CRANKWORX WHISTLER INTRODUCES RHAPSODY SLOPESTYLE
The Slopestyle event of the season gets a new name - and higher stakes than ever.
Whistler, BC - Crankworx is proud to announce the renaming of its premier Slopestyle competition at Crankworx Whistler: welcome to Rhapsody Slopestyle.
Taking place August 2 as the crown jewel of Crankworx Whistler (July 24–August 2), Rhapsody Slopestyle marks the latest evolution of the Slopestyle event that has defined the discipline for over two decades - held on the iconic Whistler Boneyard course, watched by thousands of fans on-site and millions more tuning in from around the world.
Crankworx Whistler returns this summer for its 21st edition: ten days of world-class racing, jaw-dropping Freestyle riding, and the energy of a global mountain bike community coming home. It is the birthplace of Crankworx, and the annual homecoming of the mountain bike community. For fans looking to elevate their experience, VIP passes are available now – with limited Early Bird pricing available until June 26.
A NAME THAT MEANS SOMETHING
Rhapsody. It stands for the rare state achieved when preparation, creativity, risk, style, and execution align perfectly. It cannot be forced. It cannot be repeated on demand. It can only be experienced.
Crossing the finish line at the base of the Whistler Boneyard in front of a roaring crowd and thousands of fans watching from across the globe is something all Slopestyle athletes aspire to. But only a few are ever able to truly achieve it. That moment of total alignment: that is Rhapsody.
The name reflects what this event has always represented: not just competition, but the pursuit of something beyond it.
BIGGER FEATURES. BIGGER STAKES
Work on the Rhapsody course is already well underway, and riders and fans alike can expect bigger features, more creative lines, and a course designed to push athletes to put down their absolute best riding. The stage is being set for Rhapsody.
But there is more on the line in 2026 than ever before. Rhapsody Slopestyle is a key event in the newly launched Slopestyle Super League (SSL) - and it closes out the Regular Season.
That means Rhapsody Slopestyle is the last opportunity for athletes to collect SSL points before the Playoff picture is decided. Results here will determine:
- Who advances to the Slopestyle Super League Playoffs at Crankworx SilverStar (August 6–9)
- Who earns a bye and goes straight to the Slopestyle Super League Finals at Crankworx Mont-Sainte-Anne (September 3–7)
- Whose Slopestyle Super League season ends here
The pressure is real. The stakes are high. And the Rhapsody course in the Whistler Boneyard will be the defining arena of the SSL season.
TEN DAYS. ONE COMMUNITY. ONE HOMECOMING.
Rhapsody Slopestyle is one event in a ten-day festival that once again brings the best of mountain biking to Whistler.
The full Crankworx Whistler 2026 line-up includes:
- Rhapsody Slopestyle - VIP Passes available; save up to $50 per ticket when purchasing now
- Specialized Canadian Open Downhill on the legendary 1199 track - VIP Passes available; save up to $50 per ticket when purchasing now
- Official Whip-Off World Championships presented by POC
- Dual Slalom
- NEW: Crabapple Hits World Championships
- Canadian Open Enduro - the classic that opens the festival
- Bosch eMTB Challenge - ride Whistler's most iconic trails with friends (uphill!)
- aMTB events – Downhill, Dual Slalom and community riding
- Kidsworx programming with racing and riding
- And more - see the preliminary schedule online: https://www.crankworx.com/schedule/#whistler
ABOUT THE CRANKWORX WORLD TOUR
Crankworx is the ultimate experience in mountain biking. Born in Whistler, B.C. in 2004, Crankworx has evolved into a multi-stop international festival series. The Crankworx World Tour brings together the best mountain bike athletes to compete in elite-level competitions in a variety of disciplines.
Crankworx World Tour festivals also host races for amateurs, CWNEXT categories for next gen athletes, Kidsworx contests for young riders, participatory events and celebrations of mountain bike culture, all while showcasing amazing destinations. For additional information, visit crankworx.com.
Sorry but it's always going to be called Joyride.
Also wtf is Crabapple Hits World Championships? Isn't that Whip-offs?
