It’s strange. Ever since Natural Selection went multi-sport this fall, we now have to clarify that we’re talking about the snowboard element of the Natural Selection Tour. Not skiing, not surfing and not biking either, but the lifeblood of the NST universe: snowboarding.
With all the excitement of said multi-sport announcement, we were left wondering the fate of what many people consider to be “the greatest snowboard contest of all time.” Well, in a bit of a sad trombone moment, the answer is that not much has changed. But that’s OK, because the NST crew has managed to lock in its formula over the years.
Once again, the NST kicks off the season with what I consider to be the most underrated part of the schedule: the DUELS. Six head-to-head matchups stacked with riders vying for a chance to compete in Revelstoke. And true to form, the DUELS feature some of the world’s best riders battling it out in backcountry Meccas across the globe. If I’m being honest here, it’s a shame there’s no live broadcast to capture the action, and personalities, of an intimately competitive head-to-head in such quality terrain.
To further drive that point home, the NST selection panel listened to all the noise about how Whistler’s hometown hero — Brin Alexander — should get to shoot his shot. But his spot in Revelstoke is anything but a gimme, because he’s been pitted against one of the greatest backcountry freestylers of all time: Bjorn Leines. The two will duke it out in the terrain above Journeyman Lodge, which sits across the valley from Whistler Blackcomb, in NST’s first ever foot-powered DUEL.
“I’m feeling honored and stoked to have the opportunity to be riding in the NST DUELS!” said Leines in press release. “The mindset of big mountain freestyle riding combined with the location, the format, and the talent pool are the ingredients that I’ve been dreaming about for some time now. Looking forward to visualizing, charging, and putting signatures down on BC’s Coast Range alongside Brin and battling it out in God’s country!”
The 2025 YETI Natural Selection DUELS:
-Tor Lundstrom x Stale Sandbech @ Andermatt+Sedrun+Disentis, Switzerland
-Stefi Luxton x Madison Blackley @ Eleven Irwin, Colorado
-Bjorn Leines x Brin Alexander @ evo’s Journeyman Lodge at the Callaghan, British Columbia* (foot-powered DUEL)
-Severin Van Der Meer x Brandon Davis @ Kirkwood Mountain Resort, Lake Tahoe, California
-Gabe Ferguson x Blake Moller @ High Mountain Heli, Victor, Idaho
-Aya Sato x Sarka Pancochova@ Myoko, Japan
All the matchups are notable but a few standouts include Stale Sandbech taking on Tor Lundstrom in Andermatt and also Gabe Ferguson going up against Blake Moller at Idaho’s High Mountain Heli. And tour newcomer— Salt Lake’s Madison Blackley — has drawn Stefi Luxton, who took third in the competition element of the Research and Development (RnD) Contest that went down in Whitewater last spring.
Speaking of RnD, the overall winner of that contest — Ellery Manning — has been awarded a spot in Revelstoke, no DUEL necessary to qualify. You can check the recap video from that event here.
As far as what happens once the prequalified riders and DUELS winners get to Revelstoke in March, that’ll unfold a little differently from years past. The entire competition — from quarters to finals — will be streamed live over the course of two days within the March 10-17 competition window.
That means we won’t have to wait for the winner to be announced this time, like we did last year when Mikey Ciccarelli and Marion Haerty captured the top step of their respective podiums. So while things haven’t shaken up too much for this season, the snowboard community still has a reason to set aside two days in March to watch the live action go down in Revelstoke.
And we’ll just have to wait and see if organizers are able to match that level of radness with NST’s take on skiing, mountain biking and surfing.
Keep your eyes on @NaturalSelectionSnow for all snowboard-related NST action…
2025 Natural Selection Tour Dates:
– YETI Natural Selection DUELS
Exclusively on Red Bull TV starting February 24, 2025 (winners revealed in show).
– YETI Natural Selection Revelstoke
March 10-17, 2025*
*Live for two days in the competition window exclusively on Red Bull TV.
