Industry News
The Natural Selection Tour makes its debut at Kirkwood Mountain Resort, bringing the world’s elite freestyle snowboarders to battle on untamed terrain in California’s Sierra Nevada range.
Among the most compelling matchups, 29-year-old Swiss rider Sevi Van Der Meer faces 28-year-old California native Brandon Davis. Both riders are making their Natural Selection Tour debuts, bringing fresh energy to the event as they approach the challenge from vastly different backgrounds—Van Der Meer from the artistic world of snowboard films and Brandon Davis from the podiums in the competitive snowboarding environment.
Mother Nature gave these riders exactly what they needed prior to the performance and delivered over 50 inches of snow to prepare the terrain.
From Film Projects to Center Stage
Van Der Meer, a lanky, thoughtful rider with an artist’s perspective, has spent years appearing in acclaimed snowboard films rather than chasing competition results. Despite being a lifelong snowboarder with impressive backcountry credentials, this marks his first-ever formal competition.
“It’s actually my first competition. Normally I don’t compete,” Van Der Meer said, his quiet confidence masking any rookie nerves he might be feeling on snowboarding’s most creative stage.
Born and raised in Switzerland’s mountainous landscape, Van Der Meer’s relationship with snow began remarkably early.
“I had the privilege to step on skis when I was two and then switch to snowboarding when I was six,” Van Der Meer said. “It was definitely a big part of my family to go into the mountains and spend a lot of time there.”
Rather than pursuing competitions, Van Der Meer found his path in front of the camera, eventually connecting and joining projects with the prestigious Absinthe film crew.
When asked to describe his riding style, Van Der Meer reveals his artistic philosophy. “I’m definitely an intuitive person, and I don’t like to tell people, ‘I’m gonna do this and this and this,’ because I kind of wanna let go and flow through my run.”
This artistic approach culminated in a project with his sponsor Arcteryx, where Van Der Meer participated in an elevated presentation of snowboarding.
Sevi Van Der Meer’s creativity extends even more, where he recently collaborated with Ride Snowboards to create his signature model: the Deep Fake by Sevi.
From Contest Podiums to Powder Fields
At the opposite end of the spectrum stands Brandon Davis, a compact, powerful rider whose journey through snowboarding’s competitive ranks ultimately led him to embrace the backcountry. Despite his extensive contest resume, the Natural Selection Tour represents new territory for the Southern California native.
“I’ve competed in almost everything else, but this is different,” Davis said. “It combines everything I love about snowboarding in one format.”
Davis grew up riding the terrain parks of Big Bear, immersed in a vibrant competition scene that shaped his early development.
“When I grew up there was a super rad time. There’s so many contests going on,” Davis said. “There was so much culture, like three contests a weekend and a lot of hype.”
These formative years in Southern California’s relatively warm climate directed his focus toward terrain park features rather than powder riding. Davis’s trajectory changed dramatically at age 15 when he convinced his father to relocate the family to Mammoth Mountain–a decision that would expand his snowboarding horizons beyond competition courses.
“I remember the first year I moved there, I didn’t see the sun for all of December,” Davis said. “It had gotten so much snow, and my back leg was hurting super bad because I’d just been riding powder for a month. I’d never done that in my whole life. And it opened my eyes to how much more there is to snowboarding.”
Davis found considerable success in competition, winning “a couple of bigger contests like the Grand Prix in China, and competing in the TTR World Champs.” The experience of standing on podiums alongside his heroes left a lasting impression. However, those victories ultimately served a greater purpose than just accolades–they provided the financial means for his transition to backcountry riding.
“I was semi-financially secure for once and I was like, ‘I’m going to buy a snowmobile and a truck and I’m out of here, I’m going to the backcountry,'” Davis said. “Got the sled and the truck and then basically started my time out in the mountains and then really never looked back.”
This shift to backcountry riding profoundly changed his approach to snowboarding and his relationship with mountains. The solitude and untouched terrain created an experience that resort riding could no longer match. “Once you see that untouched nature and the quietness of the mountains when they’re blanketed in snow, it’s really hard to go back to normal like crowded resorts on a powder day…it’s really something special out there,” Davis said.
Natural Selection: The Ultimate Test
The Natural Selection Tour format presents unique challenges, requiring riders to adapt to complex terrain while showcasing creativity.
“It’s really crazy here because you’re looking at this massive mountain and you’re trying to draw a line and there’s really a hundred possibilities,” Davis said. “You’re trying to figure out what’s, one: safe, and two: give you a lot of features. You could look at it as a stressful competition or you could look at it like this is the only opportunity I’m ever going to get to probably ride a resort where they’ve kind of closed off a section for me after an insane storm and we’re going to get first dibs at it.”
For both riders, the Natural Selection Tour represents an opportunity to showcase their unique approaches to the mountain–Van Der Meer with his intuitive, artistic flow; Davis with his blend of contest precision and backcountry soul.
Watch the full episode below to find out the winner.
DUEL 4: Severin vs. Brandon
