11/22/2008

Riders had the option of doing a second run if they wanted, and most of them opted to do just that. But things didn’t exactly get better. It was hot out, and everyone had been givin' 'er from the start. People were falling on things that they were making in their first runs, and there were a number of no-shows for round two.

Friday night’s qualifiers came first. Niels Windfeldt threw a 360 off the quarter pipe, a Superman seat grab off the high side of the box, and a no-hander off the trailer. Jamie Goldman seemed to like being inverted and launched two solid back flips and an X-up off the trailer.

Superman? Nope, but equally impressive - Niels with a Superman seat grab off the box. || Photo: Cam McRae

Geoff Gulevich’s half-decent run was spoiled when he couldn’t get his hands back on the bar after trying a no-hander off the trailer. That crash ended his day. Neither Randy Spangler nor Jordie Lunn had much to say in their second round, but Lunn’s red track suit continued to score style points all on its own. Unfortunately, that didn’t help Lunn make it to the final round.

The rest of the pack was inconsistent, with a few good tricks here and there but there were very few solid runs from top to bottom. Watson was pulling no-handers and a one-hander, Chase threw a solid backflip on the hip below the C-wall, and Cowan launched a 360 off the same spot.

Wade had a bit of a weak fall near the top of the course, but made up for it at the bottom with that sweet line along the top of the C-wall and a manual along the trailer. Vanderham styled it out with a Superman seat grab on the double before the trailer. Like a number of the other higher-placed competitors, Bearclaw took it easier on his second run.

Cedric sketches out on a 360 flip attempt in the final|| Photo: Cam McRae

Not willing to roll over and hand the title to kids half his age, Richie Schley hit the road gap, followed by a no-hander on the kicker below the box and a no-footer X-up on one of the dirt jumps in the middle of the course. Richie went down in a cloud of dust, though, on the backside of the double leading into the trailer. Thankfully, he wasn’t hurt. Thankfully, because I was scheduled to do a skills camp with him the week after Slopestyle.

Cam McCaul was chilling for most of his second run, but he did pull of an impressive hand plant on the stump in the middle of the course. Kyle Straight had a much better second run, with a massive no-hander on the double at the bottom of the course. When you consider how hard he went down in round one it was incredibly impressive. After a dismal score of 17.0 on the first run, he was now near the top of the leader board with a 30.2. Both Bourdon and Basagoitia opted out of a second run –the former because of injury and the latter because he was sitting pretty with a solid first run. After about 20 minutes of standing around and listening to old heavy metal blasting from the speakers around the course, the judges’ decisions were announced and the top twelve riders went on to the final round.

Cam McCaul was the only rider to make good use of the stump || Photo: Malcolm McLaws

Paul Basagoitia, Darren Berrecloth, Cameron Zink, Cameron McCaul, Kyle Strait, Jamie Goldman, Aaron Chase, Trond Hanson, Pierre-Edouard Ferry, John Cowan, Cedric Gracia, and Niels Windfeldt all made it through. McCaul was on top of the heap with a score of 33.9, Zink in second at 32.0, Basagoitia third with 31.1, and Bearclaw fourth at 30.9. With only three points separated the top four riders, the finals were going to be ultra-competitive.

When the riders got back up to the top of the course, they had to evaluate. Did they have what it took to nail this comp shut? They’d made it further than the rest of the field, but they were also up against the best in the world. It had to be intimidating for those who weren’t used to the pressure. And for those who had been here before, could they do better than their past efforts? Could Paul B pull it out again? Was Bearclaw going to win the triple crown of freeride events? They weren’t the only ones wondering, either.

The sizeable crowd was waiting as well, hoping to be impressed. But they were also getting weary of standing on the sidelines. Short bursts of intense activity and visual splendour were interspersed with irregular periods of nothingness. It was kind of annoying, actually. If you’re going to stimulate me, keep doing it until everything comes to a climax –don’t take me to the edge and leave me hanging. It’s just not fair, especially when I’m hot, stinky, filthy from the knees down after walking around in the dust for a few hours, my back is hurting from standing on rocks and uneven ground, and there aren’t any cold beers in my pack.

When the action finally resumed, Pierre was throwing no-footers, and was only the second rider to cruise the entire top of the C-wall. He finished his run off with a sweet tabletop off the trailer.

Another flying Frenchman, Pierre-Edouard Ferry, throwing an X-up off the C-wall || Photo: Cam McRae

Cedric launched, and almost landed, an awesome backflip / 360 combo off the last hip, but the rest of his run was a long way from awe-inspiring. Niels’ last run was filled with carnage. He stacked on a hip jump near the middle of the course, and then cased it off the trailer, and while he didn’t land right on his face, it was close enough to make people worry.

