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A Week To Remember | The Natural Selection Recap

Burton team dominates Natural Selection, journalist poaches the course, and why this is huge for snowboarding

The beer flowed like wine in Jackson, Wyoming, on Tuesday night. Vermont, too, I imagine. If you failed to watch the historic stream of the Yeti Natural Selection at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort on Tuesday (shame on you, watch the replay here), Burton riders put on a clinic, with four of the six podium spots claimed by disciples of the late Jake Burton Carpenter.

Burton Sweeps the Men’s Natural Selection Field

Norwegian savant Mikkel Bang drew the most idiosyncratic lines of the event on his 170cm Custom. He popped spry switch methods, the difficulty of which was underlined by mind-blown announcer T. Bird, who opined that they’re “arguably the hardest trick in snowboarding.”

“The rock tap was up there with Bode Merrill’s day one miller flip, the kind of creative, video-part-worthy riding that we hoped to see at a backcountry freestyle contest”

After squeaking past event standout Pat Moore in the quarters, Bang faced Burton teammate Mark McMorris in the semis. Knowing Sparky wasn’t one to roll over and die, Bang eyed up a hulking, hostile cliff on his first run. He ollied off a booter below it and spun into the rock wall at full tilt, drawing a gasp from all viewers. He went for the bonk but got more of a stone grind, gouging his board, getting bucked, and reeling into the powder below. He dialed it back and stomped the front three rock tap on his next run.

 

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Although judges gave McMorris the nod, Bang’s style was unforgettable. The rock tap was up there with Bode Merrill’s day one miller flip, the kind of creative, video-part-worthy riding that we hoped to see at a backcountry freestyle contest. With that banger under his belt, Bang belonged on the podium, and thankfully, his performance was enough to earn third place.

Ben Ferguson—oh, Ben Ferguson. I wasn’t alone in pulling for Ferg in the finals. Despite never winning a contest in his professional snowboarding career, Ferg bested Olympian-turned-backcountry-boss Sage Kotsenburg in the quarters. Honestly, I had my money on Kotsenburg to cut through the field like a machete. Between his Sochi sojourn and, more recently, Joy, Halcyon, and his day one Natural Selection performance, he was a top contender. Not to mention, according to the commentators, Kotsenburg reportedly woke up for finals day and watched Russell Crowe’s Gladiator.

After defeating Gnarcus Aurelius in Emperor T. Rice’s coliseum, Ferg took on Jackson Hole wunderkind and crippler virtuoso Blake Paul in the semis. Ferg’s suave switch hijinks got him past Paul, but he came up short against McMorris. That said, Ferg threw both a peerless method and a cab nine over the biggest gap of the venue during the contest, dubbed “The Great Wall,” making a clear statement: he is still your favourite snowboarder’s favourite snowboarder and one of the best backcountry freestylers on the planet. No doubt, Ferg will be a contender for the overall Natural Selection crown.

“After defeating Gnarcus Aurelius in Emperor T. Rice’s coliseum, Ferg took on Jackson Hole wunderkind and crippler virtuoso Blake Paul in the semis”

McMorris met Travis Rice in the quarterfinals. I’ll repeat that. McMorris met Travis Rice in the quarterfinals. The most unbelievable match-up snowboarding has ever seen. T. Rice bobbled on a double backflip that would have made him difficult to beat, while McMorris stomped his back-to-back sevens.

“This guy,” said Rice, his arm around McMorris after their second runs. “How solid is this guy?”

“This guy,” said McMorris in return as the scores rolled in. “Bringing us here to Jackson. How lucky are we?”

Mark McMorris during day 2 finals of the Natural Selection Tour at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort (Credit: Red Bull Media Pool / Natural Selection Tour)

After steaming Rice in the quarters and Bang in the semis, McMorris went toe-to-toe with Ferg, busting out a cab nine and a double wildcat in a commanding performance. Throughout his ascension of the Natural Selection bracket, McMorris was effusive with respect for his fellow riders and gratitude for T. Rice, event sponsors, and all those who made the contest possible. When he embraced Ferg at the bottom of course, he expressed sheer disbelief. “What the heck man, that’s crazy,” he said, to a chorus of cheers from the small crowd. “A dream come true,” he said in a later interview. “Literally couldn’t have imagined it in a million years.”

