It’s the moment you have all been waiting for as the winners are revealed from the Bronco Natural Selection at Baldface in a highlight show premiering exclusively from Red Bull TV this Sunday, March 21 at 9PM CET As the Natural Selection Tour heads north on the road to Alaska, the Tour stopped at Baldface Valhalla for a backcountry freestyle showcase featuring an all-star, all-Canadian rider list. Ten riders laid down their best lines in a progressive format that allows for maximum expression and style.
Captured on custom-built racing drones first used at stop one in Jackson Hole, and high-definition camera systems, the Bronco Natural Selection at Baldface highlight show packs a full week of never-before-seen action highlights from Canada’s best competition, film and style riders. The show captures the riders from terrain selection, through pushing the boundaries of big mountain freestyle riding in a single showcase line.
“We had an incredible week exploring the backcountry at Baldface’s new terrain in the Valhallas. Riders and film crews worked together with the guides to find and ride some really dynamic features and lines. It was really cool to watch everybody work together to figure out how to take full advantage of this untouched playground Mother Nature presented us with,” said Liam Griffin, COO and co-founder of the Natural Selection Tour.
Six invited men and four women includingBeau Bishop, Dustin Craven, Craig McMorris, Spencer O’Brien, Leanne Pelosi, Chris Rasman, Mikey Rencz, Marie-France Roy, Mark Sollors and Robin Van Gynworked in small teams throughout the week to find and ride an all-natural, backcountry freestyle line, while also capturing content for their video parts. The two components, the line and video part from some of North America’s most inspiring, untapped terrain, will be considered with 70/30 weight by the Natural Selection judges. Judges will use the same criteria as used in Jackson to score overall impression focused on the rider’s chosen line and risk, flow and amplitude, creativity and tricks, and finally, control.
“None of us had ever ridden at Baldface Valhalla, so we all had to figure out lines from scratch. They start on a gnarly steep ridge, followed by flowy trees and pillows. To navigate the number of trees, we had to tap into quick decision making to uncover nuggets of fun around corners,” said Leanne Pelosi, pro snowboarder. “It’s been awhile since I have competed and although I tried to act like I was just filming, I can’t deny the jittery feelings of pressure standing on top of the course! The Natural Selection brings what we all crave – that feeling of flowing down the mountains, riding our best.”
The top scoring man and woman from the Bronco Natural Selection at Baldface to be revealed during the Red Bull TV broadcast will each take home a Model Year 2022 Polaris Snowmobile of their choice. They will also secure an invitation to go head-to-head against the top three men (McMorris, Ferguson and Bang) and the top woman (Sadowski-Synnott) coming out of the YETI Natural Selection at Jackson Hole, at the inaugural Natural Selection Tour super finals: The Natural Selection at Tordrillo Mountain Lodge.
“We were filming in such a very tight window,” said Craig McMorris, pro snowboarder. “To produce something in such a small amount of time is a huge amount of pressure. You don’t want to overthink it and get in your head — it’s kind of like wait, show up, see what you’re working with. Then make a plan.”
