The future of Slopestyle (Mens not going ahead tomorrow, Crankworx)

[dancaseyimages]

Watching the Dual Slalom runs today on Redbull with Canberra Local Jackson Frew competing in Rotorua for the first stop of the Crankworx tour for this year, with promotion still being televised for the slopestyle to take place tomorrow.

Looks like the mens isn't going ahead any more due to a pay dispute with the athletes, the womens will go ahead though.

Men's Category of Slopestyle Will Not Proceed - Crankworx Rotorua 2024 [Updated with FMBA Statement] - Pinkbike

The first-ever Diamond Level Women’s Slopestyle World Championship event will proceed as planned.

www.pinkbike.com

If they come to an agreement does that mean DH might be in with a chance for a decent salary considering the risks they also take to compete?

 

[Jabubu]

Slopestyle is the big spectator draw!

 

[oldcorollas]

Founder Mark Taylor’s ‘rant’

“Rant Alert: I retired from the Crankworx World Tour at the end of the 2022 season after my 20th year of working on the project. As a co-founder of the tour and former co-owner, I am completely disheartened by the male slopestyle athlete’s decision to not participate in the 2024 season’s kick-off event in Rotorua.
Holding last minute negotiations to get appearance fees and increased prize money after traveling to the event already knowing what the prize money status was (up 37% from last year’s Slopestyle contest at Rotorua) is a hijack move. The current owners of the tour are not major corporations with the ability to throw money around at a whim. They have risked so much personally to maintain a global tour for a niche sport and to have the athletes show this level of disrespect is so disappointing.
The world of sports marketing is an endless treadmill of chasing sponsors, building upon past success and working through major obstacles with local venues, governments, broadcasters – it truly is a thankless job and the riders are being completely irresponsible in not trying to find solutions to bring more money to the sport constructively.
A walk-out like this is a stunt & while you may have made a statement, you now only throw into flux the ability for the tour to find sponsors to support your events. You should be collaborating and not undermining. After 30-years of acton sports event marketing, I have seen events that don’t have the riders backs and know that with Crankworx, there is not another tour or event in the world that doesn’t have the riders interests at this level of consideration as CEI does.
Back in the day we had Bearclaw, McGazza, McRae, Semenuk, Rheeder, Zink & many more who all had a lot to say, both negative and positive, but would always work collaboratively to grow the events….and it has grown every year with that collaborative attitude – until now.

A stunt like this by a generation of riders who have no understanding of where this sport has come from in a relatively very short time is going to leave a stain. The current ownership structure couldn’t be more aligned for your success and continuation of building the sport.

If you squeeze, their is nothing more to give and you’ll risk the tour being sold and the only buyers would be people who would definitely be looking to take every penny of profit and be far less suited to grow the athletes interests. To pull this at an event that is named “in memory of McGazza” is a huge slap in the face to his legacy too. He was the BEST athlete I have ever worked with – would get up to travel to 6am morning shows, do every media request, work on the course building and always be so full of stoke and positivity.
FMBA athletes now are acting like Gen Z stereotypes now and hope they will get some strong messages from the fans, industry, sponsors & local organizers community that are supporting them.”

 

[Dozer]

What a shithouse move by the riders. The sport is bigger than having a cry about not getting a full belly at a buffet. You could try to read between the lines of the rider statement and look for cracks in the story but in the end this is surely about money. There doesn't seem to be a queue of companies wanting to set up and run Slopestyle events, these riders could all end up without a job.
The thing that shits me off with this is a few years ago these slopestyle things were run in cities, not bike oriented areas. The riders all lost the passion for this and said "no more". Now the next generation want to upend it again and change it?
Bunging this on at the very eve of the last day is pretty pissweak too. Claiming to all stand by each other as some sort of brotherhood wreaks of big brother influencing the lesser known guys and frankly if I was a sponsor of the event or the riders then I'd put my cash elsewhere. No one got a show, no fans got the value that they have waited for and the trail builders got no merit for a big effort.
The other events at Crankworx were great, I didn't miss seeing these guys do the same tricks they were doing 8 years ago.

 

[caad9]

Slopestyle competition is a very small percentage of an already small pond.
Who actually follows it?