The whip-off worlds moved down to the Boneyard in 2024, so this is probably a jump comp with broader rules (there were always a few people throwing flips and such at whip-offs, sounds like this will give everybody an opportunity to dig into their bag of tricks while bringing a contest back to one of the more iconic sets of jumps around...).
Didn't realize that whip-offs moved to Boneyard.
https://www.crankworx.com/news/crankworx-whistler-legacy-returns-in-an-…
Crazy that Red Bull no longer wants their name associated with an event that raises important, totally relevant questions like;
Whose Slopestyle Super League season ends here
I know my favourite part of major slopestyle events is not knowing who's going to be prevented from competing in future, less prestigious slopestyle events. Because playoffs.
No Garbo DH this year...
Let’s take one of the most iconic names and branding in freeride mountain biking and change it to some word that is at best vaguely connected and much less convenient to say.
Whoever got paid to greenlight this definitely shouldn’t have.
Red Bull owns the Joyride name, when they left so did the name
Fair, but there had to be a better name than ‘Rhapsody’. Someone still got paid to think up that name.
It’s cumbersome to say and at least for me all it invokes is George Gershwin’s “Rhapsody in Blue” and United Airlines commercials from the 1990s
Why not just call it ‘Crankworx Whistler Slopestyle’.
EDIT: it also reminds me of how a romance author would describe the heights of an amorous tryst, NOT a mountain bike slopestyle. Haha
Well at least this Crankworx event has a theme some.
Going to be disappointed if I don't see a Wayne and Garth at the big event.
ELLY HOSKIN AND ELLIOT JAMIESON SWEEP CANADIAN OPEN ENDURO ON CRANKWORX WHISTLER OPENING WEEKEND
Rain came down hard on Whistler all day, but even that couldn't slow down Elly Hoskin and Elliot Jamieson, who both topped the Canadian Open Enduro Elite podiums, kicking off elite racing at Crankworx Whistler 2026.
With the course only revealed a week out, riders got their first real look at Dark Crystal as a competition track - a community-favorite trail making its race debut. To support maintenance and revitalization efforts after the race, Crankworx Whistler, Whistler Blackcomb and festival partners provide additional resources to the trail building team.
Saturday's training session set the tone: wet. Race day didn't let up, with rain present from start to finish and temperatures dropping cold enough that officials made a call to slightly adjust the course due to fog and wind at the “Top of the World” zone, prioritizing safety for riders, volunteers, and crew across a demanding day. The course held 1,850m of descents and 1,200m of climbing through the full breadth of Whistler Blackcomb Mountain Bike Park in store for athletes.
Hoskin’s Three-Peat
Squamish's Elly Hoskin remains unbeaten in this race since stepping into the Elite category, and she proved it again, dominating all five stages of the day to claim her third consecutive Canadian Open Enduro title. Hoskin put more than two and a half minutes into the field, a staggering margin on a day when conditions punished every mistake. Julia Long held on for second, with fellow Canadian Madelyn Bonikowsky just six seconds back to round out the women's podium.
Canadian Open Enduro – Top 3 Women
Jamieson Goes Back-to-Back
Elliot Jamieson backed up last year's win in style, laying down the fastest time on four of the day's five stages to take the top step again. Fellow BC local and 2024 Canadian Open Enduro champion Jesse Melamed chased hard all day, finishing just 10 seconds back after a full day of racing. Current Enduro World Cup leader Lief Rodgers completed an all-Canadian men's podium in third, proof of the depth Canada continues to bring to Enduro racing.
Canadian Open Enduro – Top 3 Men
Full results across all categories are available at crankworx.com/results.
The final stage funneled riders down into the Whistler Boneyard, where a soaked but unbothered crowd of friends, family, and core mountain bike fans was waiting, braving the rain to celebrate the first elite champions crowned at Crankworx Whistler 2026.
