Find out which of the “challenger” riders including: gold medalists Jamie Anderson and Red Gerard; Europeans Arthur Longo, Kevin Backstrom, Victor Daviet and Torgier Bergrem; Japan’s Raibu Katayama; freestylers turned freeriders including Spencer O’Brien, Mary Rand and Emma Crosby; and 2023 DUELS standout Nils Mindnich will advance to Revelstoke.
Andermatt, CH; Crested Butte Mountain Resort, CO; Eleven’s Terrain Irwin, CO; RED Mountain Resort, BC; Durango/Purgatory, CO; and Japan to host
Revelstoke, BC (December 19, 2023)→The list of riders challenging for a spot on the 2024 Natural Selection Tour is out today 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.
Check out the locations and riders at: https://www.naturalselectiontour.com/duels
Watch the 2023 NST DUELS (again!): https://win.gs/NSTduels
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,” said Nils Mindich, pro snowboarder. “I’ve been close to making the cut the last two events, so hopefully the third try’s the charm in Durango!”
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.”