Riders can GAGF here, I'm with Mark

 

[Stredda]

It sounds like there a line between a competition and a show, for want of a better word.
I'm pretty sure any other MTB racers don't get paid by the promotor holding the event.
I'm curious, do the riders at Hardline and Rampage get paid by Redbull? I assume they do?
Is it because even though they are competing, they are really just putting on a show that makes the difference?

 

[pink poodle]

I don't necessarily disagree with the riders, but I am pretty sure Mark looks like a sook. I am glad the riders have decide to approach this collectively.


I am going to guess (quite wildly and without any real fucks given to look deeper into this) that the riders have seen the sort of coins people doing similar things for promotions like nitro circus are pulling and want a similar piece of cake to that.



Slope style rocks. It is a great spectator and broadcaster sport. It is much more interesting to watch than any other part of mtb completion, you can see/broadcast the while thing without any hassles. Its almost as easy to see as tennis. Plus you can put it on pretty much anywhere with a few ramps, a truck, and some shitty hype music. Perhaps this is just the wrong format.

 

[safreek]

Seems the same as union thuggery of the old days.
Thank fuck those days have gone in the real world. Obviously not in mountain biking

 

[oldcorollas]

Dudes on treddlys doing "little" jumps will never pack a stadium like the moto peeps doing massive jumps
Maybe the riders can start their own circus? See how that goes?

Perhaps they could also look to world cup boarding/skiing? More prizemoney (also a shit ton of events) and if accomodation not provided, must be available to athletes with a capped COST... And travel not covered. Then again, that's a sports competition with huge euro following and more advertising dollars, not an invite demo (There is pdf somewhere with all the details)

Ps, the jumps looked great, kudos to the builders

 

[pink poodle]

Pretty sure those stunt fiascos involve all manner of devices, not just motor cycles.

 

[oldcorollas]

found the invite to the St Moirtz World Cup snowboarding event.

https://www.freestylestmoritz2025.ch/fileadmin/user_upload/fis/PDF/Official_Invitation_Snowboard_Cross_2024_Engadin_SUI.pdf

so... they pay $137 per day for food and accomodation per person, (athlete and official), as that is set by the FIS as upper limit.

PLUS each athlete pays $50 per day they are on the mountian, ie practice days, qualification, finals... cheap lift ticket i guess?
so.. 5 days accom, 4 days on snow = cost each athlete close to $900 (not including coach or staff)
if you place 10th or below, you are out of pocket (not even considering transport to the country)

but there is prize money (1CHF = AUD$1.70)

 

[downunderdallas]

I think it's a case of riders thinking the whole thing is worth more than it is. I reckon I'm a more than averagely interested and I'm only vaugely interested in slopestyle. If it was on near me would i pay to go watch absolutely. would I schedule time to watch livestream of crankworks for free. No
I might watch the top few riders highlights. I have zero passion for anyone winning. I think the sponsors get way better value out of a semenuk or rheeder short youtube clip.
There is no real drama to slopestyle in my view, I like it but downhill is way more interesting to watch for me anyway.

 

[EsPeGe]

What a shithouse move by the riders. The sport is bigger than having a cry about not getting a full belly at a buffet. You could try to read between the lines of the rider statement and look for cracks in the story but in the end this is surely about money. There doesn't seem to be a queue of companies wanting to set up and run Slopestyle events, these riders could all end up without a job.
The thing that shits me off with this is a few years ago these slopestyle things were run in cities, not bike oriented areas. The riders all lost the passion for this and said "no more". Now the next generation want to upend it again and change it?
Bunging this on at the very eve of the last day is pretty pissweak too. Claiming to all stand by each other as some sort of brotherhood wreaks of big brother influencing the lesser known guys and frankly if I was a sponsor of the event or the riders then I'd put my cash elsewhere. No one got a show, no fans got the value that they have waited for and the trail builders got no merit for a big effort.
The other events at Crankworx were great, I didn't miss seeing these guys do the same tricks they were doing 8 years ago.

Dozer, sorry man I just can't get on board with that take. There is fuck all money in this as has been pointed out. How is an up and coming rider with maybe only a frame sponsor (if that) going to get to these events? At least with a $2000 (Euro) appearance fee for all riders including alternates and the same with accommodation they might be able to make it. I genuinely don't see how that's a massive ask.

