World's top snowboarders set to descend on Baldface for second Red Bull Ultra Natural
By The Nelson Daily Sports
Last year Travis Rice used home course advantage to capture the Red Bull Ultra Natural.
No wonder, he designed the course.
Later this month — February 15-21 — Rice is inviting eight new riders to the challenge of an updated course design to crown the world’s best all-around snowboarder at Nelson’s Baldface Lodge.
“This event was created as the highest echelon of competitive snowboarding. It draws on all aspects and a lifetime of accumulated snowboarding skill and knowledge,” said event creator and pro snowboarder Travis Rice.
“Entering into its second year at Baldface Lodge, Red Bull Ultra Natural will provide an even further evolved platform for the heaviest continuous lines ever ridden. Now that riders have an idea of what to expect, there is no doubt the governor is coming off.”
Rice is joined by 15 of the world’s top riders.
Red Bull Ultra Natural is the only event that brings together the most accomplished big-mountain freeriders, who fine-tune jaw-dropping film segments and first descents deep in the backcountry, with the current crop of freestyle riders raising the bar in the park and pipe.
With three distinct sections of the course designed to show off each athlete’s strength and individual discipline, the event aims to serve-up a day of snowboard competition beyond anyone’s wildest imagination.
The brainchild of Travis Rice, Red Bull Ultra Natural creates the dream snowboard run located within the 32,000 acre tenure of Canada’s premier snowcat operation, Baldface Lodge.
On the 45+ degree slope nicknamed “Scary Cherry,” a new wider start area and more line options will create more diversity for the riders in 2013.
More than 80 existing features have been refined and additional creative hips and objects have been placed on-course to create transitional riding elements in between the upper tree-line jumps and pillow lines, the middle section’s super-kicker, and the natural jib and jump section near the finish.
The single day competition ensures that the event takes place under only the best possible conditions – a mix of deep powder, good sunlight, and safe conditions. S
nowboarding legends Jamie Lynn and Peter Line will join Temple Cummins, Andy Hetzel and Head Judge Tom Burt this year as they base scores on an overall impression of the riders’ two runs, with the best run counting towards the win.
A shift of almost two weeks later in the season will help ensure that sunlight on the NorthEast slope will last across all 32 runs.
Fans in the U.S. can tune-in to NBC on March 30th at 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT to catch Red Bull Ultra Natural presented by Nike Snowboarding. The show airs as part of the Red Bull Signature Series, an action sports property featuring some of Red Bull’s top events including Dreamline, Wake Open and Rampage.
The Red Bull Signature Series is the most progressive and innovative action sports property in the world, featuring surfing, snowboarding, mountain biking, skiing, BMX, wakeboarding and motorsports events.
For more information, please visit www.redbullsignatureseries.com.
To watch the event trailer and learn more about Red Bull Ultra Natural, please visit www.redbull.com/ultranatural.
