Best Trick Proves Best Move in Les Gets

Jun 19, 2016
by Official Crankworx  
Nicholi Rogatkin takes 1st Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick. Photo by Sean St. Denis

Nicholi Rogatkin takes first at Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick.


Continued rain opened a sweet opportunity for the Crankworx Les Gets Slopestyle where the athletes opted in for one epic best trick jam in lieu of a full competition, and pump track became a two-day affair. From an oppo-cashroll to an oppo-Cork 720 to ‘The Twister’, the winning runs saw some of the top athletes in the world throw down before a sincerely grateful crowd of fans who braved a sloppy hillside to see their heroes in action—and the athletes truly showed their appreciation.

Antoine Bizet FRA - 2nd Nicholi Rogatkin USA - 1st and Brett Rheeder CAN - Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick podium. Photo by Sean St. Denis

Antoine Bizet (FRA) - 2nd, Nicholi Rogatkin (USA - 1st and Brett Rheeder (CAN) - Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick podium. Photo by Sean St. Denis


Brandon Semenuk Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick. Photo by Sean St. Denis

Brandon Semenuk, Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick. Photo by Sean St. Denis


“I think it was like a blessing in disguise because someone would have gone down. You can see both the riders who came first and second on one of their runs went down, so I’m happy that we cancelled it.” - Brett Rheeder (CAN).

Anthony Messere Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick. Photo by Sean St. Denis

Anthony Messere, Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick. Photo by Sean St. Denis


Medhi Gani Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick. Photo by Sean St. Denis

Medhi Gani, Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick. Photo by Sean St. Denis


Long the key rival of the man who is arguably the top Slopestyle rider of all time, Brandon Semenuk, Rheeder said he wanted to compete and he wanted the points the competition offered—but it wasn’t worth the risk. Instead, he opted to show off the new oppo-trick he honed for the last Crankworx stop, Rotorua, New Zealand, which anchored an impressive run just shy of being clean enough for the win.

Brandon Semenuk Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick. Photo by Sean St. Denis

Brandon Semenuk, Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick. Photo by Sean St. Denis


Brandon Semenuk Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick. Photo by Sean St. Denis

Brandon Semenuk.


Nicholi Rogatkin (USA), meanwhile, went all in on his impressive new trick of the year: The Twister.

Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick. Photo by Sean St. Denis

Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick. Photo by Sean St. Denis


In a moment totally unrelated to weather, he misjudged the speed needed to execute the epic 1080 rotation on the final booter heading into the finish corral and found himself standing atop the jump staring down at the crowd; a crash, but one that left him unscathed.

Brett Rheeder Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick. Photo by Sean St. Denis

Brett Rheeder, Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick. Photo by Sean St. Denis


“I kind of stood there after I just landed on top because I was kind of in disbelief. I couldn’t believe it had just happened. My shoulder should have gotten ripped out or something because it was such a harsh landing, but it was so crazy that I just stood up there like that,” he said.

Szymon Godziek cliffhanger backflip. Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick. Photo by Sean St. Denis

Szymon Godziek, cliffhanger backflip. Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick. Photo by Sean St. Denis


Watching the crowd roar from the top, Rogatkin seized the energy of the surreal moment and delivered on the final run, landing the final Twister and leaping into the air. As the announcers put it, the 20-year-old from Boston, Massachusetts is the poster child for progression in Slopestyle right now; but he does have an Achilles heel: his athleticism outstrips his style. Heading into Red Bull Joyride at Crankworx Whistler, he will be working as hard as he can to improve the whole package.

Szymon Godziek Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick. Photo by Sean St. Denis

Godziek, cliffhanger backflip. Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick. Photo by Sean St. Denis


It’s not just about the tricks. It’s about being on my bike as much as I can and handling the pressure. When you’re standing at the top of the biggest contest in the world and you have to do all your biggest tricks in the same run, it has to be about the whole thing. So I’m definitely going to be working some secret tricks,” he said.

[PI=13620829 size=l0 align=] Godziek, cliffhanger backflip. Crankworx Les Gets Best Trick. Photo by Sean St. Denis[/PI]

Polish rider, Szymon Godziek proved the sleeper performer of the contest. While he didn’t podium, he certainly impressed with a backflip cliffhanger, which left him suspended, outstretched in the air against a backdrop of the Alps, while holding the bike with his feet.

