Snowboarding
Natural Selection Tour introduces a brand new stage in 2026
The NST returned with a brand new first stage, shaking up the beloved backcountry competition. Here's everything you need to know about Super Sessions and the riders that advanced to the main event.
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The brainchild of snowboarder Travis Rice, the Natural Selection Tour brings elite athletes together to ride the world’s most challenging natural terrain. In 2026, the season launched with a brand-new opening stage: Super Sessions.
Unlike Duels, where snowboarders battled it out head-to-head, Super Sessions introduced a more collaborative, session-style competition, emphasising creativity, line choice and natural terrain expression.
The two Super Sessions determined which athletes would advance to compete in the main event at the YETI Natural Selection Revelstoke. Read on to find out more about each Super Sessions venue and find out which riders will now compete in British Columbia, Canada.
Travis Rice deep in the Alaskan backcountry
© Chad Chomlack/Red Bull Content Pool
01
How athletes lined up at Super Sessions
The men were split into two groups and competed in Myōkō, Japan, and Utah, USA. Seven were selected by the selection committee, and an eighth was selected through a fan vote.
At the end of the Super Sessions, five men advanced to compete in Revelstoke. That contest is scheduled for a weather window of March 10-16, 2026.
You can now watch all the action from the Super Sessions in the video below.
NST Snow Super Sessions – Revelstoke qualifiers
Results from NST Snow Super Sessions determine who goes forward to YETI Natural Selection Snow in Revelstoke.
02
Where did the Super Sessions take place?
The new Super Sessions events took place at Powder Mountain in Utah, and Myōkō in Japan,.
Garrett Warnick showing his class on Powder Mountain
© Chad Chomlack/Natural Selection Tour
Powder Mountain, Utah, USA
Bringing the Super Sessions to the continental US was Powder Mountain, Utah. Held in a zone known locally as 'Don’t Mention It' or DMI. The 1,000-plus-acre zone lies beneath James Peak, Powder Mountain's highest point, and features cliff bands, spines, technical chutes and other natural terrain for riders to work with. The resort has plans to add lift access to DMI, but ahead of the lift's opening, NST athletes rode the terrain as it exists today: unserved, expansive and defined by its natural terrain.
Myōkō, Japan
Going full send in Myōkō
© Chad Chomlack/Natural Selection Tour
The crew returned to Myōkō, Japan, a region known for some of the deepest snowfall in the world, for a Super Session stacked with fresh NST blood. The venue for last year’s epic DUEL between Aya Sato and Šárka Pančochová, Myōkō’s terrain featured rolling volcanic contours, natural transitions, and evenly spaced trees that create a fast, technical riding environment well-suited to deep snow.
03
Who advanced from the Super Sessions?
Powder Mountain, USA, line-up:
- Blake Paul
- Brin Alexander
- Garrett Warnick
- Brock Crouch
- Yuki Kadono
From the competition in Utah, it was NST rookie Garrett Warnick, Japanese ace Yuki Kadono and BC crowd favourite Brin Alexander who impressed the most and earned a place in Revelstoke.
More from the legend himself, Travis Rice
Myōkō, Japan, line-up:
- Mateo Massitti
- Mason Lemery
- Miles Fallon
- Takeru Otsuka
- Terje Håkonsen
In Japan, it was Mateo Massitti and Miles Fallon who impressed the most and secured a spot at the YETI Natural Selection Revelstoke.
04
History of NST
Robin Van Gyn со бекфлип на YETI Natural Selection Tour во Џексон Хол
© Dean Blotto Gray/Natural Selection Tour/Red Bull Content Pool
When it launched in 2021, NST had a three-stop championship culminating in a final in the Tordrillo Mountains, Alaska. The first overall tour champions were Mikkel Bang (men) and Robin Van Gyn (women). This set the template for the event's big-mountain, terrain-driven format.
In 2022, the tour expanded its reach to include stops in Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Baldface, British Columbia; and Alaska. Travis Rice took the overall men's title while Elena Hight secured the women's championship.
Kiwi rider Zoi Sadowski-Synnott claimed top honours
© Tom Monterosso/Natural Selection Tour
The showcase continued to grow in 2023 – Travis Rice and Zoi Sadowski-Synnott were crowned overall tour champions after big performances in Alaska and other stops.
The 2024 competition featured more backcountry face action in Revelstoke and other classic freeride terrain. Mikey Ciccarelli (men) and Marion Haerty (women) won the tour titles.
NST continued its growth in 2025, with events such as the Revelstoke finals featuring large fields and head-to-head matchups. For the snowboard portion, Ståle Sandbech (men) and Spencer O'Brien (women) topped the podium at Revelstoke.
Travis Rice during the Natural Selection Tour in Revelstoke, Canada
© Chad Chomlack/Red Bull Content Pool
05
How to watch the YETI Natural Selection Revelstoke
YETI Natural Selection Revelstoke broadcasts will be live on Red Bull TV for two days within the March 10-15 competition window.
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