Window Now Open for the YETI Natural Selection Revelstoke

The NST introduces a new format, an expanded venue, and all-rider judging panel

With 20cm of fresh snow, riders are loading the gondola at Revelstoke Mountain Resort this morning to get a first look at the newly expanded YETI Natural Selection Revelstoke venue. Between now and March 17, 24 of the world’s most exciting snowboarders will compete for the men’s and women’s Natural Selection Tour title. 

Stay tuned to @naturalselectionsnow for the two days that Mother Nature calls “ON” for the 24 snowboarders now in Revelstoke to drop in and compete for the 2025 Natural Selection Tour title

The window opens today through March 17 for the YETI Natural Selection Revelstoke. Snowboarding’s most exciting and progressive all-mountain riders are beginning to pick their lines ahead of dropping in to compete for the prestigious Natural Selection Tour title. 

Mother Nature is the main character at all Natural Selection events, and only she can select the two days with the most optimal conditions for the competition to run from March 10-17. On those two days, tune in for all the action live, exclusively on Red Bull TV. For those who can be in Revelstoke in person, please join NST at the base of the Montana Bowl venue or from the NST Basecamp at Revelation Lodge. The expanded Montana Bowl venue in the backcountry adjacent to Revelstoke Resort now includes 10 drop points from the top, 70+ features, and a spectating area at the base that can welcome more than 1,000 people. Follow @naturalselectionsnow (IG) to find out when the competition is called on.

Rounding out the Roster

With one final men’s spot to go, Gigi Rüf (Austria), a Natural Selection vet, who rode in the first-ever event in 2008 and later won the Red Bull Ultra Natural is filling that wildcard spot. On the women’s side, returning 2024 NST Champion Marion Haerty (France) sustained injuries last week and will be forced to defer her invite to next season. Canada’s Estelle Pensiero, who took second place at Research & Development in 2024 and 2025 will take a wildcard in Marion’s spot. All 24 riders are now posted on NaturalSelectionTour.com.

New Format: here is how it will work

This year an exciting, new competition format will debut for day one. The format is designed for a faster-paced event and will ensure that athletes are given more opportunities to showcase their skills. Three cutdown rounds will replace NST’s traditional head-to-head, two-run single-elimination structure for the first day of competition. This is similar to how the first day of sessions ran at NST Surf. Here’s how it works:

At the opening ceremony, the mens riders will be split into two sessions of eight riders, and the women into one session of eight riders. Riders in each of the three sessions will have up to three single run rounds to make it through to finals day. In the first round of eight, two riders will move through to finals. Then in each of the subsequent rounds of six and then five riders, one rider will move forward to the finals. This will cutdown each session from eight riders to four. 

“Over the years, we’ve had too many random first-round matchups that could have / should have been in the finals, the new qualifying round format on day one should help to ensure that the best riding rises to the top and into the final day of competition.” – Liam Griffin, COO and co-founder of Natural Selection

• Day One Sessions (three sessions with three cutdown rounds each)
  “the three sessions” will be intermixed during the broadcast to allow for riders to set up again at the top of the course and to keep the competition moving
  
  • Round 1: 8 riders – Top 2 advance
  • Round 2: 6 riders – Top 1 advances
  • Round 3: 5 riders – Top 1 advances

Then on the final day of the competition, eight men and four women will compete for the 2025 NST title. On the finals day, the format switches from the sessions back to the head-to-head format used in past NST seasons.

• Finals (Head-to-Head Rounds):
  • Men’s Quarterfinals: Head-to-head, 2 runs, 8 riders in 4 heats – Top 4 advance to Semifinals
  • Women’s Semifinals: Head-to-head, 2 runs, 4 riders in 2 heats – Top 2 advance to Finals
  • Men’s Semifinals: Head-to-head, 2 runs, 4 riders in 2 heats – Top 2 advance to Finals
  • Men’s and Women’s Finals: Head-to-head, 2 runs – Top 2 riders in each final heat

Meet the Judges

The YETI Natural Selection Revelstoke will be judged by an all-pro rider panel bringing 100+ years of cumulative expertise from competitive snowboarding and backcountry riding to the table. The group includes three riders who have competed in different iterations of Natural Selection events over the years.

The esteemed panel of judges includes Chad Otterstrom (USA), Jody Wachniak (CAN), Jussi Oksanen (FIN), Leanne Pelosi (CAN), and David Carrier-Porcheron (CAN).

These five judges will score riders based on a detailed set of criteria, including Creativity, Risk, Execution, Difficulty, and Overall Flow, providing a well-rounded and thorough assessment of each run. The judging process will take into account everything from line choice to technical execution, rewarding riders who demonstrate skill and style across the entire run.

Judging Criteria:

• Creativity: Line choice, new or previously unridden lines, and a variety of tricks.
• Risk: The difficulty and size of features, amplitude, and placement of tricks in the line.
• Execution: Style, grabs, landings, and stability.
• Difficulty: Trick combinations, specific challenges, switch stance riding, and feature difficulty.
• Overall: Flow, speed, control, and instabilities.

The judges’ CREDO is focused on evaluating each rider’s entire run, combining all elements of the criteria to determine the most dynamic and innovative performance of the moment. Riders who take risks, display creativity, and maintain solid control throughout their runs will earn top marks.

Tune in for All the Action

In the Tour’s third season in Revelstoke, there are dozens of community events including the all-new NST Snaked Banked Slalom, an on-venue viewing area, NST Basecamp, music daily, and more. The Tour has also updated the competition from the original head-to-head elimination format to allow for the absolute best lines of the day to rise to the top, and a rider-led judging panel featuring icons of snowboarding. 

Stay tuned for more updates, and follow @Naturalselectionsnow on Instagram for behind-the-scenes coverage and live updates from the event.

Where to watch online:
YETI Natural Selection DUELS – Watch now! On-demand on Red Bull TV