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The window for the Natural Selection Tour’s first event of the season, NST Duels, is a go and in North America all over the West, Mother Nature has set the stage with a seemingly never-ending storm cycle from BC to Utah and everywhere in between. Some of the duos are already together, sussing out terrain and planning their attack (Kimmy Fasani and Darrah-Reid McLean kicked things off at Mammoth immediately), but NST is letting out the pairings one per day, keeping us guessing and also causing schisms in the snowboarding-logic continuum with the match ups that have already been set (Ferg against Nils, really? Big Air Jare verses Gigi? How have we even arrived at this place in snowboarding?) Each match has been eye-widening in the best way possible and we expect that to continue as is there really any going to be any situation between these riders that isn’t fantasy-league worthy and a definite heartbreaker when only one person can advance?
With a heap of anticipation toward the Duels videos coming out in early February, we’ll be updating the list of rider pairings and locations as the information comes out. Here’s what we know right now.
WOMEN’S DUELS (as of 1.5.23)
Kimmy Fasani vs. Darrah Reid-McLean
MEN’S DUELS (as of 1.5.23)
Torstein Horgmo vs. John Jackson
Jared Elston vs. Gigi Rüf
Ben Ferguson vs. Nils Mindnich
All of this is pure speculation, don’t base any bets off our thoughts–the talent vs. talent of these duels makes our heads hurt.
TORSTEIN HORGMO vs. JOHN JACKSON
location and terrain selected by: Torstein
Really? This is the first match-up you dropped, Natural Selection? As with many iterations of competition we’ve seen over the past two years of the Tour, these are two names we never thought we’d see go against one another in a competitive situation. This will be John J’s first time competing at Natural Selection–in 2021 he was a fan-selected alternate. It’s no hot take that John’s power and finesse in the backcountry is the kind of riding that is imprinted on snowboarding’s collective consciousness, so we’re eager to see how will he adapt to this contest situation. He’s going up against one of the 2022 Tour’s most successful competitors. Torstein is the archetype of the ability to remain calm and controlled under pressure, whether in a contest situation or when navigating technical terrain or consequential man-made features. Last year, he made it all the way to finals in AK only to be shut down by a fast-moving storm that squelched his last run in a battle for the ages between him and Travis. What would have happened had the weather not come in? No one can say, but we’re sure that Tor is ready for another go at things this season.
KIMMY FASANI vs. DARRAH REID-MCLEAN
location: Mammoth – selected by Kimmy
This is a really excited match up by two of snowboarding’s favorite riders–and it’s the only Duel where both the riders are new to the Tour. Kimmy Fasani is the Defender in this match up based on her seniority riding in the backcountry among the new additions to this year’s NST. (The Tour had one open spot for a Defender because Hana Beaman is taking this season off on injury leave. Don’t worry, she’s okay, just getting her knee strong for 2024.) Kimmy and Darrah met up in Mammoth as soon as the competition window opened. They’re capitalizing on the storm systems that have dumped 174 inches as of January 4th. Mammoth has plenty of exciting terrain for their Duel to take place on. Does Kimmy have home-court advantage? Of course, she is one of Mammoth’s most knowledgeable locals; she’s knows the mountain’s terrain like the back of her hand and her experience in the backcounty runs deep. Darrah is quick to adapt, though; she’s been cutting her teeth in the mountains around Whistler, which is a serious place to gain experience in the backcountry. Both riders enter the Duels with lots of momentum. Darrah has long been a force in the streets, but this fall she released her strongest backcountry footage to date. Kimmy is back on her snowboard after beating breast cancer in 2022 and is fired up to be back in the mountains. Can we just advance both of them to Revy, already?
JARED ELSTON vs. GIGI RÜF
location and terrain selected by: Jared
It’s like Natural Selection just wants to make us unhappy. Forcing an elimination of one of these riders in the first round? Seriously? What are you trying to do to us. There’s nothing good about this match up other than the fact that we’re all going to get to witness two incredible and creative snowboarders apply their unique takes on the same swath of terrain. We can’t wait to watch this, but we’re also very unhappy about the fact that someone will be eliminated. Elston came out as the dark horse in 2022 and quickly became a Tour favorite. Gigi is indisputably your favorite snowboarder’s favorite snowboarder and was the first to drop on day 1 in 2021. We are ecstatic to see him back, even though this Duels has made our heads explode.
BEN FERGUSON vs. NILS MINDNICH
location and terrain selected by: Ben
NST announced the fourth match up today and it walks the knife’s edge of excitement and gutwrenching-ness just like the others. Ben verses Nils? Are we kidding? Two style kings raised in the park and pipe who now focus on applying their flawless aesthetics to big mountain terrain are going head to head in the first round of the Tour? A Lick the Cat match up? West Coast verses East Coast upbringing? Bend vs the Wasatch? We’ve been looking forward to Nils’ triumphant return to the Tour since day 1 of Jackson in 2021, and Ben has been an artistic joy to watch at every event the past two years. Watching these two ride together/against one another on the same terrain is going to be a show. Projected Duel outcome: probably a tear in the universe of some sort.