Natural Selection Ski: A new era kicks off in unforgettable fashion

Needless to say, this event is best enjoyed by watching the livestream. If you haven’t watched it already, set aside some time—in the best case with a few buddies—and sit down to enjoy the show in its entirety!

If you don’t have a few hours free, or prefer to consume your skiing content in written form, read on for a breakdown of how Natural Selection Ski 2025 played out. Beware—spoilers incoming!

Priority 1: A legendary face for a legendary contest

For the first-ever installment of Natural Selection Ski, the NST organization chose what might have been the most challenging location possible: not just Alaska, but a mountain face in Alaska so remote that a tent camp had to be built at the base of it to host the production staff. For two weeks, the crew waited for the best possible conditions—a wait that, unfortunately, didn’t quite end up delivering the hoped-for snow conditions. More on that later.

First ridden by Jeremy Nobis in 2007 for the Teton Gravity Research film “Lost and Found” and later by Travis Rice for The Fourth Phase, “Priority One” is one of the crown jewels of the Alaska Range. A massive wall of cliffs and spines with a vertical drop of 550 meters (1800 feet), the venue was separated into two sections—“South” and “North”—which hosted the opening rounds and the final rounds respectively.

Snow conditions: “Variable” is a polite word

A variety of different words were trotted out to describe the day’s snow conditions. Leading among them was “variable;” meaning, of course, ranging all over the map, from sun-baked crust to blower powder. Among the competitors, only the straight-speaking French-Swede Max Palm came right out and described the conditions more bluntly: “The snow is bad.”

According to spectators onsite, the crusty conditions on the south-facing aspect were due to a few hours of sun exposure the day before the contest—an unexpected development that threw a major wrench into the workings of the contest. While the shadier north-facing aspects of the venue stayed cold and powdery, the south aspects were undeniably firm and chattery. The interplay between these two surfaces, and the unpredictable transition zone between them, turned out to be defining for much of the contest’s early stages.

Skiers’ introduction to the Natural Selection format

This was skiing’s first introduction to the unusual contest format that was used at the Natural Selection snowboard event earlier this year. The eight competing male skiers were divided into two heats, or “sessions,” with each heat taking two runs. The best-scoring skier from each run advanced to the semi-finals, where a head-to-head format took over, with riders getting two chances to put down their best-scoring run.

With only four women competing, the women’s format was similar, but without a semi-final. The two best-scoring skiers from the opening rounds went straight into a head-to-head final.

This format was great for spectators: We got to watch at least two runs each from every skier in the competition. It might not have been so great for competitors: Male competitors had to ski as many as six runs in order to win. That’s a world of difference from, for example, the Freeride World Tour, where each skier only takes a single run. Great for us viewers—not so great for the quads of the competitors.

Men’s Session 1: Parker White vs. Kai Jones vs. Sam Kuch vs. Colby Stevenson

The first heat pitted four legends from different corners of the sport against each other. Canadian film-skiing star Sam Kuch, known on occasion as “the best skier in the world,” took on a bevy of Americans: freeski legend Parker White, Jackson Hole prodigy Kai Jones, and slopestyle-turned-big-mountain all-around dominator Colby Stevenson. A heavy heat indeed.

Parker White and his magnificent mullet were the first on course. The crust on the top section was immediately evident, but Parker quickly moved into softer snow, stomping an air straight off the “BFR”—that’s for “big f*ckin’ rock”—in the middle of the venue, before lacing a classic P-White front flip off a cornice. Score: 81.00 for a visibly relieved Parker, who said, “It feels really good to be at the bottom.”

Kai Jones, the 18-year-old TGR wunderkind, spent much of his run wrestling with the south-side crust. After popping off a sizeable avalanche on the shaded aspect, Kai had basically no choice but to stick to the crusty side. Score: 68. “It’s definitely a little variable,” he said.

Sam Kuch dropped next, and showed that he carried the key to unlock the day’s tricky conditions. Staying far skier’s right, Sam popped two perfect 360s and a beautiful straight air before lining up a massive transfer at the bottom of the venue. Skiing fast and fluid from top to bottom, Sam turned the venue into his own personal playground, and was rewarded with the score of 93.00.

Colby Stevenson was the last to drop in Session 1, and he kicked off his run in typical Colby style with an enormous hand drag 360 at the top of the venue. However, he lost his flow a bit lower on the face, seemingly missing the speed for a planned cork 720 and having to squeak out a quick backflip instead, then getting hung up in the zone scraped bare by the slide kicked off by Kai. He held it together, but his score of 75 meant he’d need to try again to get to the semi-finals.

Sam Kuch’s dominant score in the 90s meant he advanced straight to the semis, while the three others had one more chance to get there.

Parker White struggled on his second run, wheelying out of a 360 before getting body-checked by a hard wall. Last but not least, he fought and failed to hold onto his final air as he sped into the chunder, going down in the runout. “Well—happy to be here!” he said at the finish, shaking out his mullet in consolation.

