CWX Slopestyle Wrap

No airlifts, no ambulance rides and no serious carnage; by this measure alone the Monster Energy Crankworx Slopestyle for 2009 was an epic success.  Once you add in plentiful clean runs, perfect weather and more tricks than we’ve ever seen before, you hit the next level.

 Boyko seems unimpressed with the streak but he got one of the biggest cheers of the day.  Props to the security guards for leaving him alone and to the video guys for putting him on the jumbo tron.  This isn’t golf – fun is allowed at Crankworx.  Photo ~ Malcolm McLaws

There were some complaints to be sure.  Richie Schley wanted more size – jumps big enough so riders like Thomas Vanderham and Matt Hunter could show some large mountain burliness. “I think it’s going in the wrong direction,” he said, “I think it should be getting bigger and badder but it’s getting smaller.  Instead it’s all about the tricks.” Others echoed his sentiments for different reasons.  In previous years when only a few riders could trick the last feature successfully (even Andreu straight-aired the last drop in 07) it was more exciting – sort of like a hockey brawl.  nsmb team rider Justin Wyper opted for his hardtail with one brake this year (before injury took him out – more on that below) and others went squish free as well.  In other years a hardtail was not an option.

 It’s hard to decide where to watch the Slopestyle to catch all the action.  The Camelbak/Fox suites in the Pan Pacific with stadium couch seating worked out pretty well – especially with the Grey Goose as our companion.  Photo ~ Pete Roggeman.

It’s pretty clear that John Cowan listened to the riders more than ever this year and the course ended up being one that you could just ride right through. You didn’t see riders stalled figuring out where to go or traversing to hit their line.  I heard that the riders liked the one line approach adopted by the Claymore Classic at Highland Mountain. Watching the footage from Claymore left me a little flat.  I saw riders spending too much time standing on the pedals coasting until the next trick.  The Whistler course had plenty of action and technical challenge to make up for what it lacked in size.

 Geoff Gulevich spins one off the SRAM bridge. Photo ~ David Ferguson.

The  format was fresh this year as well.  There were 10 pre-qualified riders while 6 riders advanced from a qualifier.  The list of pre-qualified riders had no holes in it but with riders like Ben Boyko, Trond Hansen and Lance McDermott out with injury three riders at least got some breathing room.  Pre-qualified riders were; Greg Watts, Darren Berrecloth, Sam Pilgrim (who did not compete because of an injury in practice), Cameron Zink, Andrew Taylor, Andreu Lacondeguy, Cameron McCaul, Paul Basagoitia, Brandon Semenuk and Martin Söderström.  Those who had to scrape for their place in the finals did it earlier Saturday afternoon. Their day was tougher by two full runs. Only one of the riders from the qualifier made it through to the Super Final.

Monster Energy Slopestyle Results – Qualifier. Top Six Advanced to Finals

Rank	Rider	Nat.	Best Score
1	Mike Montgomery	USA	78.75
2	Yannick Granieri	FRA	78.25
3	Mitch Chubey	CAN	73.25
4	Geoff Gulevich	CAN	67.50
5	Kurt Sorge	CAN	66.50
6	Kelly McGarry	NZL	63.00
7	Eric Lawrenuk	CAN	38.75
8	Sam Dueck	CAN	37.75
9	Jordie Lunn	CAN	12.50

 Mitch Chubey going the other way.  Photo ~ David Ferguson.

It was great to see some creativity and cajones right out of the gate and Kelly McGarry’s manual of the big red SRAM bridge qualified on both counts.  Semenuk’s run from round one was the most memorable with him putting together turbine-smooth spins and flips as efficiently as a cyborg.  Cam Zink put himself out of the running by under-rotating a front flip and landing hard.

 I think this may be Andreu’s first attempt at his flat spin Superman seatgrab.  Photo ~ David Ferguson.

After Paul Bas threw down a solid run – including a flip onto the Giro trailer and a front flip – Mitch Chubey was the only other rider who caught the judges’ attention with a clean run.  Berrecloth had an issue and needed to skip the Kokanee wall ride and collect himself.

 Brandon Semenuk was the only rider who used the Mavic sattelite dish.  Here he is going more than 360 on the way out.  Photo ~ David Ferguson.

