We recently caught up with Maggie during a down day in Alaska for an inside look into the first ever Natural Selection Ski. Maggie just wrapped up competing in the event and is now posted up in AK for the spring, filming for the next TGR film.
What was it like getting the invite to the first ever NST Ski contest?
Getting the call and the invite to Natural Selection Ski was, oh my gosh, it was unbelievable. It was so exciting with there only being four girls invited, which I'll be honest, I don't love. I think we need equal representation.
But with that being said, it was a true honor and a pleasure. I've been pushing my skiing in the backcountry the last couple of years, and to get this call and this invite was really, really special.
NST vs X-Games, what revs the nerves more? How did they compare?
I want to say there are a lot of similarities, but also way more differences. I haven't competed since the Olympics in 2022, and that was in slope style. So it's been a while since I've had contest nerves. And I think there's so much I can take away from my contest career that definitely helped me when I got back in the bib, essentially, at NST.
But I don't know, for me, I felt I'm way more nervous going into Natural Selection. I think a lot of that, too, is just we had so much time looking at this face and picking our lines and just that anticipation of waiting. Whereas in X-Games, I have four days of training. I know my run. I've done my tricks. There's so much preparation done before those three runs, essentially, that you would take at X games. And going to Natural Selection, it's like, okay, I've looked at the face, but that's it. And when I drop in for the contest, that's my first time riding the venue. And then also, too, it was my first freeride event ever. So that really made me nervous. It was the biggest face that I'd ever skied. What are the conditions like? I mean, there's so many more factors that go into play on a natural face, and especially up in Alaska.
Why do you think skiing needs an event like this?
Well, first and foremost, I feel like I can say as a skier, and for all the skiers out there, we've been pretty envious of the snowboarders over the last several years watching Natural Selection. There's no event like it. It's really true and authentic to our sports. And to have that representation in a contest form is so unique and incredible. And it brings so much opportunity to the community and to the riders as a whole.
How did you approach your line selection? It looks like the options were endless.
Choosing a line on a face that had so many options was a lot. There was so much to look at. I think for me, I just tried to approach it like I would filming. When I go and look at a face, what are some of the first things that appeal to me? What do I want to ski? What's speaking to me? And then from there, it'd be like, okay, I've got this main line, but how can I maybe add some flavor? Or where can I branch off from this line to add tricks, or where I think I can throw tricks, or choose an air, or throw in a cool slash? I think I just tried to really look at it from a film standpoint and how I would approach skiing lines in that aspect. But also, too, I think it was important to give myself more than one option, at least having a plan B, maybe a plan C.
Do you think there will ever be a full switch run at NST Ski? Who will it be?
Wow. That's a crazy question. A full switch run at Natural Selection on an Alaskan face. I mean, has that ever been done before? I don't know. It was also such a long and massive face for that to have been done. I mean, crown them the winner right away because that is so unbelievably impressive. And if someone was to have done it, who do I think it would be? Out of that crew, I don't know. Ky Peterson? He's really good at skiing switch. Parker White? I don't know!
So you’re in the middle of a massive mountain range. What were the accommodations like and how did you overcome logistical challenges?
Yeah. So the venue was obviously deep in the mountains in AK, and there was a base camp or a glacier camp at the bottom of the venue. But the athletes, we actually did not stay there. It was pretty rad. It would have been fun to have had a few nights on the glacier with that crew. But our accommodations, we started off in Girdwood at the Elieska Resort, where we were stationed and were waiting for a weather window. But that was really nice because we actually got to ski Alieska, ski with some local rippers, and still be able to ski and have our legs. Sometimes when you come to AK and you have down days, you're not skiing at all, and you're just waiting for the weather window to open. So it was really great to have that option. And then as the weather window approached, we moved into a lodge closer to the mountain range where all the athletes were together in a lodge. We had tents outside. Some of us camped inside of the lodge as well. But I absolutely loved when the athletes got to move to the lodge, the Winterlake Lodge, to be exact.
And it was just a really special bonding time for all of us. We had a few days there for a while, just being patient and slowly waiting for that weather window to open up. But our accommodations were honestly incredible. I can't thank that crew enough and Natural Selection enough for setting us up in the best way possible. So we did have showers, we had saunas, we could cold plunge, and we had incredible food. So thanks to everyone at Winter Lake Lodge for making that experience so amazing.
Was the crew vibe strong around camp or did most competitors keep to themselves?
The crew vibe at Natural Selection is truly what made the experience, I believe, the absolute best. Yes, it's about the skiing and the progression of the riding, but the amount of time that we all had together to get to know each other, to sit around and wait for this weather window, to look at lines together. I mean, it was honestly so special and so fun. We laughed so incredibly much. And I mean, once again, everyone is so talented, but when you get to know each individual and how amazing of a human they are, that's what it's all about. And yeah, I will hold all my memories so close to my heart. It was so incredible. So many people that I looked up to and I got to know really well. And I can now call a friend. It's the best ever. So, yeah, to me, that was my favorite experience of natural selection.
What did you do to kill time when you're not skiing?
Yeah, we got really creative on down days, too. I mean, once again, I highlighted the saunas, the cold plunging, the little bit of recovery. Hedvig, she's a yoga instructor, so she led some really great yoga for us all. We ate a lot of food. Helly belly, as they might say. And then also, too, we did some cross country skiing to stay entertained.
They had a little hockey rank, so some of the athletes were playing broom hockey on the ice. We might have taken some snowmobiles out? Hehe. And then also, too, we were just being goofy. We had tubes that people were sliding down hills with, and we would all stand in a line and jump over the tube. I don't know. We were just being goofy, silly, funny, throwing snowballs. I don't know. Being kids, making the most of the down days.
There’s a lot of exposure in AK and conditions change quickly. Were there any close calls or weather challenges? How did you manage avy risks?
Oh, yeah. The ever-changing conditions in Alaska. That's always the big question out here, I guess I should say. You've got to respect these mountains. They're big, and we're the ones playing in them. And I think going into the contest, there maybe were some questions about stability of snow, just in the range that we were in. But we had a whole guide team up there monitoring the slope, checking the conditions on similar aspects and ranges. And safety-wise, I felt like we were totally, totally dialed. But once again, just with AK, it's just like, are the temps warming? Is it staying cold? It's like, what are the conditions going to be on comp day? And that's one thing you don't know until you ski the face. So there were a lot of questions going into the final day. The temps had definitely spiked. Were we going to be dealing with suncrust, maybe heavy or pow, or was it going to be blower? I mean, once again, you just do not know until you ski these faces. And yeah, there was a lot of exposure, too. Or honestly, there wasn't crazy exposure on this face. I think they tried to deviate away from that.
But you could definitely find yourself in some spicy situations. But that also goes down to line choice and where you're going to ride the face. But yeah, so many factors that go into play riding in the mountains, especially in Alaska. But I feel like as a team, we managed all of it as well as we could. And at the end of the day, we're all professional athletes and know how to deal with these situations. So you just roll with the punches. And I'll be curious to see what people think after the event comes out.
If you could sum up your experience at NST Ski in three words what would they be?
If I could sum up natural selection in three words, I think they would be inspiring, motivating, and humbling.
Amazing. Maggie, thanks so much for giving us the BTS details on your first NST Ski experience. We can’t wait to see it for ourselves.
Natural Selection Ski airs Tuesday, April 17th on Red Bull TV.
To keep up with Maggie, follow her @maggie_voisin.
Photography and Cover Photo: Chad Comlack
