Here's Everything We Know About NST Ski So Far

1. It was (probably) epic

The first year of the Natural Selection Ski event has an incredibly stacked line up.

The men's field includes a roster of diverse skiers with different backgrounds, styles, and experiences. Amongst the men's lineup is Colby Stevenson, who notably has made a strong foray using his park skiing background into filming in the backcountry of Wyoming and Alaska in the last few years, Marks Eder, who seemingly defies the laws of gravity with his skiing, and Sam Kuch, whose style has turned him from breakout film guy to one of the best skiers around in the last five years.

FWT fans will also recognize Max Palm and Craig Murray amongst the lineup, both of whom have taken their big mountain freeride skills from the Tour to the big screen with hard hitting film parts, and endless style.

Parker White is holding it down for all those die-hard Vermont skiers at NST. Growing up skiing the east's finest terrain parks gave him skills that when applied to the backcountry, are nothing short of epic to watch.

Lastly, is the unlikely duo of Kai Jones and Kye Peterson. Both of them grew up in the world of professional skiing, albeit with very different stories. Peterson was raised in Whistler to the freeskiing pioneer Trevor Peterson and has a long career shaped by competing and filming in more than a few notable projects. Kai Jones, on the other hand, is the son of Teton Gravity Research founder, Todd Jones. While Jones' career kicked off at the young age of 11 (or was it 9?), NST is one of the Jackson Hole-bred skier's first big events, given he just turned 18 last year. 

The women's field is equally stacked with skiers who showcase talent across the board. A name that's become synonymous with women's freeskiing, Michelle Parker heads up the lineup and with her background in shredding big lines, and is sure to put on a show. Parker is joined by ex-FWT athletes Manon Loschi and Hedvig Wessel, both of whom have ample experience and skill in big mountain skiing. Lastly is Maggie Voisin, who made a name for herself as a slopestyle skier at the X Games before taking her skills to film in the backcountry. 

This is all to say that while we have no idea what actually happened, based on the line-up alone, it was probably epic. 

2. There was at least one pre-competition warm up day in similar terrain

The athletes were given at least one warm-up day on Alaskan spines and from what they posted to social media, they made the most of it.

Craig Murray, Hedvig Wessel, Colby Stevenson, and Max Palm all posted videos of their warm-up laps to social media to give folks a preview.

It's pretty much what you'd expect from that group of skiers in that terrain, which is to say it was unreal, and had us frothing to see more.

Tap or click the embedded videos to watch.

3. The judging line up was almost as stacked as the athlete roster

The judges for NST ski are none other than women's freeskiing pioneer Kristi Leskinen, Dion Newport, who has judged everything from the Olympics to the FWT, and a man who needs no introduction (and if he does, please go watch Attack of La Niña) Sean Petit. The three of them have a skill set that's spread pretty widely across the board, and yet seems absolutely perfect for the event.

4. There was an all-time media crew to capture the event

Events like NST are nothing without the camera people there to capture them (and I don't just say that as someone who shot an NST event earlier this year, I swear). Given the glacier camp format of NST Ski, the organizers obviously had to be pretty choosey about who they flew out onto the glacier. With such a big job to do, the NST team certainly chose some heavy hitters to capture the event.

Amongst the camera folks were FPV pilot Gabriel Kocher, who's shot a handful of ski events as well as NST Bike earlier this year, photographers Leslie Hittmeier and Chad Chomlack documented the event in stills (and if you haven't seen their work, go take a look), and long-time Matchstick Productions director and ski cinema legend Scott Gaffney was on hand as well. Just from the photos and clips we've seen so far, it looks like the stream itself will be a masterpiece of its own. 

5. The camp vibes were high

This video posted of Travis Rice by Scott Gaffney says it all.

We can't wait to watch NST Ski with all of you on April 17, 2025. Stay tuned.