The world's best riders battled it out and pushed the progression of snowboarding this week in Nelson, B.C during the Red Bull Supernatural.

Out of a field of 18, Travis Rice came out on top proving he is the best all around snowboarder on the planet. Read on for an in- depth view of the contest from Snowboarder Mag's Editor- in-Chief.

Words: Pat Bridges

There are those rare tipping points that only come along so often where everyone realizes that the game has changed. In snowboarding, Ingemar Beckman's Richter Riksgransen method, Johan's TB5 part, and America's sweep of the Olympic podium in Salt Lake City are but a few of these watershed moments. In a seven day period that saw the legitimate debut of a triple cork in competition and the first five-peat in the X Games halfpipe, undoubtedly the most crucial occurrence for real riders took place in the high alpine above a subdued town in the interior of British Columbia.

The 2012 Red Bull Supernatural was spawned from the multi-talented mind of two-time X Games gold medalist and current SNOWBOARDER and Transworld Rider Of The Year Travis Rice. Building upon Travis's endeavor to bring freeriding to the forefront that began with The Natural Selection and continued to the next level with The Art Of Flight media blitz, Supernatural is a one of a kind event two years in the making. With Supernatural, Rice intends to bring a new side of snowboarding, the world of film and freeriding, to the masses. With the involvement of Red Bull and NBC, the inaugural Supernatural is poised to become the ultimate counterpoint to one-sided saccharine snowboarding showcases like the X Games and Olympics, which currently monopolize the mainstream landscape.

While most riders would be content to sit back and rest on the accolades accompanying a season like Rice is coming off of, trust me when I say that Supernatural is much more of a passion project for the protagonist of The Art Of Flight than anything else he has ever been involved in. From finding the ultimate venue and securing resources, to championing the Supernatural cause in the press, the only part of this event Rice has left to chance is the weather which is why he chose Nelson, British Columbia's Baldface Lodge to hedge his bets.



Head here for the rest of this Snowboarder Mag exclusive.

Words: Red Bull

Red Bull and Travis Rice today announce the 16 snowboarders who accepted invitations to compete at the inaugural Red Bull Supernatural at Baldface Lodge outside of Nelson, B.C., Canada. Invites were sent to riders on the forefront of bringing freestyle snowboarding into natural terrain.

On one day between February 3rd and 8th, riders from seven different countries will compete in a first-of-its-kind backcountry competition designed to challenge, then crown the best all-around snowboarder on the planet.

The invite list is partially made up of the top finishers from the Quiksilver Natural Selection, such as Mark Carter, DCP, Nicolas Muller and Wolfgang Nyvelt. Travis Rice and a panel of experts next extended invites to established pros and freeride contenders including Jake Blauvelt, John Jackson, Mark Landvik and Terje Haakonsen. To round out the freestyle contingent of the field, Scotty Lago and Kazu Kokubo, along with two wildcards who are deeply involved in contest-based slopestyle snowboarding, were invited.

Wildcard invites will go to the X Games men's slopestyle gold medalist, to be crowned on January 28th in Aspen, and the current top seeded slopestyle rider on the TTR World Tour, Canadian Mark McMorris. If Mark McMorris wins slopestyle at X Games, the second wildcard spot will go to the silver medalist.

Red Bull Supernatural's judging team will include some of the most recognized legends of snowboarding including Tom Burt (Head Judge), Andy Hetzel, Temple Cummins, Shin Campos, Bryan Iguchi and Mel Simmons (Assistant Head Judge). The overall impression judging system will be used taking into account the line's risk, flow, amplitude, creativity, tricks and control.

Overall judged scores will look at the riders' use of the course as a whole, navigating the steep upper tree section, two cliff bands, a 300' wide jump and a lower powder park section. All competitors will receive two complete runs with a bonus third run going to the riders who finish in the top eight after the first two runs. The best single run score of the day will win.

Red Bull Supernatural Confirmed Rider List:

David Carrier-Porcheron CAN
Devun Walsh CAN
Eero Niemela FIN
Gigi Ruff AUS
Jake Blauvelt USA
John Jackson USA
Kazu Kokubo JPN
Lucas Debari USA
Mark Carter USA
Mark Landvik USA
Nicolas Muller SUI
Eric Jackson USA
Scotty Lago USA
Terje Haakonsen NOR
Travis Rice USA
Wolfgang Nyvelt AUS

Travis Rice and Red Bull have teamed up once again to the change the way we perceive competitive snowboarding. The Red Bull Super Natural is gearing up to be the most progressive contest in snowboard history. In an effort to find the best overall snowboarder in the world, Rice conceptualized a contest that would combine all elements of competitive snowboarding, but in the backcountry of interior British Columbia.

