2021’s Slopestyle contest in Rotorua will bring together a mix of those who’re new to the game, those who know the game and are pushing for the top, and the one who’s changing the game.
Marcel Hunt, Bernd Winkler and Lukas Schäfer are all preparing for their first Slopestyle comp at this level of competition. Hunt was in Crankworx B.C. as an alternate, but this will be his first time on the start list for a Crankworx Slopestyle contest. Winkler qualified for Red Bull Joyride in 2018 but was injured in practice. Rotorua will be Schäfer’s first time at a Crankworx Slopestyle event.
Recent newcomer to Crankworx competition Griffin Paulson will be getting his first crack at the famed Rotorua course, while Paul Couderc is hoping to get his first taste of finals in Rotorua. He was on the start list for the event in 2020 but was injured in practice.
“Last year I took a really bad slam one hour before the finals, so I wasn’t able to compete,” said Courderc of the contest in Rotorua in 2020. “This year I’m coming back and I’m so excited to ride this course because it’s such a fun course. The only thing is I have a broken ligament in my wrist. I did it at Crankworx in Canada. It’s actually pretty painful. I didn’t even ride before coming here. So, I will try to give my best, but it’s an odd situation for me. I’m definitely really, really motivated to do my tricks. I will do my best.”
Two riders in the field have competed in this event every year since in began in 2015: Tomas Lemoine and Nicholi Rogatkin.
Lemoine earned his top Crankworx Slopestyle result at this level of competition to date on this course in 2019, coming in 2nd.
Rogatkin brings with him the strongest track record: of his six results in Rotorua, three have been 2nd place finishes, and one a 1st.
And while Emil Johansson has only competed on the course twice (2017 and 2020) he’s podiumed both times (3rd and 1st). And his current track record speaks for itself: a win in Rotorua would make it his sixth Crankworx Slopestyle win in a row, earn him the overall 2021 Slopestyle World Championship title, as well as the Triple Crown of Slopestyle.
Preliminary rider list: Maxxis Slopestyle in Memory of McGazza
CLIF Speed & Style presented by Mons Royale
The game has changed for Speed & Style at Crankworx in 2021. Why? The women have changed the game.
This year, progression has been on for the women of freeride. So much so that when they threw down at Speed & Style at Crankworx Innsbruck earlier this year, they blew the trick list out of the water.
“The women had progressed so much since our last women’s Speed & Style competition in 2020 in Rotorua that the trick list was outdated,” says Nicole Freeman, the Director of Sport for the Crankworx World Tour. “They were throwing down tricks that previously we didn’t have on the Women’s Speed & Style trick list, because no one was doing them in competition. They have pushed the sport, so we’ve now updated our trick list to reflect this. Since Innsbruck in June, we worked with the judges to add more tricks to the list and adjusted the values. We’ve also removed some tricks that are no longer deemed difficult enough to merit points. It’s incredibly exciting to see how quickly things are progressing for women in freeride, and we’re stoked to see what the ladies are going to bring to the table at Speed & Style in Rotorua.”
Watch for Robin Goomes, who recorded the first backflip in Crankworx competition in Innsbruck and who’ll be competing on home turf, and Caroline Buchanan, who pulled off the first front flip at Audi Nines earlier this year.
On the men’s side, Tomas Lemoine and his fellow Slope rider Tim Bringer will sure be ones to watch. They’ve both got a deep bag of tricks and have proven they’ve got the speed to push for the top. The event in Rotorua is also one that’s provided a platform that’s launched local stars. 2018 saw Joe Simpson take 2nd in the event, while 2019 saw Billy Meaclam rise to the top at take the W.
Preliminary rider list: CLIF Speed & Style presented by Mons Royale
Crankworx Rotorua Downhill presented by Gull