Pinkbike Awards: Slopestyle/Freeride Event of the Year Nominees
There’s a pandemic sweeping the world, mountain bike contests are everywhere, metastasizing across the globe. There are dirt jump contests in arenas, slopestyle events on ski hills, a freeride battleground in the badlands of Utah. There’s the upstart FEST Series, and the Diamond-Gold-Silver-Bronze of the FMB. With so many to choose from, how do you select the most important slopestyle/freeride event of the year? We think these candidates reflect the very best in the freestyle scene. - Scott Secco
Aggy's Reunion
The FEST Series was a new addition to the freeride scene in 2014, and Aggy’s Reunion was our first look at the madness. The jumps, built by the Kamloops Bike Ranch’s Brad Stuart, rider Graham Agassiz, and friends, were monstrous. The series (and this event in particular) was a tightly guarded secret, surprising many in the mountain bike community. FEST’s ethos is rider first; no set schedule, and no pressure - the first real example of rider’s taking control of the contest scene. The series may have had stops with bigger jumps (Nico Vink’s Loosefest featured an 85 footer) but Aggy’s Reunion was the one that started it all, captivating online viewers, and leaving riders raving about the course. FEST’s goal is to create an environment for athletes to have fun riding their bike with friends, while progressing their personal limits; rather than risking their life in pursuit of a giant novelty cheque. Isn’t that what mountain biking is all about?
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Red Bull Joyride at Crankworx Whistler
Referred to by athletes as the 'Super Bowl' of slopestyle events. It’s made icons out of its winners and the list of champions reads like the slopestyle hall of fame: Basagoitia, Zink, Boyko, Lacondeguy, Watts, Genon, and Semenuk. Each year we question whether there’s room for improvement and yet athletes keep upping the ante, introducing new tricks under immense pressure. Credit should be paid to the crew at Joyride Bike Parks for building the best course yet, this year’s edition was smooth and trickable from top to bottom and riders said it actually rode like a trail, rather than a collection of one hit wonders. The roar from the crowd after Semenuk landed his winning run was validation enough that these riders are changing the sport each season. Joyride is a proving ground, the definitive slopestyle laboratory.
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Red Bull Rampage
The Red Bull Rampage might be the only event that non-mountain bikers catch a glimpse of during the season. It’d probably leave the uninitiated masses scratching their heads, ‘‘how on Earth are these lunatics riding down that stuff?’’ If you’re one of the millions of people who have watched athlete helmet cam footage then you’ll know, these guys are risking their lives, and this event is deadly serious. After the 2013 edition it was clear that the old Rampage site had been honeycomb’d into extinction – there was simply no room for new lines down the mountain. This year a new course promised limitless potential, provided you were brave enough to conquer it. There was talk of too much wood used on the course in past years, this year those concerns seemed irrelevant, wood features were used subtly and allowed riders to find flow and amplitude in sections which wouldn't have worked before. The Red Bull Rampage may be the ultimate test for bikes, and for rider’s physical and mental strength. Rampage stands in a league of it's own.
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Stay tuned for more PB MTB Awards nominees all month.
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dv65 0.031802
It probably wont happen, it's kinda a shame that guys at The Rise and other street riders dont really get any mention, they've been killing it looooads
Joyride is amazing live! The vibes and the people make it unforgettable.
I am not 100% but didnt the Reunion go down the day before it was scheduled for? I am not hacking on it that it happened as I am sure there were solid reasons. But if i had booked time off work to go see it I would be pretty bummed out.
Love the Fest series but Joyride is my personal favorite.
and Tippie for president
Pro athletes need to realize the harm in being a billboard for these horrendous concoctions dubbed as energy drinks...kids look up to you yo.
On another note, athletes control their respective sports, not the corporations... Unless they (pro athletes) let them.
Mcgarrys run last year? So 1 big step down flip (which was f*cking awesome) and a flip over the canyon (also awesome) beats out this years shenanigans? Either you didn't see this years, or you Sir are out of your mind.