After yesterday’s “Scout Mission,” the organizers of the Natural Selection Tour have pulled the trigger on day one of competition. The action’s set to unfold today (Tuesday) at 1:00 p.m. PST.
It’s rare to run on the very first day of the weather window. But when you’re throwing a massive event during a storm cycle in Revelstoke, you gotta take whatever promise of clear-ish skies you can get. The decision wasn’t entirely unanimous, with reports of pushback from riders hoping for more of a reset, especially on the lower half of the course. But as is the case every year at this event, Mother Nature likes to mess with everybody’s heads. She threw a warm storm our way on Friday, with the freezing level creeping up to roughly 6,200 feet. And with the bottom of the Selector Venue sitting just shy of that elevation, things got a little punchy down low.
But not unacceptably so. For what it’s worth, I thought it looked pretty fun. There are definitely a few death cookies lurking under the surface. But the venue’s in really good shape overall. It’s more filled in this year, the conditions up top look as good as it gets and there’s another (much colder) storm in the forecast with its sights set on Revelstoke.
“We’re looking at a midweek reset,” says Liam Griffin, NST’s Chief Operations Officer. “So for the first time ever, I think we’re going to run wall-to-wall twice.”
Last year, day one took place on the west side of the course, with day two moving onto the gnarlier, east side of the venue. Conditions-dependent, riders will be able to use the whole venue on both days of competition. And while this year’s scenario may be tricky for the production crew, hot damn it’s gonna make for great spectating.
Speaking of spectating, the in-person crowd really has to work for it this year (today at least). RMR’s Stoke Chair, which climbs to 7,300 feet and unlocks the mountain’s best terrain, has been down with a blown Gear Box for the last few days. So anyone who wants to heckle their heroes has to hoof it on the cat road across the resort to the bottom of Montana Bowl.
Or you can watch the whole event from the comfort of your couch on Red Bull TV. But you know NST’s gonna NST, so it’ll be worth the walk if you’re in the area and the spirit compels you.
Athletes and media will be ferried to the venue on snowcats and snowmobiles, while spectating will be a partially human-powered affair from the top of the Gondola. Hopes are high that the Stoke Chair should could run again by as early as Thursday. But in the meantime, the show must go on.
“Nothing stresses me out anymore,” says Griffin. “I’ve been through enough events in my lifetime that I try really not to stress because you can’t control things that you can’t control. It’s not worth it.”
The last five competitors were finally announced last night after the Super Sessions premiered to the world. Spoilers can be found in the start list below, but it’s worth watching how the new jam-style qualifying format went down. And this is another spoiler alert, but I’m hyped to see Mateo Massitti go up against his mentor, Dustin Craven, and also that Whistler’s Brin Alexander has been greenlit to rebate his massive sender that opened up the festivities last year.
“I never really know what I’m going to do,” Brin said yesterday. “So I’m just going to have to wait and see.”
The ladies are set to go off as well. Research and Development, the feeder event that absolutely went off in Nelson a couple weeks ago, qualified two riders and an alternate to the Natural Selection Tour. Now in its third year, RND has helped set a new standard for backcountry riding that the girls will bring to Revelstoke, which is helping the veterans step up their game as well.
So there’s all sorts of backstories going into today’s contest in Revelstoke. And while the conditions might be a little party up top, hospital-at-the-bottom for your average rider, these snowboarders are all here because they know how to adapt to changing conditions.
In other words: let’em have it!
WOMEN
Prequalified Riders
- Spencer O’Brien – last year’s champ!
- Elena Hight
- Madison Blackley
- Sarka Pancochova
Wildcards
- Zoi Sadowski-Synnott
- Mary Rand
RND Qualifiers
- Billy Pelchat
- Yuka Fujimori
Alternate:
- Katie Kennedy
MEN
Prequalified Riders
- Mikey Ciccarelli
- Torgeir Bergrem
- Nils Mindnich
- Dustin Craven
- Stale Sandbech – Last year’s champ!
- Gigi Ruf
- Jared Elston
- Blake Moller
Wildcards
- Torstein Horgmo
- Travis Rice
- Mark McMorris
Super Sessions Qualifiers
Powder Mountain
- Yuki Kadono
- Garrett Warnick
- Brin Alexander
Japan
- Miles Fallon
- Mateo Massitti
