Natural Selection Ski 2026: Hall, Monod, Fostvedt, Cheylis, and Bilous Earn Golden Tickets to Alaska Finals
The Natural Selection Ski 2026 field is officially reshaped after Tanner Hall, Tatum Monod, Karl Fostvedt, Astrid Cheylis, and Finn Bilous were handed golden ticket invites straight to the YETI Natural Selection Ski Alaska Finals in Valdez.
No qualifier. No stop in between. Straight to Alaska.
The two-stage season still kicks off with the Natural Selection Super Session at Palisades Tahoe, but these five are already locked into the final. The Super Session premieres March 17 and the Alaska Finals premiere April 14, both exclusively on Red Bull TV.
If you are into big mountain skiing, freeride competition, and Alaska spines, this is the one.
Golden Ticket Athletes Heading to Valdez
The wild cards were selected by the Natural Selection Ski Advisory Council, featuring names like Chris Benchetler, Michelle Parker, Markus Eder, Mike Douglas, Candide Thovex, Sammy Carlson, and Kristi Leskinen.
These are not random invites. These are deliberate picks.
Women’s Golden Tickets
Tatum Monod goes from hosting the debut Natural Selection Ski event in 2025 to dropping into Valdez as a competitor. Her powerful, confident skiing is built for steep Alaska terrain.
Astrid Cheylis joins her, bringing technical precision and fearless line selection to one of the most consequential venues in big mountain skiing.
They will meet defending champion Manon Loschi, who prequalified after winning the inaugural Natural Selection Ski event and returns to Alaska with the target firmly on her back.
Men’s Golden Tickets
On the men’s side, the golden ticket crew blends legacy, innovation, and modern freestyle energy.
Karl Fostvedt brings years of backcountry creativity into a true big mountain competition setting.
Tanner Hall adds two decades of influence and the kind of instinct that can still flip a contest on its head.
Finn Bilous injects a progressive freestyle approach into natural Alaska features.
They will join last season’s automatic qualifiers:
- Markus Eder
- Sam Kuch
- Colby Stevenson
- Craig Murray, the reigning Natural Selection Ski champion
The Alaska Finals field is already stacked, and if you haven’t heard about the qualifier in Palisades, Tahoe – Check it out here
The YETI Natural Selection Ski Alaska Finals premiere April 14 on Red Bull TV, where the world’s best big mountain skiers will drop into some of the most iconic terrain in the sport.
