A snowboarder from Nelson will take the place of the Natural Selection Tour (NST)'s 2024 women's champion in this week's competition up at Revelstoke's Montana Bowl, on the two most ideal weather days between March 10 and 17.
Estelle Pensiero came second at Research & Development, an all-women backcountry freestyle event featuring up-and-coming boarders, in both 2024 and 2025.
As it happens, she's now filling a wildcard spot for France's Marion Haerty, who was crowned champion at the 2024 NST but sustained injuries last week and will now defer her invitation to 2026.
Pensiero has deep roots in Nelson as a snowboarder, credited largely to her father Jeff starting Baldface Lodge in the Selkirk Mountains. She joins Brin Alexander of Whistler, Spencer O'Brien of Vancouver Island's Alert Bay, Mikey Ciccarelli of Ancaster, Ont., and Revelstoke's own Dustin Craven as one of five Canadians competing at this year's event.
As well, the NST's men's wildcard spot has been filled by Gigi Rüf of Austria, who competed at the competition's very first event in 2008. This finalizes the list of competitors for this year's NST in Revelstoke, with a reported 20 centimetres of fresh snow at the Montana Bowl and athletes visiting the venue Monday, March 10, for a first look at the venue.
Learn about all 24 NST boarders for 2025 at naturalselectiontour.com/riders.
