View of Kirkwood’s “The Wall” run and Chair 10.
Kirkwood Mountain Resort
Kirkwood’s high-alpine terrain at over 9,000 feet is a draw to many near and far. That now includes the Natural Selection Tour, a big mountain freeride competition created by renowned snowboarder, Travis Rice, coming up Feb. 12–15.
“Kirkwood, with its endless playground of narrow chutes, big cliffs, and steep walls,” Kirkwood Senior Communications Specialist, Carly Mangan says, “is known for being a stomping ground for hard-charging freeride athletes.”
It’s one of the reasons tour organizers chose Kirkwood along with five other mountain destinations worldwide for their NST DUELS this year, where two riders compete head-to-head on earth’s most challenging terrain.
“This unique terrain is what drew NST to Kirkwood, and we’re thrilled to showcase it through these incredible riders,” Mangan says.
The two riders that will find themselves on Kirkwood’s territory are Swiss snowboarder Severin Van Der Meer and American rider Brandon Davis.
“These athletes,” Newberry says, “have been identified as the best in the world at their craft.”
Van Der Meer and Davis will choose one day out of the four-day window to compete but will ride Kirkwood’s terrain throughout the entire window.
“Basically the team here is able and excited and willing to roll out the red carpet when the athletes show up, and” Newberry says, “show them the zones that we’re looking at.”
Thimble Cirque and Palisades Bowl are currently in their sites and offer plenty of playful terrain for Van Der Meer and Davis.
The tour was previously scheduled for Jan. 24-30, but due to a period of high-pressure and limited fresh snowfall was rescheduled to Feb. 12-15.
The general manager and his team consulted the longer-term forecast when making the decision.
“We saw a pattern change, which we’re all really excited about, and just think it’s going to shape up with some new snow to be the best event we can host here during this time.”
Due to the spontaneous nature of the event, there isn’t a set time for spectators to watch. However, Kirkwood is planning a meet and greet with Van Der Meer and Davis on Friday, Feb. 14, with more details to come. Film crews will capture the action throughout the four-day competition window and reveal the duel winner on a show that starts streaming Feb. 27 on Red Bull TV.
The winner of Kirkwood’s Natural Selection DUEL competition will join 18 fellow returning and invited Natural Selection Tour riders for two live competition days during the YETI Natural Selection Revelstoke. The full Revelstoke event will broadcast live on Red Bull TV during the March 10-17 competition window.
Learn more about Natural Selection events and watch them as they debut at naturalselectiontour.com and on Instagram at @naturalselectionsnow.