Summit’s Red Gerard to compete in Natural Selection Tour Duels in February
Winter Dew Tour/Courtesy photo
Four of the world’s top snowboarding athletes will make their mark at Crested Butte this winter as part of the Natural Selection Tour, the world’s top extreme snowboarding competition that combines slopestyle tricks with big-mountain freeriding.
Crested Butte will be home to two of the six 2024 Yeti Duels. This first stage of the Natural Selection Tour features two riders competing for a shot to move on to the next stage in Revelstoke, British Columbia.
The Natural Selection Tour recently announced the lineup of athletes for each of the Crested Butte-area duels. Jamie Anderson and Emma Crosby will go head-to-head at Crested Butte Mountain Resort while Silverthorne’s Red Gerard and Austen Sweetin will compete on Eleven Experience’s terrain on Scarp Ridge in Irwin, Colorado.
The Natural Selection Tour was designed by snowboarding legend Travis Rice in 2021. Historically a backcountry competition, the tour is expanding its repertoire this year to include in-resort venues, challenging athletes to master their skills on both natural and naturally-enhanced terrain. The Natural Selection Duels are designed to bring out riders’ creativity and highlight competitors’ diverse styles.
The participating athletes bring with them plenty of accolades in the professional snowboarding world. Anderson has 21 X Games medals and was the first female snowboarder to win multiple Olympic gold medals with her victories in the women’s slopestyle at the 2014 and 2018 Olympic games. Crosby is a versatile rider who tackles rails and slopes with style. Having spent the last few winters farther off-piste, she hopes to solidify her place in all-mountain riding at Crested Butte.
Gerard competed in slopestyle and big air events in the 2018 Olympics, winning gold in slopestyle and has continued to rise to the top of competitions the last four-plus years. Sweetin has a long history riding on-screen and stepped into the competition world with his participation in the Natural Selection Tour in 2021.
Anderson, Crosby, Gerard and Sweetin will compete in Crested Butte within a designated weather window in early February. The Crested Butte Mountain Resort operations team will work closely with the Natural Selection Tour operations team to select and finalize the date, time and exact venue in the days leading up to the competitions, depending on conditions.
While the venue will not be open to the public, Crested Butte is partnering with the town of Mt. Crested Butte and the Town Center Community Association to invite the entire community to celebrate with a concert in the Crested Butte Mountain Resort base area on Feb. 10.
All of the best action and the winners of Natural Selection Duels will be unveiled in edited shows that will premiere starting in late February 2024 on Red Bull TV.
Stay tuned to Natural Selection and Crested Butte Mountain Resort’s social media accounts for updates.
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