And don't forget this shit is dangerous. Like really fucking dangerous. These guys put insane hours in to get to the levels they are at and most make stuff all from it. They do it for the passion. What happens when they get injured??? This has been an issue in motocross and supercross for years. It's all rainbows and unicorns when a guy is performing for a team but when they get injured it's crickets and tumbleweeds unless they are the tippy top tier of rider. Even those guys sometimes get the shaft. Guys like Rheeder, Semenuk etc are in rarefied air, most of the others combined will never come close to those guys.

For mine, Mark Taylor sounded like a dick. I don't know the guy, never met him and have nothing against him but I think he should've maybe not typed angry. Yes he put on the event for years but it's the riders who are risking their lives/livelihoods. I don't think that's being melodramatic, if you fuck some of these tricks up and land wrong it could easily be all over.

The money they are asking for will not be much of a profit if any, it just means they might be able to get to these events a little easier.

Personally I will watch the events live. I get up at all hours to watch and really enjoy them. I also watch the DH and even the XC occasionally. I love biking in general and watching anyone performing at the level these guys do is inspiring.

Cheers Scott.

 

[Stredda]

Dozer, sorry man I just can't get on board with that take. There is fuck all money in this as has been pointed out. How is an up and coming rider with maybe only a frame sponsor (if that) going to get to these events? At least with a $2000 (Euro) appearance fee for all riders including alternates and the same with accommodation they might be able to make it. I genuinely don't see how that's a massive ask.

And don't forget this shit is dangerous. Like really fucking dangerous. These guys put insane hours in to get to the levels they are at and most make stuff all from it. They do it for the passion. What happens when they get injured??? This has been an issue in motocross and supercross for years. It's all rainbows and unicorns when a guy is performing for a team but when they get injured it's crickets and tumbleweeds unless they are the tippy top tier of rider. Even those guys sometimes get the shaft. Guys like Rheeder, Semenuk etc are in rarefied air, most of the others combined will never come close to those guys.

For mine, Mark Taylor sounded like a dick. I don't know the guy, never met him and have nothing against him but I think he should've maybe not typed angry. Yes he put on the event for years but it's the riders who are risking their lives/livelihoods. I don't think that's being melodramatic, if you fuck some of these tricks up and land wrong it could easily be all over.

The money they are asking for will not be much of a profit if any, it just means they might be able to get to these events a little easier.

Personally I will watch the events live. I get up at all hours to watch and really enjoy them. I also watch the DH and even the XC occasionally. I love biking in general and watching anyone performing at the level these guys do is inspiring.

Cheers Scott.

You could say the same thing about DH and Enduro, and those riders don't get paid at all. It costs them to ride unless you have sponsors to pay for that stuff.
In a perfect world, everyone would be paid for their work but unfortunately, it's a supply and demand world and is there enough demand for slopestyle riders to be paid for their appearance? Time will tell I suppose.
I do think the riders should have been asking for more before the event and not spring it on the promotor at the event. It really comes down to whether slopestyle is sustainable at the price the riders are asking. Maybe Mark Taylor is making a packet or maybe they are just breaking even, who knows.

 

[Dozer]

Dozer, sorry man I just can't get on board with that take. There is fuck all money in this as has been pointed out. How is an up and coming rider with maybe only a frame sponsor (if that) going to get to these events? At least with a $2000 (Euro) appearance fee for all riders including alternates and the same with accommodation they might be able to make it. I genuinely don't see how that's a massive ask.

And don't forget this shit is dangerous. Like really fucking dangerous. These guys put insane hours in to get to the levels they are at and most make stuff all from it. They do it for the passion. What happens when they get injured??? This has been an issue in motocross and supercross for years. It's all rainbows and unicorns when a guy is performing for a team but when they get injured it's crickets and tumbleweeds unless they are the tippy top tier of rider. Even those guys sometimes get the shaft. Guys like Rheeder, Semenuk etc are in rarefied air, most of the others combined will never come close to those guys.

