Live From the Backcountry: How Uncle Toad's Media Group Took REMI Production to New Heights With Natural Selection Tour Snowboarding Inside the two-day effort at the tour's marquee competition last month in Revelstoke By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S.
Thursday, April 4, 2024 - 4:01 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
The Natural Selection Tour has been referred to as a manifestation of snowboarders' wildest dreams. When it comes to logistics, however, the live production of the backcountry freestyle competitions is more akin to a broadcasting nightmare. Despite the challenges, tour production partner Uncle Toad's Media Group pulled off a flawless two-day REMI production at the marquee competition last month at Revelstoke Mountain in British Columbia.
Plenty of others have pulled off backcountry events like this with one or two cameras, and they do a solid job, says Jordan Velarde, CEO/founder, Uncle Toad's Media Group, who served as executive producer. Our goal is to bring the same broadcast quality and style that you would have for a major live event. We pride ourselves on our ability to not be hindered by the technical limitations so that we can deliver an authentic show that's on par with some of the [top productions] today.
Launched in 2021, the Natural Selection Tour is the brainchild of legendary freeride snowboarder and film producer Travis Rice. The world's top snowboarders - from Olympians to big-mountain film icons - come together to compete in men's and women's events. Twelve riders duel at six iconic mountain venues to earn the right to compete at Revelstoke along with 17 returning and invited Natural Selection Tour riders. Day 1 of the Natural Selection Tour Revelstoke event was streamed live exclusively on Red Bull TV on March 13., The finals at nearby Selkirk Tangiers on Day 2 premiered as live today at 1 p.m. ET.
If Travis Rice is doing a snowboarding event, says Chris Steblay, executive producer/creative director, Uncle Toad's Media Group, the expectation is that we will match that Travis Rice quality and brand. We're trying to produce something live that is on the same level as a Travis Rice movie but do it live and do it on a realistic budget. We want to hit a bar where it looks effortless [to the viewer] even though it's actually one of the most difficult [productions] you could possibly imagine.
Uncle Toad's produced both days of competition in 1080p using a REMI-production workflow that linked the onsite operation in Revelstoke with a control room at Red Bull Media House in Santa Monica. CA. Onsite, the operation relied heavily on a pair of drones and several RF Wireless camera systems to cover the wide-ranging action. Camera feeds were backhauled to Red Bull Media House, where the production team cut the show and announcers called the action off monitors.
Years in the Making: From Jackson Hole to Revelstoke
Velarde and Steblay began discussing the potential for producing the finals live with Rice and Natural Selection Tour COO Liam Griffin in 2018. Following COVID-related delays, their plans finally came to fruition in 2021 at Jackson Hole, WY. Uncle Toad's rolled out a full mobile unit and several production trailers, parking them roughly a mile and a half from the venue in what Velarde describes as baby steps on the way to a full REMI solution. After two years using this production model, Uncles Toad's went full REMI in 2023 when the finals moved to Revelstoke.
From day one, the goal of this event was to be able to go absolutely anywhere in the world to find the best backcountry skiing and be able to broadcast that live, says Velarde. When we moved to [Revelstoke], we were required to have the same full production capabilities that we had in Jackson. That meant rethinking our [production workflows].
Given the remote locale, all equipment had to be flown in via helicopter and dropped on the mountain. Further complicating matters was that the final course is often determined the day before the competition based on the current conditions.
We have to scout several different locations and put production plans in place for covering all those possible spots, Velarde points out. No mountain is exactly the same, so you have to evaluate your transmission, your wireless systems, your camera units, and all the support for getting in and out of there.
Adds Steblay, One of our biggest challenges is the need for meticulous planning and packing. Once something enters the field in that position, it can't move. Moving a single camera or [piece of equipment] can cost thousands of dollars and endless man-hours. And there's no such thing as we forgot a cable'; there's no Amazon Prime or big electronics store. So the packing and the planning become very important.
Onsite in Revelstoke: The BFT at the Center of It All With just 19 crew members on hand, Steblay and his team set up a Mount Everest-style base camp - lovingly dubbed the BFT, or Big Fucking Tent. The BFT serves as the main point of acquisition for all camera and audio feeds, the primary hub for transmission and engineering, and home for the team piloting the drones. Its location is key: it must have line of sight to all camera positions as well as to the satellite uplink - not an easy task in an area of high ridge lines and extreme distances.
In addition, all crew members must be expert snowboarders capable of traversing the treacherous terrain and must also be safety-trained for potential avalanches.
You not only have to be comfortable in the backcountry but you have to be a badass broadcaster - whether you're a camera op or a video engineer, says Steblay. You have to be expert in both: you have to be really good at your job and really love to be in the mountains. We try
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
04/08/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
15/07/2026
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is a big deal for DAZN, which has distribution rights in three markets: Italy, Spain, and Japan. Each requires a different editorial app...
15/07/2026
As sports-media organizations manage rapidly growing content libraries and incre...