More Racing Ahead
The Canadian Open Enduro was just the opening act. Opening weekend also delivered two Kidsworx races -the B-Line DH and Enduro - and two adaptive aMTB races - the Tech DH and Flow DH - giving riders of every category a stage at Crankworx Whistler. And there is so much more to come. Air DH on the legendary A-Line, Downhill racing at the OG CDN OPN DH and the Specialized Canadian Open DH, the Official Whip-Off World Championships presented by POC, the Dual Slalom, and the newest addition to the festival lineup: the Crabapple Hits World Championships, returning to one of Whistler Mountain Bike Park's most popular sections.
Crankworx Whistler 2026 runs through August 2, and the biggest nights of the festival are still ahead. Want the best seat in the house for Rhapsody Slopestyle and the Specialized Canadian Open DH? VIP Passes are on sale now online and at the merch booth on-site - grab yours before they're gone.
JILL KINTNER AND RYAN GILCHRIST TOP A MUDDY AIR DH AT CRANKWORX WHISTLER
Mud claimed A-Line today, but it couldn't slow down the athletes taking on the Crankworx Whistler Air DH, and definitely not Jill Kintner or Ryan Gilchrist, who both topped the podium at the second elite race of Crankworx Whistler 2026.
Conditions turned one of the world's most renowned mountain bike trails into a slippery, high-consequence challenge well before elite finals dropped in the late afternoon. Riders faced a line that punishes hesitation even when it's dry, making today's results as much a test of composure and strategy as speed.
Jill Kintner's Perfect Ten
Multiple-time Queen of Crankworx Jill Kintner made it ten Air DH wins in a row today, a streak that keeps redefining what dominance in this discipline looks like. Local favorite Georgia Astle held onto second, crossing the line three seconds behind Kintner. Julia Lofqvist Traum rounded out the podium in third, less than a second behind Astle. Lofqvist Traum arrives with real pedigree on A-Line - she won last year's Air DH U19 category here in Whistler, and today's ride confirmed she's carrying that speed straight into the elite ranks.
Air DH – Top 3 Women
Ryan Gilchrist Doubles Down
Reigning King of Crankworx Ryan Gilchrist backed up his 2024 Air DH win with another today, adding to his King of Crankworx points lead and notching his second Air DH victory of the season after Rotorua. Pemberton local Tegan Cruz put down a blistering run through the mud for second, opening up more than six seconds on third-place finisher Tyler Waite.
Air DH – Top 3 Men
Full results across all categories are available at crankworx.com/results
The Name to Know: Mack Manietta
Fifteen-year-old Mack Manietta from Pemberton was the story riders and spectators alike were talking about at the bottom of A-Line. Racing into conditions that scrambled all categories today, he laid down the third-fastest run of the entire session - a time of 4:15.023 that would have landed him on the elite podium, beaten only by Gilchrist and Cruz. Keep this name on your radar.
By the time the last riders funneled off A-Line and into the finish, the mud hadn't kept anyone away - friends, family, and core mountain bike fans lined the corrals to celebrate another day of racing at Crankworx Whistler 2026.
More Racing Ahead
Air DH is done, but the biggest days of the festival are still ahead. Downhill racing at the OG CDN OPN DH and the Specialized Canadian Open DH are coming up quick, the Official Whip-Off World Championships presented by POC, the Dual Slalom, Rhapsody Slopestyle, and the newest addition to the festival lineup - the Crabapple Hits World Championships - are all still to come before Crankworx Whistler 2026 wraps on August 2.
@jessemelamed still has it, nice work Unc!
I think I saw on socials that NZ junior Indy Deavoll had the fastest women's Air DH run, for what it's worth. She's been fast at the races and has looked like a standout on jumps. Very steezy.
Mack had a great race at the Canadian Nationals last weekend, winning the U17 group with a time that would have won U19 and would have placed him 7th in the Elite group. I don't know if the U17's raced before or after the older groups, so no way of knowing whether track conditions changed much during the day.
Still, in a couple of years Mack could be making a splash in World Cup Juniors. As far as I know he's 15 years old. (He raced U 15 last year.)