For mine, Mark Taylor sounded like a dick. I don't know the guy, never met him and have nothing against him but I think he should've maybe not typed angry. Yes he put on the event for years but it's the riders who are risking their lives/livelihoods. I don't think that's being melodramatic, if you fuck some of these tricks up and land wrong it could easily be all over.

The money they are asking for will not be much of a profit if any, it just means they might be able to get to these events a little easier.

Personally I will watch the events live. I get up at all hours to watch and really enjoy them. I also watch the DH and even the XC occasionally. I love biking in general and watching anyone performing at the level these guys do is inspiring.

Cheers Scott.

I don't disagree with you, they do deserve to be rewarded for putting on the show. My problem with it is the terrible timing, I really feel for everyone involved except for the riders on this one. I was almost ready to book a trip to Roto to watch this stuff and I would have been totally satisfied with watching everything else but it is nice watching these guys do their thing.
There's some suggestions doing the rounds that it does need to be more like a Nitro Circus, Crusty Demons kind of thing............no thanks.

 

[Ackland]

Comments above about $ reflect the issues facing many professional sports.
Only the top 1% (probably much much less than 1%) in these smaller sports can actually make a living from it and even then, the athlete's money making years are very limited (look at Olympic swimmers).
Sports and athlete payments are always a business proposition. If slopestyle riders were bringing in ROI for investors/promoters then their appearance fees would increase accordingly.

At the end of the day, it's a choice to pursue these things if you think you have the talent to make it to that top tier.

Trying to use one of the largest events of the year to stage a walkout is a toddler move and up there with airport staff choosing Xmas/Easter to go on strike

Lets remember that while every member on this forum has an interest in the various MTB disciplines, the reality is that it's still very much a niche sport.

 

[caad9]

I saw a comment on VitalMTB that hit the nail on the head.

The slopestyle riders need Crankworx infinitely more than Crankworx needs slopestyle.

 

[EsPeGe]

I don't disagree with you, they do deserve to be rewarded for putting on the show. My problem with it is the terrible timing, I really feel for everyone involved except for the riders on this one. I was almost ready to book a trip to Roto to watch this stuff and I would have been totally satisfied with watching everything else but it is nice watching these guys do their thing.

Yes I can understand that regarding the timing of it all. From what I've seen this has been bubbling away for a while though. To be honest it's just a shit situation all round. Crankworx in my opinion do a f%&king great job of putting on great events. And the riders, not just slopestyle but everyone look like they have a great time being there. I just hope this doesn't go the way Mark Taylor suggests and kills the event.

There's some suggestions doing the rounds that it does need to be more like a Nitro Circus, Crusty Demons kind of thing............no thanks.

Agreed.

 

[EsPeGe]

I saw a comment on VitalMTB that hit the nail on the head.

The slopestyle riders need Crankworx infinitely more than Crankworx needs slopestyle.

I don't know about that.Yes Crankworx has other events but the "premiere" event, the one always held last is the Slopestyle. I watch a lot of different biking but there are a loooot of people out there that will only watch the slopestyle. In my opinion they pretty much need each other. I may be wrong but I genuinely don't think Crankworx would survive without it. What we know as slopestyle today was one of the first events that crankworx adopted. Look at Joyride and the crowd it draws. It's bedlam.

 

[EsPeGe]

Comments above about $ reflect the issues facing many professional sports.
Only the top 1% (probably much much less than 1%) in these smaller sports can actually make a living from it and even then, the athlete's money making years are very limited (look at Olympic swimmers).
Sports and athlete payments are always a business proposition. If slopestyle riders were bringing in ROI for investors/promoters then their appearance fees would increase accordingly.

At the end of the day, it's a choice to pursue these things if you think you have the talent to make it to that top tier.

Trying to use one of the largest events of the year to stage a walkout is a toddler move and up there with airport staff choosing Xmas/Easter to go on strike

Lets remember that while every member on this forum has an interest in the various MTB disciplines, the reality is that it's still very much a niche sport.

All good points. I'm not convinced it was totally a toddler move though. I think if your concerns are being ignored then sometimes you've got to do something extreme. I find it ironic that I'm typing that as I generally hate unions and strikes as I've been fucked by them my whole working life but there you go.