Was it supposed to be a nac nac? Or a tail whip? Who knows. Regardless, it ended badly. || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan

Another member of the old-school contingent, John Cowan, was throwing down in his final run. A 360 was followed by a backflip and another 360. A third 360 on the hip didn’t happen, though, and Cowan landed hard. When the announcers talked to him at the bottom, he wasn’t too disappointed in his effort. “I just want to represent for everyone over 30,”he said. Those of us in that age group thank you for risking life and limb on our behalf, John, because we sure as hell aren’t about to start hucking back flips any time soon.

Cowan throwing, but not landing a 360 off the hip at the bottom of the course || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan

But the 'standard' array of tricks wouldn't be enough tonight to take home the glory, and the last half-dozen riders kicked it up another notch.

Jamie Goldman was working hard in the final round, and the first-place qualifier was impressive with an X-up backflip and another back flip. Trond Hanson started well with a couple of back flips, but flatted and wasn't able to finish his run. Kyle Strait closed out his run with a massive no-foot can off the trailer.

Kyle goes large off the trailer. Check out the distance to the landing. || Photo: Stuart Kernaghan

And then came Bearclaw. His last run was amazing, thanks largely to a spectacular 360 he threw off the road gap. There was talk among people in the know that he was going to do it, but for some reason, it didn't seem to register before he did it. "360, sure. You bet. That'll be cool," people were saying. Perhaps they have become jaded. Maybe they've seen him do so many 360s in movies that it's now commonplace.

That sentiment seemed to prevail throughout the evening, almost as though the crowd had lost interest in the event. It was definitely a weird vibe at times, especially compared to the unbridled enthusiasm of last year's comp.

The only time anyone has ever pulled this trick at Slopestyle || Photo: Peter Mozola

But when you think about what it takes to ride along the ladder bridge to the edge, time your launch perfectly, execute the 360, land and go into a hard right turn, and then finish your run cleanly, it's pretty damn impressive. Especially when the 360 was capped off with a Superman on the double and a no-foot-can off the trailer. Paul B had seen Bearclaw's run from the top of the course on the giant screen, and came charging out of the gate. He threw a 360 off the quarter pipe, two back flips in the middle of the course, and a tailwhip off the trailer. There was a little sketchiness on the landing, but Paul managed to ride it out. According to the Nevada resident, "Once I saw Darren had done the 360, I knew I had to do something big." And so he did. Zink was second to last on the course. He threw down with back flip can can, and a one-footed back flip x-up, and capped off the run with a 360 off the trailer.

Bearclaw's Superman seat grab on his final run || Photo: Malcolm McLaws

Cam McCaul was the last rider, and he had the lead going into the final round. He was starting with a clean slate for this run, and the competition was his to win or lose. McCaul's run was solid, with Superman seat grab / Indian air combos and a nice Superman grab off the trailer to close out the run. The landing was a little sketchy, but he managed to hang on. Was it enough, though, to claim top spot?

McCaul launches of the trailer to close out Slopestyle '05 || Photo: Cam McRae

Almost as soon as McCaul had crossed the finish line, thousands of spectators broke through the course barriers and started making their way back down the hill to the village. The crowd was oddly quiet, and not as amped up as you might expect following this type of event. People weren't exactly pumped up from what they had seen. It was nearly 8:30 in the evening by this point, and they were weary. Bed was calling those who had brought kids, and food and beer was calling others. The podium presentations didn't seem to be calling that many people at all.

Hard-core fans hung out at the bottom of the course, getting autographs, shaking riders' hands, and drinking in what was left of the event. Which wasn't much. There was no heady sense of accomplishment sweeping through the crowd, no shock and awe at what had transpired, no mad revellers celebrating the bravado of these men and their machines. Having to sit through 15 minutes of live music before hearing the results didn't do much to wake up the crowd, either.

When the judges' decisions were finally announced to a much-thinner crowd, it would be fair to say that onlookers were surprised by the decision. Coming in fourth and taking home a cheque for $500 was Cam McCaul. Third was Zink, who pocketed $1,000. In a shocking second place was Bearclaw, who earned $2,000 for his efforts. And pulling of his second straight victory at Crankworx Slopestyle was Paul B, with the giant cheque for $3,000.

The winners pose with appropriate sponsor gear and giant cheques in hand || Photo: Cam McRae

At the end of the day, I'm left wondering if the right person won Slopestyle '05. Paul B had a sweet run, but he also used the tail whip off the last jump of the course to win last year. Pulling the same trick this year didn't impress me as much as something different would have. And if you want to talk about something different, you don't have to look much further than Bearclaw's last run.

In my (not so humble) opinion, the 360 off the road gap should have clinched the victory for Bearclaw. It was an innovative trick that no one else even attempted. It shows big balls, but it also demonstrated considerable skill to pull that - and the rest of his run - off as cleanly as he did. And I know I'm not the only one who feels that way.

Slopestyle will be back next year, and hopefully the crowds will be a little more invested in the event. Organizers need to look at what they can do to make spectators care more about what's happening in front of them. That may mean a new format, changes to the course, better organization, or a different crop of riders. Because people get tired of the same tricks over and over, even if they are back flips.

Until Slopestyle '06...

Stuart Kernaghan