First Annual Avoriaz Roof n' Slopestyle
Source: Carter Holland
I just got home from the first annual Avoriaz Roof n' Slopestyle event in the beautiful French Alps. As a rider you never know what to expect when you arrive at a slopestyle event seeing as they all differ greatly... one event will be designed with big bikes in mind and some are more hardtail friendly. This one fell somewhere in between ...Here's a quick description of the course. The riders enter the course via the Mavic Hub Drop... a 16' drop into a steep semi muddy landing... this will take the rider to a 9' quarter with a wall ride or hip... from here we will hit a 7' kicker to a scaffold with 2 options... option #1: pedal straight to a small kicker with 8' drop and 15' gap or option #2: is a 4' street spine with wall ride to a wedge 8' drop... this directs the rider to nice right hand hip then into the roof'n part... here a kicker will put the rider on the roof section on top of the tourism building where a small dirt jump and a cable suspension bridge will take the rider to a small 5'step-down with 13' gap into a dirt landing. From here the rider has 1 final 8' drop before hitting the street where the final 2 jumps await along with the JumboTron, RedBull DJ Booth, judges and fans... I think we drove the course builder to drinking with our threats to cut the lips down ourselves with butter knives if he didn't comply but Cerro finally gave in and made some welcomes adjustments.
There was a best trick contest at 11pm the night before the Slopestyle contest using the final drop and 2 last jumps. Although the weather threatened to shut everything down for the first 2 days we were there, Mother Nature decided to give us a break and allow a very limited window for practice and qualification for best trick. The landings were sticky and dead-ended straight into the asphalt causing some ugly get offs and crashes but that didn't stop the hungry French riders from throwing every foampit trick in the books... no foot can flips, flips whips, super flips, 3 whips... but none could best Sam Pilgrim as he stretched all of his variations into the cold night air including a perfect double whip, huge tuck no hand flip. This was my first time seeing Amir Kabbani and Yannick Granieri ride... they shred!
The next morning as practice was scheduled to start it became apparent we would not be riding the course in its intended fashion because the effects of the rain were still being dealt with... some of the landings were basically tar pits that grabbed wheels or loaded up tread patterns with goo and water as you rode towards a slick graffiti covered quarter. The workers tore up landings and put blockades in front of obstacles keeping everyone from getting in any real practice, but as the day wore on the course gradually got better and we were able to get in a few full runs right up until start time. Finally the course was patched together and the riders started dropping in for their first runs. Most of the riders seemed to be using the first run to get the air out of the injectors and figure out their game plan after the sporadic and limited training session...
Once again it was Sam Pilgrim to dominate the event from his first run... Sam's run went something like this... 1 foot x the Mavic Hub Drop directly into a clean flair on the 9' quarter... then he cruised down the hill tail whipping onto the scaffold and holding a nice tuck no hander off... pretty sure he no canned the hip... tail whipped onto the roof'n section straight aired the jump, missed a tuck no hander on the step-down... 1 foot x the final drop... big slow flip on the set-up and 3 table the last set. Cam rode really clean on his 2nd run and made the podium along with Yannick. I was in the top 10 until the very end... damn it!
JiJi and his crew did a great job recovering from what could have been a deal breaker from Mother Nature's wrath and hopefully next year will be even better.
Best trick contest du Roof’n Slopestyle 2008 :
1 - Sam Pilgrim
2 - Fred Austruy
3 - David Desnoes
4 - Yannick Granieri
5 - Rodolphe Legendre
6 - Tom Cauquil
7 - Rob Jauch
8 - Amir Kabbani
9 - Anthony Tomassi
Braun Roof’n Slopestyle Avoriaz 2008 :
1 - Sam Pilgrim 8,4
2 - Cam McCaul 7,9
3 - Yannick Granieri 7,8
4 - Amir Kabbani 7,7
5 - Tom Cauquil 7,3
6 - Darren Berrecloth 7,1
7 - David Desnoes 6,9
8 - Johan Duchaine 6,5
9 - Pierre Edouard Ferry 6,4
10 - Anthony Tomassi 6,3
11 - Carter Holland 6,2
12 - Christopher Hatton 6,1
13 - Ben Boyko 6,0
14 - Carlo Dieckman 5,9
15 - Simon Bonicel 5,5
I didn't catch most of the runs due to riding myself and trying to get some photos but here are a few highlight photos I shot.
Words by Carter Holland.
