Snowboarding
Revelstoke bound! See which snowboarders dominated Duels to earn their spot
The Natural Selection Tour Duels delivered. Meet the six snowboarders who dominated and earned their spot in the ultimate showdown at Revelstoke.
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The Natural Selection Tour Duels have wrapped and the results are in - six snowboarders have conquered rugged backcountry terrain, battled fierce competition and punched their tickets to the ultimate freeride showdown in Revelstoke, Canada. From jaw-dropping drops to impossibly smooth lines, these riders proved they have the skill, style and nerve to take on the world’s best.
With the next stop set for the unpredictable wilds of British Columbia, the stage is now set for an epic clash at the YETI Natural Selection Revelstoke. So, who rose to the occasion and secured their spot? Let’s dive into the highlights and reveal the riders heading to the big show.
01
Tor Lundstrom vs Ståle Sandbech
Location: Squamish, BC, Canada
14 min
Duels: Tor Lundstrom vs Ståle Sandbech
Snowboarders Tor Lundstrom and Ståle Sandbech face off in Andermatt+Sedrun+Disentis, Switzerland.
Originally slated for a duel in the Swiss Alps, Ståle Sandbech and Tor Lundstrom faced tough conditions in Andermatt, forcing them to relocate to Squamish in BC, Canada, to find the right conditions for their battle.
With boarder coming equipped with an appetite for blending natural terrain and a deep bag of tricks, Lundstrom and Sandbech both went huge off the cornice at the top of the venue and found plenty of space for freeriding below. Lundstrom opened up the transition-packed course with a smooth and technical line ending in a large cliff drop, while Sanbech landed enough Frontside Butters, Backside 360s and perfectly tweaked Methods to take home the win.
02
Bjorn Leines vs Brin Alexander
Location: evo’s Journeyman Lodge at the Callaghan, BC, Canada (Foot-powered Duel)
17 min
Duels: Bjorn Leines vs Brin Alexander
Snowboarders Bjorn Leines and Brin Alexander duel at evo’s Journeyman Lodge, BC, Canada.
This one spanned generations. Bjorn Leines, a freeride legend with countless iconic video parts versus Brin Alexander, your favourite rider's favourite rider. Leines has spent plenty of time pointing it down pillow lines in the Coast Mountains during his days filming with the legendary Wildcats crew and Alexander's home mountains are the terrain surrounding Journeyman Lodge in Callaghan, BC.
Needless to say, the first ever foot-powered duel went off with Leines opening things up with a high-speed, technical pillow line that showcased his comfort in the terrain. Alexander responded, linking together unique lines and plenty of switch riding, most notably a huge Cab 180 off a pillow stack in the second of the three zones the duo hit. Ultimately, it was Alexander’s ingenuity and huge hits that won the day as he stomped massive Backflips, Backside 540s and a tree tap for the ages that locked down the win.
Blake Moller took out Gabe Ferguson
© Jackson Keegan Rice/Natural Selection
Bjorn Leines and Brin Alexander scouting for the first foot-powered duel
© Ben Girardi/Natural Selection
Aya Sato sends it off a snowed-in avalanche gate in Japan
© Kentaro Matsuda/Natural Selection
Madison Blakely charging in Crested Butte
© Aaron Dodds/Natural Selection
Maore about the Natural Selection Tour
03
Stefi Luxton vs Madison Blackley
Location: Eleven Irwin, Crested Butte, CO, United States
10 min
Duels: Stefi Luxton vs Madison Blackley
Snowboarders Stefi Luxton and Madison Blackley face off at Eleven Irwin, Colorado, United States.
The Eleven Irwin terrain in Crested Butte has shown off its scale and variety in past duels. This time around it was no different, as it welcomed two riders from opposing corners of the world. After a community ride day at Crested Butte to warm up the legs, New Zealand ripper Steffi Luxton and Salt Lake local Madison Blackley put their skills to the test on a two-jump line that the duo settled on after assessing snow conditions in the area. Blackley opened up the duel with a clean Backside 180 to Backflip and while Luxton did her best, stomping Backflips and Backside 360s, she was never able to match Blackley’s consistency and ultimately it was Blackley who took home the win.
04
Severin van der Meer vs Brandon Davis
Location: Kirkwood Mountain Resort, Lake Tahoe, CA, United States
14 min
Duels: Severin van der Meer vs Brandon Davis
Snowboarders Severin van der Meer and Brandon Davis go head to head in Kirkwood Mountain Resort, US.
Brandon Davis cut his teeth on the slopestyle scene and slowly transitioned into backcountry riding in recent years, while Severin Van Der Meer earned his spot in the snowboard world in the backcountry, filming with icons like Nicolas Muller and Gigi Ruf. On the heels of a massive storm system the two met in the legendary terrain of Kirkwood Mountain Resort in Lake Tahoe to bring their varied background, a shared passion for creative interpretation of the mountains and a whole lot of energy.
Van Der Meer opened up the day, finding hit after hit, landing multiple Backside 360s and finding a cheeky straight-line to finish off his run. Davis followed suit, bringing plenty of freestyle ingenuity to the table. After a high-energy back and forth, ultimately it was Van Der Meer’s styled out Butters, a Backside Rodeo 7 and plenty more variety that gave him the win.
05
Gabe Ferguson vs Blake Moller
Location: High MTN Heli, Jackson, WY, United States
11 min
Duels: Gabe Ferguson vs Blake Moller
Snowboarders Gabe Ferguson and Blake Moller face off in High MTN Heli in Victor, Idaho, United States.
Two riders with a propensity for going big paired up with the world-class terrain of Jackson, Wyoming. What could be better? While Gabe Ferguson has showed serious poise in his past appearances on the Natural Selection Tour, Blake Moller is a newcomer. But worry not, the 'Barrel Seeker' – as his friends call him – showed up big. Ferguson opened up the day with a massive Backside 360 and then doubled down on that line with another Backside 360 on his next run, followed by back-to-back Backflips. However, it was Moller who took home the win, feeding off Ferguson's energy and riding with speed with aggression and landing the biggest hit of the day – a Backside 720 followed up by a signature laid-out Backflip.
06
Aya Sato vs Šárka Pančochová
Location: Myoko Resort, Japan
15 min
Duels: Aya Sato vs Šárka Pančochová
Snowboarders Aya Sato from Japan and Šárka Pančochová from Czech face off in Myoko Resort, Niigata, Japan.
Returning for a second year to the snow-packed paradise of the Japanese Alps, first-time NST competitors Aya Sato and Šárka Pančochová put on a show during a historically deep winter. Taking on a mixture of man-made kickers and Japan's iconic avalanche barriers, the rookies tested their creativity over the course of multiple days, a venue change and a nearly 100cm snow dump.
Pančochová showed off her powerful riding, landing a Backside Rodeo 540 and absolutely charging a technical line (and avoiding a near disaster), while Sato showed off consistency and style with poked out Indy’s and stylish Frontside 360s that ultimately gave her the win.
Coming next: YETI Natural Selection Tour Revelstoke Mountain Resort
The six Duels winners will now join forces with 18 returning and invited Natural Selection Tour riders for a live event day during the weather window of March 10-17. The 24 riders drop into the natural and naturally enhanced Revelstoke Mountain Resort venue, where the 24 will be whittled down to a final 12.
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