Natural Selection Ski Competition Is Set to Transform Freeskiing

“Candide!”

I’m not usually a one-word text guy, but when this name flashed across my phone screen last week, I knew something big was coming.

A quick follow-up confirmed it: Candide Thovex—flying Frenchman, breaker of the ski internet—would be helping usher in a new era of freeski competition as part of the first-ever Natural Selection ski event. The skier’s skier was back.

This event, dubbed Natural Selection Ski, is modeled after the highly successful snowboard-focused Natural Selection Tour (NST), created and curated by legendary snowboarder Travis Rice. Debuting in Alaska in 2025, Natural Selection Ski will be part of a broader series, including skiing, biking, and surfing competitions. The snowboard iteration of the event has captivated audiences worldwide, showcasing head-to-head runs down big mountain courses that mix natural and man-made features. With the polish of high production values and streaming accessibility, the snowboard NST has become a new benchmark, putting snowboarding events in the same conversation as other popular streaming spectacles like the World Surf League (WSL).

Now it’s skiing’s turn. Rice has tapped top-tier freeskiers like Thovex, Sammy Carlson, Kristi Leskinen, Chris Benchetler, and Michelle Parker to ensure the event stays true to its freeski roots. These athletes form a unique advisory board that will keep NST authentic to freeskiing, and rumors suggest some of them, including Thovex, may be its first competitors.

But this is much bigger than just Candide. The Natural Selection Ski represents a turning point for the sport during a time of transition and uncertainty. For years, freeskiing has searched for ways to showcase its most talented athletes, but that’s no easy task for a sport built on defying convention. Attempts to define freeskiing inevitably fall short, as the very spirit of the sport lies in its creativity and disregard for boundaries. This has driven freeskiing to evolve beyond traditional freestyle, but it has also made it challenging to package the sport for a wider audience.

Historically, freeskiing has been showcased through film—a seasonal highlight reel of the best runs, stunts, and moments—but these lack the immediacy and excitement of a live sports event. The X Games took a shot at bringing some of these athletes to the screen, but it’s never fully embraced the raw, high-alpine terrain that freeskiing often requires. And while Red Bull Cold Rush—a beloved event held between 2009 and 2016 that featured four big mountain disciplines over a week—was a fan favorite, it hasn’t been revived. Today, the Freeride World Tour (FWT) is the main competitive series, gathering a global roster of athletes for big mountain challenges. However, with its recent partnership with the Fédération Internationale de Ski (FIS), FWT now faces concerns from fans and athletes alike about increased governance from FIS, which is seen as rigid and rule-bound—a tricky match for a sport that thrives on freedom and creativity.

Enter Natural Selection Ski—a fresh and much-needed alternative. Snowboarding faced a similar identity crisis until Rice launched NST in 2021. He had hosted one-off events that became snowboarder favorites since 2008, but with NST, Rice introduced the world to a refined, live-streamed version that embraced the cinematic nature of big mountain snowboarding. His formula was simple yet game-changing: gather the best athletes, pick visually stunning locations, build impressive courses, and bring in pro riders as commentators. Broadcast online, the event was a huge hit, delivering a visceral viewing experience that traditional formats rarely achieve.

While the FWT has aimed for similar goals in recent years, NST’s production quality has resonated differently with audiences. NST’s broadcasts capture the sheer scale and excitement of the slopes, with dynamic camera angles and a production team that amplifies the adrenaline. The question now is, can NST replicate this formula with skiing, biking, and surfing? The freeskiing community should be hopeful—it’s a chance to see the sport in living, trick-stomping, and cliff-dropping color.

The signatures of freeski icons like Thovex and Carlson signal a promising start. These athletes had largely stepped back from competition as freeskiing shifted deeper into backcountry and high-alpine pursuits. Their endorsement is a vote of confidence in NST’s vision and direction, and with its debut in April 2025, NST could mark a new beginning for freeskiing on a global stage.

While NST has only one ski event planned for 2025, it has expressed interest in expanding the series as it gains traction. As skiing evolves in response to changing interests, technologies, and landscapes, NST is poised to bring back the raw energy and excitement that first drew many to the sport. With the potential to reach new audiences across screens big and small, NST offers a way to redefine how we experience freeskiing, taking cues from the success of WSL in surfing and NST itself in snowboarding.

So, here’s to what’s next. With a proven formula for success and an eye toward reaching more viewers, NST could be the game-changer that finally brings freeskiing to mainstream audiences. They’ve got Candide on board, and that’s a text worth responding to.