Spencer O'Brien can call herself a Natural Selection Tour (NST) queen after prevailing in the final over 2022 women's champ Elena Hight in Revelstoke, B.C.
O'Brien entered the NST as a wildcard pick and proved that she belongs in the upper echelon of big mountain snowboarding. The two-time Canadian Olympian impressed judges with a fluid, demanding run featuring a cab 540 that netted her 77.23 points.
Hight fired back with a frontside 720 of her own, but the American had to settle for silver (69.33). Bronze landed around the neck of NST newcomer Šárka Pančochová, a World Cup winner and X Games silver medallist from Czechia who delivered in the small final (78.00).
"I was really happy seeing Elena drop in and do that front seven. It fired me up so much," O'Brien said in a press release. "And I was like, yeah, let's go—let's just put it on the line and see what happens. It was really fun to get to ride with her [on Saturday].
"The attention to venue and snow quality and conditions and the care for the athletes. The event really provides a space where people want to send it and do their best. You saw that throughout the week. I've never seen a more insane display of snowboarding than yesterday; watching the men. It was just absolutely mind blowing. Props to everybody here—it was just such an exceptional show and an amazing week for snowboarding."
'Dad power'
Speaking of the gents, enter Norway's Ståle Sandbech who clinched gold in his side of the competition. He took on fellow NST rookie Blake Moller, a Freeride World Tour (FWT) king from four years ago.
Sandbech, the 2014 Olympic slopestyle runner-up, demonstrated his prowess with a cab 540 melon and a high-amplitude backside 360 across the venue's cliff face (80.00). Moller wasn't able to land what could have been an event-altering corked backside 720 and finished second (73.33).
The podium was rounded out by third-placer Gigi Rüf from Austria (75.00, small final). Whistler's defending champ Mikey Ciccarelli found himself in seventh overall after losing to Moller in the quarterfinal.
"I’m emotional, and I don’t really get emotional," Sandbech told reporters after his victory. Then he exclaimed: "I’m a dad now, too! Dad power!"
Strategy-wise, the Norwegian remarked: "You don't get to practice your runs, you look at it on photos, and visualize how it might feel and look out for all the hazards. You have to turn on your instincts and go spontaneous. It's so different every time, and you can't really predict where people are going or what's going to happen. So it's crazy and exciting to ride."
Complete results from Revelstoke are available here.
