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

Jabubu

let you google that for me
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.
Agreed - it's notable how much the crowd swells and how much more energy there is during Slopestyle. That said pump track and dual slalom are pretty cool but lack the 'humans are amazing' pizzazz of slopestyle.
 

oldcorollas

Levin the moment
no judgement, just a few more tidbits...

"Riders demands:

  • Hotel costs for all athletes (including alternates, there were 16 total at Rotorua)
  • Contests to be scheduled before noon to avoid wind delays (and maximize the chance of a full live stream)
  • Appearance fee of $2000 Euro per invited male athlete"
Gov has committed $8million over 6 years to help put the event on


A presentation to Rotorua Lakes council (a 49% stakeholder) from Dec 2023
~$1.2mil local spend ($1 per view :p )

Views from each part of the event for 2023 (online?).
SS similar views to the Taniwha Downhill part of it ( https://www.crankworx.com/rotorua/events/dh/ )
1711673561682.png


the event is bigger than just slopestyle..
1711674114291.png
 

binner

Hath shat hymself
While all of this has been going on, I have just kicked back watching old videos of New World Disorder. Especially ones with clips from the North Shore or any with Ruben Alcatara or Jeff Lenosky.
wow, Jeff Lenosky.........good stuff!!!!!
 

pink poodle

気が狂っている男
On Monday afternoon I did some laps at Awaba with a friend and his sons. Afterwards I had dinner at their place and the boys wanted to watch some bike clips to finish off the long weekend. For about 2 hours the only clips they loaded up were slope style.




Old school NWD vids are sick.
 

oldcorollas

Levin the moment
On Monday afternoon I did some laps at Awaba with a friend and his sons. Afterwards I had dinner at their place and the boys wanted to watch some bike clips to finish off the long weekend. For about 2 hours the only clips they loaded up were slope style.




Old school NWD vids are sick.
at least you got an appearance fee... (free dinner :p )
 

safreek

*******
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.
Totally agree about those union bastards, they work to help the few these days.
They need to go back oldschool
 

pink poodle

気が狂っている男
at least you got an appearance fee... (free dinner :p )

I could delve into this, but it's a long way out of context.


Totally agree about those union bastards, they work to help the few these days.

They need to go back oldschool

I wouldn't work anywhere without being a member of the relevant union. Organised workers, bargaining collectively, achieve better results overall than the alternatives.
 

Stredda

Runs naked through virgin scrub
I could delve into this, but it's a long way out of context.





I wouldn't work anywhere without being a member of the relevant union. Organised workers, bargaining collectively, achieve better results overall than the alternatives.
I agree. It's just unfortunate that corruption and rorting has tarnished the name of unions.
The one place that I have ever worked at that had a union presence just seemed to have the most lazy, useless, workers as their representatives, and that always put me off joining. It seemed that that type of worker was attracted to those positions as it made them harder to get rid of and they used the excuse of union meetings to get out of work.
Still, we wouldn't have the work balance and safety we have today if it wasn't for unions in the past.
 
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safreek

*******
I agree. It's just unfortunate that corruption and rorting has tarnished the name of unions.
The one place that I have ever worked at that had a union presence just seemed to have the most lazy, useless, workers as their representatives, and that always put me off joining. It seemed that that type of worker was attracted to those positions as it made them harder to get ride of and they used the excuse of union meetings to get out of work.
Still, we wouldn't have the work balance and safety we have today if it wasn't for unions in the past.
Totally agree, the old unions that stood for all the workers, not just a select few.
And all the grandstanding about politically correct shit, just do what you are meant to be doing, you know, things like workers rights.
Many years ago at a union meeting the rep told me to sit down, shut up, vote for what they told me to vote for. Didn't go well.

That was the last I had to do with them
 

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
It seemed that that type of worker was attracted to those positions as it made them harder to get rid of and they used the excuse of union meetings to get out of work.
Still, we wouldn't have the work balance and safety we have today if it wasn't for unions in the past.
Yep, agree on both point and seen it myself in my work travels.

