Andermatt is more than a Swiss ski village. It’s an alpine fortress. The mountains rise like walls around it, sealing in a world of deep snow and untapped lines from all sides. The air is crisp; the streets narrow and charming. Every street is older than most cities in the Western Hemisphere and each holds its own story. It is the kind of place where you don’t just visit—you become part of it.
We arrived in mid-January. The air was cold, the peaks sharp. The DUEL was set: Tor Lundström versus Ståle Sandbech. A battle of two Scandinavian snowboard masters in one of the finest backcountry arenas on Earth. The Natural Selection Tour DUELS brought us here—to this wild place where the heart of freeride snowboarding beats loudly. The plan was simple: scout the terrain, build the jumps, and let the riders go to war.
But in the mountains, nothing is simple.
The Natural Selection Tour is different. It is not groomed runs or man-made parks. It is raw. It is real. NST DUELS pits two of the best against each other in nature’s own arena. No judges standing at the bottom with clipboards. Just them, the snow, and whatever the mountain allows.
First, before the riders got to work on their jumps, we joined the people of Andermatt for a Community Ride Day. Locals, kids, pros, ski bums, all carving the slopes together. The kind of day that reminds you why you first strapped into a snowboard or clicked into skis. Smiles in every direction. Stokes high.
Then, the work began. Terrain scouting. Searching for the right face, the right drop, the perfect line. The NST crew spread out. The riders followed. So did we. Journalist, photographer, snowboarders—everyone hunting for something. The perfect takeoff. The softest landing. A piece of the mountain worthy of a DUEL.
The jumps took shape. Hand-built. No machines, no shortcuts. Snow pushed, stomped, packed down. We joined in. Digging, shaping, sweating. The riders tested angles, adjusted run-ins, calculated air time. Everything had to be right. Because in freeride, you only get one shot.
Then the snow changed. The landings turned hard. The kind of snow that doesn’t give. No cushion, no forgiveness. The risk outweighed the reward. A DUEL wasn’t worth a broken body. So they called it. No battle today.
But this is freeride. If you can’t compete, you ride. So they rode. And at the end of it, Lundström and Sandbech turned to us, the media crew. “Your turn.”
So we dropped in. One by one. We took their jumps. A crew of snowboarders—and one skier—sending it off the same features meant for the pros. The air felt good. The landings, better. The best session of the trip. No pressure, no contest. Just riding.
Andermatt delivered, even if the DUEL didn’t. That’s freeride. That’s the Natural Selection Tour. The hardest part isn’t building the venue and sending the tricks—it’s dancing with Mother Nature and hoping that she provides the right conditions for magic to happen. The mountains don’t care about schedules. They don’t care about brackets or competitions. They do what they want. And when they say no, you listen.
We left Andermatt with tired legs, cold hands, and full hearts. Maybe next time, a proper will DUEL happen. Maybe not. Either way, we’ll be back. And Andermatt’s 360º of incredible ski terrain will be there waiting.
2 weeks later, Lundström and Sandbech settled unfinished business and completed the DUELS match in British Columbia, where a winner was determined and secured a spot in Revelstoke for March. But you’ll have to watch the DUELS Match on Red Bull TV below to see who won…
The Essence of Andermatt
The skiing is endless. No trees, no limits. Drop into a couloir, carve down an open face—ride until your legs give out. Then hop on a train and do it again. Andermatt is part of the SkiArena Andermatt-Sedrun-Disentis, a vast network of terrain spanning multiple valleys and peaks. The connections make it feel infinite. The place is as dream-like as it gets.
What Makes the NST Special
The Natural Selection Tour isn’t about podiums or medals. It is about the rawest form of snowboarding. Taking what the mountain gives you. Making the best of it. Surviving the unexpected. That’s why it has become one of the most respected freeride competitions in the world.
NST DUELS is one of the newest parts of the Tour. One-on-one battles in wild backcountry terrain. No machine-made features. No perfect conditions. Just skill and creativity against the elements. Riders face off, with only one advancing to the next stage.
This DUEL was meant to be a proving ground for Lundström and Sandbech. A battle for a coveted spot in Revelstoke, the next stop on the Tour. But in freeride, the conditions make the rules. And this time, they said no.
The Future of NST DUELS
NST DUELS will continue to redefine what competitive freeriding looks like. The Tour is pushing boundaries, finding new venues, and giving riders the freedom to ride the way they want to. Andermatt may not have given us a DUEL this time, but it proved one thing: the NST spirit is alive and well.
When the mountains are ready, the DUELS will return. And when they do, we will be there to watch.
