En 2008, nous avons eu droit à une compétition vraiment hors du commun. C’était le Quiksilver Natural Selection au Wyoming avec notre ami Travis Rice sur place, qui avait gagné d’ailleurs, et avec notre québécois vedette, DCP, qui avait terminé 3e au total (Voyez ce lien pour lire la version 2008). Avec la tendance actuel, quelle bonne idée de relancer un événement semblable. Cette fois c’est Red Bull qui vous présentera le Supernatural. C’est une compétition dans le backcountry pour riders experts seulement, au Baldface Lodge à Nelson, BC. Il y aura pas moins de 100 structure construit à main d’hommes pour cette événement. Gardez les yeux ouvert pour les 3 au 8 février prochain. Dix-huit pros seront au rendez-vous.
SNOWBOARDING: RED BULL SUPERNATURAL SEEKS WORLD’S BEST ALL-ROUNDER
Snowboarding legend Travis Rice is aiming to discover the best all-round snowboarding talent in the world when Red Bull Supernatural hits British Columbia, Canada next month.
Rice’s event format will bring together today’s best video part stars with the kings of the contest circuit for a one-day freestyle competition.
Red Bull Supernatural will take place in the 32,000 acres of Baldface Lodge, one of Canada’s top backcountry snowcat operations. Deep in the Kootenay Mountains of British Columbia, the 45+ degree slope known as ‘Scary Cherry’ will host over 80 man-made features which took a crew of loggers five months to construct.
The one-day competition will take place on one of six scheduled days between February 3 and February 8 to ensure the best possible conditions – a mix of deep powder, good sunlight, and safe conditions.
Judges will base scores on overall impression, and hope to see lines that contend with even the best video parts, which Rice calls, “the control by which the state of snowboarding and progression is compared from year to year.”
With three distinct sections of the course designed to show off each athlete’s strength as well as the various disciplines of the sport, Red Bull Supernatural aims to serve up a run beyond anyone’s wildest dreams.
Once snow accumulates on the features, a series of tree-line jumps, pillow lines and more will emerge in the upper section of the course, challenging even the most seasoned backcountry riders. The middle section will be host to an extra-wide super-kicker where fresh powder landings will be kept intact so all the riders can throw huge, progressive tricks. In the lower section of the course, a jib and rail garden will provide the final on-hill playground.
“An event like Red Bull Supernatural calls upon all necessary skills; the ability to ride natural terrain, to navigate down big mountain lines, to ride powder, pillows and adverse, crazy obstacles. Most importantly, the course will call on one’s freestyle knowledge and experience, forcing riders to integrate that into one’s all-mountain riding,” says Rice. “Running an event like this, we’re hoping to see riding that in one contest run contends with and challenges the video part segments that come out every year.”
The single-day competition will run on only one of the six potential waiting period days during the February 3-8 window, ensuring the event takes place under only the best possible conditions:
“The contestants are basically on a cat-boarding trip, » says Jeff Pensiero, owner of Baldface Lodge. « They’ll be shredding lines, eating good food, hanging out, playing ping-pong and enjoying each other’s company that week. And then they get to have a wicked contest on the nicest day of the week!
“It’s a snowboarding contest that will truly determine the best all-around snowboarder in the world, » Pensiero continues. « I’m excited to see the different aspects of snowboarding represented and riders competing on this custom-made stage.”
