With so many line options at Natural Selection in Jackson Hole, the strategy of which way to go, what features to hit, and any pivots necessitated by conditions, butt checks, or the run of the other rider in the matchup are a mystery to all of us watching at home. Until now, of course. NST just released the first Behind the Battles, in which the riders provide commentary on their head-to-head round and explain what they were thinking, what was happening, and the strategy they employed for each of their runs. Considering the unique and creative foundation of NST and their dedication to exposing the many layers that go into spending time in the mountains, in addition that make up the tour, itself, the Behind the Battles videos are another very cool aspect to see snowboarding through the eyes of some of the world’s best.

First up is the battle between Travis Rice (USA) and Kevin Backstrom (SWE), two snowboarders with imitable talent and very different styles of navigating the fall line. This one went back and forth into a tie-breaker. See what Travis and Kevin were thinking throughout their qualifier battle during the first stop of Natty Select this season.