Japan should be fun to watch. Photo: NST
With three tasty venues and a roster of heavyweight contenders announced yesterday, we now have a better sense of what Natural Selection Tour’s new selector format looks like. And to be perfectly honest, it looks pretty rad.
I was always a fan of the DUELS format which the Super Sessions have now replaced. And after yesterday’s announcement, it looks like this new incarnation will yield some hot boardin’ action as well.
“Evolving from DUELS, Super Sessions moves away from head-to-head matchups in favor of a collaborative session format that prioritizes line choice and individual expression while still serving as a qualifier for Revelstoke,” says NST.
Details are a little vague, but the format sound like a rider-driven, backcountry jam session with a film element to it. At the moment, it’s unclear (at least to me) how these days will be judged, but the process will qualify five riders plus at least one alternate.
Four men from the Super Sessions will join the eight pre-qualified riders in Revelstoke. And on the women’s side, two riders — one locked and one alternate — from the Sessions will join the four pre-qualified ladies in Revelstoke. The other qualified spot for the women will be filled by the winner of RnD, Robin Van Gyn’s backcountry freestyle contest that takes place at Whitewater Resort a couple weeks before the window opens in Revelstoke.
The Super Sessions will air on Red Bull TV on February 24. And the competition window for Revelstoke is March 10-15, with two live days of competition.
Evo’s Journeyman Lodge in The Callaghan, British Columbia
The Super Sessions will return to the site of last year’s DUEL between Brin Alexander and Bjorn Leines. Only this year, four of everyone’s favorite female riders will be battling for their shot at the big show.
Enni Rukajärvi, Katie Kennedy, Stefi Luxton, and Marissa Krawczak will step up to a human-powered session in the terrain above Journeyman Lodge, deep in the Whistler Backcountry. Last year’s DUEL there was characterized by sub-alpine pillow lines and, visibility dependent, will likely be similar this year.
All four riders have competed at RnD before. But Katie Kennedy is the only one making her NST debut.
Oh yeah, all of the venues seem to be teasing the idea of a mystery competitor, so don’t be afraid to blow up NST’s socials with suggestions. They love that shit!
Powder Mountain, Utah
This will be one to watch, as it pits NST Veteran Blake Paul against two hungry Canadian riders. You may remember Brin Alexander from when he opened things up in Revelstoke last year with a 60-plus foot melon grab above the spectator corral, setting the tone for the absolute huck-fest that followed.
And if you haven’t heard of Garret Warnick aka @instagarry , well then you best give that young fella a follow because he’s the kinda rider who tosses big tricks in the middle of technical lines. He’s yet untested in the NST competitive environment, so we’ll see how he performs when a one-way ticket to Revelstoke is on the line.
Blake Paul needs no introduction. After being taken down by eventual winner Mikey Ciccarelli in 2024, he wasn’t pre-qualified for last year’s competition so it’ll be fun to watch him bring his trademark style to the hike-accessed boneyard of cliffs, chutes and glades just outside the Powder Mountain boundary.
We’ll just have to wait and see who makes it to Revelstoke after the dust settles.
Scoping the hike-to terrain. Photo: NST
Myoko, Japan
The crew is headed back to Japan and teeing off in the same zone where Aya Sato and Šárka Pančochová dueled last year. Deep snow and technical terrain set the stage for a dramatic DUEL, so this year’s Super Session between four of the hottest up-and-coming rookies promises to be one for the books.
I reckon it’ll be hard to pick a winner between Mateo Massitti, Mason Lemery, Miles Fallon, and Takeru Otsuka since they’re all such talented riders. But it’ll be fun to watch Otsuka, whose flawless style dominates the screen in Burton’s movie Paved, represent his home country. That being said, my money’s on Mateo Massiti, the low-key Canadian who was awarded Slush magazine’s Rookie of the Year in 2025.
If he qualifies for Revelstoke, he’ll compete against his friend, mentor and fellow Calgarian Dustin Craven. And that’s the kinda match-up that’ll make the local crowd go wild.
Pre-Qualified Riders for the Revelstoke Finals
Madison Blackley (USA), Šárka Pančochová (CZE), Elena Hight (USA), and 2025 Natural Selection Tour champion Spencer O’Brien (CAN) are invited back. The men’s pre-qualified roster includes Mikey Ciccarelli (CAN), Torgeir Bergrem (NOR), Nils Mindnich (USA), Dustin Craven (CAN), Ståle Sandbech (NOR), Gigi Rüf (AUT), Jared Elston (USA), and Blake Moller (USA).
