With the rise and rise of slopestyle around the globe, it was only time until we officially joined the party. Come 2023, and after the success of the privately run and funded Australian Slopestyle Tour in 2022, AusCycling has come on board sanctioning ‘Freestyle MTB’ as an official cycling discipline.
Story // Matt Holmes Photos // Outer Image, Richard McGibbon, Matt Holmes
Freestyle MTB you ask? It encompasses Dirt Jump, Slopestyle and Big Mountain MTB styles, ensuring the growing shred scene is covered into the future in Aus. So just as Downhill, XC, freestyle BMX, Track and a host of other disciplines are represented at State, National and World Championship level by AusCycling, Freestyle MTB now has a whole charter. From how events are run, judged, course design, insurance plus in the future, coaching for judges and even becoming coaches for the next gen of riders in the ever growing scene.
With the FMB World Tour becoming an increasingly closed (think impossible) event to attend as an Australian rider, the world first FMTB will have more than a little clout to push for rider recognition on these shores and beyond. But maybe the best thing is that it will facilitate more events by way of State Championships and of course a National Championship event to crown the first Australian Slopestyle National Champions. Boom!
But back to the here and now, both Queensland and New South Wales hosted their first State Championship Slopestyle events this year, at Kooralbyn MTB Park and GreenValleys MTB Park respectively. Both venues having newly established slopestyle courses and event hosting facilities that follow the newly minted guidelines set out with AusCycling. It’s here the huge effort by Nick Haertsch of GreenValleys has been making behind the scenes to see this all come to fruition needs to be acknowledged. Pure determination and a vision for slopestyle (and MTB in general) in Australia is in his blood. From his massive X-Up events back in the early 2000’s, Nick has never lost focus, pushing to grow what we know and love on these shores.
Want to know what went down in 2023? Read on!
Jamie Bunning with a text book no-foot can
FMTB Queensland Slopestyle State Championships
Kooralbyn MTB Park
16-17th September, 2023
Set deep in Queenslands scenic rim, Kooralbyn is an oasis of MTB goodness that is not to be missed. A private bike park that surrounds an 80’s golfing resort, its beauty is that everything you need for a rocking weekend is right there. Resort accomodation or camping? Check. A tavern with meals? Check. Cafes and mini mart? Check. Epic trails with shuttles? Check. A valley that all the trails, jump lines and slopestyle course all funnel into surrounded by the event village? Check!
While gravity events and a dual slalom kicked off proceedings, it was the Queensland Freestyle MTB slopestyle event we were all here for. Built by dirt visionary Shane Flower for the 2022 AST event, the course is not one to be taken lightly, five features that snake their way down the hill, gravity feeding you al the speed you need to go big. Thankfully the rain didn’t hamper things this year, with fourteen entrants making their way through to the finals.
Solid riding followed in the mens finals with a big shout out to Raff Miller who trekked all the way from South Aus to hit up the Kooralbyn course and come so close to a podium result coming in fourth.
Chase Minos. What can we say! The youngest rider on course, his riding has come so far in a short twelve months. With barspins, tuck no-handers, a flip barspin plus a 360 barspin, his final run was enough to get him into a well deserved third place.
Silent assassin and van life legend Ted Oakley proved his title contention with 360s both ways, one whilst throwing the bars, regular barspins and a mighty big front flip over the last of the five features cemented him in second place.
But it was Dane Folpp who brought the real heat to Queensland with a flip double bar spin, smooth 360 off the whale tail followed by a massive flip whip caught high, topped off with a 360 whip to x-up, all of which was enough to score his the win in Kooralbyn!
Without a doubt, the surprise of the weekend was the two female riders who stepped it up so far!
Both Katie Lawrence and Catherine O’Neill worked their way through the course in practice and sent it come finals, even after some big hits. A sign that the ladies aren’t going to be left behind in the slopestyle discipline.
