Travis Rice Wins First Quiksilver Natural Selection

Feb 06 2008 / Jackson Hole, WY

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Quiksilver today announces that Travis Rice is the winner of the first-annual "Quiksilver Natural Selection: All-Mountain Freestyle Invitational." The final round of competition, staged at Jackson Hole's legendary Casper Bowl run, was held in sunny bluebird skies and pristine pow. Hundreds of spectators cheered on the riders as they dropped from the top of the mountain into a field of soft, untracked snow and launched impossible airs over boulders and trees.

Rice was ecstatic after being announced the winner. He earned a check for $18k and the unqualified respect of his peers. Travis will be donating a portion of his prize money to the Jackson Hole search and rescue as well as other non-profit organizations in the community.

"Snowboarding is self expression," said Rice. "For me the true reward was seeing everyone walk away with smiles of optimism. After talking with the riders it seems as though we have only scratched the surface of a new era. It's nature that provides us with the most limitless canvas to challenge the way we ride."

The top three winners received a custom painted bison skull, created by local artist Ryan Hayworth. Mark Landvik won the best trick award and received a snowmobile donated by DC Shoes. The total purse was $75,000, and all athletes got a bit of the butter. (Check out the full results here)

The event, which was actually the brainchild of Jackson Hole local Travis Rice, has been the talk of the snowboard world because of the refreshing new format, the ideal setting and vibe, and the incredible array of talent from every athlete who accepted the invitation to ride here.

"Pipe guys, free riders and legends all came together because of this event," said Brian Craighill, Quiksilver Snow Team Manager. "It was incredible to watch and extremely rewarding to be a part of this event."

Over the two competition days, more than 20 cameras and a 2,000-foot cable cam captured the event in high definition under the direction of innovative filmmaker Curtis Morgan. Journalists from around the world also gathered here to experience the event, and Fuel TV was on hand to record it for later broadcast.

"After Travis dreamed up this contest, I knew it would be a logistical nightmare; I had to figure out how we'd capture the action with the same intensity and artistry that the riders would bring," said Morgan. "Our approach wasn't just to cover an event, it was to bring the spectacle alive in a way that has never been seen before, in true cinematic proportion. In the end, we proved it's possible and produced the first HD broadcast on real terrain with real riders."

The Quiksilver Natural Selection was held over a seven-day "holding period" to ensure optimal conditions, and it needed every one of them, sneaking in the final runs on Casper Bowl just hours before the contest period would close.

It was Wolle Nyvelt who stood out from the pack on Casper Bowl with a powerful run keeping massive amounts of speed the entire way through. He started things off with a big straight air to drop into the bowl, hit a cut out jump stomping a huge backside 360 going further than any other rider who went off that same hit. Next, Wolle went for a hip jump tossing up a floaty indy then rolled down to the big hip jump on the course launching into an inverted 720 and finished up with some incredible hits through the bottom section of the bowl.

Second place at Casper Bowl was awarded to Nicolas Müeller who built a small jump at the top of the bowl. He launched a huge frontside 180 right onto a pillow, then threw a smooth backside 360 melon, got some slashers in the mix and trucked it into the big hip jump throwing a giant, super stylish method and finishing up with some smooth tricks in the pow through the bottom of the course.

"Travis's home turf was on fire," said Müeller. "Some of the best snowboarders got to really ride the mountain that brought up one of the greatest snowboarders of all time, Travis Rice!"

Travis Rice claimed third place with a technical run. He ripped straight down a steep untracked face and threw a backside 360 off a 40-foot cliff, powered through the bowl and put up a rodeo 540 off the big hip jump and buttered around the bottom section of the bowl.

In the end, the combined best scores from both Dick's Ditch and Casper Bowl determined the top three: Travis Rice, Mark Carter, and DCP respectively.

DCP slid into third by pulling a huge method dropping into the bowl, got some surf-style pow turns in tons of snow, and had a large stomped frontside 720 on the big hip jump.

"It was powdery, deep and so fun," said DCP. "I couldn't wait to hike back up and ride again."

During the awards ceremony at the Mangy Moose Saloon, which featured a special performance by GZA from the Wu Tang Clan, talk amongst the riders centered on how the event's revolutionary concept could change the sport forever.
"After shredding pow up to my neck, it's hard to imagine a full season of only half pipes and parks again," said rookie rider of the year Austin Smith. "This format has got to catch on."

"I just think we had a kick ass team – an all around brainfarm from Wink Inc. to Quiksilver to Curtis Morgan," said Circe Wallace, Executive Producer of the Quiksilver Natural Selection. "We really did what we wanted in creating a cutting-edge concept that showcases what's so wonderful about snowboarding and its characters."