A nice thing about the combined format – with the best trick comp folded into the main event – was that riders could crash up high and then still have something to ride for.  This lead Mike Montgomery to toss a 720 that was a small case away from succeeding.  Martin Söderström was looking good early on with a tabled three off the first feature and a flawless double whip off the first big step up but a fall on the Kokanee Wall quashed his hopes for a run to bank on.  Geoff Gulevich and Kurt Sorge laid down clean runs but the judges made it clear that off axis flips and lots of style were not going to score big on the day; Truckdrivers, flip whips and more difficult technical tricks were the price of admission.

  Martin Söderström putting himself back together after sketching out after the Kokanee wall.  It appears he lost a shoe.  When someone wondered if he’d be back after crashing Trond Hansen responded with ‘he’s a Viking – he’s tough.’Photo ~ David Ferguson.

Andreu looked a little ragged on his first run, throwing out a leg a couple of times to keep himself upright but he prevailed and his 83.00 helped him squeak into the top six after all 15 riders had ridden.  Greg Watts tosed a backflip no-hander and rode cleanly but it looked to be a safety run for him.  Cam McCaul slid out after over-rotating a three and he apparently had no interest in best trick.  After two broken collar bones this year he was focussed on a solid result for his first and last Slopestyle of the year.

 Keeping it classy in Whistler. Photo ~ David Ferguson.

Judging. 
We may not have a Russian judge but the scoring in Slopestyle is just as controversial as it was in Torino.  This year’s version of Whistler’s slopestyle was tougher to judge than any I’ve seen before.  Did the judges know the first three whip drop was only recently thrown in competition?  I didn’t until someone told me. Slopestyle progresses so quickly and there are so many details to notice that it’s almost impossible to distinguish top level runs from each other.  If you sat five judges down with videos of the top six runs they would very likely come up with five different rankings.  The number of clean runs that were judged against each other was higher as well – since a score in the Super Final could be put up against a score from round one.  Then to sort out whether an opposite X-up 360 off a drop should score higher than a Truck driver off a drop makes your head spin faster than Semenuk’s bars.

  Cam McCaul had to adjust his saddle during his second run – but he seemed to escape significant penalty. Photo ~ David Ferguson.

With the lowest score for his interrupted first run, McCaul was first out of the gate for round two.  He was charging and a little ragged – particularly on his front flip – but he put it all together with one exception.  His saddle slid down and he had to dismount and move it up in order to continue his run.  His hunger managed to oil the rust left after not competing all summer.  Mike Montgomery won the qualifier but he wasn’t able to complete either of his runs in the final.  We did see enough to know we’ll probably see him again.  Cam Zink was done for the evening with whiplash after his front flip attempt.  Yannick Granieri laid down what looked like a slightly conservative run – either because of the wind that was starting to blow or to ensure a complete run.

Monster Energy Slopestyle Scores Round 1

Rank	Rider	Nat.	Score
1	Brandon Semenuk	CAN	92.25
2	Paul Basagoitia	USA	89.50
3	Mitch Chubey	CAN	85.25
4	Darren Berrecloth	CAN	84.50
5	Greg Watts	USA	83.75
6	Andreu Lacondeguy	ESP	83.00
7	Kelly McGarry	NZL	80.50
8	Geoff Gulevich	CAN	71.00
9	Kurt Sorge	CAN	67.50
10	Andrew Taylor	USA	67.00
11	Martin Söderström	SWE	38.75
12	Yannick Granieri	FRA	34.75
13	Mike Montgomery	USA	33.50
14	Cameron Zink	USA	24.25
15	Cameron McCaul	USA	20.50
16	Sam Pilgrim	GBR	DNS

Martin Söderström wasn’t in a safe mood.  He again double whipped the first large booter, he tail whipped the Kona wall and dropped back in.  Most riders just rode off towards the SRAM features and didn’t trick here.  On the second last booter he smoothly three whipped and then finished with a solid tail whip off the Kokanee Kicker.  This would be Martin’s top scoring run of the night and it was enough to put him on the podium.  Sorge and Gully again rode clean but failed to improve in the standings.

