Natural Selection Tour
Selkirk Tangiers, Canada
Revelstoke
Revelstoke, BC, Canada, Canada
Watch Replay on Red Bull TV
A dozen challenger riders kicked off the 2024 tour with YETI Natural Selection Tour Duels showdowns at mountain venues worldwide.
A qualifying format first introduced in 2023, the Duels in 2024 involved six head-to-head battles held at six different, dynamic locations across the USA, Europe and, for the first time, Japan. Each match-up decided the six athletes (two women and four men) who join 17 Natural Selection Tour athletes that were already invited or selected based on previous performance.
There was, however, one spot that was still up for grabs for a male athlete. With the selection committee out snowboarding, the final rider invite was handed over to the fans. The Extra Selection was opened up a public vote on redbull.com to give one of the riders who was close – but didn’t make the final cut – a ticket straight through to the big event in Revelstoke, Canada.
Watch the highlights of each of the Duels below to find out the six who lined up in Revelstoke, and scroll down to the bottom of the page to see who won the public vote for that final place at Revelstoke.
01
Raibu Katayama vs Torgeir Bergrem
17 min
Raibu Katayama vs Torgeir Bergrem
Torgeir Bergrem and Raibu Katayama go head-to-head in Myoko, Japan, for a chance to qualify for Revelstoke.
Location: Myoko, Japan
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.
02
Sebbe De Buck vs Kevin Backstrom
16 min
Sebbe De Buck vs Kevin Backstrom
Snowboarders Sebbe De Buck and Kevin Backstrom face off in the Swiss Alps.
Location: Andermatt, Switzerland
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 huge double backflip in Zone 2 to seal his place in Revelstoke.
03
Red Gerard vs Austen Sweetin
20 min
Red Gerard vs Austen Sweetin
The Froth Goblin vs The Golden Boy: Washington’s Austen Sweetin and Colorado’s Red Gerard duel at Scarp Ridge.
Location: Eleven's Terrain on Scarp Ridge in Irwin, Colorado, USA
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.
04
Nils Mindnich vs Victor Daviet
18 min
Nils Mindnich vs Victor Daviet
Nils Mindnich and Victor Daviet go head-to-head to try and lock down one of the six open spots at Revelstoke.
Location: Durango, Colorado, USA
Colorado hosted its third duel of the 2024 Natural Selection Tour when Salomon team-mates 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 an amazing 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 as a result of switching it up from his goofy stance.
05
Jamie Anderson vs Emma Crosby
18 min
Jamie Anderson vs Emma Crosby
Jamie Anderson battles against rising star Emma Crosby at Colorado’s Crested Butte Mountain Resort.
Location: Crested Butte Mountain Resort, Colorado, USA
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 huge drops, as well as big spins and grabs, including a tasty frontside 360.
06
Spencer O'Brien vs Mary Rand
16 min
Spencer O’Brien vs Mary Rand
Snowboarders Spencer O’Brien and Mary Rand go into battle on Mount Kirkup for a spot in Revelstoke, Canada.
Location: RED Mountain Resort, British Colombia, Canada
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 in the way of 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.
07
Extra Selection winner
Red Gerard's stellar slope performance convinced fans and clinched him the Extra Selection vote to pave the way through to Revelstoke!
Red Gerard heads to Revelstoke after winning the Extra Selection vote
© Natural Selection Tour