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Travis Rice Wins the 1st Annual Quiksilver Natural Selection: All Mountain Invitational
JACKSON HOLE HOMETOWN HEROES TRAVIS RICE AND MARK CARTER TAKE FIRST AND SECOND IN THE 1ST ANNUAL QUIKSILVER NATURAL SELECTION: ALL MOUNTAIN INVITATIONAL Bluebird Skies, Pillows of Powder and Massive Airs Over Natural Obstacles Mark this Historic Day in Snowboarding Jackson Hole, WY (February 6, 2008 - Quiksilver today announced that Travis Rice is the winner of the first-annual "Quiksilver Natural Selection: All Mountain 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 each rider 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 $18,000 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, who pulled a 720 to win the best trick award, received a snowmobile donated by DC Shoes. The total purse was $75,000 and all athletes were rewarded.
The event, which was actually the brainchild of Jackson Hole local 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 part of the snowboard world 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 it, 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 buttery hits through the bottom section of the bowl.
Second place at Casper Bowl was awarded to Nicolas Muller 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 a few tricks in the pow through the bottom of the course.
"Travis's home turf was on fire," said Muller. "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 at Casper Bowl 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 Curt 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 this website. 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.
For more info, visit quiksilver.com/naturalselection
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stoked..
to see this footage of wolle's 7... and everyone else's footage!!!
Hell yes!
This makes me proud to be a snowboarder!
what more can I say.
To everyone involved: THANK YOU!
Now that's a fucking contest
Werd up to Rice for dreaming up the format.....it's about time.
Quote of the year
"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."
Glad the young guys are figuring it out! You can ride pow forever, park thats another story..
Shred the Gnar
...
That footage is insane.I hope this is the direction snowboarding is going.90's revival is coming.
amazing
watching the video of this event made my day. TR with the hilarious comments, the introduction of the riders, the filming, the riding. I really hope more and more contests take note of what Travis Rice is coming up with. Nothing has ever looked so fun.