  Martin Söderström mid way through his second successful double tailwhip. Photo ~ David Ferguson.

Andreu Lacondeguy had trouble at the top of his run and then set his sights on the best trick.  He lined up the final booter and launched into a flat spin.  I’ve heard it called a flat spin Superman and a flat spin Nac nac and even a flat spin Indian Air.  Tarek Rasouli called it a 360 flat spin seatgrab indian air – no doubt after talking to Andreu.  I couldn’t see him grab his seat either in person or on video but I guess he did.  Whatever it was it earned him $6000 from VW and the best trick win.

  Buddy needs another shot at glory.  I can only imagine how many full frontals are showing up on his Facebook page.  Photo ~ David Ferguson.

And then came Greg Watts.  Out of the gate he was charging with a three whip drop.  This was apparently only the second ever landed in a mountain bike comp.  Off the first big kicker he pulled a Superman seatgrab Indian air – which in 2009 doesn’t exactly stoke the jaded Whistler crowd – but he was just warming up.  He backflipped onto the Giro trailer and spun three off but the difference maker might have been his Truck driver (360 barspin) off the SRAM bridge – which he landed as nicely as Sully in the Hudson. Then it was a bar spin off the Race Face boner jump followed by a flip whip on the last big kicker with a backflip off the Kokanee kicker to ice his cake.  Sure it was burly and technical but what gave Greg another leg up was how perfect his landings were.  He hardly had to lean to correct a single landing.

  Nobody boosted the Kona Wall as high or stylish as Berrecloth.  Photo ~ David Ferguson.

Berrecloth finished up with a clean run and he was one of the only riders to really boost the Kona wall – throwing in a one foot table. That sort of thing got the crowd going just because it was different. I was hoping to see one of the moves he was working on in the Airdome but the wind may have played a factor.

 Mitch Chubey pulls a tailwhip drop off the Giro trailer for a little insurance.  Photo ~ David Ferguson.

Now I’m going to lose all objectivity.  Mitch Chubey’s run was one of the best Slopestyle runs ever laid down.  Mitch’s three flip was huge and dialled and his tailwhip off the Kokanee Kicker couldn’t have been sweeter.  After two runs, only Watts had a higher aggregate score than Chubey’s 173. We were blown away by Mitch’s cool and ballsy performance.

  Mitch Chubey with a flip whip on his  way to the Super Final.  Photo ~ David Ferguson.

Paul B and Brandon Semenuk both crashed on their second runs and failed to improve on their first run scores.

  This crew was spreading the love around.  Was anyone having more fun?.  Photo ~ Malcolm McLaws.

The real drama of the night turned out to be about making the Super Final.  Watts’ 96 bumped him from 7th to 1st moving Berrecloth to 7th and Chubey to 6th.  Then Berrecloth’s second run score bumped Chubey to 7th right before he was to drop in.  Chubey scored .25 more than the Claw and snuck into the Super Final.  Andreu and Berrecloth both got bumped from the top six after round 2 Thanks to Söderström and Watts.

Monster Energy Slopestyle After Two Rounds   (Best Score Counts)

Rank	Rider	Nat.	Best Score
1	Greg Watts	USA	96.00
2	Brandon Semenuk	CAN	92.25
3	Martin Söderström	SWE	90.75
4	Paul Basagoitia	USA	89.50
5	Cameron McCaul	USA	89.25
6	Mitch Chubey	CAN	87.75
7	Darren Berrecloth	CAN	87.50
8	Andreu Lacondeguy	ESP	83.00
9	Kelly McGarry	NZL	82.75
10	Yannick Granieri	FRA	76.50
11	Geoff Gulevich	CAN	71.00
12	Kurt Sorge	CAN	68.25
13	Andrew Taylor	USA	67.00
14	Mike Montgomery	USA	42.25
15	Cameron Zink	USA	24.25
–	Sam Pilgrim	GBR	DNS

And then there was the Super Final with the top six advancing.  Sadly, with the exception of Brandon Semenuk’s run, it was less than super.  In this year’s format a run from the first round could win all the way to the Super Final.  If Greg Watts had laid down his 96 right off the back he could have sat and sipped Monster with Brad Ewan and heckled the other riders all the way to the top of the podium.  As it was the standings didn’t change even slightly – the top six after two runs finished in exactly the same order after the Super Final.  Apparently riders wanted this approach but with only six riders and thousands of spectators I think we should get the final say.  Otherwise I had no problem with the new format – but let’s let the Super Final be for all the cash and wipe the slate clean for that final run.

