In a world where bigger is better and more is never enough, the Natural Selection Tour (NST) is in a league of its own. On February 15th, Queenstown will host the top riders from across the globe for the very first NST Mountain Bike Event. The stage? A regeneration project only slightly modified to harness the unique contours of a stunning natural landscape, where athletes will compete in one of the biggest mountain biking events in the world. This is history in the making, with a modest footprint.
"The idea is to have the lightest touch possible."
Ed Leigh is co-founder of All Good Productions NZ, the team running the bike event on the ground here in New Zealand for Natural Selection.
"The impetus behind it was really about eight or nine years in the making. In 2012, Travis Rice created a contest called Supernatural. Instead of pulling action sports into stadium style, made for TV events, the aim was to keep them where they belong, in nature. The first NST Snowboard Event was held in 2020 in Jackson Hole."
After four years of snowboarding events, Natural Selection has expanded to include other action sports on its annual tour.
"That model of Mother Nature being the main character and showcasing action sports in their natural environment has been incredibly successful. Now, in 2025, we'll see NST Surf in the Marshall Islands, NST Bike here in Aotearoa, New Zealand, NST Snowboard in Revelstoke, Canada, and NST Ski in Alaska."
NST Bike Aotearoa didn't happen overnight. Plenty of planning made this first-of-its-kind event a reality.
"We started the bike process just over two years ago. The first conversation was between Travis Rice, the founder of Natural Selection, and a local philanthropist called Rod Drury. Rod's mad about mountain biking and he's been funding a massive trail network build around the Whakatipu Basin in Queenstown. Having a competition that would draw all of that work together and shine a light on it globally was part of his end vision, so he and Travis started talking."
Natural Selection is a US-based company, so having a team of locals on the ground in the Queenstown area was essential.
"Travis was already talking to Todd Barber, the founder of Red Bull Rampage, arguably the biggest event in mountain biking, and everything started to come together from there. Myself and Sophie Luther co-founded All Good Productions NZ. We're doing Natural Selection's bidding here in New Zealand."
So much goes into hosting an event of this magnitude that it can be challenging to know where to start. Step one for Ed and Sophie was to find a venue.
"A team of professional riders, builders and media came down here, so we went and found them a load of potential venues. They decided on one, then we spent a year and a half consenting it. It's been a gigantic process, but we've now got consent for what I believe is one of the most stunning natural venues in all the world of sport. And I don't say that lightly. New Zealand does stunning quite easily, but this is special. Standing up on a mountain, overlooking the Whakatipu Basin is absolutely mindblowing. The view is more than 270 degrees with a backdrop of snow-capped mountains, a glimpse through the gorge, the Crown Range, the Shotover River and The Remarkables all stretched out to enjoy. It's absolutely amazing! There isn't anything like this in action sports."
With endless mountain bike events worldwide, NST Bike Aotearoa breaks the mould with its unique approach.
"It really is a standalone event. Rampage is about daring extremities and this massive exposure of a really steep face. Then you have competitions like Darkfest which is about building the biggest jumps possible, and Crankworx which is about technical freestyle, doing the most ridiculous tricks. There are elements of each within the NST event, and it will attract riders from each of those disciplines, but what this event really promotes is style and creativity. It'll be the first time people get to see riders from each discipline all compete on the same course. In mountain bike terms, this will be extraordinary."
The essence of the Natural Selection Tour lies in nature, choosing venues where most of the track design is already laid out and harnessing the contours and intricacies of the landscape, using it as a canvas of creative expression. So, finding the right spot was essential. It was the seed from which something unique grew.
"The mountain bike space is quite saturated with events these days, so trying to find that point of difference with a new event is really difficult. However, the venue, Mount Dewar, is a special spot and has allowed this all to happen."
The NST Bike Aotearoa track may look beautiful, but it certainly isn't for everyone. In fact, it's barely for anyone.
"There are plenty of trails for people to enjoy, no matter who you are, what kind of bike you ride, how old you are, or what your ability is. This area is now one of the major hubs for mountain biking in the Whakatipu Basin. However, the NST course is a different beast. It's been created specifically for the top sixteen men and ten women in the world. But while only a few can tackle the course, anyone can ride in and watch the world's best free ride mountain bikers like they've never been seen before."
(1) Epic Views from the Course, (2) Utilising the Natural Terrain, (3) Elevate Trail Team Sculpting a Masterpiece, All Images: Callum Wood
Action sports events can significantly impact the environment, but Natural Selection takes a different approach. For them, it's all about leaving the smallest footprint possible. Given the partnership between Destination Queenstown, Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) and Lake Wānaka Tourism, who share the goal of implementing regenerative tourism in the region by 2030, this makes NST Bike Aotearoa even more special.
"From the very beginning, Sophie and I acknowledged that Destination Queenstown and QLDC are committed to their 2030 project. We looked at how we can create an event that reflects their goals and values. In terms of logistics and budget, ticking every box is simply not possible. However, sustainability has been part of the conversation with every decision we've made, and considering this is year one, we're pretty happy with how well we've done at minimising our footprint."
