Natural Selection Ski Super Session Winners Revealed

All Images: Tucker Adams, NST Ski | Featured Skier: Jonah Williams

A few weeks back, eight of freeskiing's finest gathered at Palisades Tahoe, California for the inaugural Natural Selection Ski Super Sessions. NST, once a snowboard-only event, welcomed skiing last winter, with finals taking place in Alaska. Riders were selected by a respected panel that included big names like Chris Benchetler, Candide Thovex and Kristi Leskinen. Now, in addition to the hand-picked finalists, eight skiers got the chance to compete for a spot in AK at Super Sessions.

The weather window in Cali was tight, but this talented crew made it happen. Each skier got four runs to show their best stuff on the iconic Granite Chief Peak. After a long day lapping this technical, feature-ridden face, Hannah Epsteyn and Jonah Williams walked away with the women's and men's wins, respectively.

We'll be picking through the full competition in the coming days (which you can watch below), as there were so many standout moments from every rider. But we wanted to get words right from the champions who will be heading to Alaska to compete in finals this April.

Below you'll find FREESKIER's conversation with both Epsteyn and Williams, the full competition highlight recap live on RedBull TV and photos from the event.

When did you first know you were competing in NST Super Sessions? How did the news break to you? Were you excited, anxious or a blend of both?

Hannah Epsteyn: I first found out I was competing [in Super Sessions] in December. I received a text from Michelle Parker and later a call from Mike Douglas telling me that I was invited to compete. I couldn’t contain my excitement. After seeing the post on Palisades Instagram announcing the competition, I hoped to be a part of it, but I thought it would be a long shot. I wasn’t quite sure what the competition would be like, but after competing in junior competitions for the past six years, I felt ready. 

Jonah Williams: I got a call from the legend Mike Douglas in mid-December. We played it casual on the phone, but of course I was thrilled! When NST announced the first ski event last year, I knew I wanted to be a part of it. Some nerves set in after I got the call from Mike, but mostly I was excited. Even now, I’m just honored to be a part of the biggest recent movement in freeride skiing. 

Had you skied Palisades Tahoe much in the past, specifically the competition venue? Or did you have to hit the books and do some homework to find your ideal line? 

HE: I’ve skied more days at Palisades Tahoe than anywhere else in my life, so I was excited to find out where exactly we’d be competing. We didn’t know what the official venue would be until the day before the competition. When I found out the face was going to be Granite Chief Peak, I was super excited. I usually ski that zone a few times per year. Having home turf advantage certainly helped me pick a line I had confidence in.

JW: My only trip to Palisades was to ski park with Level 1, so I had never explored the mountain! It was all new to me, and the contest venue was changed at the last minute because the main venue had some safety concerns, so there wasn’t much opportunity to plan specifics. Venue swap combined with an incoming storm meant we had one potential day to run it, which was day one of the weather window. So we basically showed up to ski on-site, did one scout run to get eyes on everything, and hiked back up to get the show started. I think we were all choosing our lines in real-time, mental homework was happening on the chairlift and bootpack to the peak. We were locked in! 

Super Sessions champs Hannah Epsteyn (left) and Jonah Williams (right) with their comp bibs

Break down your favorite line of the day from top to bottom? What went according to plan, and what was an audible? 

HE: My favorite line of the day came on my second run. It didn’t start off too smoothly after I crashed attempting a 360 off my top feature. I quickly got back up and did a backflip off a lip I had hit on my first run. After stomping the backflip, I was able to squeeze in a cliff feature and then a 360. I finished it off with a mute grab. The fact that I rebounded from a crash gave me the confidence to keep charging the rest of the day.

JW: We all hustled to get in four runs, hard to choose a fave! First was chill, second was nerves, third was full improv, and truthfully, the fourth go was survival mode. On the third run, I aired an awkward drop up top, cleared rocks in the landing, did an improv flat three on a side hit as I missed the proper takeoff, then buttered & hopped my way to the bottom. That whole run didn’t go how I saw it, but I adapted and it worked out! When the brain shuts off, the body knows what to do [laughs]. 

Out of the other riders, who was your favorite to watch and why?

HE: Ah, it’s a tough call but I think Parkin Costain was my favorite to watch. I was so impressed seeing him throw a huge backflip off a famous Palisades air called Tree Boys. He’s such a smooth skier and he never holds back.

JW: Because of a short weather window, our laps had to be rushed and I didn’t get to see everyone ski, besides a glimpse or two. I buddied up with Teal Harle and was able to see all his runs from the top. He was first to drop, which is nerve-wracking because you kind of set the pace for everyone, but he handled it so gracefully and didn’t skip a beat from where I was watching. Teal is a G. He skied so well. 

Also have to give a shoutout to Indy Boyer! I saw a few moments and she was crushing, taking calculated risks and skiing hard. There was nothing timid about the way she rode, which is saying a lot given our tricky circumstances that day. 

What was one moment from Super Sessions that stands out in your memory? 

HE: Just hanging at the top of the venue was my favorite part. I really liked the format that they ran the competition in. It was fun to be up there with everyone discussing lines and tricks for upcoming runs. The vibes were great, and everyone was firing each other up.

JW: At the end of the day, we were all beat up and exhausted. It felt like we had gone to battle! Luckily, nobody was hurt, mutual respect was off the charts, and the vibes were high. The NST crew was impressed with us and we were impressed with them and ourselves; the camaraderie was just breaking records. So much gratitude, strength, humility, talent and experience in one place, I’ve rarely been around a group like that.

Epsteyn lays out a backflip her way to victory in California

Now that you’re heading to Alaska for the finals, what are you most excited about? Have you skied AK before? 

HE: I’m most excited to ski new terrain and learn from some of the best skiers. I have skied in Alaska before, two times, both for junior national (freeride) competitions, but I’ve never been heli skiing or skied spines similar to the previous NST Ski venue in Valdez. I’m really excited and above all, I hope to come out of it a better skier and competitor.

JW: I have skied AK once before, for Level1’s Wasteland. It was a short trip, and unfortunately, I got very sick, but holy smokes did I learn a lot from PWhite [Parker White] and Dhark [Chris Logan] and our guide Peter Biskind. In AK, I entered new realms of fun AND peed my pants at the same time. The mountains are overwhelming, but it feels like they want to see you succeed. There’s lots of space to grow up there. So I’m very excited to put on my learning cap and share some runs with an entire crew of legends.  

Give us one skier and one filmer everyone should be watching. Good luck in AK!

HE: Everyone should, without a doubt, be watching Manon Loschi. She has incredible style and is a super fun skier to watch. A filmer everyone should be check out would have to be my personal favorite, Tim Manning.

JW: I’ve been loving seeing Toby Rafford put an exclamation mark on the Freeride World Tour. Also, I will watch anything Manon Loschi does. In the streets and park, Jed Waters is carrying style on his back for all of us.  

For filmer, let’s give Owen Dahlberg the credit he deserves! This guy has been working hard. Creating multiple films, annual Browser mags, countless side-projects, etc. Would love to see the larger ski industry supporting Owen.