Crankworx Slopestyle Play By Play
How it all went down...
Words by Cam McRae. Photos by David Ferguson and Malcolm McLaws.
Slopestyle fans were packed into Whistler village like pilgrims into Mecca. I tried to get to a between-rounds barbeque and was almost swept away. In contrast events like the Canadian Open DH – featuring riders like Sam Hill, Gee Atherton and Chris Kovarik – failed to ignite fans’ attention to the same degree. The fever pitch of Slopestyle gets the fans stoked like nothing else. 
I don't recall ever seeing this many people shoe-horned into the Whistler Village. Photo ~ David Ferguson
I get the appeal. Where else can you watch the world’s 50 best athletes in a given sport perform right in front of you – for free. It just doesn’t happen. It seems like event organizers have been listening as well. The addition of a second jumbotron – this one part way up the course – was a massive improvement to the ‘spectator experience.’ It’s great to be close to the action but you miss out on other parts of the course that way. With the new screen you could double your pleasure.
It was busy out on the course as well. Photo ~ David Ferguson
This year, despite a few injuries, the prelims managed to move along at a decent pace. And the pause between qualifying and finals wasn’t drawn out too long either. These were big improvements over last year’s marathon sessions. Having only eight riders make the finals is a little bit tougher to swallow since that’s where the best riding always takes place.
Trond Hansen with an X'ed three to finish things off in round one. Photo ~ David Ferguson
After the opening session it was tough to pick a favourite. Only Greg Watts and Trond Hansen put together two clean runs that scored well in prelims and not one rider had two runs strong enough to qualify – meaning virtually every other rider went down hard or fumbled something badly at least once. When there are eight riders in the final capable of taking it all we’re set up for an epic battle.
Watts caps his run with a backflip. Remember when that was a big deal? Photo ~ David Ferguson
The finals Round One.
Jamie Goldman, Trond Hansen and Greg Watts all put together solid and relatively safe first runs but they didn’t light the house on fire. Andreu however still had something on his mind taking a second double back flip attempt and again over-rotating – but not quite as much. Actually from the clip I saw it looked like he overshot as much as over-rotated. How does that work exactly for a double back flip? “Okay – I just missed it last time so I’ll rotate a little more slowly and go in with a smidge less speed.” That sounds easy.
Cam Zink with a super seater. Photo ~ David Ferguson
Cameron Zink – the 2006 champ – put in a solid first run as well, the highlight being a back flip onto the Kokanee structure at the end of the course. It needs a name. Maybe the Kokanee Launcher? Let’s call it that. Lance McDermott opened with a super whip (a tailwhip with your anatomy in superman position) and then pulled out his first front flip of the comp, finishing with a corked flip off the Kokanee Launcher – the first impressive run of the finals.
Semenuk kicking back. Photo ~ David Ferguson
Brandon Semenuk always seems to ride clean and he never appears to be in trouble. He makes it look easy but with really nice style as well. Brandon seems to trick everything and he iced the cake with a tailwhip off the Launcher. 
Cam McCaul upon re-entry. Photo ~ David Ferguson
Cam McCaul was one of just a few riders to use the Banana road gap and he did so in style with a super whip and like Semenuk he tail whipped the K Launcher.
Greg Watts flip whipping for the hell of it. Photo ~ David Ferguson
So after one round of the finals the comp the standings were like this:
Note - I originally reported that the start order for round two was identical to round one when in fact the excellent folks at Crankworx reversed the order again so that Andreu set off first and Semenuk went last. Well done! This is certainly the way the event should be run and the added drama offset any delay this caused.
Jamie Goldman finishing up his second run in the finals with an Indian Air. Photo ~ David Ferguson
With “Sweet Home Alabama” on his pod Jamie Goldman dropped in but failed to improve on his first round score. This year elements like a back flip onto the Launcher with a clicked no-foot can off didn’t buy you a first class seat. Hansen and Watts also failed to improve their scores but Watts wowed the crowd by being the only rider to flip whip off the Kokanee feature.
After landing the double the rest of Andreu's run seemed like a celebration. Photo ~ Malcolm McClaws
And then along came Andreu…
Everyone knew he was up to an all or nothing run. Seeing a double backflip on video just doesn’t do it justice. He was spinning like an Olympic diver making it seem that matching up the wheels would be impossible. He just about did it though – manualling out just slightly and then bringing both wheels down to the loudest Crankworx cheer since the first time Berrecloth spun the road gap. In fact it seemed like Andreu was cheering too – pumping his fist with excitement. The rest of his run, while clearly impressive, seemed a little casual. It was as though Andreu was still jumping up and down on his pedals – stoked to have landed a double. Still he had a nice flat spin up high and a backflip on to super seater off the final feature. Andreu’s score of 94.3 didn’t seem high when we were all still basking in the post-double glow but before Lance McDermott dropped in I began to wonder about it. When he was handed the mic and asked about his approach to the double Andreu blurted out “I just said I’m going to stomp that mother f@cking sh!t.” And indeed he did.
