Twelve athletes spent two weeks in the Alaska Range for the first ever Natural Selection Ski. Photo: Chad Chomlack/Natural Selection

Priority 1 is not for the faint of heart. The steep, spine-riddled face in the heart of the Alaska Range has been at the forefront of Natural Selection co-founder Travis Rice’s mind since he first rode it back in 2016. Sustained, unforgiving, and relentlessly featured—it was the perfect place to launch the first ever Natural Selection Ski competition. 

“From the first time I talked to Travis Rice about NST Ski, he wanted to see skiers compete on Priority 1,” says Mike Douglas, NST Event Director. “It’s the ultimate venue for a competition like this and everything we envision when we think about skiing and snowboarding in Alaska. It’s a place that demands respect, where we can push the boundaries of what skiing can be.”

In March 2025, 12 of the world’s top skiers made history, camping out together in the Alaska Range to compete in the first NST Ski competition. 

The first-ever Natural Selection Ski Basecamp in the Alaska Range. Photo: Chad Chomlack/Natural Selection

Michelle Parker, Maggie Voisin, Manon Loschi and Hedwig Wessel made up the women’s category, while the men’s category featured Sam Kuch, Colby Stevenson, Kai Jones, Parker White, Craig Murray, Kye Peterson, Max Palm and Markus Eder. 

“What was unique about this group of athletes was our diversity and the different backgrounds we came from,” said 26-year-old Maggie Voisin, a seven-time X Games medalist and Olympic bronze medalist in slopestyle. “Along with that came riders who are true veterans of the sport, including Michelle Parker, who I’ve looked up to for so many years. It was such a special mix of different generations of skiing, and I feel like we all had something to learn from and bring to the table.”

23-year-old Manon Loschi throws down in her final run, head to head against Michelle Parker. Photo: Leslie Hittmeier/Natural Selection

Natural Selection Ski was all about camaraderie. Michelle Parker and Parker White watch fellow riders drop into the Priority 1 face. Photo: Leslie Hittmeier/Natural Selection

Events like these are a huge step for the sport, which historically has been limited in opportunities for competition big mountain skiing. Aside from the Freeride World Tour, there aren’t many stages for big mountain skiers to compete at the highest level. “It’s a platform to display our specific niche of the sport at the absolute highest level that for years now has been lacking,” said big mountain freestyle skier Parker White. “On a more individual level it’s just something that is creating opportunity. It’s another avenue for backcountry skiers to aspire to. I think the more paths skiers have to follow and be part of, the better.”

Hedvig Wessel, fresh off her 2024 Freeride World Tour championship, emphasized how impactful it can be for young freeride skiers to have more events like this to look towards. “I feel like it’s the perfect new addition to the sport,” she said. “It shows that there are different paths for a freerider growing up. One of the biggest reasons I wanted to go be a part of NST was because of the people, and to be a part of something new and something bigger.” 

One of Wessel’s biggest highlights from their two weeks on the glacier was the collaborative atmosphere between athletes. “Flying into the venue and seeing the face for the first time, all the athletes were communicating and helping each other, looking at the venue and studying it,” she said. “Everyone shared everything, and I felt that was really cool. It was not just like, ‘Oh, I’m not going to tell you my secrets’ kind of thing. Everyone wanted everyone to succeed, to create the best show.”

Freeride World Tour champion Hedwig Wessel loading up the heli for a practice run. Photo: Chad Chomlack/Natural Selection

Limitless opportunities for creativity in the Alaska Range. Michelle Parker throws a massive shifty in a practice run. Photo: Chad Chomlack/Natural Selection

Markus Eder goes big, earning him 2nd place in the first-ever NST Ski event. Photo: Leslie Hittmeier/Natural Selection Tour

Judges Kristi Leskinen, Sean Pettit and Dion Newport used the CREDO rubric for the competition, judging based on Creativity, Risk, Execution, Difficulty, and Overall Flow on the Priority 1 face.

Voisin says the biggest variable on competition day was snow conditions. “You never truly know what you’re dealing with until that first run, but going into comp day, we knew we’d be facing mixed conditions,” she said. “From there, it was all about managing as best as possible and understanding which aspects and elevations of the face would ski the best. There’s always a lot to think about on a face like Priority 1—the more I studied it, the more the possibilities for creating and connecting lines seemed endless.”

Voisin says one of the highlights of the whole two-week event, was the crew’s first day out. They had a small weather window for a warm up session, and the helicopter rallied all 12 athletes out to a “playful” Alaskan face. “What was supposed to be the warm up could have been the event,” Voisin laughed. “It just goes to show, when you put 12 of the best athletes together in one place, the level of riding goes through the roof.”

Craig Murray drops into his winning run on the Priority 1 face. Photo: Leslie Hittmeier/Natural Selection

Competition day was filled with variable snow, a sun crust baking solar aspects with soft, cold smoke lingering on shaded slopes. Line choice was crucial, and all 12 athletes battled it out in the tournament-style competition. They utilized two different sides of the Priority 1 face, so athletes who made it into the second and third rounds got to start with a blank slate on the towering face above camp.

France’s Manon Loschi, just 23 years old and new to skiing in Alaska, walked away with the first place finish, while New Zealand’s Craig Murray took the men’s title. 

Mike Douglas equates skiing in Alaska to be “the equivalent of the North Shore of Oahu in surfing,” a thread that ties together the entire NST series, which includes snowboarding, skiing, mountain biking and surfing. Parker White says he sees the whole series as a bridge between sports, “bringing those cultures and communities closer together.”

“The coolest part of it all was the camaraderie between the crew,” added Voisin. “NST felt like an epic gathering of some of the community’s best athletes, all pushing each other to ski their absolute best. NST wasn’t just about trying to win. It was about supporting each other so we could all perform at our highest level.”

Watch the full recap of the NST Ski broadcast on RedBull TV.

Alaska rookie Manon Loschi took home the prize, with Michelle Parker in 2nd place and Hedwig Wessel in 3rd. Photo: Leslie Hittmeier/Natural Selection

Craig Murray won the inaugural Natural Selection Ski competition, with Sam Kuch in 2nd and Markus Eder in 3rd. Photo: Leslie Hittmeier/Natural Selection Tour

A lifetime of mind surfing in all directions in the Alaska Range. Tatum Monod scopes the venue. Photo: Leslie Hittmeier/Natural Selection