Sound crazy? That's because it is.

Rice and Red Bull spent this past summer scouting the perfect location and building hundreds of log features for the event. The course is only accessible by snow cats and helicopters and mixes man-made features with natural elements. We're talking lumberjack-built pillow lines, dozens of tree-jibs, log ladders, transfers and even a massive kicker that will have 250 foot-wide take off.

On February 2-9, eighteen of the world's best riders will descend upon BC for this monumental contest. The event spans seven days because Rice wants to make sure that conditions and snow pack are the best possible, to ensure all riders fair runs. The format of the event will be the best of two runs with the top nine scores making it unto the third run. The rider that puts down this best third run will take the highly coveted win. This is more than just a simple contest title; it's earning the prestige of being the world's best snowboarder.

Invited Rider List (unconfirmed): John Jackson, Nicolas Mueller, DCP, Lucas Debari, Scotty Lago, Kazu Kokubo, Jake Blauvelt, Gigi Ruff, Wolle Nyvelt, Mark Landvik, Devun Walsh, Pat Moore, Shaun White, Terje Haakonsen, Mark Carter, and Travis Rice.

Wildcard spots: Winner of North Face Masters, Winter X Games slopestyle gold medalist.

Click on the picture to head to Red Bull's site to watch the teaser.

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be Travis Rice? Of course you have. We know you've thought about what it would be like to jump out of a helicopter and perch high atop a mountain in the middle of Alaska. You've envisioned plopping down your board, cranking your bindings as tight as possible, and looking down at the steep powdery abyss below you. But have you ever really thought about how it would feel to shred that line with confidence, power and a crew following you?

Probably not.

Good thing Red Bull Media House and the Brain Farm cinema realize you'll probably never be in a situation like this, so there're giving you a chance to get as close to that feeling as possible. They recently released the last Art of Flight bonus clip which features a POV of Travis Rice crushing a spine deep within a secluded mountain range.

Get ready for face shots, cliff drops, and a whole lot of awesomeness while you pretend to be Travis Rice.

National Geographic's annual Adventurers of the Year nominees are in and it's time to vote for the next Adventurer(s) to win the prestigious award. For the past seven years, Nat Geo has searched the globe to find Adventurers selected for his or her extraordinary achievement in exploration, conservation, and adventure sports.

Among the 2012 nominees are action sports superstars Travis Rice, Carissa Moore, and Danny MacAskill.

With the release of the highly anticipated film Art of Flight Rice's willingness and ability to push the limits of backcountry snowboarding is on display for all. Big Mountain Snowboarding has gained a lot of attention in the past several months with Rice leading the way. Rice has developed into one of the best all-around snowboarders in the world: He is equally capable of showing up at X Games to win slope style gold as he is in pioneering a first descent in the remote Darwin Range on the tip of South America.
Check out his Adventure of the Year Interview


In only her second year on tour the 19-year-old Hawaiian Carissa Moore became the youngest person ever to win the world title of Surfing stopping Steph Gilmore's consecutive title streak. Later this month Moore will be the first woman in the modern era to compete in the Men's Triple Crown of Surfing in Hawaii.
Check out her Adventure of the Year Interview


Danny MacAskill brought the sport of urban trail riding to the mainstream in the way of a viral video which was viewed over 27 million times. This year MacAskill released the short film Industrial Revolutions--which featured him riding through Scotland's abandoned factories, leaping between train cars, and riding across two-inch beams suspended 15 feet above concrete. The short was a hit once again bringing urban trail riding to the mainstream making MacAskill a household name.
Check out his Adventure of the Year Interview


The complete list of nominees includes seasoned world wanderer Alastair Humphreys, Climber Cory Richards, Hiker Jennifer Pharr Davis, Kayakers Jon Turk and Erik Boomer, Mountaineer Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, Skier Nick Waggoner, and Lakpa Tsheri Sherpa and Sano Babu Sunuwar.

The list is staked with deserving adventures so head over to Nat Geo, do you homework and vote for this years Adventure of the Year.