15/07/2026
HBS director of digital Johannes Franken talks SVG Europe through the operation built to serve FIFA World Cup 2026 rights holders remotely from Stratford, east ...
15/07/2026
IBC has unveiled the conference program for IBC2026, with this year's event ...
15/07/2026
Software-defined wideband RF platform supports 96-kHz monitoring, streamlined fr...
15/07/2026
New AI-powered module enables broadcasters and content owners to extract dialogu...
15/07/2026
Weeklong gathering at EBU headquarters will test new IPMX capabilities and expand certified product ecosystem...
15/07/2026
Force Tech has announced the appointment of Bryan Adams, CTS, as Vice President of Integration. Adams will oversee AV and broadcast integration project delivery...
15/07/2026
USA Sports has announced an exclusive English-language agreement with the Bundes...
15/07/2026
ITV Sport's FIFA World Cup 2026 coverage has been produced from one of the m...
15/07/2026
Program will provide professional camera kits, training, and technical support to participating local newsrooms...
15/07/2026
San Francisco church becomes first U.S. deployment of the 2 M/E production switcher...
15/07/2026
Former ESPN and NFL Network executive to advise startup league on media, distribution, technology, and fan engagement...
15/07/2026
The Houston-based RSN is the live-game home of the Astros and Rockets...
15/07/2026
Launched alongside new FreqSoft installer
Designed to bridge the gap between hardware and software, Freqport's FreqInOut FO1 unit provides a simple way ...
15/07/2026
Save up to 55% on software until 23 July 2026
Expressive E have just launched their Summer Offer sale, with discounts of up to 55% now applied across their ...
15/07/2026
Real-time stem-separation tool updated
zplane have recently released a new and improved version of their real-time stem-separation plug-in which they say ma...
15/07/2026
A new benchmark in bass enhancement
Described as a new benchmark in bass enhancement , Baby Audio's latest release has been designed to augment the lo...
15/07/2026
DMC Production's AR 1 and AR 2 units reverse the conventional OB workflow, keeping all production-critical processing at the venue while operators work remo...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
GigaCloud, a leading Ukrainian cloud service provider, and Cubbit, the first geo-distributed cloud storage enabler, today announced a new Business Alliance Part...
15/07/2026
SMPTE, the global society for media professionals, technologists, and engineers, has announced the launch of the SMPTE 110th Anniversary Campaign, a fundraising...
15/07/2026
Studio Technologies, a leading manufacturer of high-quality audio, video, and fiber-optic solutions, unveils the new StudioComm Model 762 Stereo Level Control, ...
15/07/2026
COW Jobs: Producer, Virtual Events - Hybrid, Full Time, Salaried
Brie Clayton July 15, 2026
0 Comments
Producer, Virtual Events (Hybrid | Full-time | ...
15/07/2026
Brazilian media organization builds nationwide CDN with Broadpeak's high-performance software for low-latency streaming and new content distribution service...
15/07/2026
DHD announces a new utility designed to increase the efficiency of its audio mixing systems during initial installation and subsequent configuration.
Anyone w...
15/07/2026
BCNEXXT Brings Next-Generation Vipe to IBC2026, Breaking the 1:1 Channel-to-Server Ratio New innovations liberate broadcasters from legacy playout infrastructur...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
15/07/2026
Wednesday 15 July 2026
Screeners and press pack now available: Gomorrah: The Or...
15/07/2026
Trinity's Treasures features Ruth Negga, Eleanor McEvoy, and David Norris, a...
15/07/2026
Join geographer Dr Susan Hegarty, Engineer Tim Joyce and Architect Orla Murphy a...
15/07/2026
Home to leading manufacturers, robotics pioneers, infrastructure builders and gaming, of course, Japan is one of the world's centers of AI - building across...
14/07/2026
South end zone videoboard, cloud-based control system will be ready for 2026 football season...
14/07/2026
Redesigned website, enhanced mobile app unify content, ticketing, and personalized fan engagement...
14/07/2026
Agreement spans sponsorship sales, digital monetization, radio production, and new practice facility naming rights...
14/07/2026
Independent league adds 14 regional sports network affiliates, growing distribut...
14/07/2026
New strategy aims to unify competitions, content, fan engagement, and commercial...
14/07/2026
ESPN and Disney+ become exclusive home of PFL events in key international MMA market...
14/07/2026
Gill will oversee engineering, technology, and sports operations across the company's 64 local television stations...
14/07/2026
Submitted by North American Broadcasters Association (NABA)
As broadcasters con...
14/07/2026
Modernized mobile unit combines HOME Apps, mc 56 console, and IP infrastructure ...
14/07/2026
Every match of the 32-team tournament will air across ION and Scripps Sports platforms in English and Spanish...
14/07/2026
FloHockey to stream every game of the annual international tournament under four...
Live From the Backcountry: How Uncle Toad's Media Group Took REMI Production to New Heights With Natural Selection Tour Snowboarding Inside the two-day effort at the tour's marquee competition last month in Revelstoke By Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. 