TROY BROSNAN REMAINS UNDEFEATED AS MILLE JOHNSET BACKS UP LAST YEAR'S VICTORY AT THE OG CDN OPN DH
After days of rain soaked training sessions and racing action the previous days, the skies over Whistler finally cleared just in time for elite finals on the OG CDN OPN DH. Troy Brosnan and Mille Johnset both topped the podium at the OG CDN OPN DH on day four of Crankworx Whistler 2026. This rider-favourite race takes riders down Whistler's rooty single-track and punishes any hesitation, and today it punished plenty. Two days of heavy rain left the trail running fast but treacherous, with slick roots putting the athletes’ technical skills and speed to the test, even after the sun broke through for finals.
Johnset's Photo Finish
Mille Johnset backed up her 2025 OG CDN OPN DH title, but this time there was no room to breathe. The Norwegian held off Australia's Elleni Turkovic by just 0.100 seconds - the tightest margin atop this race in recent memory, and a sharp swing from the 3.5-second cushion she carried to victory here last year, making for an impressive chase by Turkovic in her first year racing in the Elite category. Fellow Australian Sian A'Hern claimed third, rounding out a green-and-gold-heavy top three.
OG CDN OPN DH – Top 3 Women
Brosnan's Perfect Seven
Troy Brosnan continues to own this race from start to finish, laying down the fastest time to seal his seventh OG CDN OPN DH title, staying undefeated in the event. Pemberton’s Tegan Cruz put together the ride of the day among the locals, chasing Brosnan to the line but coming up 1.351 seconds short in second. Jackson Frew completed the podium in third for Australia, capping a wild shakeup up top: Benjamin De Vall had held the provisional hot seat for the bulk of the afternoon before Frew bumped him down the order late, only for Brosnan and Cruz to leapfrog them both moments later.
OG CDN OPN DH – Top 3 Men
Full results across all categories are available at crankworx.com/results.
More Racing Ahead
Downhill racing isn't done yet - the Specialized Canadian Open DH still awaits at the legendary 1199 track in Creekside. From there, the festival turns to the Official Whip-Off World Championships presented by POC, the Crankworx Whistler Dual Slalom, Rhapsody Slopestyle, and the newest addition to the lineup, the Crabapple Hits World Championships, closing out Crankworx Whistler 2026 on August 2. Before all that, don't miss the Bosch eMTB Challenge this Friday – an exciting addition to the festival schedule in its second year.
We are in a new era of DH maybe? But the top three elite women on the podium and in the press release here, getting exposure for their sponsors, got comprehensively beaten by both girls from the U17 and U19 category, Megan Pretorius and Indy Deavoll. Similar to a lot of the recent national champs where junior or even younger racers had the fastest times of the day.
Brosnan though, after all these years. Wow
Thinking about this today but surely Jill Kintner deserves a little more than just a 'oh she won for the tenth year in a row' in the press release for winning air DH ten freaking years in a row? Rename the women's Air DH the Kintner Air DH, retire the number one plate from Air DH and put it up in the rafters of the GLC, something?
OG CDN OPN DH, maybe it's my age but is that just lazy journalism, it would be respectful to some of your readers, myself included, to correctly inform what the aforementioned abbreviations actually meant rather than having to guess when used on multiple occasions throughout the article.
Great to see we are having original gangster racing going on.
It's the official event name of that race, to differentiate it from the "official" Canadian Open DH which is yet to run (on another track, as mentioned). Spelling out the acronyms would be like asking Canyon to add the vowels back to the CLLCTV race team...that would make it just another collective... :-)
not a sanctioned crankworks event but damn you have to admire the spirit
https://www.instagram.com/pinkbike/reel/DbcVPcGuo43/
Thank you.
This made me delete five paragraphs in the other thread about robot rented a too-stiff bike and another guy got BBQ sauce on his nachos…this is worthy. Whistler rules!
Yes Indy Deavoll bet Jill Kintner and got fastest time of the day!
It looks like only the top-seeded riders will be shown live today (10 women / 20 men).
Also, if their results/live-timing page is any indication, their live-timing doesn't show split times, and neither do their results after the race.
I called this out back when they did it at Queenstown as well. This is the spirit of MTB. Alex Blanar (and others) know how to have a good time.
Just the top seeded riders but they go in 4 minute intervals so we’ll see full runs.
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