Crankworx Les Gets Slopestyle Best Trick:

1. Nicholi Rogatkin (USA) – The Twister
2. Antoine Bizet (FRA)—Oppo-Cash Roll
3. Brett Rheeder (CAN)—Oppo Cork-720

A couple of hours later, the festival managed to stage the final rounds of the Les Gets Pump Track Challenge presented by RockShox, leaving Chaney Guennet (FRA), Men's. 1st, Jill Kintner (USA). The results were as follows:

Men's competition:

1.Chaney Guennet (FRA
2.Barry Nobles (USA)
3.Tomas Slavik (FRA)

Women's competition:

1.Jill Kintner (USA
2.Laura Brethauer (GER)
3.Geraldine Fink (SUI)

Barry Nobles USA - Men s 2nd Laura Brethauer GER - Women s 2nd Chaney Guennet FRA Men s 1st Jill Kintner USA Women s 1st Tomas Slavik FRA Men s 3rd Geraldine Fink SUI Women s 3rd Les Gets Pump Track presented by RockShox. Photo by Sean St. Denis

Barry Nobles (USA) - Men's 2nd, Laura Brethauer (GER) - Women's 2nd, Chaney Guennet (FRA), Men's 1st, Jill Kintner (USA), Women's 1st, Tomas Slavik (FRA), Men's 3rd, Geraldine Fink (SUI), Women's 3rd, Les Gets Pump Track presented by RockShox. Photo by Sean St. Denis


Les Gets Pump Track presented by RockShox. Photo by Sean St. Denis

Les Gets Pump Track presented by RockShox. Photo by Sean St. Denis


Jill Kintner Les Gets Pump Track presented by RockShox. Photo by Sean St. Denis

Jill Kintner, Les Gets Pump Track presented by RockShox. Photo by Sean St. Denis


Jill Kintner winner of Women s Les Gets Pump Track presented by RockShox. Photo by Sean St. Denis

Jill Kintner, winner of Women's Les Gets Pump Track presented by RockShox. Photo by Sean St. Denis


Jill Kintner at the start gate. Les Gets Pump Track presented by RockShox. Photo by Sean St. Denis

Jill Kintner at the start gate. Les Gets Pump Track presented by RockShox. Photo by Sean St. Denis


For images of Crankworx Les Gets: Flickr
Photos by Sean St. Denis


MENTIONS: @officialcrankworx



Author Info:
officialcrankworx avatar

Member since Jul 14, 2011
363 articles

12 Comments
  • 21 4
 neg prop me all you like but I'm going to say it anyway..

this comp kind of reminds me of what i don't like about the way snowboard comps have gone.. rogatkin for sure pulled of an amazing technical trick, but in my eyes it wasn't aesthetically pleasing, a "spin-to-win" kinda reminiscent of the way snowboard comps are now about 1440+ rotations with style being sacrificed in the name of spinning.. heck it looked like he just kept hucking it until he finally landed it..

On the other side of the coin there is semanuk, smooth, stylish, precise, calculated, no sign of hucking whatsoever..

now i'd rather see a HUGE backside air, stylishly executed than some spinny spinny upside downy no style trick...

but that's just me, if we all liked the same thing it'd be a boring planet...
  • 2 1
 My thoughts exactly
  • 1 0
 yeah rogatkin has very impressive tricks and is an amazing rider, I just feel he is missing that style that rheeder and semenuk seem to possess
  • 6 0
 Twister to rock star on the top of the landing was best trick... How did his ankles and wrists not turn to mush!
  • 4 1
 Tricks and style are two different things!! Style is life but its not the main point in a best tricks contests!
  • 1 0
 you can do an amazing trick, with or without style... I'd rather see it done with style....
  • 2 0
 Look at Semenuk's consistency. Looks practicaly identical on 2 different photos Smile
  • 3 0
 Dont know if sacrasm but that is the same photo haha
  • 3 3
 its like hawk vs hosoi


hosoi should have won this one.

tech vs steez/height

anthony m is hosoi.

that hit he ripped was off the richter.
it truly was radical.
  • 1 0
 I don't remember seeing the Cliffhanger on the video feed - I saw it on CP Gang's IG.
  • 1 0
 Anthony Messere!
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