Quiksilver Natural Selection
words: Johnny Centi
photos: Andrew Miller, Johnny Centi, Billy Bacon
VIDEO: Mark dangler

The Quiksilver Natural Selection contest has officially wrapped up with a blue bird 3-4 foot powder session in Jackson Hole’s Casper Bowl.  This is an all terrain slopestyle event that would require creativity, jump skills and big mountain skills.  Snowboarder Travis Rice created this event.   

The worlds best snowboarders riding on some of the world’s best terrain in some of the worlds best conditions.  To some that up for you “Best event ever”.  That’s a quick summary for the Quiksilver Natural Selection contest hosted in Jackson Hole Wyoming on February 5th. The Natural Selection event is an all terrain slopestyle contest that would require both creativity, jump skills and big mountain skills.  Pro snowboarder Travis Rice created this event.

The event had a seven-day weather window and February 5th marked the final hold day.  This entire week, Jackson Hole has been getting dumped on but had low visibility, which caused for the continuous hold until the final day.  Luckily on the last day the sky flipped the bluebird switch and the event was on.  The weather could not have been better for this event.  The temperature was moderate, the sky was blue and the snow was deep.  The timing was good and everyone was super stoked. 

Who was riding: Travis Rice, Mark Carter, Nicolas Muller, Colin Langlois, Gigi Ruf, Sammy Luebke, Brian Iguchi, Bjorn Leines, Wolle Nyvelt, David Benedek, Kyle Clancy, Rob Kingwill, Romain Demarchi and Mark Landvik.  Austin Smith and Hampus Mosesson caught the Bluebird flu and were sick to compete

The riders were dropping in from the top of Casper Bowl with no fixed line, the runs they took were based on creativity and guts.  However, before each riders run they would explain their premeditated line for the crowd to keep an eye out on where to look. This was a very cool feature to the event.

Travis Rice host of the event, dropped into the riders left of the Casper bowl and threw a backside three off a fifty-foot cliff named box couloir.  He then charged down to the center jump and blasted a backside rodeo in the 70-80 foot range.  Travis charged on both of his runs and definitely proved to everyone why he is one of the worlds best.  Nicolas Muller was the first rider to hit a hip spot that should be named “Nico’s Hip” because after he charged it a lot of the riders followed his path to blast off it. Nico’s second run was fluid, fast, solid and creative.  Its no wonder he has been rated snowboarder of the year for that past few years.  The new snowboarder of the year is Wolle Nyvelt and his runs were really sick.  Wolle threw a backside seven japan off the center kicker and stomped it so smooth.  Rob Kingwill quite possibly went the largest off the center kicker, possibly 80-90 feet.  Brian Iguchi had solid runs even though he was riding with an injury to his shoulder.  Kyle Clancy nearly hit mock speed on his second run as he started straight lining the entire bowl.  After his run there were dozens of lines turning right to left and his one straight line going right through all of them.

Although all of the riders were sending huge cliffs, sick lines, and big tricks only one could be crowned the 2008 Quiksilver Natural Selection champion. 

The Casper bowl event was the second of two events that would decide the overall winner.  Travis Rice took the number one spot in both the Dicks Ditch event and today’s Casper Bowl event.  He is the overall winner.  Mark Carter took third place in the Dicks Ditch event and ended up second overall.  DCP ended up in third place overall. 

Thanks to Travis Rice, Quiksilver, Jackson Hole, Sobe, Bluebird, for putting on such an amazing event and giving us a good reason to get out and ride the deepest snow of our lives. 
 
TO SEE NATURAL SELECTION DAY: 1 AT DICKS DITCH CLICK HERE. 

- Quiksilver posters were placed throughout Jackson Hole and when the event was on they kept you informed.  This was a good way to know whether you were shredding pow or shooting the event.


- The Casper Bowl at Jackson Hole Wyoming has some world class terrain to say the least.



- Photographer Andrew Miller's view from the center of the run.  You will see his angles later.



Judges panel, and quite the panel it is.



- The legend Tom Burt




- Local boy Mark Carter



- Mark Carter mid run with a sick pillow ollie



-DCP placed third overall, kicked it in Jackson with his family, and stomped this front three.  He is living the good life.



- DCP waist deep in Jackson.



- DCP finishing a sick run and letting the camera men know it.



- DCP loves this contest.  The picture says it all.



- Local Rider and brainchild of the event Travis Rice stomped this huge backside rodeo.  He also won his own invitational event and totally deserved it.



Travis was stoked after his run.  Great weather, great conditions and great riders.  The really good life.




- Another Quik plug.



- David Benedek feeling good after his first run.



- Sammy Leubke really impressed everyone.  Monster Method.



Sammy Leubke, needless to say he was stoked.



- Travis Rice and Sammy Luebke route finding.



- Mark Landvik method ollie.  Landviks runs were outrageous.



- Landvik finding the natural features to pop off.  Dope style.


- Mark Landvik really stoked about his run and the entire event.



-  YEAH, Kyle Clancy bombing the Casper bowl.  This is mock speed.



- Kyle Clancy destroying the Sobe banner after his mock speed run.



- Another Quik plug



- Colin Langlois about to drop off this cliff at the top of his run.