From Wildcard to Winner: Zoi Sadowski-Synnott Stakes Her Claim

On the women’s side of the draw, Hana Beaman took third, going down to Zoi Sadowski-Synnott in the semis. Throughout the week, Beaman’s experience in powder showed, and she wasn’t afraid to go huge. Her wildcats and willingness to send earned her “The Golden Buckskin” award from the Mark Landvik-led, bean-grubbing “Shrubb Brothers.” (I still don’t know what the hell is happening with the Shrubb Brothers, but I like it. At least, I think I like it.)

In a semi clash against French freerider Marion Haerty, Elena Hight brought the freestyle flavour, but low light made it hard for the Tahoe-based rider to stick her landings. On the other hand, Haerty relied on speed, straight-airing the entire course and staying on her feet to make it to the next round. The “just point it” freeride mentality got Haerty through to the finals, but in the end, especially as the sun popped, judges wanted more.

Marion Haerty and Elena Hight during day 2 finals of the Natural Selection Tour (Credit: Red Bull Media Pool / Natural Selection Tour)

“If I could critique one thing,” commentated T. Bird during Haerty’s first finals run against Zoi Sadowski-Synnott. “This is an all-mountain freestyle contest. And she is not grabbing her board.” This approach was disappointing, especially as riders like Jamie Anderson and Robin Van Gyn sent technical tricks off The Great Wall in earlier rounds, and it would have been fitting to see one of them charging hard and giving Sadowski-Synnott a run for her money. To her credit, Haerty did attempt a backflip once her back was against the wall (a different wall, this one a figurative wall, but a great one nonetheless, constructed entirely by the Kiwi champion).

Still, Haerty earned a second-place finish, and it’s worth noting that Jackson Hole was the venue least suited to her style of riding. If the big mountain specialist can make it to the spiny amphitheatres of Alaska, she’ll be at her most dangerous.

“From the jump, the 19-year-old gave the judges, viewers, and fellow riders what they wanted: all-out effort, whistle-worthy style, and proper hangtime”

Wildcard New Zealander Sadowski-Synnott arrived in Jackson with zero pressure, and from the jump, the 19-year-old gave the judges, viewers, and fellow riders what they wanted: all-out effort, whistle-worthy style, and proper hangtime. In her finals runs, she threw stylish wildcats, tweaked grabs, and a massive three. She secured the win with a 96, the highest-scoring run of the event, and the riders’ tent erupted in cheers. OGs like Hight, Beaman, and Van Gyn were both astonished and stoked by the up-and-comer’s performance.

It’s impossible to overstate the impact of Sadowski-Synnott’s Natural Selection debut on the state of women’s backcountry freestyle. While Sadowski-Synnott has her sights set on the Olympics, hopefully she can continue to balance chasing gold medals with developing her backcountry skillset, as the sky is the limit for this young talent.

Zoi Sadowski-Synnott on her way to victory during day 2 finals of the Natural Selection Tour (Credit: Red Bull Media Pool / Natural Selection Tour)

More than a Contest

The Natural Selection contest itself was a smashing success—the stream went smoothly, riders pushed their limits and put on a show, and the racing drones never decapitated any of the competitors. But what went down off of the stream was equally as important, if not more so, for snowboarding. “The beautiful thing about Natural Selection was not only the event itself but the behind the scenes,” claimed all gas, no brakes competitor Austen Sweetin.

The weeklong waiting period went from the 3rd until the 9th, with competition taking place on the second and last day of the window. In between, Wyoming was hammered with heavy snowfall: four feet in as many days meant visibility was tough for a live broadcast and riding conditions were all-time. With bottomless powder redolent of Hokkaido, competitors banded together in posses and pillaged Jackson Hole’s every nook and craggy cranny.

“The stream went smoothly, riders pushed their limits and put on a show, and the racing drones never decapitated any of the competitors”

Pat Moore, who was an event standout despite getting knocked out early in day two, articulated the vibe mid-week. “The conditions are so good, and we have tickets, and the crew is insane,” he said. “I’m not much of a competitor anyways, so I’m here to enjoy the whole week, the whole experience—really haven’t been holding out on the pow days.”

