A historic day of snowboarding at the TAE Natural Selection in Baldface ended with hometown Kootenay hero Dustin Craven (CAN) and recent Olympic double medalist Zoi Sadowski-Synnott (NZL) leading the way. Fourteen of the world's best snowboarders, including five women competing for the first time at the venerable Scary Cherry venue, made the second stop of the Natural Selection Tour an event not to be missed. The three-and-a-half-hour competition, filmed by racing drones, a helicopter-mounted Cineflex and riders wearing microphones during their runs, can now be viewed "live" at NaturalSelectionTour.com.
This is the second year and second stop of the all-new all-mountain freestyle tour created by pro snowboarder Travis Rice. Eight men and four women from diverse snowboarding backgrounds - from halfpipe and slopestyle riders to dedicated big-mountain freeriders and backcountry freestyle riders - qualified in the top half of the field at the Natural Selection Tour's first stop, the YETI Natural Selection in Jackson Hole. Rounding out the field were the 2021 winners of the YETI Natural Selection in Jackson Hole, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott and Mark McMorris, who both just returned from Beijing.
The riders celebrated the opening ceremony in a very Canadian way... curling in Nelson, BC. Then they headed to Baldface Lodge to compete in lumberjack games that determined the order of finish for the competition.
The stakes were high, as the head-to-head format with two heats with no ties rewarded creativity, risk, execution, difficulty and overall flow. Judges scored each rider's overall run from top to bottom, with the highest score winning the run. With varying conditions on the vast Scary Cherry terrain that stretches more than 2200 feet in elevation, Mother Nature was in charge at Baldface. It's a freerider's dream with 80 massive natural and wooden drops, kickers and other features spread across the famous 40+ degree powder-coated run.
The top four finishers in the qualifying round scored 90s to advance directly to the semifinals. Mikkel Bang (NOR) and Ben Ferguson (USA) posted the highest score of the day in their second round. Ferguson's last month in the Canadian backcountry paid off with a confident run peppered with stylish spins, including a cork 540. Bang responded with a fast line highlighted by a big Method at the start and a switch bs 540 in the middle of the run.
In the semifinals, Bang secured a spot in the final against Ben Ferguson, who had the wind taken out of his sails in his second run, but bounced back. Travis Rice (USA) faced Dustin Craven (CAN) and it all came together in their second runs, with huge airs, solid landings and big spins. Rice opened a new section of the course with stylish 360s, a huge frontside 540 and a solid jump over the cliff bands. Craven put down a cab 540 at the top and a clean frontside 720 in the middle of the course, which secured Craven's day in the semifinals.
In the final, Bang led after the first round with a massive frontside 720 with a huge grab that was solidly held throughout. But Craven continued his streak with amplitude and width, including a straight air that announcers estimated at well over 70 feet, and solid landings on spins, including a 540 in the final run of the day. Bang, who chose unique lines in the middle of the course, caught a tree with his back in the second run, allowing Craven to glide past him. He rode out of the crash holding the tree and marveling that his back protector saved him. POC provides back protection to all Natural Selection riders.
After ten years, the women made history when they landed in Scary Cherry for the first time during a competition. In the women's competition, Sadowski-Synnott and Hight (USA) proved their years of experience in the event and were on top from the start. Marion Haerty (FRA) and Hana Beaman (USA) were within striking distance of Hight, who entered the final in second place.
Hight had the eye of the tiger after launching for weeks before dawn on splitboard missions in the Canadian Rockies. She showed solid grabs and clean 360s that earned her second place. But it was the now 21-year-old Sadowski-Synnott who landed the highest scoring runs of the day on the women's side. With big wildcats throughout the competition and a solid backflip in the final, her long big air and slopestyle training paid off with the win at Baldface.
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