Massive respect to all the Kooralbyn crew for putting so much into the build and event, always a joy to ride and hang with!
Watch the top finalists runs…
FMTB QLD Slopestyle State Champs Results
Men
- Dane Folpp
- Ted Oakley
- Chase Minos
Women
- Katie Lawrence
- Catherine O’Neill
FMTB NSW State Slopestyle Championships
Greenvalleys MTB Park
18th November, 2023
Greenvalleys MTB Parks annual Block Party is one of the most down to earth and fun events on the MTB calendar and the perfect event to host the FMTB NSW State Champs. Two days of events featuring Gravity Enduro, an Airbag session under lights, a Film Festival, Tradeshow alley, full gourmet catering with endless beers (as part of the entry price) camping, plus endless shuttles and of course the Freestyle MTB NSW State Championship event.
Taking feedback from all involved in 2022, the GV slopestyle course had evolved in a big way, now a world class set up. With a new (actual) DumpTruck feature, lil kicker off the boner log, the addition of three wooden super boosters and a multitude of course tweaks it was looking primo. And all set in the picturesque Green Valleys mid hill area. Nick and the GV crew have put their heart and soul into the build, and the results were in the riding.
Qualis took place earlier in the day than expected with wind predicted to get gusty later, a trend that continued as the day progressed and ultimately saw the finals pushed back until the last minutes it could be run before the light sank behind the escarpment. What ensued was a wild two runs from the 20 riders in the final. With more than a few extended breaks as riders waited for breaks in the wind, the assembled crowd was 100% behind every rider as they dropped in from the drop off.
With a ton of new faces throwing their hat into the ring, the progression of slopestyle on these shores was more than apparent. Local GV rider Ben Hoffman proving this in a huge way with consistency and a bunch of new tricks including one of the biggest front flips of the day, scoring him a third place.
Judging the top two riders would have been a nightmare, both throwing down under pressure, from themselves and the wind gusts. Dane Folpp, fresh off a win at the Queensland event tagged his feet in his first run and the fire in his eyes was lit come run two. Coming in hot with a backflip off the drop followed by both a flip tailwhip and a flip barspin in a run that had the crowd going nuts. Obviously that compound of his down the coast is paying dividends.
Of course there can be only one… West to East Coast transplant Ted Oakley has been riding hard over the last twelve months, obviously hungry after his 2nd place overall in the 2022 AST. That dedication showed on the day, his first run something very special. Big, smooth and with so much style. Spinning the flat drop in at the top kicked off a wild run that showcased why he qualified in the number uno spot and took the win by .4 of a point over Dane in a much deserved win.
GV was blessed by the presence of our most famous female MTB athlete in Caroline Buchanan. The multiple World Champion and Queen of Crankworx sent it deep down the course from run one with x-up one foots, toboggans and no handers inspiring more than a few of the female riders present.
Watch the top finalists runs…
FMTB NSW Slopestyle State Champs Results
Men
- Ted Oakley
- Dane Folpp
- Ben Hoffman
Women
- Caroline Buchanan
2023 is a wrap!
In a first, we now have both Queensland and New South Wales Freestyle Mountain Bike State Champions in Male and Female categories. With some big riding at both events from the eventual podium getters and all competitions, the future of slopestyle on these shores is looking brighter than ever. No longer will it only be jump for show, corner for dough!
A massive thanks goes out to Marzocchi and AusCycling for seeing the potential in this discipline in Australia. Cementing slopestyle in the cycling disciplines allows for growth, progression and so much more.
Feeling stoked to get sendy? You can ride both the Kooralbyn and GreenValleys Slopestyle courses and get your eye in for the 2024 State Champs and the soon to be announced National Championships which will be held at GreenValleys. Build it and they will come indeed! We hear rumours of additional states coming onboard next year too. Stay tuned!
For full results and more info:
https://www.ausslopestyletour.com
https://www.facebook.com/ausslopestyle/
And for everything cycling in Australia: