Industry News
The list of riders challenging for a spot on the 2024 Natural Selection Tour has been announced today, December 19, 2023, and it is spicy. Olympians, icons and snowboarding’s most exciting riders are dropping into mountain venues worldwide in head-to-head competition for the first stage of the 2024 Natural Selection Tour: YETI Natural Selection DUELS. Watch DUELS exclusively on Red Bull TV starting in late February 2024.
This year’s DUELS will stage in standout mountain venues with NST-worthy backcountry and freeride terrain including:
- Andermatt+Sedrun+Disentis in Switzerland;
- Crested Butte Mountain Resort, CO;
- Eleven’s terrain on Scarp Ridge in Irwin, CO;
- RED Mountain Resort in Rossland, BC;
- Purgatory Snowcat Adventures in Durango, CO;
- and an undisclosed location in Japan.
The 2024 YETI Natural Selection DUELS match-ups are:
- Arthur Longo x Kevin Backstrom @ Andermatt, Switzerland
- Jamie Anderson x Emma Crosby @ Crested Butte Mountain Resort, CO*
- Nils Mindnich x Victor Daviet @ Purgatory Snowcat Adventures in Durango, CO
- Spencer O’Brien x Mary Rand @ RED Mountain Resort, Rossland, BC*
- Red Gerard x Austen Sweetin @ Eleven’s terrain on Scarp Ridge in Irwin, CO*
- Raibu Katayama x Torgier Bergrem in Japan*
*Look for video announcements posting on @NaturalSelection IG soon
“I’m so stoked to be back in the mix this year. You get a memorable experience no matter what with the DUELS format; it’s cool (and also humbling) to directly compare and contrast my riding with another rider. I’ve been a fan of Victor’s riding for a long time, he’s so style driven. I’ve been close to making the cut the last two events, so hopefully the third try’s the charm in Durango!”
— Nils Mindich, Pro Snowboarder
The invited challenger riders were selected by the Natural Selection Rider Selection Committee. The Committee made up of Pat Bridges, Mary Walsh, Liam Griffin, Ed Leigh, and Matt Barr selects riders based on video footage, contest results (as applicable), and potential to succeed in the Natural Selection format of backcountry freeriding.
The eight men and four women invited as challengers in the Tour’s fourth season start off at YETI Natural Selection DUELS. DUELS include six individual match-ups between some of the most skilled snowboarders of our times and are designed to bring out each rider’s full creativity, highlight new zones and snowboarding’s diverse styles. Held in late January and early February, each DUEL will showcase two riders competing head-to-head when conditions are prime during their weather window. Raw DUELS footage will be judged by the NST judging panel. One rider from each DUEL will move on to the next stage of the Tour in Revelstoke, BC. Winners will be revealed in late February as the DUELS premiere on Red Bull TV.
The Natural Selection Tour is working with the DUELS destination partners to curate events that will be open to the public during each competition window. “Our goal with DUELS this year is to enable resort locals and visitors to feel part of the action,” said Natural Selection Tour CEO Carter Westfall. “In addition, each of the DUELS episodes on Red Bull TV will feature broader storytelling and lifestyle components along with the epic action.”
Of the 24 riders who will convene in Revelstoke after DUELS wrap, 18 riders are returning with tickets punched straight to the window opening on March 10, 2024. These invited riders include the 12 who are pre-qualified through their performances at the 2023 YETI Natural Selection Revelstoke: Mikkel Bang, Mikey Ciccarelli, Dustin Craven, Jared Elston, Robin Van Gyn, Ben Ferguson, Hailey Langland, Elena Hight, Torstein Horgmo, Blake Paul, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, and Travis Rice.
Both competition days in the Revelstoke area will live-stream globally within the competition window, March 10-17, 2024 when Mother Nature selects the optimal two days and the optimal zone for each day. Twenty-four riders drop first into either a magnificent backcountry zone in the Selkirk Tangiers Heli Skiing tenure or on the all-new, naturally enhanced and feature-laden Revelstoke Mountain Resort sidecountry venue.
The final 12 riders, who make it through the first Revelstoke-area competition day, will earn their spot to drop into the second venue for another day of live snowboarding. The finals’ day will culminate in the crowning of the men’s and women’s 2024 Natural Selection champions.
2024 Natural Selection Tour Dates:
YETI Natural Selection DUELS
Premiering starting late February 2024 on Red Bull TV (with winners revealed in show)
YETI Natural Selection Selkirk Tangiers
March 10-17, 2024*
*Live for one-day in competition window
YETI Natural Selection Revelstoke:
March 10-17, 2024*
*Live for one-day in competition window
Like-minded partners are coming together to help develop and support the Natural Selection Tour. YETI is back as the Title Partner of DUELS, Revelstoke and Selkirk Tangiers events and is the Tour’s Official Sustainability Partner. A New Earth Project, Arc’teryx, Backcountry Access (BCA), Dakine, GoPro, Gunnison Crested Butte TAPP, Oakley, SENDY, Ski-Doo, TAE, and Visit Durango have signed on as Official Tour marketing partners. Additional 2024 partners will be announced throughout the winter. To get involved please contact the Natural Selection Tour’s Partnership Team.
The Industry Alliance marketing program engages endemic brands that support the team riders competing on the Natural Selection Tour. Current Industry Alliance members include Beyond Medals, BOA, CAPiTA Snowboards, Coal Headwear, Dragon Alliance, Jones Snowboards, Mervin Manufacturing (Lib-Tech, GNU, Bent Metal Binding Works), Norrøna, Rip Curl, Spy Optics, The North Face, and Union Binding Company. Members receive access to team rider content, as well as various rights and benefits. These companies support snowboarding and we recommend that you support them!
