Recap: Crankworx Whistler Speed and Style

Going fast while still getting steezy is the objective of Speed and Style, and the stacked list of riders brought the fire to the course in the Boneyard, just below the Fitzsimmons lift. With another event packing the hillsides and stands of the resort, the riders lined up at the gates for a slalom-ish freestyle event that on paper, is pretty straightforward.

Judges score Speed and Style, well, by just that: speed and style. Riders must throw down a fast and stylish run. While its roots are planted in slalom, there are points on the table for the most style delivered on the way from the start gate to the finish line. And that makes for some really exciting racing.

The event is broken down into a round of 32; this means that 32 riders will go head to head, alternating which side of the track they start from before the lowest scoring riders are gradually cut from the brackets, ultimately leading to the quarter-finals, which will whittle down the top four fastest and most stylish riders on the hill to duke it out in the semi-finals and final races, awarding a bronze and silver for those athletes who are cut in the semi-finals.

It's basically slalom brackets, but there are time deductions awarded for tricks performed on the two main jump features, with a maximum time deduction of 1.5 seconds per feature. This means the more style a rider shows on these jumps, the faster their overall finish time will be.

After high-energy rounds of quarter and semi-finals, the medals began to find their athletes as the judges made their decisions and awarded their final time deductions to the winning runs, placing gold on the neck of Caroline Buchanan for her second Speed and Style victory. David Leib took home the gold for the men after a close heat with Garret Mechem.

Women's Podium

Gold - Caroline Buchanan

Silver - Jordy Scott

Bronze - Kaia Jensen

Men's Podium

Gold - David Lieb

Silver - Garret Mechem

Bronze - Jackson Frew