Crankworx Whistler is about to get bigger, badder and better.
This year's festival is set to deliver the high-octane speed, nerve-racking precision and authentic mountain bike culture its fans know and love… but this time around, it’s also breaking barriers and resurrecting some past favourites.
Women’s slopestyle ushers in a long-awaited paradigm change, making Red Bull Joyride an equal-opportunity extravaganza. A heralded test of mettle, the Garbanzo DH, will return after a five-year absence. The kids will certainly be alright with two exciting new options in their Kidsworx lineup: dual slalom and pump track.
Labouring tirelessly behind the scenes to make it all happen is a dedicated trail crew who want nothing more than to ride the same paths they curate each and every day—at Crankworx and beyond.
There’s plenty to go over, so let’s dive right in, shall we?
Joyride is for the girls
Some athletes, like Robin Goomes of New Zealand, become rather tight-lipped when you ask them about their views on ladies’ slopestyle. They’re evidently weary of the gendered narrative and would prefer that people shift their focus: viewing female riders as riders first and women second.
That perspective has merit. In an ideal world, perhaps women’s slopestyle wouldn’t be a newsworthy development. On such a planet, aspiring competitors would have always enjoyed equitable pathways into any sport they chose—as long as they possessed the ability and drive to thrive.
Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case in our world.
Crankworx has been doing its part to foster positive change in mountain biking. Prize money between genders has been equal for nearly a decade, and the number of women’s events has increased with Jump Jam in 2018 and Speed & Style in 2019. Yet the big-ticket item is slopestyle, and integration on that front has been tricky due to a historical shortage of competitive opportunities.
As a result, many view this season as a landmark deserving of some spotlight. That group includes Caroline Buchanan, who earned bronze at the inaugural women’s slopestyle competition on March 24, 2024 in Rotorua.
“It was so emotional for me because I would have never imagined that, at 33 years old and after my successful career, I would have diversified to slopestyle and be a part of ‘herstory’,” said the two-time Queen of Crankworx. “I was definitely nervous and excited on competition day and so proud of all the girls laying down top-to-bottom runs.”
Goomes and Harriet Burbidge-Smith grabbed gold and silver respectively in Rotorua. The lone Canadian in that field was Natasha Miller, who scored less than a point behind Buchanan to end up fourth.
"It was a super sick experience," recalled Miller, a 17-year-old from Coquitlam. "I wasn't super ready with my riding, but I still went because I got invited and why not? The course was so much fun and everyone was supportive.
"For young girls, being able to see women riding slopestyle…is really helpful. When I was growing up, there weren't many [female mountain bikers] to look up to—maybe Casey Brown—but now I feel like there's a lot more women out there."
On July 27, Goomes and company are set to vie for the honour of first female Joyride champ in history. It's only fitting that they challenge the exact same venue as the men.
“While chatting with Paddy Kaye, the owner of the company behind the construction of the Crankworx Whistler Red Bull Joyride course, we learned that they are tackling this iconic course build with the same devotion to progression they give to all their courses,” revealed Pierre Ringuette, Whistler Blackcomb’s Senior Manager of Snow Surfaces, Grooming and Trail Maintenance.
“The choice to maintain their usual construction parameters was made after hearing feedback from different stakeholders and athletes involved in the competition. This summer’s event promises to deliver an even more thrilling experience for both competitors and fans.”
Enter Garbanzo
Georgia Astle and Mitch Ropelato were the last two people to win a running of the infamous Garbanzo DH. They pulled it off back in 2019, with Astle also prevailing the year before.
Time will tell if they return to defend their crowns, but a lot can change in half a decade. One thing that won’t change is this: Garbanzo is not for the faint of heart.
High-calibre male downhillers can complete a race in four minutes, give or take. The Garbanzo DH is a veritable marathon in contrast, with finishing times in the 13-minute range or longer. At no point does any rider get a break: they’re locked in for seven punishing kilometres and 3400 feet of stomach-churning descent, buffeted the whole way by unsympathetic twists and turns.
How does one survive such a grueling ordeal, let alone conquer it? Physical endurance isn’t the only key ingredient, for patience and mental poise are also vital.
"Getting the email that said Garbanzo DH was coming back definitely put a smile on my face at the coffee table," remarked first-year elite rider Tegan Cruz. "It tests the body with a long, physical, rough track. Garbanzo is definitely a special race, a beast of a race, and it [pushes] all of us: from top riders in the sport to everyone else out there."
