The Mountains Are Calling: Natural Selection Ski Returns to Alaska
After an unforgettable debut in 2025, Natural Selection Ski is heading back to Alaska in 2026, bringing the world’s best freeride and freestyle skiers to the most iconic natural terrain on the planet. The event fuses high-stakes backcountry skiing with creative, cinematic runs, redefining what competitive skiing can look like.
Set for late March 2026, the event takes place over one week in Alaska, with the exact competition day determined by optimal snow and weather conditions. Fans can catch the cinematic broadcast on Red Bull TV in early April, where the winners will be revealed alongside the jaw-dropping footage.
Elite Skiers Automatically Pre-Qualified
Six skiers who reached the final day in 2025 are already punched back into the Alaskan line-up, representing the cutting edge of freeskiing.
Women’s pre-qualified riders:
- Manon Loschi (FRA) – 2025 Natural Selection Ski Champion
- Michelle Parker (USA) – Big mountain veteran and style icon
Men’s pre-qualified riders:
- Craig Murray (NZL) – 2025 men’s champion with smooth, high-risk lines
- Sam Kuch (CAN) – Floaty style and massive air
- Markus Eder (ITA) – Cinematic skiing and progressive tricks
- Colby Stevenson (USA) – Signature slopestyle precision in backcountry terrain
Additional competitors will earn their way into the Tour through wildcard and qualifying stages, bringing the world’s most dynamic skiers to Alaska.
Not Your Typical Ski Contest
Natural Selection Ski strips competition down to its purest form: reading the terrain, expressing style, and taking risks. Skiers navigate massive Alaskan faces, choosing their own lines and blending freestyle creativity with backcountry mastery.
A panel of professional skier judges scores each run on creativity, risk, execution, difficulty, and overall impression, making every line a cinematic statement.
About the Natural Selection Tour
Founded by pro snowboarder Travis Rice, the Natural Selection Tour brings together the world’s top all-mountain freestyle and big mountain skiers on the planet’s most challenging natural terrain. Its mission: to inspire athletes and fans to forge a deeper relationship with nature.
Learn more at NaturalSelectionTour.com.
Photos: Chad Chomlak