“You can walk to the bottom of the gondola, wait five minutes, and at any point in time you’re going to have five to ten of the best riders grouped together, getting onto the gondola. Jumping in from group to group and riding with some of the best who have ever done it is such a unique opportunity,” he said. Moore, like many pros, tends to stick with a close-knit film crew in winter, he says, but he called Natural Selection a “cool opportunity to ride with people you never get to: Mark McMorris, Mikkel, Rasman, Travis Rice—it’s just insane.”

Throughout the week, these heavy-hitting squads returned time and time again to Dick’s Ditch. Dick’s, a dramatic gully that turns into a natural halfpipe come winter, replete with hip-like hits dotting its bodacious curves, is a storied locale in Natural Selection history, as it was the venue for Rice’s original Natural Selection event in 2008. Hell, it’s a storied location in snowboard history, too: it’s home to the Dick’s Ditch Banked Slalom, an event that’s been running for over two decades, and there’s a hit towards the bottom named after Terje, who, along with longtime Jackson local Bryan Iguchi, decimated the gully in Subjekt Haakonsen (1996).

“It was unreal riding my home mountain hitting all the same hits I grew up on with all these guys I looked up to,” commented Blake Paul. “Truly a memorable experience.”

 

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Riders were “feeding off each other’s energy, pushing each other to the limits of ability and creativity,” according to Austen Sweetin. “Multiple times I caught myself taking a breath, looking around, and saying to myself, ‘This is one of those moments in time I will cherish and remember forever.’ The snowboard community is in a beautiful place and the love for snowboarding is strong within the community.”

 

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In the Ditch, riders threw down, each inspired by the next, amped by tricks and style and speed of their fellow competitors. Tricks were stomped, bails were taken, progression was manifest. Phones and GoPros and REDs caught the action. Lens shutters snapped like bursts of machine gun fire. Howls erupted, riders of the gully like coyotes in a canyon. The electricity of these Dick’s Ditch conga lines radiated well beyond the gully walls, as a sense of camaraderie oozed into the competition itself. Riders were competitive, sure, as those on the verge of elimination reached into their bags of tricks and sent it as hard as they could.

“The Natural Selection wasn’t merely a snowboard competition—it was a brotherhood and sisterhood of snowboarding”

But there was an overarching element of community: riders were congratulatory in defeat, graceful in victory. They were concerned for one another’s well-being after bails, and stoked when their foes stomped gnarly tricks, even if it meant their own competition life was doomed. Natural Selection wasn’t merely a snowboard competition—it was a brotherhood and sisterhood of snowboarding.

There’s a famous saying on chairlifts the world over: “There are no friends on a powder day.” The gist, of course, is that it’s better to leave slowpokes in your cold smoke, to chase fresh turns with unslakable thirst. The resource is scarce! Feast while you can! Show no weakness in the lift line!

The Natural Selection is definitive proof that this popular saying is misguided. It’s sharing that excitement that matters. It’s those days when you’re riding with the squad, each rider pushing the next, that you ride at your best, learn new tricks, progress, and surprise yourself. It’s those days that you have the most fun, too.

Mark McMorris and Mikkel bang (Credit: Red Bull Media Pool / Natural Selection Tour)
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott and Hana Beaman (Credit: Red Bull Media Pool / Natural Selection Tour)

If you’re a snowboarder, no matter your skill level, you’ve felt the electricity that crackled out of those historic Dick’s Ditch sessions. Even if you’ve never entered a snowboard contest in your life, you’ve felt the warmth of the blaze that emanated from heat to heat during the competition. You know the beauty of riding with your homies, of bumping mittened fists, of stomping a new trick, of riding bell-to-bell when the conditions are just too damn good to stop.

The Natural Selection didn’t just exhibit the best snowboarding, but the best of snowboarding. This competition, this magical week, spelled out a truth for me: snowboarding is fun, and it’s more fun with friends. So thank you, Travis Rice, all of the riders, and all of the behind-the-scenes contributors who helped transmit this message to the world.