Kai Jones claimed redemption after the avalanche in his first run with a strong bid for the semi-finals. Sticking far rider’s right, he popped a clean 360 and a straight air, before following up with a big backflip to a crusty landing and another cliff at the bottom for good measure. With a score of 78, he was looking solid for the semis—that is, until Colby Stevenson dropped in.

Sending his hand-drag 360 even bigger than before, Colby followed with a fast and furious ride down the central spine. Sticking to the soft snow on the rider’s left side of the spine—a risky approach given the slides popping off—Colby laced up a creative side flip off a sharkfin-style air, then fought to hang on to the bottom cliff air. “I don’t think I’ve ever fought that hard for a landing in my life!” he said at the bottom. It was worth it, for a score of 83 and the second ticket to the semi-finals.

Women’s Session: Michelle Parker vs. Hedvig Wessel vs. Maggie Voisin vs. Manon Loschi

Four talented women threw their hats into the NST Ski ring, with certified freeride legend Michelle Parker going up against the 2024 Freeride World Tour champion Hedvig Wessel, French freeride phenom Manon Loschi, and the former slopestyle competitor turned film skier Maggie Voisin.

While the men were able to make the most of the day’s challenging conditions, the women struggled to find their footing. It also didn’t help that they dropped for their first runs soon after Kai Jones kicked off an avalanche on the “good” side of the venue. As a result, several of the women played it safe and skied the safer but more sun-affected side.

Michelle Parker kicked things off, navigating a steep, technical spine before getting hooked on a turn after an air halfway down and pulling a score of 45. “Room to improve. I’ve got to get these boots unbuckled,” she said.

Like Michelle, Hedvig Wessel also took a more cautious line, ski cutting the shady face before opting to scratch out a descent on the sunny side, where she also got hung up in the tricky snow. Her score: 55, a bit better than Michelle.

Maggie Voisin took a beeline for the main ride preferred by many of the men, airing into the shady side and wrangling her way down. Unlike Michelle and Hedvig, she was able to ski smoothly from top to bottom, earning her a score of 60.00 and the provisional lead.

The last woman to drop was Manon Loschi. The talented Frenchwoman somehow still managed to appear catlike even while managing her way down a massive Alaskan face. After a clean air at the top, she danced her way down the central spine. Her composure was rewarded with a score of 70.00 and a ticket to the finals.

On the second women’s run Hedvig, Michelle and Maggie battled to see who would meet Manon in the finals. Michelle and Hedvig both went skier’s right, navigating the top section with confidence before wrangling a spine wall in the lower section. Both stayed fluid and strong on top to bottom runs, but Michelle squeaked out a point ahead of Hedvig. Meanwhile, Maggie Voisin’s choice to ski the riskier shady side had consequences: She ripped out a big slide, somehow skied out of it, then had another pocket rip out on her and went for a ride.

The die was cast: Manon Loschi and Michelle Parker would face off in the women’s finals.

Men’s Session 2: Max Palm vs. Kye Petersen vs. Markus Eder vs. Craig Murray

The second men’s heat featured a more varied field, with the best that France-Sweden, Canada, Italy and New Zealand has to offer. Max Palm kicked off his run with a picture-perfect FWT backflip off a spine to skier’s right before kicking off a sizeable avalanche. He kept moving, linking up a stylish cliff drop into a clean 360 before getting hung up in the landing on some hard snow, then closed with the same transfer as Sam Kuch. He got hooked up with a score of 87—the judges making a statement that here at NST, an unintended bobble in bad snow doesn’t have to crash a score as hard as it might on the Freeride World Tour.

Kye Petersen started fast and furious off the top, hitting the same “BFR” drop as Parker White before floating a massive 360 safety off the central spine. He then delivered the day’s most remarkable save, getting bucked onto one ski at high speed, somehow staying in control, and then chucking a cork 720 for good measure before losing a ski in the landing. Thankfully, “the world’s most qualified ski guy”—Travis Rice himself—was on hand to help him out. His score: 65.

Markus Eder chose to stay high skier’s right, tossing a nice 360 and adding a big drop at the bottom of his run. However, he skied conservatively through the middle without any big highlights, and scored three points below Max Palm.

The last rider in the heat to drop was Craig Murray, who set the venue on fire with an electrifying run. He kicked things off with in a monster left 360 transfer at the top, right into a hand drag right 360, into a backflip in the center—stacking three tricks into a section where most riders only got one. He closed things out with the Kuch transfer, riding out with the best score of the day so far, a 96, and an early ticket to the semi-finals.

Max, Kye and Markus had one more chance to get into the semis, and they pulled out all the stops. Max delivered a smooth and stylish run, linking stylish airs with flawless 360s and barely putting a hand up for his entire run. Kye followed and went for broke, sending another cork 720 and body-slapping but riding out of the landing. He then launched an absolutely massive flat 360, but got bucked and high-sided riding out of it, and then tossed in a final 360 for good measure. The judges rewarded Kye’s full-send approach, booking him ahead of Max with a score of 90.

