Bode Merrill

HINDSIGHT

Hindsight is 2020.
Reflecting on the last year, it wasn't all wildfires and tornadoes.
Looking back, we wouldn’t change a thing.

A snowboard video by Brendon Hupp.

Snowboarding by:
Harrison Gordon
Emma Crosby
Desiree Melancon
Pat Fava
Luke Lund
Bode Merrill
Nils Mindnich
Riley Nickerson
and more

The YETI Natural Selection at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort

ABOUT THE NATURAL SELECTION TOUR:
Debuted February 2021 with stops at Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Baldface Lodge, British Columbia; and Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, Alaska; the Natural Selection Tour features the world’s top freeride snowboarders competing on the most epic terrain in all-time conditions. Beyond crowning male and female world champions in snowboarding, the Natural Selection Tour’s mission is to inspire people to forge a deeper relationship with the outdoors.

Learn More:

The Frontier, Forgotten | A Billabong Adventure Division Snow Film

Now playing: The Frontier, Forgotten.

Bode Merrill, Garrett Warnick and Maddie Mastro head deep into the backcountry on a prospecting journey for hidden gems in Idaho. What did they find? Actual silver: limited. Silver linings: limitless.

Press play to follow the crew’s adventure and watch the full edit.

YETI Natural Selection Tour Highlights: Jackson Hole

Mother Nature absolutely provided for the final day of the YETI Natural Selection at Jackson Hole with over four-feet of snow falling on finals day. Here are some of the best moments from the two-day livestream.

From visionary snowboarder Travis Rice, The Natural Selection Tour is a world-class snowboard competition series that combines freestyle tricks with freeriding artistry at three epic North American locations.

Additional stops include Baldface Lodge, British Columbia and Tordrillo Mountain Lodge, Alaska. The top finishers will go head-to-head in Alaska, where the best men’s and women’s all-mountain freestyle riders will be crowned in late March.

The British Columbia and Alaska showcases will air as individual highlight programs - exclusively on Red Bull TV.

Judge's WILD CARD Vote WINNER: Bode Merrill

In simple terms, Salt Lake City’s Bode Merrill is one of the most talented all-around snowboarders who has ever lived. Twice voted SNOWBOARDER Magazine Rider of the Year, Bode’s efforts were heralded by the snowboarding masses and he is widely regarded as a pioneer in both the streets and the backcountry. After starring in his own film based around his travels, titled “Reckless Abandon,” Bode’s career took off and in his tenure as a professional snowboarder, he has landed the ender in Absinthe Films and garnered X Games gold multiple times. Whether he has one foot strapped in or two, Bode is always a standout in any session and he is a definite threat on the Natural Selection Tour. If Bode can put down the run he’s capable of on the Natural Selection course, he very well may be standing on the top step of the podium in Jackson Hole Mountain Resort.
Big congrats to all riders who were chosen and a big thank you to all who helped vote. We hope to see all of these talented and well deserving riders back for the next Natural Selection Tour in 2022! Be sure to tune in live exclusively on Red Bull TV Feb. 3-9th to watch the Natural Selection Tour kick off at the first stop at YETI Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. Locked and loaded!

The SNOWBOARDER Movie: Tangle—Bode Merrill

Bode Merrill’s footage + bonus shots from our latest movie alongside JILL PERKINS, DENVER ORR, PHIL HANSEN, NIRVANA ORTANEZ, JEFF HOLCE, DESIREE MELANCON, AND DYLAN OKUROWSKI. Enjoy! Full movie supported by: Ride, Salomon, Lib Tech, Gnu, Dakine, Airblaster, Bent Metal, Smith, and Thirtytwo.

