YETI Natural Selection Tour: Duels

Natural Selection Tour headed to Japan for the first time for a Duel between 2022 Jackson Hole alumni Torgeir Bergrem and Raibu Katayama. Myoko hosted the battle and offered a mixture of manmade and backcountry features. It was an incredibly close call with both riders landing big airs and falling just short on ambitious tricks like CAB 540s and a huge 900 from Bergrem. The Norwegian did just enough, though – a very slick Method was the pick of the bunch.

17min

The two Beyond Medals crew members headed to Switzerland’s Andermatt to shred the slopes of Gemmsstock. Both have Natural Selection Tour history, with Backstrom aiming for redemption after losing to Travis Rice in the opening bracket at Jackson Hole in 2022. Event day saw them hit two spots in challenging conditions, but they used all their skill and style to throw down a couple of clean runs each. Sebbe De Buck’s backflips and nose grab 540 were the picks of Zone 1, but Backstrom blew De Buck away with some silky riding on a fast, rocky descent and a substantial double backflip in Zone 2 to seal his place in Revelstoke.

16min

Two supremely talented riders with similar styles headed to Irwin, Colorado, for one of the most exciting Duels of this tour. Austin Sweetin brought his backcountry spontaneity to the Scarp Ridge spot, while Red Gerard was in red-hot form, having won slopestyle gold at the 2024 X Games Aspen. The powder was knee-deep, although visibility was poor, making landings even more difficult on the steep, obstacle-strewn course. Both riders spent their first couple of runs getting their eye in, but Gerard went big first, landing a tight 720 out of a tree gap. Sweetin upped the intensity in his fourth and final run, throwing down a CAB 540 that saw him edge the contest.

18min

Colorado hosted its third 2024 Natural Selection Tour duel when Salomon teammates Nils Mindnich and Victor Daviet went board-to-board in Durango, Colorado. The spot was naturally enhanced backcountry at its best – a combination of shovel-sculpted big air jumps, kickers, and rollers in a fantastic gully. The snow showed up – almost too much – with both riders battling waist-deep pow whenever they veered too far off the line. Both put down some epic runs: Daviet fell just short of pulling a mind-bending double backflip, but Mindnich edged it after landing big spins and grabs due to switching it up from his goofy stance.

20min

The iconic ski and snowboard resort hosted a showdown between the GOAT, Jamie Anderson, and promising up-and-comer, Emma Crosby. The pair were forced to wait for the last day of the weather window, but some fresh snow and bluebird conditions meant the Rocky range’s spot, Land of Many Names, was the perfect setting for their five runs. The rookie Crosby showed some of her street-honed skills with a tight backflip and clean drops through a rocky couloir, but her inexperience showed with some falls after coming in too hot. Anderson, meanwhile, displayed why she’s considered the best rider of her generation, cementing her spot in the next round with a blend of technical riding along narrow ridges and off of massive drops, as well as big spins and grabs, including a tasty frontside 360.

18min

Spencer O’Brien and Mary Rand are two of the most formidable backcountry snowboarders, but with backgrounds in slopestyle and street, respectively, each brought their unique take to Mount Kirkup. The first zone they tackled was Headwall, a technical, tree-packed terrain where getting line choice wrong could spell the end of their day’s riding. Both came through unscathed, but airtime was limited to boulder drop-offs. Zone 2’s Pillow Field offered more creativity, but the compact nature of the course meant the kickers were coming thick and fast. Rand coped best, using her street background to land an audacious backflip in the tightest of gaps and qualify for the event in Revelstoke, Canada.

16min