What happens when you bring some of the world’s best backcountry snowboarders together and have them face off head-to-head in a contest series that progressively raises the gnar bar with each successive event?
A whole lot of magic.
Born of snow-icon Travis Rice’s vivid imagination, The YETI Natural Selection tour does what other snowboard contests can’t: fuse the high-intensity competitive heat format of surfing with the wild and unpredictable backcountry mountain environment. You may have seen the riders in the best snowboard videos and mags of the past decade and beyond. Now they come together for what may very well be the greatest assemblage of backcountry snowboarding talent; ready to throw down to rise to the top and be crowned the victor.
The Venue
The Selector venue at Jackson Hole
If you ride on snow, Jackson Hole needs no introduction. This resort in the Teton Range of Wyoming has become legendary when it comes to lift-accessed terrain. A staple in the big-mountain scene for decades, it’s also where Travis grew up and cut his chops, and considering he’s in the conversation as snowboarding’s G.O.A.T., it’s safe to say that this mountain brings out the best in people.
The specific Selector zone has been crafted to become a terrain park of video game-like magnitude. Twenty years ago this type of setup for a contest only existed in people’s dreams. Hell, even two years ago this was still a fantasy. But after last year’s successful run, lessons were learned and the course adapted and Rice and his crew revamped the features, creating a refreshed set of obstacles and features to keep riders’ imaginations moving, and fans stoked. And it all happens this week.
The Format
The Jackson Hole contest will take place over three days. Today’s round features 16 men and 8 women battling it out to see who advances. Each heat will feature two runs apiece from each rider, with a tiebreaker should the need arise. Riders will be judged on their line selection, flow and amplitude, creativity and style, and finally, control as they navigate the 16-acre choose-your-own-adventure slopestyle course.
Riders scoping their options on inspection day.
Winners of each heat move on to the next day, which will take place sometime during the weather window this week, with the last day of the window being this Sunday, Jan. 30.
The Riders
This list reads like a veritable dream roster of riders who just might collectively be responsible for snowboarding’s competitive survival throughout these strange and wild times. Like the poetry section is to a library, backcountry snowboarding speaks a language that oftentimes doesn’t make logical sense compared to other sports, yet the beauty of the game pulls you in and leaves you wanting more. Watching these riders do their thing is observing art; and when we combine that art with competition we have some seriously jaw-dropping entertainment for the viewers at home.
Stacked.
Special nod to the Canadian women who make up half the female bracket. Being a Canuck myself, it’s a moment of pride to see these ladies showing up and throwing down.
The men’s field is going to be absolutely nuts to watch. For the first heat I’ll have my eyes on Dustin Craven (another hoser, eh) vs. Danny Davis, where it could go either way. Well, really, any of these heats could go either way, trying to call a contest when Mother Nature is a big player is almost as impossible as trying to say what the stock market will be doing next month. Or when this pandemic will be over. Or… you get the idea.
Bottom line is to tune in and watch some unforgettable action go down. Watch for free at NaturalSelectionTour.com