Markus Eder was the last skier to drop before the semis, and he put it all on the line with an absolutely laced nose-butter 720 in the top section—a trick for the highlight reel if ever there was one. He added a 360 and a solid cliff drop at the bottom, beating out Kye by one point to earn the final slot in the semi-finals.

Men’s Semi-Finals: Sam Kuch vs. Markus Eder, Colby Stevenson vs. Craig Murray

For the semi-finals and finals rounds the venue shifted to the skier’s left side of Priority 1, offering fresh tracks and better snow conditions. The format also switched to head-to-head, with each pair of riders getting two chances to put down their highest-scoring runs.

Facing the daunting skills of Sam Kuch, Markus Eder skied conservatively through most of his run before unleashing two monster tricks at the bottom: a perfectly stomped double backflip, followed by a smooth carved 360. This seemed like an unbeatable run—that is, until Sam dropped in. Heading far skier’s left, Sam aired into a new zone, floating huge airs and 360s down the face before closing with a ridiculous 360 transfer. While Markus delivered the big tricks, Sam played the face like a master, flowing like water down the mountain. Run 1 results: 95 points for Sam, 88 for Markus.

Sam and Markus’ second run wasn’t as exciting. Falling victim to the “big trick” mentality, Markus returned to his first line and tried a double cork 10, tomahawking viciously in the landing. Sam hit a glorious backflip at the top before catching a ski on a rock. Their first-run scores held, with Sam taking the ticket to the finals.

The next matchup was Colby Stevenson vs. Craig Murray. Colby led off with a clean and calculated run, tapping a pillow on a cliff drop before stomping a big flat 360 japan and a huge left 360. Where Colby was strategic, Craig was unhinged, going for a crazy gap but not finding the transition he was looking for on the landing, and crashing. Advantage Stevenson.

Colby had less luck on his second attempt, taking a tumble after hitting a wall at the top of his run, but still adding a clean cork 720 for good measure. But Craig made good on his fast and furious approach on the left side, this time sticking his giant transfer clean while flashing the face in one of the fastest runs of the day.

As in the Eder vs. Kuch matchup, this head-to-head pitted calculated trickery against speed and flow, and the latter won the battle again. The men’s finals were set: Sam Kuch vs. Craig Murray.

The finals: Manon Loschi vs. Michelle Parker, Sam Kuch vs. Craig Murray

The women’s finals started off less than illustriously: Michelle hit a patch of ice while crossing a runnel and lost a ski, while Manon gained insane speed after an air and lost control, crashing while trying to shut it down. Both women managed to stay on their feet on their second runs, though. Heading skier’s left, Michelle nailed a cliff drop and found an untracked flank for some enjoyable pow turns at speed. Skiing fast and fluid, Manon bagged a small drop in the top section before lacing the face properly, enjoying every turn with her smooth style on full display.

It was a close call, but the judges handed the victory to Manon’s composed approach, squeaking out a victory over Michelle by just two points, 70 to 68.

Craig Murray kicked off the men’s final. Sticking to the line he followed in the semis, he laced the top section with insane speed and as few turns as possible before stomping a huge 360 over the transfer gap he’d been working on. However, he missed his pop on a follow-up flat 360, taking a tumble and opening up an opportunity for Sam Kuch.

Going further skier’s left than Craig, Sam linked up a smooth 360 into a backflip, then lost a ski unexpectedly on a traverse. Quickly getting it back on, he launched straight into a cork 720, then his 360 transfer at the bottom, making the most of a throwaway run.

The scores: Sam 65, Craig 50, and everything on the line with one run left.

On his last chance, Craig made good on the run he’d been working on throughout the semis and finals: clean cliff drop up top (this time with a cheeky double-stage approach), using half the venue to get speed for a giant 360 transfer, then opting for a strategic straight backflip instead of the flatspin 360 he crashed on earlier. It was a monster run, and hard to imagine anyone could ski this face faster without straightlining from top to bottom.

On the last run of the day, Sam Kuch went far skier’s left, hitting a 360 at the top before attempting one of the day’s biggest transfer gaps. Unfortunately for Sam, the transitions didn’t quite line up and he slammed hard, leaving his goggles behind in the face as a memento of what might have been. “I think that was the craziest thing I’ve ever seen,” Craig told Sam at the bottom—and when it’s Craig Murray saying this, you know it must have been truly crazy.

Thus ends the first-ever Natural Selection Ski event. Was it perfect? Certainly not. Was it a bit rough around the edges at times? Sure. Was it an absolutely stellar show from some of the world’s best skiers in some of the world’s most challenging terrain? You bet your britches it was. If this was the test case to prove that skiing has a place in Natural Selection, then Darwin gives two thumbs up.