Kirkwood boasts a two mile long ridgeline with rocks, natural features and lines that have each earned a name of their own, including the Sisters, Glove Rock and The Wall. Features aren’t just reserved for the ridge, the mountain has gullies and spines that go all the way down to the floor. KIRKWOOD, Calif. – […]
Kirkwood boasts a two mile long ridgeline with rocks, natural features and lines that have each earned a name of their own, including the Sisters, Glove Rock and The Wall. Features aren’t just reserved for the ridge, the mountain has gullies and spines that go all the way down to the floor.
KIRKWOOD, Calif. – Kirkwood’s high-alpine terrain at over 9,000 feet is a draw to many near and far. That now includes the Natural Selection Tour, a big mountain freeride competition created by renowned snowboarder, Travis Rice, coming up Feb. 12–15.
The two riders that will find themselves on Kirkwood’s territory are Swiss snowboarder Severin Van Der Meer and American rider Brandon Davis.
The winner of Kirkwood’s Natural Selection DUEL competition will join 18 fellow returning and invited Natural Selection Tour riders for two live competition days during the YETI Natural Selection Revelstoke. The full Revelstoke event will broadcast live on Red Bull TV during the March 10-17 competition window.
Thimble Cirque and Palisades Bowl are currently in their sites and offer plenty of playful terrain for Van Der Meer and Davis.
Kirkwood’s horseshoe valley corrals the storms and keeps them circling, allowing them to rest on top of the mountain. “And it just snows and snows and snows,” the general manager goes on.
This combination of terrain, conditions and the K-Factor are all reasons why the Kirkwood is a prime location for a NST DUEL.
In addition falling on the Sierra Crest, Ricky explains, there isn’t much between the mountain and the Pacific Ocean. That means nothing stops those big maritime storms that come off the Pacific, that is, until they meet Kirkwood.
Van Der Meer and Davis will choose one day out of the four-day window to compete, but will ride Kirkwood’s terrain throughout the entire window.
But in the geological sense, it’s the ability for the mountain to receive some of the lightest, driest, and most plentiful snow in the Tahoe region due to its location. That means smooth, buoyant turns and that floating sensation.
It’s one of the reasons tour organizers chose Kirkwood along with five other mountain destinations worldwide for their NST DUELS this year, where two riders compete head-to-head on earth’s most challenging terrain.
Due to the spontaneous nature of the event, there isn’t a set time for spectators to watch. However, Kirkwood is planning a meet and greet with Van Der Meer and Davis on Friday, Feb. 14, with more details to come. Film crews will capture the action throughout the four-day competition window and reveal the duel winner on a show that starts streaming Feb. 27 on Red Bull TV.
While there’s a physical element to the K-Factor, for Newberry, there’s also a meaning that’s hard to put into words. “It’s more of an experience,” he says, “like every run’s the best run of your life—and that’s K-Factor.”
Whereas snowboarding competitions like the X Games and Olympics focus on park or manmade features, athletes in the Natural Selection Tour (NST) and other freeride competitions compete on natural terrain. “Basically you’re looking for fun, playful terrain,” Kirkwood general manager, Ricky Newberry, says, “of which Kirkwood has a ton of all across the mountain.”
“So they basically spill over into Kirkwood and the snowfall ratios are impressive with these big storms,” Newberry says.
Learn more about Natural Selection events and watch them as they debut at naturalselectiontour.com and on Instagram at @naturalselectionsnow.
Kirkwood’s selection as a NST DUEL location makes it the first California mountain to ever host the NST Tour. “And it’s absolutely on brand with Kirkwood and our terrain,” Newberry says.
The tour was previously scheduled for Jan. 24-30, but due to a period of high-pressure and limited fresh snowfall was rescheduled to Feb. 12-15. “It was absolutely the right move for us to do,” Newberry says.
“Basically the team here is able and excited and willing to roll out the red carpet when the athletes show up, and” Newberry says, “show them the zones that we’re looking at.”
“Kirkwood, with its endless playground of narrow chutes, big cliffs, and steep walls,” Kirkwood Senior Communications Specialist, Carly Mangan says, “is known for being a stomping ground for hard-charging freeride athletes.”
“These athletes,” Newberry says, “have been identified as the best in the world at their craft.”
“This unique terrain is what drew NST to Kirkwood, and we’re thrilled to showcase it through these incredible riders,” Mangan says.
The adage has been passed around the resort community for so long, it’s hard place a time or person to its origination. “That’s some lore,” Newberry says and explains, it can also be hard to put just one meaning to it. “The K-factor, I will say, means a lot of things to many people.”
The general manager and his team consulted the longer-term forecast when making the decision. “We saw a pattern change, which we’re all really excited about, and just think it’s going to shape up with some new snow to be the best event we can host here during this time.”
But it isn’t just Kirkwood’s revered terrain that makes it ideal for the tour. “Kirkwood is just geographically special,” Newberry explains. The natural playground is augmented by its unique location atop the Sierra Crest, which is a part of what gives meaning to Kirkwood’s timeless adage—the “K-Factor.”
