Adventure & Extreme Sports 🇨🇦Canada21st century

Crankworx

Officially Crankworx World Tour

Elite mountain-bike freeride festival series (est. 2004 Whistler Canada) featuring 6-8 disciplines — Slopestyle, Whip-Off, Speed & Style, Dual Slalom, Downhill, Air DH, Pump Track, Kids — with 4 global stops earning Triple/King/Queen of Crankworx overall titles. Red Bull Joyride finale at Whistler.

⏱~1 min🌤outdoor

What is Crankworx?

Crankworx is the elite mountain-bike freeride festival series established 2004 at Whistler, British Columbia — the birthplace of gravity-fed mountain biking. Festival format across 4 stops per year (Rotorua NZ, Innsbruck AUT, Cairns AUS, Whistler CAN); each stop hosts 6-8 disciplines over 7-10 days. Signature event is Red Bull Joyride at Whistler — the world's most technical Slopestyle contest (30+ feature jumps, drops, dirt lips) considered the 'Super Bowl of freeride MTB'. Athletes accumulate points across disciplines toward King of Crankworx + Queen of Crankworx overall titles, plus Triple Crown of Slopestyle (win all 3 major slopestyles in one season). Most decorated: Emil Johansson (Sweden, 3× Joyride, 3× King) + Jill Kintner (USA, 5× Queen). First triple-flip in competition (Nicholi Rogatkin's Cash Roll, 2016 Rotorua).

Quick facts

How it works

Objective

Win discipline event or accumulate overall points toward King/Queen of Crankworx.

Match structure

4 stops per season; each hosts 6-8 disciplines over 7-10 days. Athletes accumulate points toward overall King/Queen of Crankworx titles.

Rules

Basic rules

Slopestyle: 2 scored runs, best counts
Judges score 0-100 on tricks + amplitude + flow.
DH + Dual Slalom: fastest time wins
Electronic timing to 1/1000 sec.
Whip-Off: biggest whip wins
Crowd + judge subjective vote across open session.

Advanced rules

Feature skip penalty
Slopestyle run = 0 score if mandatory feature skipped.
Multiple pedals in Slopestyle
3+ pedal strokes = 20+ pt deduction.
Course cut in DH
Cutting course tape = time addition or DQ.

Scoring

Slopestyle 0-100 by 5-judge panel; DH by time; overall King/Queen by points across disciplines.

Action	Points
Slopestyle run score	0-100 (best of 2 runs)
DH finish	Time — fastest wins
Overall King/Queen	Accumulated across disciplines + events

Win condition · Highest score (Slopestyle), fastest time (DH), or crowd + judge vote (Whip-Off).

Equipment

Slopestyle bike (26" wheels, 4" travel)
Short-travel dirt-jump frame with rear disc brake only, wide bars, single-speed — NS Bikes Metropolis, YT Play, Trek Ticket.
DH bike (200mm travel)
Full-suspension downhill race bike (Santa Cruz V10, Trek Session, Specialized Demo) with 27.5" or mixed-wheel.
Full-face helmet + goggles
Certified helmet (Fox Proframe, Bell Full-9) + tear-off goggles for dust.
Body armour + knee/elbow pads
Roost jacket, spine protector, D3O knee/elbow pads.

Positions & roles

Rider
×1
Slopestyle / DH / Dual Slalom / Whip-Off athlete competing across disciplines.

Officiating

5 judges score Slopestyle independently; drop high/low, average middle 3. Timing events use digital electronic timing.

5-judge panel (Slopestyle)
Chief Timing Judge (DH/Dual Slalom)
Course Marshal
Video review panel

Penalties & fouls

Penalties

Feature skip
Slopestyle run = 0.
Uncontrolled crash
Wheels-up-body-down = 0 that run.
Multiple pedal strokes (Slopestyle)
-20+ pts.

Strategies

Signature trick + amplitude
Judges reward unique or first-of-its-kind tricks (cash roll, twister) plus max air time.
Run construction (link vs stall)
Top Slopestyle runs link 3-4 tricks without stall — flow is critical.
DH race line — outside berm entry
Enter berms high + wide for max exit speed.

Terminology

Slopestyle: Judged run down course of jumps + features
Joyride: Red Bull Joyride — Whistler's premier Slopestyle
Triple Crown: Win all 3 major slopestyles in one season
Whip-Off: Style-based event judged on biggest whip trick

Major competitions

Crankworx Whistler
annual · Whistler, Canada · since 2004
Crankworx Rotorua
annual · Rotorua, New Zealand · since 2015
Crankworx Innsbruck
annual · Innsbruck, Austria · since 2017
Crankworx Cairns
annual · Cairns, Australia · since 2022
Red Bull Joyride Slopestyle
annual · Whistler, Canada · since 2011

Where it is played

Governing bodies

Crankworx / Whistler Sport Legacies
Founded 2004 · Whistler, British Columbia, Canada
Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI)
Founded 1900 · Aigle, Switzerland

Famous names & records

Famous athletes

Emil Johansson (Sweden) — 3× Red Bull Joyride winner (2019, 2021, 2022); 3× King of Crankworx (2019, 2020, 2021)
Nicholi Rogatkin (USA) — first cash roll (triple flip) in competition, 2016 Rotorua
Jill Kintner (USA) — 5× Queen of Crankworx (2015-2019)

Records

Most Red Bull Joyride wins
Emil Johansson (Sweden) — 3× Joyride winner (2019, 2021, 2022); 3× King of Crankworx overall (2023)
First triple backflip in competition
Nicholi Rogatkin (USA) — Cash Roll — world's first triple flip in competition, landed at Crankworx Rotorua (2016)
Most Queen of Crankworx overall titles
Jill Kintner (USA) — 5× Queen of Crankworx (2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019) (2019)

Learn this sport

beginner

1
Bike park basics
Manual, wheelie, jumps, berms, small drops — Whistler Bike Park green trails.

intermediate

1
Slopestyle + racing progression
Backflips, tailwhips, spins (360/720), race lines on DH, Dual Slalom seeding.

advanced

1
Pro invitation (top 40 world)
Triple flips, cash roll, twister, contest run construction, physical + injury management.

Frequently asked

What is the biggest Crankworx event?+

Crankworx Whistler (August each year, ~9 days) — birthplace of the series and features Red Bull Joyride Slopestyle finale + Fox Air DH + Canadian Open DH.

What is Red Bull Joyride?+

The premier Slopestyle contest at Crankworx Whistler — considered the 'Super Bowl of freeride MTB' with 30+ feature jumps, drops, dirt lips.

Sources & provenance

Wikipedia — Crankworx— Wikipedia

Last verified 2026-08-29.verified