Backcountry
Industry News
The Natural Selection Tour has just announced its competition dates for the 2021-2022 season. On its Instagram page, it posted:
“We’re excited to announce our locations & dates for this upcoming season! Top riders from across our sport will compete in dynamic venues, as they compete for the title of world’s best all-around snowboarder. After an incredible first season, we’re amped to be rolling out this next series of events.
2022 Natural Selection Tour Dates:
@yeti Natural Selection at @jacksonhole:
Jan 24th – 30th, [2022]Natural Selection at @baldfacelodge:
Feb 21st – 27th, [2022]Natural Selection in the Tordrillo Mountains:
March 21st – 27th, [2022]Stay tuned for rider announcements and broadcast info, to be announced soon.”
The tour made its debut just last season and showcases how well some of the best riders in the world can utilize backcountry features including cliff drops, powder fields, glades of trees, and other sorts of chutes and risky terrain. Last year, the Tour was highlighted by well-known riders such as Travis Rice, Bode Merrill, Sage Kotsenburg, Pat Moore, and Jamie Anderson, with Mikkel Bang finishing as the men’s champion and Robin Van Gyn (pictured above) finishing as the women’s champion.
Both the riders and the locations featured in the competitions are handpicked by the Natural Selection Committee. Jackson Hole, Baldface, and the Tordrillo Mountains provide unique snow and features for the courses that the riders are then judged on by “risk, flow, creativity, tricks, and control, with judges considering each riders’ overall run from top to bottom.” Each rider has their own unique background and style which elevates the competition to an extremely elite level.
The Natural Selection Tour is looking to become one of the most popular snowboarding competitions in the world and is off to a hot start. The combination of deep powder and massive rotations and flips is more eye-catching than most other competitions and allows for much higher levels of creativity. Look for the Natural Selection Tour to take another massive step of progress this upcoming season.
