Crankworx Rotorua’s slopestyle final delivered the usual: crashes, redemption runs and huge tricks. But this year the biggest twist wasn’t on the course.
It was on the scoreboard.
For the first time, judges kept the scores hidden during the opening round of runs, leaving riders and fans guessing where everyone stood heading into run two. The numbers only appeared after the second runs were complete, turning the contest into a rare moment of genuine suspense.
It worked.
Instead of watching the leaderboard shuffle, riders were forced to simply focus on riding. Spectators were equally engaged.
Only after the first run did the math appear, revealing who was in the lead going into round two.
The format led to a fun buildup, with each rider vying for the lead after one-upping each other over and over.
The shootout raises the stakes
Once the second runs were complete, the best run of the two was used as the score.
That set the stage for the contest’s final twist: the shootout round.
Riders within 10 points of the top three were invited back onto the course for one last trick on a feature of their choosing, adding up to five points to their best score.
The moment created a different kind of pressure. Instead of linking tricks through an entire course, riders had to choose the single feature where they could deliver their biggest move.
The result was a rapid-fire showdown of high-risk tricks as competitors attempted to squeeze out just enough extra points to climb the leaderboard.
Wind becomes the invisible competitor
Rotorua’s biggest rival of the day wasn’t another rider.
It was the wind. The wind seemed to pick up during the women’s event causing many of them to have to skip features, or face the case.
Chance Moore saves a run
One of the most memorable moments of the day, if you were watching Canadians, came from Chance Moore. Moore did a front flip bar-to-bar early on in his first run and cased the landing hard. He was later heard describing the result as a “nose manual of doom. ” He floated down the landing on his front wheel and managed to get the backwheel down on the ground again. It was an impressive recovery (at about 1:31:00 in the broadcasst below).
His backflip tailwhip to late 360 on the showdown was a sight to behold. He ended up in fourth place overall.
Slopestyle’s evolving format
Rotorua showed that slopestyle is still evolving. And the format made for a fun watch. It’s worth tuning in. We’re especially happy that Crankworx provides live coverage for free.
So what were the results? We suggest the best way to find out, is to watch the replay. But if you’re not up for that, here’s where each rider ended up.
The next round is in late July in Whistler.
Women’s results:
1. Johanna Nussbaumer
2. Robin Goomes
3. Shealan Reno
4. Harriet Burbidge-Smith
5. Alma Wiggberg
Men’s results:
1. David Gozeik
2. Luca Uppert
3. Nicholi Rogatkin
4. Chance Moore
5. Paul Couderc
6. Dane Folpp
7. Jack Feick
8. Tobey Miley
9. Lukas Skiold
10. Jaden Chipman
11. Erik Fedko
12. Griffin Paulson