Karl Fostvedt Lands Wildcard Invitation to NST Ski Alaska 2026
The Natural Selection Ski Tour (NST Ski) has begun rolling out the invited athlete roster for the second iteration of the event, which fans will be able to watch in mid-April.
Along with last year's first-place finishers, Craig Murray and Manon Loschi, several other returning athletes have been announced for the competition.
Joining Loschi and Murray in the NST Ski lineup this year are Sam Kuch, who made it to the finals up against Murray last year, Colby Stevenson, who was beat out for a final spot by Murray, and Markus Eder, who was beat in semi-finals by Sam Kuch.
As of February 2, NST Ski has announced their first new athlete to the competition for 2026, and it's none other than "Crazy" Karl Fostvedt. The Sun Valley skier is known for his floaty and powerful skiing in big mountain terrain and has been showcased in film projects like his Braaap Ski series and with companies like MSP.
Fostvedt is no stranger to big mountain competitions either. He took first place at Jackson Hole's Kings and Queens of Corbet's Couloir competition twice and is the only person to do so.
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Fostvedt stepped away from Kings and Queens in 2025 and posted on Instagram that he wouldn't be returning to the competition.
In the post, Fostvedt said he was still hungry to compete but was looking to do so in a backcountry environment. The full post is below:
At the time, many speculated that Fostvedt was aiming for a spot on NST Ski (and even tagged the event's socials in the comments), but he ultimately didn't make the roster. Along with Kuch, Murray, Eder, and Stevenson, Kye Peterson, Parker White, Kai Jones, and Max Palm rounded out the men's ski field in 2025.
There's no doubt Fostvedt will be a welcome addition to the NST Ski roster. His skills are pretty perfectly matched up with the event, and his style adds some versatility amongst Kuch, Eder, Murray, and Stevenson as well.
In addition to those invited, several athletes will have the chance to compete for a spot in the main event at NST Ski Super Sessions.
Parkin Costain, Jonah Williams, Connery Lundin, and Teal Harle all have the chance to join the already stacked men's NST Ski roster from Super Sessions.
On the women's side, Elisabeth Gerritzen, Indy Boyer, Hannah Epsteyn, and Ana Essyimont will compete for a spot alongside Manon Loschi and the rest of the TBA women's field.