The 18-year-old Pembertonian paused for a moment, then added with a wry grin: "I hope I'm ready for it."
Unlike its much newer counterpart, the 1199 track, Garbanzo winds a well-established line through the Whistler Mountain Bike Park. It’s been tweaked, reworked or overhauled entirely through the years and will be touched up in the leadup to Crankworx, though trail crews will likely focus the bulk of their prep on other tracks in greater need of attention.
The Garbanzo DH returns on July 23, and it’s a sight that most riding enthusiasts won’t want to miss.
'All the bells and whistles'
Kidsworx already boasts an embarrassment of riches when it comes to programming, and it’s about to get even richer.
For the first time, athletes aged 12 and under will get to face their very own dual slalom contest: experiencing the same pulse-pounding head-to-head action as international standouts like Tuhoto-Ariki Pene, Bas van Steenbergen, Martha Gill and Harriet Burbidge-Smith.
“[Kids’ dual slalom] has been requested for years, and they do it at other stops on tour,” said Kidsworx supervisor Carly Fox. “We held a clinic on the pro dual slalom track last year and it was spicy, but the plan now is to actually build a Kidsworx dual slalom course.”
Furthermore, the youth pump track challenge will be returning after logistical and scheduling issues forced it out of the rotation at Crankworx Whistler 2023. Youngsters have raced on the same track as adults before, but will receive their own purpose-built venue this time around.
“Pump track is back, thank goodness,” Fox commented. “The full head-to-head timed pro gates and all the bells and whistles.”
Children’s pump track is scheduled for July 27, a few hours before Joyride kicks off, while dual slalom follows a day later. Professionally-led instructional clinics will still be offered in both disciplines on the 23rd and 24th for kids who are not inclined to race.
The B-Line DH, Air DH Invitational and Kidsworx Enduro are also back, rounding out what promises to be another top-flight experience for the next generation of bikers.
"Kidsworx was a huge part of my career," said Cruz. "Having that opportunity for younger riders—including my little brother Levi—who look up to a bunch of us Canadian racers is pretty amazing, for sure."
How it happens
A platoon of approximately 30 crew members, including machine operators and hand-tool specialists, is integral to the smooth unfolding of Crankworx and the entire Sea to Sky mountain bike season.
During spring months, the team evaluates how Whistler’s trail network held up in the face of winter’s punishment. Frigid springs leave behind obstinate snowpacks at higher elevations that must be expediently cleared, while heavy rainfall at the wrong time can soften dirt and cause it to deteriorate under tire traffic more quickly.
West Coast mountain weather and climate trends keep everyone on their toes.
“When we have wetter summers, we’ve learned over the years to be good at thinking ahead about things like drainage issues that may arise.” Ringuette explained. “Ditching, culverts and catch basins are essential for lots of water and to prevent erosion.
“Drier summers present other challenges, like forest fire risk [and the fact that] dry dirt does not compact well. To address this, we installed irrigation with access to some of our snowmaking hydrants. This lets us keep some of our most popular trails damp through the hottest summers.”
Trail crews work a four-day, 10-hour schedule. Shifts begin bright and early at 7 a.m. with a safety briefing as crew leaders liaise with the patrol team to ensure that relevant course closures have been communicated to the public via adequate signage and the bike park website.
The gang does its best to implement quick fixes and minor maintenance before guests arrive, saving most of their legwork for new trails or isolated zones. When issues that require more substantial attention arise, Ringuette asks visitors to heed the resulting closures—especially during Crankworx when all sorts of races need to be accommodated.
It’s no easy feat, keeping Whistler Mountain Bike Park operational for months on end, but it can be a fulfilling job for the right kind of person.
“I think the quality of the trail crew’s work is directly related to what their own expectations are,” said Ringuette. “When we onboard new members, a requirement is that they have a strong passion for riding bikes. When you have a crew that loves to ride, you get trails that everyone loves.
"It is really awesome to see the stoke on our social media accounts for our trails and our crew, and how much appreciation they get when the park is running well.”
Learn more about Crankworx Whistler 2024 at https://www.crankworx.com/whistler/ and event-related bike park developments at https://www.whistlerblackcomb.com/explore-the-resort/activities-and-events/whistler-mountain-bike-park/whistler-mountain-bike-park.aspx.
