Crankworx Whistler Legacy Returns in an All-New Concept: The Crabapple Hits World Championships
There are a handful of zones in mountain biking that need no introduction. Crabapple Hits is one of them.
For more than a decade, this iconic line in the Whistler Mountain Bike Park was the home of the Whip-Off World Championships – the contest that turned style into a global obsession and made every rider in the sport rethink what a sideways bike could look like at full send. The Official Whip-Off World Championships has since found a new home at the Boneyard, but the dirt at Crabapple still holds the prints of every legend who ever leaned one over.
On Sunday, August 2, 2026, that legacy gets its next chapter.
We’re proud to announce the launch of the Crabapple Hits World Championships – an all-new, rider-driven jam session set to close out Crankworx Whistler 2026 (July 24 – August 2) in style.
No brackets. No judges. Just send.
This isn’t a Freeride competition in the traditional sense. There’s no scorecard. No bracketing. No panel of judges deciding who’s done enough.
The Crabapple Hits World Championships is a two-hour jam session, a winner-takes-all Freeride comp where every feature on the line is in play, and the riders themselves decide who walks away with the title. It’sFreeride, distilled – creativity, progression, and pure mountain bike chaos, judged by the only people qualified to call it: the ones throwing down beside you.
$5,000 goes to the best male rider. $5,000 goes to the best female rider. One day. One line. Two new world champions.
What Crabapple means to the riders
We asked the riders confirmed for the inaugural event what Crabapple Hits means to them. Their answers say more about why this matters than any blog post ever could.
“This jump has a lot of history on it. I won my first world championship Whip-Off title there, which probably helped me get sponsored and noticed on the world scene.” — Vinny Armstrong
“It’s the most iconic big jump line in the entire world. It’s honestly unreal to be able to hit it and just have the best vibes on it.” — Janelle Soukup
“It was the first big jumps I ever hit and rounded out my first trip to Whistler! Also, I was the first girl to do a trick on the ‘55’-foot jump back in 2020 (or at least that’s what I was told).” — Kirsten Van Horne
“They’re Whistler’s infamous big air jump line, that’s open to the public. I think it’s so rad there is a line like this for riders to push themselves and get a feel for jumps this big. I’m glad to hear this line is being tailored towards a freeride progressive event.” — Talus Turk
“It is iconic and represents what MTB means to me. No other intention other than to have fun doing what we love with the ones who we enjoy being around.” — Jaxson Riddle
“The first big jumps I got to practice that big air feel on. Grateful to have bigger public jumps.” — Vaea Verbeeck
The confirmed lineup
The first wave of riders confirmed to throw down on August 2:
Reed Boggs · DJ Brandt · Jaxson Riddle · Johny Salido · Jon Simek · Kirsten Van Horne · Janelle Soukup · Georgia Astle · Graham Agassiz · Kurt Sorge · Matt Begg · Reece Wallace · Cameron Zink · Talus Turk · Vinny Armstrong · Alessio Tonoli · Vaea Verbeeck
Where history, progression, and creativity collide
This is what Crankworx does best – take the places that built our sport and find new ways to push them forward. Crabapple Hits has always been more than a jump line. It’s been a proving ground, a training facility, a meeting place, a rite of passage, and on more than a few occasions, a complete spectacle.
Crankworx Whistler 2026 runs July 24 – August 2, 2026, in Whistler, British Columbia. While the Crabapple Hits World Championships are an invite-only competition, public athlete registration is now open. For registration, schedules, and the full festival lineup, visit crankworx.com/whistler.