Travis Rice
When it comes to navigating the most technical terrain and the most treacherous conditions, Travis Rice knows a thing or two about setting the pace in the mountains. This madman from Jackson, Wyoming has spent his career redefining what is possible, from gnarly backcountry lines to monumental videos, and most recently, by launching the groundbreaking Natural Selection Tour.
In 2001, Travis exploded onto the scene, sending a 116-foot back rodeo at Snowboarder Magazine’s Superpark. The massive feat landed him a trip to Alaska and a full part with Absinthe Films, unleashing the beast, so to speak, that would change snowboarding indefinitely. While Travis is as humble as they come, his accomplishments are innumerable. He’s has four X Games medals and has stood on the podium at the US Open, Arctic Challenge, and many more. He’s been named Rider of the Year numerous times. In 2006, he released his first film, The Community Project, an aptly named video that set the stage for That’s It, That’s All and The Art of Flight, movies that changed the game, both in terms of riding and filmmaking.
Of course, Travis doesn’t slow down. He’s a meticulous and thoughtful fireball of concentrated momentum. Over the past decade, he has made more monumental movies, including The Fourth Phase, Depth Perception, and most recently, Dark Matter, where POV angle of his descent in the long-sought-after Mathematics zone in Alaska once again retooled what is possible. This past winter, he brought to life another longtime goal, the Natural Selection Tour, an event series that has been building since the first iteration of the competition at Jackson Hole in 2008. The tour was a smash hit, introducing a legion of viewers to freestyle snowboarding in the backcountry, and once again, changing the paradigm of snowboarding. Even more, NST, like all of Rice’s other endeavors, be it in the backcountry or beyond, raises up others. While Travis is indisputably one of the best snowboarders to ever strap in, his legacy is even more than his riding—it’s that as he keeps pushing snowboarding forward, he always brings everyone else along for the ride.
