Mother Nature ran the show at YETI Natural Selection Ski 2026, forcing last-minute changes that ultimately reshaped the entire competition. What started as a plan to ride Spine Cell – an iconic big-mountain zone – shifted just 24 hours before drop-in, as organizers pivoted to a new zone that traded exposure for playfulness without losing that Alaska scale. The result was a feature-rich canvas that demanded constant trick output, quick thinking, and full-spectrum skiing. We were especially fired up to see Tanner Hall in the mix, making his return to this kind of stage, but the avalanche conditions made it clear early on that safety had to come first, ultimately taking some of the original vision off the table.

Craig Murray during Natural Selection Ski – Comp Day on March 24, 2026 in the Chugach backcountry zone surrounding Girdwood, Alaska. Photo: © Chad Chomlack / Natural Selection Tour

Instead of single, technical lines, athletes faced a top-to-bottom run stacked with natural features, windlips, and transfers. Runs stretched close to three minutes, with up to nine tricks linking spins, flips, and creative line choices into fluid, video-part-style descents. A hand-built takeoff near the top, packed in by riders themselves, set the stage for an 80-foot gap that quickly became the focal point of the venue and home to some of the day’s heaviest tricks.

Podiums

Women’s results:

  1. Manon Loschi (FRA)
  2. Astrid Cheylis (FRA)
  3. Elisabeth Gerritzen (SUI)

Men’s results:

  1. Colby Stevenson (USA)
  2. Markus Eder (ITA)
  3. Finn Bilous (NZL)

On the women’s side, Manon Loschi secured back-to-back titles with a composed, calculated run built on consistency and flow. A confident double backflip set the tone early, and she carried speed through the course, linking features cleanly to lock in the win.

For the men, Colby Stevenson set the bar on his first finals run and never gave it back. Anchored by a double cork 1080 blunt grab on the course’s biggest feature, his line combined multiple high-difficulty tricks with clean execution to take the top spot.

Final Thoughts

While the last-minute venue change was a bit of a letdown, it’s part of the reality of skiing in the backcountry. Conditions call the shots. Even with the shift, the event delivered, and the new zone pushed a different style of riding that kept things entertaining from top to bottom.

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