Lance McDermott's front flip off the Kokanee Case left the crowd gobsmacked. Photo ~ Malcolm McLaws
I first saw Lance McDermott ride at the Adidas Slopestyle in Saalbach in 2006. At that point he was the only rider tossing front flips and Mctwists and he was doing both flawlessly – like they were just another trick in the arsenal. His round two run began with a tail whip and then a no-hander off the Giro box. He then pulled out his calling card and popped a burly-sized front flip over the second dirt jump. The showpiece of his run was the finale however and he flawlessly backflipped on to the Kokanee Launcher and then front flipped off. This was no dirt jump though – the final feature stepped down like mofo but he stuck the landing like it was a normal jump. Damn scary is what I call it.
This aborted flip whip attempt ended Cam Zinc's hopes for a repeat of 2006. Photo ~ David Ferguson
Cam Zink had a good looking run going, hoping to be the second repeat victor, but a failed flip whip attempt off the final feature ended those aspirations.
McCaul super flipping off the banana/snake road gap feature. Photo ~ David Ferguson
And that left Cam McCaul and Brandon Semenuk – who held the two highest qualifying scores. McCaul repeated his earlier run and added a backflip to his run and again rode a clean and stylish top to bottom scoring an 88.0. The crowd was ready for local boy Brandon Semenuk and he delivered the goods with a run that was new except for the final feature. Kicking it off with a truckdriver (360 barspin) off the first jump Brandon kept the spin going with another three off the Giro trailer. He tailwhipped the big step down and then again did no-hander up to tail whip down on the Kokanee case (maybe that’s a better name).
Moves that were unthinkable a few years back have become commonplace at this level. Brandon Semenuk spins the Giro Trailer. Photo ~ David Ferguson
It was now left to the judges to rule. In the end they decided that Brandon’s run was good for third place with 89.8 points. You can always second-guess judged events – and that was certainly the case when Berrecloth finished second to Paul Basagoitia at Crankworx 2.0. His one big move, a 360 off the road gap, was so impressive that most of us in attendance thought it trumped all other runs. This is that scenario in reverse. It’s easy to suggest that the double back flip was over-hyped and that Andreu’s score was too high as a result. McDermott’s run was technical, burly and nearly flawless as I recall. I think Semenuk suffers from being overly smooth and casual as well – a rare case of making it look easy being a disadvantage. The case can be stated well about four different ways. In the end though there were few complaints from the crowd about the results.
Andreu now has the cash to finish inking his left arm. Andreu took the time on his way to the airport to stop and see injured nsmb.com rider Justin Wyper. For that alone he deserves the win. Photo ~ Malcolm McLaws
Final Results
That’s not to say there aren’t questions. One issue I thought was that this course was small enough and smooth enough to ride on a bmx. Slopestyle will remain bmx’s buck-toothed cousin unless there is something that sets it apart – and size is the most logical choice. It’s cool to see tricks but I also enjoy seeing big stylish riding and it seems to me there should be a place for that in this sort of venue. I'd also like to see the format evolve one step further so that the rider order changes between rounds so the tension ramps even further. In the end this was one of the best Crankworx Slopestyle’s yet and it was also a great payday for the riders. It has me looking forward to next year already. 
On the podium: Left to right - Lance McDermott, Andreu Lacondeguy and Brandon Semenuk. . Photo ~ Malcolm McLaws
A Word About Judging
I had some questions about the judging process after watching the event so I gave head ref Colin Duncan a call to see if he could help me make it a little more transparent. Colin was happy to spill the goods and he clearly had nothing to hide. First of all I wanted to know who the judges were. In the past I thought it was unwise to have rider representative and promoter Tarek Rasouli judging. While I know he’s an ethical dude - and as solid as they come - this is a case where the perception of objectivity is pretty much esential. The same goes with Derek Westerlund. For him, just like Tarek, there is an apparent incentive to have certain riders do well. Again it’s not something I think either of them would do knowingly but we always have an inherent bias towards those we know better. Just ask the Russian judge.
If you look at the results you can actually see how each judge voted. Judge A was Scott Hart from Decline magazine – an excellent choice. Judge B was Jason Fentiman and C was Craig Kinsman both of whom started judging snowboarding eight to ten years ago. The final judge Thomas Hey (D) built the course along with John Cowan.
Brad Ewan awaits the judges' marks with Brandon Semenuk. Notice Brandon's new Red Bull helmet? Photo ~ Malcolm McLaws
Each judge delivered an overall impression mark and then made deductions from that where appropriate. They take into account the amplitude, difficulty and overall smoothness and flow of each run. Judges use a steno to make notes on every move on every feature and as a result they see stuff we miss. A bobble here, a rough landing there, everything factors into their final tally.
Anything to say about this year's Crankworx Slopestyle? The results? The judging? Andreu's ink? Do share...
Cam McRae - with awesome back up by Dan Gronross
