Some of the world's most daring snowboarders will surf the slopes beyond the bounds of Revelstoke Mountain Resort this next week, on any two days between March 10 and 17 subject to forecast, for the fifth annual Natural Selection Tour (NST).
The event, sponsored by YETI and hosted up at Revelstoke's Montana Bowl, pools talent from some of the top international snowboarding competitions and challenges these athletes with the uncertainty of when and in what conditions they hit the powder.
Spectators can follow the event at for updates on which two dates get picked between the Mondays for the total 24 snowboarders joining from Canada, the U.S., France, Norway, Czechia and Japan.
"I鈥檓 looking forward to checking out this Revy course to figure out how I can ride here, and then how the whole mind game works in this competition compared to what I am used to in the slopestyle scene," said St氓le Sandbech of Norway, who won the previous Natural Selections DUELS in Switzerland, in a statement.
Another of the six DUELS champions, Brin Alexander of Whistler, cleaned up at the competition in B.C.'s Callaghan Valley.
New to the competition this year is the addition of two snowboarders from Research & Development, an all-women backcountry freestyle event featuring up-and-coming snowboarders. Its 2024 winner Ellery Manning and 2025 winner 艩谩rka Pan膷ochov谩 will compete in Revelstoke as two of eight women athletes.
"Being invited to NST almost felt surreal and made me realize that I can make snowboarding a real-life goal," 18-year-old Manning said in the statement. 鈥淣ST is unique because it鈥檚 an event where freeride and freestyle are mixed, which I think is the sickest thing ever and the format allows riders to be incredibly creative."
The list of nine pre-qualified NST riders includes Whistler's Mikey Ciccarelli. But to fill the places of several athletes invitees unable to attend, seven wildcard snowboarders will rise to the occasion, including Spencer O'Brien of north Vancouver Island and Dustin Craven of Calgary.
Only the top 12 competitors from the Day 1 bracket-style contest will have a shot at the championship title the second day.
Perhaps most notably, it's the first year both event days will be streamed, enabling fans in Revelstoke to tune in from screens at Revelation Lodge or the Montana Bowl, or from anywhere else via Red Bull TV.
"There鈥檚 no mountain community quite like the Revelstoke community," NST co-founder Travis Rice said in another statement. 鈥淩evelstoke has an unmatched vibe, terrain, people, snow, and having the chance to witness this event firsthand鈥攚hether from the lodge or on the mountain鈥攊s going to be an unforgettable experience."
Anyone wishing to get in on the competition themselves may consider this year's new Snaked Bank Slalom event, a custom course hosted under Revelstoke Mountain Resort's Stellar Chair for spectators to try matching the speed of NST athletes. Racing is free and starts at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, March 15, with awards on offer and donations warmly welcomed for the Revelstoke Snowboard Academy.
Other free events for NST begin 9 a.m. Sunday, March 9, at Revelation Lodge and run until Sunday, March 16, with the week's full schedule and more available at .
