“We are the champions…” Nils Mindnich, left, and Zoi Sadowski-Synnott champions of the NST world. Photo: Natural Selection Tour
Just before the last four riders were about to drop into yesterday’s Natural Selection Tour finals, a snow squall stormed over the ridge and turned off the lights on an otherwise sunny afternoon. The contest went on weather hold and the finalists took shelter on the ridge while an icy breeze blew through the 1,000-strong mob of spectators down below.
But this was the same crowd that walked two miles to the venue when the chairlift was busted on day one. They chugged beers, cooked smores, and threw down to the DJ beats in order to stay warm. If anything, the pulse of weather actually energized them. Mother Nature must have approved because she lit up the venue with the late afternoon sunshine that Travis Rice manifested with the contest’s 1 p.m. start.
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott took full advantage and, in spite of a small bobble up top, threw down the run that cemented her second NST victory and added to the two silver medals that she just brought home from the Olympics.
“Zoi’s snowboarding’s princess right now. She’s amazing,” said Miles Fallon who became the contest’s unofficial froth ambassador after he was knocked out of day one. “She’s so talented, rides so strong. She’s better than me. I’m really proud of her and stoked that she was able to do what we all know she can do.”
Mr. Mindnich, the switch master on his way to the biggest win of his career. Photo: Mike Yoshida//NST
It was weird having a finals day without Elena Hight and last year’s champ, Spencer O’Brien. But Madison Blackley, Billy Pelchat and Sårka Pančochová all came correct.
“Oh man, I’m so proud of all the women,” said NST veteran Hana Beaman. “Obviously, Sårka and Zoi just coming out with some back sevens, super steezy, solid landings. But even Billy… Billy’s fresh, dude. And she came out and just held her own.”
As for the men, it was only a matter of time before Nils Mindnich stood on top of the box. He finished second in 2024 and has been a threat every year that he’s shown up, in part because of his ability to ride switch-stance. We’re not just talking about takeoffs and landings. The man can chug high-speed, beautiful turns through exposed terrain, tweak perfect methods and do shifty tail taps with a prowess that’s indiscernible from his natural stance.
“And he’s the only one who has a job! And a baby!” shouted his friend Victor Daviet once the official word came down that Mindnich was this year’s champ. Daviet has helped Nils get settled in Annecy, France ever since he moved there from Utah to work as an engineer for Salomon Snowboards.
“He hasn’t been riding much and he has been just killing it. It’s just so beautiful,” said Daviet. “His little daughter is going to be so proud of him.”
“Balancing NST with a full-time engineering job and being the father of a two-month old baby is a lot,” said Mindnich. “But you just sometimes go 24 hours at a time and other days you go a quarter mile at a time and you just make the most out of every moment you have. It’s surprising how much you actually can accomplish.”
Nils went head-to-head in the finals against Whistler’s Brin Alexander, who looked unstoppable in his first two heats where he took out fellow Canadian Mark McMorris and then Edwards, Colorado’s Blake Moller.
“Snowboarding’s princess” is ruling her kingdom right now. Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, mid run. Photo: Mike Yoshida//NST
“He’s got a unique trick set,” said Rice while helping commentate one of Alexander’s runs. “He’s doing stuff that other people just aren’t.”
Right up to the point where he got hung-up billy-goating part of the course that skirted the area called “Know Man’s Land,” Brin was locked into a flow state that could’ve easily taken down Nils or anyone else that came his way. But that literal loss of momentum became figurative and Brin made a couple mistakes that opened the door for Mindnich.
“Everyone in this contest is so rad,” said Brin. “It’s just boarding with the homies and you just hope for the best and try what you can.”
Only Travis Rice could convince a ski resort to throw a contest like this one, where the athletes risk everything in front of a live audience that has to find its way to the bottom of the venue. But it’s crazy how perfect the set-up in Montana Bowl is for spectating. The Selector Venue is a proper chunk of backcountry that stacks up with perfect snow and the crowd doesn’t even have to pass through avalanche terrain in order to take it all in. The collaboration between the NST crew and Revelstoke Mountain Resort is truly a sight to behold.
All 24 riders did their part as well and put on a show that’ll go down in snowboarding’s storied history. But it’s too bad there wasn’t room up on the podium for that 1,000-strong crowd.
You can watch Finals Day on Redbull TV.
Final Results
Women
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Zoi Sadowski-Synnott
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Šárka Pančochová
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Billy Pelchat
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Madison Blackley
Men
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Nils Mindnich
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Brin Alexander
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Torstein Horgmo
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Blake Moller