It's important to recognise that, although we all crave perfection, it simply doesn't exist. That includes our environmental impact. Does that mean we shouldn't bother with the incremental? Of course not. Any step in the right direction is progress and should be celebrated. It isn't about finding every solution immediately but rather doing what we can while leaving the door open for improvement in the future.
"There's no way we can get around athlete flights. They need to fly to get here. But there are two other events around the same time in close proximity: Hardline in Tasmania and Crankworx in Rotorua. So, the flights are still happening, but over the span of three events, the long-haul emissions will be shared. Also, we're using Surrons where we can, but Can-Ams are needed on site at this stage. Electric and biodiesel options for operational transport and machinery aren't available at the moment, but that doesn't mean it won't happen in the future."
There are no better guardians of the land than those most connected to it. Working with Māori to ensure things are being done correctly is part of the fabric of a well-run event.
"According to the local iwi, if you look after the land and the water, they will look after the people. That sentiment is at the very core of what we're doing. It was our starting point, and we've branched out from there."
In line with using what's already there, the event is being held in an area bearing scars from former times. Along with a local development project, improvements are being made by way of native flora regeneration.
"The event site is ex-forestry land where invasive pine was used across the entire face. A property developer called Adam Smith bought the land as part of a long-term, sustainable housing project. Essentially, small footprint homes will be built on bigger plots, and the land around these plots will be regeneratively planted with beach forest. To date, over half a million trees have gone in already. It's exciting! And each year, we can reduce our footprint even more as we prove what's possible concerning sustainability efforts and learn the Natural Selection template for this event."
As with all aspects of such an event, the commitment to make improvements tomorrow for what can't be done today is a commitment to the long-term health of our planet and should absolutely be celebrated.
"We're amazed at what we've been able to do to minimise our footprint this year, which makes us even more excited to see what's possible in year two. I would be genuinely shocked if we can't get down to a very small emission output by 2030. Zero is unrealistic for us, being a global event and having those flight emissions. We can't ignore those and I don't want to overlook them. They're a part of our footprint. But I'd like to think that we won't be using any fossil fuels on site in the future."
To power the event, a large battery will charge everything except the event operations area for this first year. Also, waste generation is set to be at a minimum.
"All of our crockery - plates, cups, knives and forks - will be reusable which, alongside six other events based in the area, is a collective resource that will all be reused. There's no packaging up on site, so as a spectator, everything you touch is recyclable or compostable. Tickets will be checked on the way in, and the event is licensed so those eligible to drink will get a stamp on their hand. Also, media armbands will be reused each year. It's about getting rid of disposable plastic as much as possible. And we'll have staff manning the refuse stations to make sure people aren't chucking things where they aren't supposed to go. It takes a long time to educate people, but we're in this for the long haul."
And whatever food waste is generated will come full circle back to the event for next year.
"We'll probably create a couple of tons of compost over the course of the event week which, once processed, will be brought back up and used as we regeneratively plant all of our venue."
Given the location, planning ahead is a smart idea. And those who do, won't have any problems staying fed or hydrated.
"This is a backcountry event. It's a ten minute bike ride, or thirty-five minute walk to the entrance, so people need to come prepared. Food can be purchased onsite. Spectators can bring a container and a refillable water bottle, or we'll be selling lunch boxes and drink bottles for anyone who needs them. So, you've got an option if you want to take food away."
NST Bike Aotearoa will draw attention to an activity in an area where most people don't realise how abundant the terrain is while maintaining the lowest impact possible. This event will set a precedent in one of New Zealand's highest-traffic regions, aligning with the local vision of achieving regenerative tourism by 2030. Sure, they're changing the landscape a little, but that will lead to an even larger impact down the road. Inspiring efforts like this will positively change the face of tourism and action sports for future generations.
"If we can show the world what biking in New Zealand is like, I think that bike sports could become bigger than snow sports in Queenstown. That's my ultimate goal for this. The long-term economic benefit of putting Queenstown, and to a certain degree, New Zealand, on the map globally as a bike destination, can't be underestimated. This area has hosted plenty of events, but none that reflect the type of riding Natural Selection's doing, which is the type of riding that Queenstown has to offer. I think when we're able to showcase how beautiful it is here and how good the riding is, it'll light people up."
This is no small event. The last Natural Selection broadcast had just over 3 million live views on Red Bull TV. Since then, it has had 16.4 million views.
"The Natural Selection Tour is different. I will guarantee that anyone who watches either live in the flesh, or on the broadcast will be blown away. But what I really hope is that people come away inspired and a little bit educated. Not just by the sport they've seen, but by the event as a whole. We want everyone to see that running something like this can be a lot of fun without a massive impact. Education through inspiration is what we're aiming for."
Tickets to the event are limited to 1500 and are available on Flicket. If you can't be there live, it'll be available online a few weeks later.
"Quite a few tickets were sold already, and I'm sure the rest will get snapped up pretty quickly. The event will be aired on Red Bull TV on March 5th as well, for anyone who can't make it down."