Dakine debuts its first Poacher RAS (Removable Airbag System) Vest collaboration at Natural Selection Tour, offering a high level of safety and performance to the roster of athletes and staff in the backcountry
Dakine has been a trusted name in snowsports for over three decades, and today the brand is excited to announce its official vest sponsorship with Natural Selection Tour (NST), one of the world’s top snowboarding competitions where riders compete on the planet’s most challenging natural terrain. The three-stop tour will kick off today, January 25-31, 2022, at Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, continue to Baldface Lodge in February, and wrap at the Tordillo Mountains in late March. As the official vest sponsor, Dakine will provide the world’s best riders and NST staff members with a custom NST x Dakine Poacher RAS Vest. Made specifically for the kind of riding this event is known for, the removable airbag system in Dakine’s Poacher Vest provides the athletes a high level of avalanche safety and performance in the backcountry. As a special bonus to fans of the tour, a limited run of co-branded vests is now available for purchase on Backcountry.com.
“At the conception of the Natural Selection Tour, working with a company as dialed in their bag and vest construction as Dakine was a pipe dream,” says Natural Selection Tour’s creative director, Toby Grubb. “It fills the Natural Selection design team with great pride to be working with old and new friends alike at Dakine, to release a custom, ultra-lightweight NST x Dakine Rider Vest and a limited run of NST x Dakine Poacher RAS Vests to the public through Backcountry.com. Stay tuned between January 25th-31st on Naturalselectiontour.com to see the vests live streaming on the world’s greatest snowboarders.”
The Dakine Poacher RAS Vest offers a low-profile solution that keeps all your essential gear for backcountry riding close at hand without weighing you down or throwing you off-balance while you ride. The vest stems from Dakine’s successful line of Poacher technical snow backpacks, and like most of the collection, it’s compatible with a Removable Airbag System 3.0 by Mammut. With an arsenal of safety features like front access pockets equipped with a beacon anchor, a pocket for snow tools, and a rescue whistle on the sternum strap, riders can enjoy a full day in the backcountry with peace of mind. For versatility and convenience when trekking vertical feet, external attachments points allow for a diagonal ski carry and vertical snowboard carry, while an internal climbing skins pocket helps skin glue stay warm, so they don’t lose their stick. If you plan to go big in the backcountry, this vest is also compatible with Dakine’s Impact Spine Protector (sold separately) to help prevent season ending injuries.
“We are excited to collaborate with The Natural Selection Tour, an event series that has reshaped the landscape of modern snowboard contests to bring the highest level of backcountry riding into households around the world,” says Dakine’s senior brand director, Colleen Quigley. “As a rider-driven brand, this partnership allows us to highlight Dakine’s commitment to backcountry performance, durability and the snow community. We are proud to provide one of our most trusted backcountry products – The Poacher RAS Vest – to their roster of world-class riders.”
The Dakine Poacher RAS Vest (MSRP $195) is available now on Dakine.com, while the limited edition NST x Dakine Poacher RAS Vest (MSRP $225) is being sold exclusively on Backcountry.com. For more information about Dakine please visit Dakine.com. For media inquiries about Dakine or the Natural Selection Tour Sponsorship, please email Senior Account Manager, Kevin McCormack, at kevin.mccormack@rygr.us.
###
About Dakine
Founded in Hawaii in 1979, Dakine creates trusted packs and bags, accessories, apparel, and outerwear for people who love to surf, snowboard, mountain bike, ski, windsurf, kiteboard and travel. For more information, please visit https://www.dakine.com/
About Natural Selection Tour
The brainchild of snowboarder Travis Rice, the Natural Selection Tour showcases the world’s top riders from Olympians to big mountain film icons all competing on the planet’s most exciting natural and naturally enhanced terrain. The Tour features three stops in Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming; Baldface Lodge, British Columbia; and the Tordrillo Mountains, Alaska. The best all-mountain freestyle riders in the world will move through the tour culminating with the crowning of a men’s and women’s champion at the Alaskan final. The Natural Selection Tour’s mission is to inspire people to forge a deeper relationship with Mother Nature.
