think about what the things I need to do like landing my run and doing my new tricks,” Barbieri says. “So I'm just calm collected but obviously I still get nervous when I have to do my run, big tricks, and like it's a difficult sport. It's risky. It's like acrobatics. You're on snow, you're on a 22 foot halfpipe wall. There's consequences.”

Then the episode shifts to the story of Schaffrick, who retired from contest snowboarding at the age of 20 due to injuries and burnout. The episode features videos of Schaffrick training in the weight room and riding in the halfpipe. More importantly, though, it shows Schaffrick freeriding through powder at Steamboat Resort, and riding in the gondola with her father. It’s a subtle indication of a monster change in the 30-year-old’s approach to her riding that has made her comeback all the more inspiring.

“This comeback for me this is like so much more a soul journey for me, and like a parallel to how I see my life than it is about getting results,” Schaffrick says. “It’s more just like I have a feeling of who the person is I want to be. Life can be what you make it, you just have to have the courage to take the action and believe in yourself.”

It’s a real inside look at three riders in entirely different stages in their lives with equally as captivating stories. It helps peel back the curtain that usually veils the process behind becoming an elite snowboarder.

We see Leilani Ettel eating a banana as Schaffrick talks about the “cool factor” of her trick selection. We see Wisner ask Choi if she’s listening to K-pop, and watch her butterflies play out on the screen right in front of our eyes. “I've never seen you like this,” Wisner says. “It’s just another competition. You will do well.” Gaon would go on to finish in third place.

Tap or click below to watch Episode 2.

Later, we see Schaffrick’s run from her parents’ point of view, and Schaffrick directly addresses tearing up after falling on both of her finals runs. Her father – who celebrated his birthday at The Snow League’s debut in Aspen – comforts her, and teammate Joey Okesson tells her he’s proud of her.

“Man, I’m bummed,” Schaffrick admits to her parents. “Yeah, I wanted to ride tomorrow.”