Watch the highlights from the 2017 Crankworx Rotorua Slopestyle.
If you were one of the thousands of screaming fans in the crowd at the Crankworx Rotorua Slopestyle you were treated to a visually spectacular and thrilling sight on the weekend.
And the premier event at the Crankworx Rotorua festival on Mt Ngongotaha, is only set to get bigger and better, according to Crankworx Rotorua event manager Ariki Tibble - hard to imagine after Saturday's epic contest.
The competition opened with a fitting aerial tribute to late Kiwi rider and track-builder Kelly McGarry by all the 18 world-class riders and featured a course laden with massive and testing jumps.
Nicholi Rogatkin, from the USA, rotated his way into the history books after he won his first Crankworx Rotorua Slopestyle title. The new vanguard of freestyle brought a next dimension level of competition to bear with a top score of 95.66 - his highest after two rounds.
Nicholi Rogatkin thrills the crowd on the way to winning the Slopestyle. Photo/Ben Fraser
Some 4320 degrees of rotation, over 12 spins, sent Rogatkin sailing to the top spot as he leaned on his ability to twist through the air, delivering a jam-packed run to be the best in one of the highest-scoring fields ever to compete.
"In history, it has been someone innovates and then everyone kind of follows. Now, the progression has got to a rate where every rider chooses their thing. For me, it's rotations. For some guys, like Brett Rheeder, it's doing every trick the opposite way. Everyone has really taken their thing and they're running with it," said Rogatkin.
Image 1 of 32: Crankworx Slopestyle. Photo/Ben Fraser
The young American broke new ground in 2016, landing the first 1080-spin in Crankworx history, "The Twister," here in Rotorua.
Just one year later, he's realising the new trick conquest has to give way to planning and executing flawless, jam-packed runs, worth of an "action sports title".
"It's proper freestyle. Everyone is progressing in their own direction, so what might be the next big thing for one guy, isn't necessarily for the next," he said.
Tibble estimated a crowd of 8000 people were there to witness Rogatkin's greatness and said it was one of the highlights of this year's festival.
There was a huge crowd watching all the tricks and thrills at the Crankworx Rotorua Slopestyle. Photo/Ben Fraser
"It was a huge highlight," said Tibble. "The opening really made it for me - it was special to remember McGazza [McGarry] in that way. His foot prints and finger prints can be felt throughout this industry. Just looking at the trail gives me goosebumps and it was a fitting way to remember a nice guy.
"Nicholi just loves the course - you could see he had the buzz. He is a real showman and every year he pays tribute to the course. It was a really well deserved result and gives the Crankworx series a real shake up in regards to the top standings."
Meanwhile two up-and-coming riders who will help push Slopestyle in new directions flanked Rogatkin on the podium as Italian Torquato Testa (Italy), just one year deep into the Crankworx scene, and teenager Emil Johansson (Sweden), stole second and third away from X-Games BMX legend Ryan Nyquist (USA), whose impressive one-year crossover nearly earned Crankworx bronze.
Tibble said he had no doubt the Crankworx Rotorua Slopestyle would continue to push the boundaries in the future.
An action shot from the Crankworx Rotorua Slopestyle. Photo/Ben Fraser
"There is something breathtaking about it - it's the signature event of this festival because it gets people hooked even if they don't like mountain biking. The course can get bigger and better and we want to use that to create a footpath for spectators into other events as well.
"Also the riders themselves have a lot to do with it - they keep pushing themselves to the next level so each year it's an even bigger hit."
One of the big crashes at the Crankworx Rotorua Slopestyle. Photo/Ben Fraser
Tibble said this year's Crankworx Rotorua festival, that finished it's final 17th event today was a "massive success" especially due to difficult weather conditions at intermittent points throughout.
"If you had said to me at the beginning of the week we would push through 17 events with the weather forecast I wouldn't have believed you," he said. "It was an incredible effort by everyone involved and riders because we made so many changes."
There were plenty of thrilling tricks on display during the Crankworx Rotorua Slopestyle. Photo/Ben Fraser
Tibble added the New Zealand Schools Mountain Bike Nationals competition, featured for the first time was another highlight.
"That's a very special time in your life when you're at that age in school so it's wonderful that we could give that special experience to them. They are the future of this sport."
Crankworx Rotorua Slopestyle podium:
1. Nicholi Rogatkin (USA): 95.66 2. Torquato Testa (Italy): 93 3. Emil Johansson (Sweden): 92
