What Gear Do the Pros Use for Natural Selection Tour? This Is the Ultimate Kit

After whittling down the field at the first stop in Jackson Hole, the second stop of Travis Rice’s Natural Selection Tour runs this week. We dove into the remaining riders’ gear closets to curate the ultimate Natural Selection kit.

From February 21 to 27, the Natural Selection Tour — a backcountry snowboarding competition — returns to Baldface. The first event of the Natural Selection competition was hosted in Jackson Hole in January. Only the top half of the field from Jackson gets to advance.

Women’s finalists Robin Van Gyn and Elena Hight and men’s finalists Sage Kotsenburg and Jared Elston will probably lead the field. But you can’t count out the rest of the riders, either: Mikkel Bang, Travis Rice, Torstein Horgmo, Ben Ferguson, Dustin Craven, and Blake Paul on the men’s side, and Marion Haerty and Hana Beaman on the women’s side.

And that’s not all: Olympians Zoi Sadowski-Synnott and Mark McMorris are also joining the fray (after skipping Jackson’s comp, you know, because they went to Beijing). McMorris and Sadowski-Synnott received special invites since they both won the Jackson stop last year.

The competition is undeniably fierce, and only top riders in Baldface will earn a ticket to the final stop of the Natural Selection Tour. And when the competition is this stacked, what it all boils down to is how well they ride, and what people are riding (the gear we’ll highlight below).

A Brief History of Baldface, British Columbia

Baldface. The very word evokes goosebumps on the arms of snowboarders the world over. For those unfamiliar, Baldface is a cat ski operation and lodge deep in British Columbia’s Selkirk Mountains.

The outpost borders the backcountry outside of Nelson (there’s maybe no finer ski town up North). It’s home to drool-inducing terrain, more pillows than Mattress Depot, and, if local snow dances and prayers are answered, a prolifically deep snowpack.

Beyond the obvious draws, though, there’s a sense of history that makes Baldface the heart and soul of snowboarding. Craig Kelly, the pioneer of professional freeriding and a co-owner and guide at Baldface, called Nelson home. He died in an avalanche in 2003.

An iconic curved cross stands atop a ridge at Baldface, paying homage to the fallen freerider. So it’s no surprise that boarders from around the world make the pilgrimage to Baldface.

While countless sends have taken place at Baldface over the years, the locale is perhaps best known as the venue of Travis Rice’s Supernatural and Ultra Natural competitions, which took place in 2012 and 2013, respectively.

Both competitions went down on the aptly named “Scary Cherry,” a 45-degree pitch rife with wooden ramps and towers. When caked with BC’s famous fluff, the course has some of the gnarliest takeoffs in the history of snowboarding.

Now that you have a feel for the tour, the venue, and the riders, let’s dive into their gear.

What Are Today’s Snowboard Pros Wearing?

We combed through these riders’ gear closets (and drilled them with questions) to discover the ultimate head-to-toe kits. What is hands-down the best boot for snowboard pros right now? How about the best jacket? How can you channel the Natural Selection look and vibe?

From helmets down to the boards, this is what we’d be rocking if we were on a resort and sidecountry mission to Jackson, a cat trip to BC, or a heli trip in Alaska.

This is the ultimate gear of the Natural Selection Tour Pros.

The Ultimate Men’s Natural Selection Kit

Oakley Mod 1: Sage Kotsenburg’s Helmet

Sage Kotsenburg didn’t so much as stumble during his rampage to the top of the podium in Jackson, but if he had, Oakley’s Mod 1 ($130) was at the ready to absorb impact and protect his dome.