  Paul Bas improved his score slightly in the super final but not his placing.  Photo ~ David Ferguson.

Once Greg Watts knew that Brandon Semenuk failed to beat his score, by .75 points, he just rode a victory lap of straight airs all the way to the bottom.  That choice is his to make but in a similar situation Ben Boyko stomped an earth shattering crowd pleaser of a run.  I’m not about to judge him though.  Every time those boys toss a nasty trick, and hope to link rubber to the hard-as-concrete dirt in the Boneyard, I cringe for them.

Monster Energy Slopestyle After Super Final 

Rank	Rider	Nat.	S. final Score	Best Score
1	Greg Watts	USA	65.00	96.00
2	Brandon Semenuk	CAN	95.25	95.25
3	Martin Söderström	SWE	89.75	90.75
4	Paul Basagoitia	USA	89.50	90.00
5	Cameron McCaul	USA	89.25	89.25
6	Mitch Chubey	CAN	35.75	87.75

There’s a lot of debate raging about whether the Crankworx Slopestyle has topped out but I thought this was one of the best I’ve seen for overall riding value.  Never has there been so many dialled runs and so many top shelf tricks thrown.  With a format tweak to force the riders to perform for the podium this could have been one of the best ever.

  Brad Ewan getting cozy with the Monster Girls. Photo ~ Malcolm McLaws.

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Watching from the Pan Pacific gave me an opportunity to talk to some savvy industry veterans about the competition.  Here are their thoughts.

Trond Hansen – Specialized Rider
“I think the judging was mostly right.  Watts won but Söderström should have been second.  He lost points for not being North American.  If he had done his double whip off the Kokanee kicker he would have won and I told him that but he said ‘I just want to do my run.'”

  It seemed like there were fewer fans on the course but the skiers’ approach was bursting with humans.  Photo ~ David Ferguson.

Dylan Korba – Norco Rider
“I always like to see local boys do well.  It would have been nice to see Mitch higher up in the standings – a place or two higher – but it’s good to see him make the Super Finals. He’s been punished by judges all year.  The course lended itself to technical ability.  You got to see what the riders had practiced instead of having them roll the dice.  A more trickable wall ride would have changed the whole placement I think.”

Todd Barber – Red Bull Rampage Organizer
“Last year was my favourite.  The crowd, Andreu’s double backflip – that was pretty special.  It’s hard to impress people these days.  They play too many video games.  I think Cowan did a good job on the course and I think the judging was right.”

 Justin Wyper put himself out in practice with a broken foot – jumping off the Kokanee box on foot after landing it to flat. You can’t break his spirit though.  Photo ~ Malcolm McLaws.

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A word about Objectivity in Judging
Mitch Chubey won the 2009 Monster Energy Slopestyle.  That is my honestly biased opinion.  Mitch won AIRprentice in 2007 and has been riding for our team ever since.  I am fully aware that I have no ability to be objective about his performance.  The Crankworx judges placed him 6th.  While endeavouring to be more objective than I, they too have unconscious biases.  Every time they see a rider’s name on the web, in print or in a video that rider scores a recognition point.  They are unable to judge Cam McCaul by the same standards as Mike Montgomery.  Every time McCaul (or Paul B. or Claw or Zink etc.) lays down a move there is an extra association that gives his efforts more weight.  I’m not saying this is unfair because every rider feeds through the same system – but any suggestion that judging in any event is objective is purely wishful thinking.

The truth about Mitch’s run likely lies somewhere between where I’d like to see him and where the judges placed him. He rode an incredible run with cleanly executed top level tricks but he has yet to build up a strong name.  Once his name gets out there, his notoriety magnified, his scores will ramp up as well.

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That’s all I’ve got.  I’m sure I missed things, messed up trick names and made a potpourri of errors.  Please correct me, give your take or gripe here…