The complete contest results, streaming video from both days of competition and a selection of videos and images from the weeklong event are available on the Quiksilver Natural Selection website: www.quiksilver.com/naturalselection

The Quiksilver Natural Selection is a Swatch TTR World Snowboard Tour FOUR(4)STAR Event, and all of the riders who participated in the Quiksilver Natural Selection have been awarded points toward the TTR Ranking List presented by Swatch.

The Quiksilver Natural Selection is made possible by a network of partners: Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, SoBe, Hotel Terra and HEYA from Toyota.

DAY ONE RECAP


Jackson Hole, WY (February 4, 2008) – Seventeen of the world's best snowboarders rode hard during the first round of the "Quiksilver Natural Selection" in the second most epic powder conditions January has seen in 40 years at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. All competitors pulled off some amazing riding but only one prevailed in the lead: Quiksilver's very own Travis Rice. Rice shred is way to first place by pulling out a variation of tricks including 360s, 540s and 720s all in whiteout, knee-deep powder conditions. The Dick's Ditch contest is one of two runs in "The Quiksilver Natural Selection: All-Mountain Freestyle Invitational at Jackson Hole" held from January 30 to February 5, 2008. The overall winner will be determined by the best combined score from the two competition days.

Because of the difficult terrain and visibility, the event's judges were forced to rely on a combination of first-hand viewing and footage from the more than 20 cameras perched along the Ditch as well as a 2,000-foot cable camera. After scrutinizing the footage and deliberating for more than a day, the judges announced the results last night.

This innovative event is the brainchild of Rice, one of the world's most versatile and accomplished snowboarders, who envisioned a competition that removes the constructs of snow parks and half-pipes, and instead uses a natural-terrain course to bring out the best in riders' style and technique.

Mother Nature Is a Real Ditch

Saturday's competition was held in the 2,000-foot-plus long natural gorge known as Dick's Ditch. The run had been closed for more than a week amassing 58" of fresh powder on its hips, boulders and trees, creating an awe-inspiring natural half pipe for riders to attack.

Rice's best run scored a 431 out of 500 points. Travis kept it together in the deep powder landings stomping a huge frontside-360 with a tree tap, then a large backside-720 and a mute-air over the cat-track hit. He then hit a frontside-mute on his fourth trick and finished things off with a clean frontside-540 and a stylish frontside-180.

"It was comedy, watching the snowboarders I most look up to riding nipple-deep kicker lines, just trying to hold a run together," said Rice. "It was super fun."

Runner-up Mark Landvik threw down a smooth run to take second place. He started things off with a frontside-720 on the Terje hit, threw a straight-air into the mix, then a frontside-180 into a switch backside-360 and ended his run with a switch backside-180 and a frontside-360.

And in third place was local Jackson Hole rancher-turned-rider Mark Carter with a best run of 385 points. He had a fluid run through the ditch throwing a super stylish frontside-720 tail on the first hit in between a couple of trees, into a nice backside-360, a sick method over the cat-track hit, and cranked a nice pow slash finishing off with a switch backside-180.

Check out the full results.

Strap on Your Avalanche Beacon: Snowiest January on Record Sets Epic Second Stage

The Quiksilver Natural Selection now focuses its attention on the next competition venue, The Casper Bowl. In the second snowiest January in Jackson on record, snowfall has relentlessly pounded the Bowl's menacing face of jagged rocks and scowling cliffs with more than five-and-a-half feet of fresh powder over the past five days.

"The Casper Bowl has been hording powder for more than a week, creating a backcountry style run that will test us all," said Rice. "But this isn't about extreme riding, it's about interpreting the mountain on its own terms, adding to it each rider's personal expression and talent. This will be an event like no other."

With the combination of steepness, snow depth and wind, avalanche danger is at an all-time high.

"We'll throw ourselves at this stage of the competition all out, but with a healthy respect for the power of the mountain. All of the riders are experienced in backcountry safety, and with Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, we have the world's best ski patrol and safety crews," said Rice.

Though this event will be held within resort boundaries and is at no risk of avalanche, Rice speaks from personal backcountry experience around the world. Like many of the competitors in this event, Rice has had his share of avalanche scares. He was nearly swept away in a savage avalanche several years ago while filming in the backcountry. And as a native of Jackson and the son of a long-time and respected member of the Jackson Hole Ski Patrol, he knows what can happen if the riders don't take the necessary precautions. For a first hand look at the Bowl, check out the Casper Bowl inspection at the official site.