Travis Rice during the course preview for the Natural Selection Tour (Credit: Red Bull Media Pool / Natural Selection Tour)

Marx the Meteorite

My favourite moment from my time in Jackson covering the Natural Selection was on the afternoon of the 9th, after Mark McMorris and Zoi Sadowski-Synnott had been crowned champions. I hopped on Jackson Hole’s Teton Chair, several behind Travis Rice, and followed him through the gate and into the competitor’s area. It’s worth noting that I had a media pass to the event, which didn’t do shit due to COVID protocols, and my request to ride the course had been denied.

However, I decided that it was my obligation, both to myself and you, Whitelines readers, to poach the thing. I was wearing a bright, monotonic kit—you know, something a good snowboarder might wear—and strode through the gate, coasting on T. Rice’s Quiksilver coat tails like I owned the place, or at least like I knew the guy who owned the place. I figured that so long as no one actually observed me snowboarding, I could pretend to be a professional snowboarder.

I received no flack and proceeded to ride slowly down a now-beat-to-crap course, marvelling at how much bigger the hits looked in person than on the live stream. As someone who’s made a career out of being an armchair quarterback, it’s healthy to see a 300-pound linebacker up close and personal every once in a while.

” I was watching a master at work, a man entirely in his element—not a pro, no, but a snowboarder, a good snowboarder, to the fucking bone”

Security, it seemed, wasn’t exactly an iron curtain after the event. I spotted Arbor team manager Dave Marx, a fellow poacher and friend who I’d been riding with earlier in the week. A charismatic, big-hearted hellion, high-octane ripper, and the life of the party, Marx had been throwing down hard all Natural Selection long, clocking clips in Dick’s Ditch sessions that went damn near viral and earning a comment from eminent shred Eddie Wall calling him, “The MVP of the week.”

On the Natural Selection course, Marx hucked his meat, hooted Hana Beaman into invert attempts, and busted out his phone to film and gas up poachers who were similarly psyched to nibble T. Rice’s leftovers. I was watching a master at work, a man entirely in his element—not a pro, no, but a snowboarder, a good snowboarder, to the fucking bone.

And yet, as we stood above The Great Wall (unrelated to Eddie Wall), which looked much bigger in person than it did on my computer screen, Marx faced a conundrum.

“I do not want to hit this,” Marx said. I agreed. Bodily harm seemed all but guaranteed. The landing was a cratered lunarscape, and sun-affected besides. But a crew on the side of the jump was already shouting up words of encouragement and giving Marx beta on speed.

“You got it! Two check turns!” one called.

A handful of pros looked on. Legendary photographer Tim Zimmerman and filmer Sean Lucey stood by to get the shot.

“Now you have to go,” joked John Crouch, another Arbor-employed poacher.

“Fuck,” Marx muttered.

Marx strapped in, breathed deep, and dropped. The beta was off—two speed checks weren’t enough. My man rocketed off the lip, grabbed indy, and flew to the moon like Neil Armstrong. He shot several board length’s past the knuckle and hit the landing like a North Face-clad meteorite. As he clambered out of the bomb hole, all of us—poachers, pros, and event staff alike—erupted in cheers. As I hooted, I shook my head. Like Sweetin, I found myself breathing deep, savoring the moment. Then I strapped in, dropped off a small cliff, forgot to grab, and skirted around The Great Wall because I’m not a fucking madman.

 

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More Like This:

Debate | Why A Freeride Tour Crown Won’t Guarantee Success at Natural Selection

First Look | Interviews With The Riders Ahead of Natural Selection

Mastermind | The Travis Rice Interview

Natural Selection Day 1 | Full Replay

Natural Selection Day 2 | Full Replay

Austin Sweetin in the start house during day 2 finals of the Natural Selection Tour (Credit: Red Bull Media Pool / Natural Selection Tour)
Mikkel Bang, Mark McMorris and Ben Ferguson during day 2 finals of the Natural Selection Tour (Credit: Red Bull Media Pool / Natural Selection Tour)
Zoi Sadowski-Synnott during day 2 finals of the Natural Selection Tour (Credit: Red Bull Media Pool / Natural Selection Tour)
Ben Ferguson during day 1 qualifiers of the Natural Selection Tour (Credit: Red Bull Media Pool / Natural Selection Tour)
Robin Van Gyn backflips over the Great Wall during day 1 qualifiers of the Natural Selection Tour (Credit: Red Bull Media Pool / Natural Selection Tour)

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