The SNOWBOARDER Movie: Tangle—Teaser

Coming Soon! Building upon the success of EVERYBODY EVERYBODY, SNOWBOARDER Magazine has partnered with director Ted Borland to once again capture progressive riding at its finest. Alongside fellow cinematographer Paul Osborne, Ted is tasked with framing up and focusing on an esteemed and eclectic roster ranging from underdog amateurs to seasoned veterans for our 2020 film, TANGLE. Featuring DESIREE MELANCON, JILL PERKINS, NIRVANA ORTANEZ, PHIL HANSEN, and BODE MERRILL while proudly introducing JEFF HOLCE, DENVER ORR, AND DYLAN OKUROWSKI. TANGLE aims to showcase the video part in its most authentic form by capturing riders riding wherever, whenever, whatever and however they are inspired to. When a common thread is woven with the ties that bind us a TANGLE ensues.

Supported by: Ride, Salomon, Lib Tech, Gnu, Dakine, Airblaster, Bent Metal
Smith, Thirtytwo.

Travis Rice's Jackson Hole Backcountry Powder Session | "The Natural Selection" Test Event

► Learn more about "The Natural Selection" test event: https://win.gs/naturalselection

An expression session for the ages in Jackson Hole was the first step toward bringing snowboard icon Travis Rice’s vision to life: A world class big mountain competition series that combines freestyle tricks with freeriding artistry in Wyoming, British Columbia and Alaska.

On January 27th, 2020, Travis Rice unveiled plans for a new freeride competition tour at three landmark North American sites that aims to begin in January 2021. To tease what’s to come, this announcement was paired with a test event on Rice’s home mountain of Jackson Hole Mountain Resort that included twelve of the world’s top backcountry riders.

The test event, which worked to capture rider feedback and express the true potential of competitive snowboarding, was a product of extensive planning between Travis and Jackson Hole Mountain Resort. “Jackson Hole and I have worked closely for years,” said Travis, “It is such a fun mountain to ride and I am really proud that after we pulled off (Natural Selection) over a decade ago, we now stand together, ready to bring such a paradigm-shifting event to life here that emulates the uniqueness of the local community that has had my back through it all.”

By removing rocks and stumps during the summer while building wooden domes, takeoffs and landings across an entire mountain face, the course has proved to be the most arduous, yet fruitful endeavors that Travis has ever set out on. It offers opportunity to create the most rideable natural run the world has ever seen.

The test event course was approximately 1/16th the size of what Rice and the team hope will be rideable in a future The Natural Selection Tour kickoff at the same location. “The event was a small version if what we’re building. We wanted to run this event so people have a better understanding of what we’re doing”, said Rice. “It’s a sliver of the bigger picture, and when we open it up, it’s going to be a lot different.”

Riders from a myriad of generations of backcountry snowboarding got a chance to test their mettle on the downsized course. The illustrious group of elites included Austen Sweetin, David-Carrier Porcheron, Bode Merrill, Leanne Pelosi, Sage Kotsenburg, Pat Moore, Elena Hight, Werni Stock, Blake Paul, Nicolas Müller, Robin Van Gyn, Travis Rice and Hana Beaman.

“To be able to see some of the best in the world come out and bring it under incredibly perfect Jackson Hole conditions… It was beautiful”, said Rice. “In 2008, when we ran the first Natural Selection here with Jackson Hole, that sparked this bigger idea. We’re now bringing it to its full expression as the Natural Selection Tour. The Natural Selection Tour is the culmination of over 20 years of experience, riding at the world’s top destinations, experimenting with several individual freeride competitions, and listening to the wishes of professional snowboarders, industry leaders and fans.”

The Natural Selection Tour aims to begin in January 2021 at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, which was host to the original Natural Selection event in 2008. Stop two would take place at Baldface Lodge in Nelson, British Columbia, the same location that hosted Red Bull Supernatural in 2012 and Red Bull UltraNatural in 2013. The final stop plans to take place in Alaska at the Tordrillo Mountain Lodge tenure.

“This is such a group effort," Rice said. "And I have to thank our whole production team, Jackson Hole Mountain Resort park and pipe crew, ski patrol for running safety, and on top of that, the riders and the entire snowboarding community for continuing to back us. It takes a village and we can’t do this alone.”