Snowboarding
Huge tricks and deep powder define Natural Selection finals in Revelstoke
Plentiful powder, big cliffs and progressive riding were the key themes of Natural Selection Tour finals in Revelstoke, where the competition’s top riders battled for the 2026 titles.
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After a midweek storm dropped 40cm of fresh snow, the legendary Montana Bowl venue reset perfectly for the riders to go head-to-head on one of the most dynamic natural freestyle stages in snowboarding for the 2026 Natural Selection Tour finals in Revelstoke, British Columbia.
More than 1,000 fans skied, snowboarded and hiked in to watch the action live, while a global audience tuned in on Red Bull TV.
You can watch finals day in full below if you'd rather avoid spoilers:
Finals Revelstoke – Natural Selection Snowboard
The 12 riders who advanced from Day 1 compete for glory. One man and one woman will be crowned Champions.
01
Deep powder resets the Montana Bowl
Picture-perfect conditions greeted the riders on finals day
© Mike Yoshida/Natural Selection Tour
The Selkirk Mountains delivered classic Revelstoke conditions – powder pillows, natural cliff bands and moments of bright alpine sun lighting up the face.
The midweek storm fully refreshed the terrain, allowing riders to use both the east and west faces of Montana Bowl across the competition.
“Snow conditions don't get much better than this. It's ideal conditions,” said Travis Rice while looking back up at the venue under the evening light.
“There’s very few events in the world that are harder to put on than something like this. It takes riders’ entire lifetimes of experience to ride venues like this.”
02
Head-to-head format raises the pressure
Day 1 had already provided plenty of mind-blowing action
© Mike Yoshida/Natural Selection Tour
Following the opening sessions format earlier in the week that reduced the field from 24 riders to 12, the finals shifted into a head-to-head bracket inspired by competitive surfing.
The men’s competition began with the quarter-finals, while the women’s field started with the semi-finals.
Each match-up gave riders two runs, with their best score counting toward advancement – forcing athletes to balance freestyle progression with technical freeride line choices.
Runs were judged using NST’s CREDO system, which evaluates:
- Creativity
- Risk
- Execution
- Difficulty
- Overall flow
03
Big tricks and composure shape the women’s final
Sadowski-Synnott took her second title
© Mike Yoshida/Natural Selection Tour
The women’s bracket opened with the four riders who had already proved themselves earlier in the week – Šárka Pančochová, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott, Billy Pelchat and Madison Blackley.
Eighteen-year-old rookie Pelchat impressed immediately in the semi-finals, opening her run with a confident cab 540 in her first Natural Selection finals appearance. Small errors in the lower cliffs allowed Sadowski-Synnott to answer, however.
The New Zealander linked a composed and technical run that included a backside 720 near the top – her first time landing the trick in a Natural Selection event. Clean airs through trees and a final cliff drop earned a 90.3, the highest score of the day at that point.
On the other side of the bracket, Pančochová rode a fast and fluid line featuring classic methods, straight airs and smooth transitions to reach the final.
Taking the acclaim
© Mike Yoshida/Natural Selection Tour
In the championship match-up, Sadowski-Synnott chose the west face while Pančochová dropped into the east.
After recovering from a small mistake on her opening run, Sadowski-Synnott returned for the final drop as sunlight broke through the clouds and illuminated Montana Bowl. She landed a big spin into a massive flip before clearing the lower cliff band to secure victory and her second NST championship.
“There’s no other time – not even when you're freeriding – that you get anything remotely close to this venue,” she said. “This contest is so different from any other contests that I do. It’s creative and free flowing.”
Pančochová finished second after sending huge 9m cliff drops, while Pelchat claimed an impressive third-place finish on her Natural Selection debut.
04
Technical riding and huge cliffs in the men’s field
Brin Alexander registered one of the biggest runs of the quarters
© Mike Yoshida/Natural Selection Tour
The men’s quarters opened with eight riders dropping into the refreshed face: Nils Mindnich, Mark McMorris, Gigi Rüf, Torstein Horgmo, Matteo Massitti, Blake Moller, Jared Elston and Brin Alexander.
Mindnich arrived with unfinished business, after finishing second at the 2024 finals, and quickly set the tone with one of the cleanest and most technical runs of the round. Elsewhere, the venue pushed riders to their limits.
Brin Alexander charged through a massive double-cliff line to earn one of the highest scores of the quarter-finals. McMorris landed the first-ever 1080 executed on Natural Selection’s massive natural features. Horgmo advanced after stomping a huge cliff drop few riders would attempt.
It was a line I had been envisioning all season
The level rose again in the semis when Horgmo posted a powerful run for a score of 90, combining big tricks at the top with aggressive freeride lines through the lower cliffs. Moments later Mindnich upped things another notch. His standout run began with a buttery 180 onto the lip and a switch backside 720, followed by a stylish switch backside 360 and fluid method airs through the lower section. The run scored 95 – the highest of the day.
“It was a line I had been envisioning all season,” Mindnich said. “I finally decided to stop holding back and just go for it.”
On the opposite side of the bracket, Alexander attacked the terrain with speed and landed a massive cliff drop to secure his place in the final.
05
A clash of styles decides the men's title
Mindnich's technique helped him to prevail in the final
© Mike Yoshida/Natural Selection Tour
The final came down to two riders representing very different approaches to big-mountain freestyle. Alexander opened with a huge double backflip, bringing raw power and aggressive freeride lines.
Mindnich countered with precision and technical riding, dropping switch into a backside 540 before floating a stylish method across a massive transfer. His opening score of 82 put him in the lead.
Both riders pushed harder in their final runs, but Mindnich’s first score held, securing his first Natural Selection Tour championship. Alexander finished second after delivering some of the biggest lines of the competition.
06
Natural Selection Revelstoke 2026 final results
Pančochová, Sadowski-Synnott and Pelchat on the podium
© Takaya Sage/Natural Selection Tour
Mindnich gets a lift
© Mike Yoshida/Natural Selection Tour
Women
- Zoi Sadowski-Synnott
- Šárka Pančochová
- Billy Pelchat
- Madison Blackley
Men
- Nils Mindnich
- Brin Alexander
- Torstein Horgmo
- Blake Moller
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