- Switching it up.  Pop off that Natural Feature



- Colin Langlois keeping the face protected from the elements of the infamous white room.



- Romain Demarchi blasting off the middle kicker.  Rocks in the landing, whatever Romain went right over them.



- Romain held his hat and goggle through half of his last run.  That hair explains the intensity of the run.



- Rob Kingwill, seriously getting it.



- Nicolas Muller exploring the pop possibilities. 



-  JJ Thomas, about to enter the white room.  Would you call that chest deep?  I would.




-  JJ Thomas extremely stoked after that run. 




- Brian Iguchi is the man. 




- Brian Iguchi backside 180. 



- Look at Brian's face in this photo.  Looks like he is having an epic run.



-  Ahh and the look back, yeah it was an epic run wasn't it Brian?



- Nicolas Muller and Sammy Leubke both had such good attitudes and were so stoked. 



Bjorn Leines did a backside seven off this monster.  Bjorn is riding Rome Snowboards now.



- Bjorn, backside underflip style.



- yeah Bjorn.  Throw that method off whatever is in your way.



- With snow from face shots like he got, you know he was feeling good.



- CASPER BOWL.  Good choice on event location Travis.



- Rob Kingwill, going absolutely HUGE.  Maybe the biggest air of the day..



- Nicolas Muller launching off of "NICOS HIP" on the Casper bowl in Jackson Hole.



- Nico style method.  Nicolas Muller's run was sooo fluid.  Stomped everything and landed with more speed than he took off with.



- Nico pop.



- Wolle Nyvelt also had some strong runs.  Yo Wolle, how did this pow slash feel for you?



-  Travis Rice, blasting off some natural hip.  Watching Travis ride makes me wish: 1. I grew up riding in Jackson 2. I was riding a Lib Tech board.



- Mark Landvik after a great run. 



- Sammy Leubke after a great run.



- Nicolas Muller after a great run.



- Nothing but love for ya dog.  These guys were all stoked for each other.



- The mob squad.  Snowboardings finest artists viewed here after painting a canvas down some sick natural terrain.



Quite the connection, Colin Langlois, Brian Iguchi, and Kyle Clany.


Mark Carter, Mark Landvik, David Benedek, Circe Wallace, Travis Rice, Nicolas Muller, Colin Langlois, Sammy Leubke, and Rob Kingwill.  Like a big family.


The winners with their custom made bull head trophies.  TRAVIS RICE- Numero uno.  MARK CARTER - Numero Dos. DCP- Numero Tres.



TO SEE THE VIDEO FROM DAY TWO | CASPER BOWL CLICK BELOW

OVERALL RESULTS

1 Travis Rice 25 Jackson Hole WY USA
Day 1 431.00
Day 2 439.00
Total: 870.00
Purse: $18,000

2 Mark Carter 27 Ten Sleep, WY USA
Day 1 385.00
Day 2 415.00
Total 800.00
Purse $15,000

3 David Carrier Porcheron 27 Squamish, BC CAN
Day 1 368.00
Day 2 427.00
Total 795.00
Purse $9,000

4 Nicolas Muller 25 Zurich, SUI
Day 1 348.00
Day 2 440.00
Total 788.00
Purse $5,500

5 David Benedek 27
Day 1 384.00
Day 2 402.00
Day 3 786.00
Purse $3,500

6 Samuel Luebke 18 Truckee, CA USA
Day 1 378.00
Day 2 404.00
Total 782.00
Purse $2,000

7 Wolle Nyvelt 30 Mayrhofen, AUT
Day 1 338.00
Day 2 442.00
Total 780.00
Purse $2,000

8 J.J. Thomas Breckenridge, CO USA
Day 1 365.00
Day 2 414.00
Total 779.00
Purse $2,000

9 Mark Landvik 28 Juneau, AK
Day 1 394.00
Day 2 377.00
Total 771.00
Purse $2,000


10 Gigi Ruf 26 Au, AUT
Day 1 363.00
Day 2 377.00
Total 740.00
Purse $2,000

11 Rob Kingwill 32 Jackson Hole, WY USA
Day 1 352.00
Day 2 386.00
Total 738.0
Purse $2,000

12 Kyle Clancy 26 Alpine, WY USA
Day 1 345.00
Day 2 371.00
Total 716.00
Purse $2,000

13 Colin Langlois 28 Morrisville, VT USA
Day 1 351.00
Day 2 364.00
Total 715.00
Purse $2,000

14 17 Bjorn Leines 30 Salt Lake City, UT USA
Day 1 316.00
Day 2 359.00
Total 675.00
Purse $2,000

15 Romain De Marchi 28 Dardagny, SUI
Day 1 307.00
Day 2 335.00
Total 642.00
Purse $2,000

16 Bryan Iguchi 34 Jackson, WY USA
Day 1 0.00
Day 2 404.00
Total 404.00
Purse $2000

17 Austin Smith 19 Bend, OR USA Quiksilver
Day 1 327.00
Day 2 0.00
Total 327.00
Purse $2,000

18 3 Hampus Mosesson 25 Froson SWE
Day 1 324.00
Day 2 0.00
Total 324.00
Purse $2,000

Wednesday, February 06th 2008 @ 02:31 AM.
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