Four of the world’s top snowboarding athletes are coming to Crested Butte in February for a competition like no other.

Crested Butte Mountain Resort announced Wednesday the Natural Selection Tour DUELS — the world’s top snowboarding competition combining slopestyle tricks with big mountain freeriding — will be home to two of the six 2024 YETI DUELS this season.

The competition window in Crested Butte is Feb. 6-11, with exact dates, locations and times of the competitions to be determined by weather and snow conditions.

Jamie Anderson and Emma Crosby will go head-to-head at Crested Butte Mountain Resort and Red Gerard and Austen Sweetin will compete on Eleven Experience’s terrain on Scarp Ridge in Irwin.

This first stage of the Natural Selection Tour features two riders competing for a shot to move on to the next stage in Revelstoke, British Columbia, Canada. 

“We are excited to work alongside our partners at the Tourism and Prosperity Partnership and Eleven Experiences to welcome these amazingly talented athletes to Crested Butte and for them to experience all that our unique terrain has to offer,” said Tara Schoedinger, general manager of Crested Butte Mountain Resort. “Our famed extremes make Crested Butte Mountain Resort the perfect location for this style of competition, and we can’t wait to see the video release later this spring.”

The Natural Selection Tour was designed by snowboarding legend Travis Rice in 2021. Historically a backcountry competition, the tour is expanding its repertoire this year to include in-resort venues, challenging athletes to master their skills on both natural and naturally-enhanced terrain, the resort said in the release.

“YETI Natural Selection DUELS are designed to bring out riders’ creativity and highlight competitors’ diverse styles,” the resort said.

The participating athletes bring plenty of gumption and accolades to the event too:

• Anderson has 21 X Games medals and was the first female snowboarder to win multiple Olympic gold medals with her victories in the women’s slopestyle at the 2014 and 2018 Games.

• Crosby is a versatile rider who tackles rails and slopes with style. Having spent the last few winters farther off-piste, she hopes to solidify her place in all-mountain riding at CBMR.

• Gerard, a Colorado native, competed in slopestyle and big air events in the 2018 Olympics, winning gold in slopestyle.

• Sweetin has a long history riding on-screen and stepped into the competition world with his participation in the Natural Selection Tour in 2021.

Anderson, Crosby, Gerard and Sweetin will compete in Crested Butte within a designated weather window in early February. The CBMR operations team will work closely with the NST operations team to select and finalize the date, time and exact venue in the days leading up to the DUEL, depending on conditions the resort said.

The DUELS venue is not open to the public, but CBMR is partnering with the Town of Mt. Crested Butte and the Town Center Community Association to invite the entire community to celebrate with a concert in the CBMR base area on Feb. 10.

The best action and winners of Natural Selection DUELS will be unveiled in edited shows premiering in late February 2024 on Red Bull TV.

What DUELS is about:

• Twelve riders from across the global snowboarding spectrum compete for six remaining rider spots available in Revelstoke: two for women and four for men.

• Other YETI DUELS will take place at resorts Andermatt/Sedrun/Disentis, Switzerland, RED Mountain Resort in Rossland, British Columbia, Canada, Purgatory Snowcat Adventures in Durango and at a location to be determined in Japan.

• Of the 24 riders convening in Revelstoke, 18 riders are returning with tickets punched straight to the weather window opening on March 10. These invited riders include the 12 who are pre-qualified through their performances at the 2023 YETI Natural Selection Revelstoke: Mikkel Bang, Mikey Ciccarelli, Dustin Craven, Jared Elston, Kimmy Fasani, Ben Ferguson, Hailey Langland, Elena Hight, Torstein Horgmo, Blake Paul, Zoi Sadowski-Synnott and Travis Rice.

• Six more invited riders will be announced throughout the winter.

Stay at Scarp Ridge Lodge with the riders

In connection with the DUELS competition, Eleven Experiences is offering one group the chance to join the four DUELS athletes for a stay at Eleven Scarp Ridge Lodge from Feb. 6-11.

The VIP experience includes front-row viewing at Irwin on the day of competition and the chance to dine, hang, and cat ski with the pro riders, enjoying access to Eleven’s on-mountain outposts for chef-prepared lunches and fireside warm-ups. At night, guests can join the riders for après and a concert at Eleven’s downtown music venue, Public House.

“Set in the heart of downtown Crested Butte, Scarp Ridge Lodge offers easy access to the mountains while also providing a host of comforts, from the indoor saltwater pool and rooftop hot tub, to comfy lounge spaces, a media room, and a full bar,” Eleven announced in a release Wednesday. “Formerly the historic Croatian Hall, a saloon where miners would gather after a hard day’s work, Scarp Ridge Lodge is offering luxurious accommodations for up to 10 people from Feb. 6-11, from $17,100 per night.”

For reservations, contact Eleven’s team at reservations@elevenexperience.com or call 1-970-671-7402. 

Visit elevenexperience.com/natural-selection-tour-scarp-ridge-lodge or contact Julia Kent (julia@vkpr.com) for more information.