As the end of the competition window for Natural Selection approached, the competitors arrived at Spine Cell: a foreboding Alaskan face known for its steeps and standout ski movie segments.
Those skiers, which included everyone from the all-time legend Tanner Hall to the up-and-comer Manon Loschi, had been carefully preparing and choosing their lines. Skiing in Alaska’s backcountry is about as serious as it gets.
“Imagining having a competition on it was pretty crazy,” said the men’s winner, Colby Stevenson, of Spine Cell.
Those plans didn’t last, though. When you’re in Alaska, Mother Nature always offers input.
During an initial ski check, the guides for Natural Selection triggered an avalanche. No one was hurt, but because of the unstable snow, the organizers chose to change course and keep the skiers safe.
While Natural Selection’s ski debut last winter included some of the toughest terrain on the planet, this year’s showing was different, featuring a rolling, gentler venue.
For Loschi, who went on to win the women’s field, the pivot provided relief from the stress associated with skiing Spine Cell.
“But at the same time,” she added, “you’re so bummed because that face looks insane.”
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Leslie Hittmeier / Natural Selection Tour
The Pivot
The latest chapter in a lineage of competitions first dreamt up by professional snowboarder Travis Rice, Natural Selection echoes other events both past and present, but occupies its own lane.
Unlike traditional freeride events, the skiers get multiple runs at Natural Selection. There is a judging panel, but the judges are more forgiving of crashes or control issues. The invitational element results in a roster with cross-discipline dream match-ups that may not otherwise be possible. A big mountain legend versus an Olympian? Sign us up.
The set-up translates to a live multi-hour marathon that, at times, looks more like a ski movie than a competition.
This year, Stevenson and Loschi commended Rice and the hardworking crew for making it all happen, despite the challenging conditions.
Then, it was time for them to do their part, working with the terrain provided in a more forgiving environment than Spine Cell. With windlips instead of towering cliffs, that would mean tricks, and a lot of them.
“I think we were all still super pumped to ride it, and we knew it was gonna be a fun day,” said Loschi. “Kind of like a fun run we would do with our friends or filming.”
Watch: Manon Loschi Winning Run, NST Ski Alaska 2026
Double or Nothing
Perhaps surprisingly to those tuning in from home, the athletes didn’t get a warm-up run down the venue.
As the competition progressed, they got more comfortable, unveiling increasingly technical moves. Each run presented an evolution from the last. Loschi followed that trajectory closely, starting with a 360 on the main windlip, before progressing to a flatspin and then a double backflip.
“What’s cool with the format of NST is that you can step up your game, run by run,” she said.
The run with the double came during the finals showdown between Loschi and her friend and fellow Frenchwoman, Astrid Cheylus.
Loschi went ahead of Cheylus, so she was left waiting at the bottom of the venue to see if her score would hold. Cheylus tried a double, too, but narrowly crashed. With a cleaner run, Loschi maintained her lead, marking her second time atop the Natural Selection podium.
“I was super happy, and super, super grateful,” she said.
Loschi has largely turned her back on competing, preferring the freedom she feels making ski movies. But with Natural Selection, she found a reason to continue appearing in the start gate.
To her, the event recalls beloved but bygone competitions, like the Red Bull Line Catcher and Cold Rush, that occupied the backcountry slopestyle niche. Those events, she said, made us dream.
“I feel like there’s a bit of that that’s coming back thanks to NST,” Loschi continued.
Watch: Colby Stevenson Winning Run, NST Ski Alaska 2026
Through the Roof
Stevenson came into Natural Selection with an attitude befitting a nine-time X Games medalist.
“I obviously wanted to win, regardless of where it was going to be,” he said.
He’d had a plan for Spine Cell, but switched up his strategy to account for the change in terrain.
Rather than identifying which spine to ride, he leaned on his expertise as a park skier turned backcountry booter whizz, thinking about what tricks he could and couldn’t land cleanly. He wondered how big each feature was.
“It was more of an internal battle, and strategy versus, you know, an external line choice strategy and don’t-die-kind-of-feeling when you’re riding that steeper stuff in AK,” Stevenson said.
His calculations worked, producing the highest-scoring men’s run. Stevenson opened with a rodeo 540 before moving into the centerpiece, a double cork 1080. While speeding to the bottom, he peppered the face with a few more tricks, wringing every possible ounce out of the venue.
Chad Chomlack / Natural Selection Tour
Clinching top marks was no sure thing. He faced Markus Eder, Sam Kuch, and Finn Bilous in the finals—all well-rounded, heavy-hitting skiers who also dropped awe-inspiring performances.
“I’m through the roof, I’m super stoked,” Stevenson said, adding that he loved the style of competition. “It’s the unknown. It’s untapped. It’s so creative, so challenging as an athlete, emotionally, physically, and mentally, to compete in Alaska.”
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