I just got home from the first annual Avoriaz Roof n' Slopestyle event in the beautiful French Alps. As a rider you never know what to expect when you arrive at a slopestyle event seeing as they all differ greatly... one event will be designed with big bikes in mind and some are more hardtail friendly. This one fell somewhere in between ...Here's a quick description of the course. The riders enter the course via the Mavic Hub Drop... a 16' drop into a steep semi muddy landing... this will take the rider to a 9' quarter with a wall ride or hip... from here we will hit a 7' kicker to a scaffold with 2 options... option #1: pedal straight to a small kicker with 8' drop and 15' gap or option #2: is a 4' street spine with wall ride to a wedge 8' drop... this directs the rider to nice right hand hip then into the roof'n part... here a kicker will put the rider on the roof section on top of the tourism building where a small dirt jump and a cable suspension bridge will take the rider to a small 5'step-down with 13' gap into a dirt landing. From here the rider has 1 final 8' drop before hitting the street where the final 2 jumps await along with the JumboTron, RedBull DJ Booth, judges and fans... I think we drove the course builder to drinking with our threats to cut the lips down ourselves with butter knives if he didn't comply but Cerro finally gave in and made some welcomes adjustments.
Ben's choice of a 5" bike is probably the only thing that held him back.
There was a best trick contest at 11pm the night before the Slopestyle contest using the final drop and 2 last jumps. Although the weather threatened to shut everything down for the first 2 days we were there, Mother Nature decided to give us a break and allow a very limited window for practice and qualification for best trick. The landings were sticky and dead-ended straight into the asphalt causing some ugly get offs and crashes but that didn't stop the hungry French riders from throwing every foampit trick in the books... no foot can flips, flips whips, super flips, 3 whips... but none could best Sam Pilgrim as he stretched all of his variations into the cold night air including a perfect double whip, huge tuck no hand flip. This was my first time seeing Amir Kabbani and Yannick Granieri ride... they shred!
Amir with a big 1 foot x off a sketchy kicker in best trick
The next morning as practice was scheduled to start it became apparent we would not be riding the course in its intended fashion because the effects of the rain were still being dealt with... some of the landings were basically tar pits that grabbed wheels or loaded up tread patterns with goo and water as you rode towards a slick graffiti covered quarter. The workers tore up landings and put blockades in front of obstacles keeping everyone from getting in any real practice, but as the day wore on the course gradually got better and we were able to get in a few full runs right up until start time. Finally the course was patched together and the riders started dropping in for their first runs. Most of the riders seemed to be using the first run to get the air out of the injectors and figure out their game plan after the sporadic and limited training session...
RedBull always brings the funk
Once again it was Sam Pilgrim to dominate the event from his first run... Sam's run went something like this... 1 foot x the Mavic Hub Drop directly into a clean flair on the 9' quarter... then he cruised down the hill tail whipping onto the scaffold and holding a nice tuck no hander off... pretty sure he no canned the hip... tail whipped onto the roof'n section straight aired the jump, missed a tuck no hander on the step-down... 1 foot x the final drop... big slow flip on the set-up and 3 table the last set. Cam rode really clean on his 2nd run and made the podium along with Yannick. I was in the top 10 until the very end... damn it!
Sam...
JiJi and his crew did a great job recovering from what could have been a deal breaker from Mother Nature's wrath and hopefully next year will be even better.
Best trick contest du Roof’n Slopestyle 2008 :
1 - Sam Pilgrim
2 - Fred Austruy
3 - David Desnoes
4 - Yannick Granieri
5 - Rodolphe Legendre
6 - Tom Cauquil
7 - Rob Jauch
8 - Amir Kabbani
9 - Anthony Tomassi
Braun Roof’n Slopestyle Avoriaz 2008 :
1 - Sam Pilgrim 8,4
2 - Cam McCaul 7,9
3 - Yannick Granieri 7,8
4 - Amir Kabbani 7,7
5 - Tom Cauquil 7,3
6 - Darren Berrecloth 7,1
7 - David Desnoes 6,9
8 - Johan Duchaine 6,5
9 - Pierre Edouard Ferry 6,4
10 - Anthony Tomassi 6,3
11 - Carter Holland 6,2
12 - Christopher Hatton 6,1
13 - Ben Boyko 6,0
14 - Carlo Dieckman 5,9
15 - Simon Bonicel 5,5
I didn't catch most of the runs due to riding myself and trying to get some photos but here are a few highlight photos I shot.
Landings like this kept practice to a minimum
ti flip whip
Roof step down... unknown Frenchy
Claw 3 the drop cleanly his 2nd try.
Words by Carter Holland.
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Are there any vids?
Very nice contest indeed!!! There´s NO such thing in Brazil, nor such athletes...
too bad...