I even ended up being a Union site rep once since no one else wanted to do it and I grabbed the short straw on that one :D Our Union seemed toothless anyhow and our 'problems' seemed like classic first world problems to a younger me. There are just some people out there that simply do not want to work too much and use union battles as a shield unfortunately.
 
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dancaseyimages

Mountain bike pornographer
I agree. It's just unfortunate that corruption and rorting has tarnished the name of unions.
The one place that I have ever worked at that had a union presence just seemed to have the most lazy, useless, workers as their representatives, and that always put me off joining. It seemed that that type of worker was attracted to those positions as it made them harder to get rid of and they used the excuse of union meetings to get out of work.
Still, we wouldn't have the work balance and safety we have today if it wasn't for unions in the past.
Some of the unions that I have been around, have been mostly the 'older' demographic. As a few of these have a set fee to be a member and when I was an apprentice (where you seem to have issues with employers a lot) it was $25 wk out of a $360 pay after tax, the second apprenticeship I did was the same, a set fee not scalable, and my latest apprenticeship our workplace covered your fee, then its on you to continue after your qualified. So your talking a decent chunk of change on a small wage.
 

Mr Crudley

Glock in your sock
Bet you've never fell for that one ever again ;)

Union reps and HSR's always attract the laziest most useless tradies... unless a good bloke is tricked into doing it.
Hey, I thought it had meaning until being that unsuspecting Larry who had to attend the phone calls and meetings.

Didn't even get a commemorative T-shirt, coffee mug or union trucker cap out of it :D
 

EsPeGe

Likes Bikes and Dirt
Union reps and HSR's always attract the laziest most useless tradies...
Given I mentioned Unions and started the derailment I'll chime in to really drive this one home. My best mate went to do some work for a mine as an external contractor. He went in to the site office for his induction with the local HSR/Union rep. When they turned the lights on in the demountable building there was one out and the union guy would not proceed until this was fixed. My mate who is literally 6'8" told the guy to give him the bulb and he'd change it for the guy as he could reach it.

The HSR guy was having none of that and disappeared for 15 minutes to get a 2 step ladder and, I shit you not, a plastic yellow triangle "barrier" to go round his "work site". He went baaa-fucking-listic when he got back with all this and found my mate had already changed it. He tried to have him banned from the site etc. My mate was like, "I don't give a fuck, you guys called me, I've got tonnes of work" and left. A week later he got a very apologetic call from the site asking him to come back. He's got no idea what happened to that dude but he went back several times and never saw him again.

And story 2. I am an air traffic controller. Our "union" (term used loosely) is, I believe, the most expensive in the country. We pay $2600 per year for the "honour" of being a member. A while back we had a woman who couldn't do the job decide that instead of going quietly she'd go scorched earth and made a series of thankfully, provably false claims about a few of my colleagues. What did the union do? They went to all of the women both past and present that had worked there and asked them how sexist and hostile our workplace is. They didn't check her claims before doing this. An even cursory examination of them ended up showing that people were on leave etc at the times these things supposedly occurred. To be clear, I am fortunate enough to have worked or still work with some amazing women and thankfully ALL of them called bullshit on her claims and told the union to fuck off. They then called us and told us what the union was doing behind their members backs.

That's what I pay $2600 per year for???? Rant over. Sorry to have derailed the thread.

Hopefully this whole thing gets sorted before Cairns!!!, There, back on track.
 
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Sky_Collapsed

Not particularly enlightened
how many competitors does slopestyle normally get? just looking at last years finals it would cost them about 25-30k just for those 6 riders not factoring in any prize money.
 

EsPeGe

Likes Bikes and Dirt
how many competitors does slopestyle normally get? just looking at last years finals it would cost them about 25-30k just for those 6 riders not factoring in any prize money.
I think it's top 16 in the telecast plus 4-6 alternates. So I don't think this is an unreasonable claim to be honest.
 
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