Kirkwood, CALIF. – Dec. 17, 2024 – Kirkwood Mountain Resort is thrilled to host a YETI Natural Selection DUEL during the first stage of the 2025 Natural Selection Tour from January 24–30, 2025!
Created by professional snowboarder Travis Rice, the Natural Selection Tour showcases the world’s top riders from Olympians to big mountain film icons all competing on natural and naturally enhanced terrain. Natural Selection DUELS feature six iconic mountain venues around the world, including Kirkwood, where head-to-head competition between two top riders will decide who moves on to the next stage of the 2025 Natural Selection Tour in Revelstoke.
Magical and untamed, Kirkwood is a high-alpine playground for those seeking big-mountain adventure. Known for its steep, rowdy and technical terrain, Kirkwood has earned its place as a bucket-list destination for freeskiers and riders, fostering a legacy of world-class athletes. Its unique location atop the Sierra Crest creates the K-Factor—a geographical predisposition to receive some of the lightest, driest, and most plentiful snow in the Tahoe region. This combination of terrain and conditions is why the Natural Selection Tour chose Kirkwood to host a duel this season.
The YETI Natural Selection DUEL held at Kirkwood will feature a head-to-head competition between two of the world’s top snowboarders, Severin van der Meer and Brandon Davis. When not competing, the riders will be riding the terrain at Kirkwood on down days throughout the competition window. All the best action and the winners of Natural Selection DUELS will be unveiled in edited shows that will premiere on February 24, 2025, on Red Bull TV.
The winner of the Natural Selection DUEL competition held at Kirkwood will join 18 fellow returning and invited Natural Selection Tour riders for two LIVE competition days during the YETI Natural Selection Revelstoke. The full Revelstoke event will broadcast live on Red Bull TV during the March 10-17 competition window. Learn more about Natural Selection events and watch them as they debut at naturalselectiontour.com and on @naturalselectionsnow.
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Media Assets: Kirkwood
Kirkwood Media Contact: Carly Mangan, carly.c.mangan@vailresorts.com
Natural Selection Tour Media Contact: Lora Bodmer, lora@deep-communications.com, 307.690.1630
About Vail Resorts, Inc. (NYSE: MTN)
Vail Resorts is a network of the best destination and close-to-home ski resorts in the world including Vail Mountain, Breckenridge, Park City Mountain, Whistler Blackcomb, Stowe, and 32 additional resorts across North America; Andermatt-Sedrun and Crans-Montana Mountain Resort in Switzerland; and Perisher, Hotham, and Falls Creek in Australia – all available on the company’s industry-changing Epic Pass. We are passionate about providing an Experience of a Lifetime to our team members and guests, and our EpicPromise is to reach a zero net operating footprint by 2030, support our employees and communities, and broaden engagement in our sport. Our company owns and/or manages a collection of elegant hotels under the RockResorts brand, a portfolio of vacation rentals, condominiums and branded hotels located in close proximity to our mountain destinations, as well as the Grand Teton Lodge Company in Jackson Hole, Wyo. Vail Resorts Retail operates more than 250 retail and rental locations across North America. Learn more about our company at www.VailResorts.com, or discover our resorts and pass options at www.EpicPass.com.
About the Natural Selection Tour
The brainchild of snowboarder Travis Rice, the Natural Selection Tour now in surf, mountain biking and ski alongside snowboarding, showcases the world’s top riders from Olympians to big mountain riders, freeriders and freesurfers, slopestyle specialists, film icons and more all competing on the planet’s most exciting natural and naturally enhanced terrain.
The 2025 Natural Selection Snow Tour features two stages, as riders move through the YETI Natural Selection DUELS held at six locations worldwide to the YETI Natural Selection Revelstoke. The best all-mountain freestyle riders in the world will come together for the crowning of a men’s and women’s champion after the final day of live competition in Revelstoke. The Natural Selection Tour’s mission is to inspire people to forge a deeper relationship with Mother Nature.