The Super Bowl of Slopestyle

The 2016 FMB Diamond Series is coming to an end this weekend. The highlight of the season is happening in Whistler. The final Diamond Event of the year Red Bull Joyride at Crankworx Whistler will decide who will be taking the title home. Will Nicholi Rogatkin be able to put the icing on the cake of a huge season and win his first World Champion Title? Even with a 498 point cushion ahead of Max Fredriksson from Sweden, the American cannot afford to take it easy. One mistake could see his grasp slip off the trophy. Red Bull TV will be broadcasting the final action live on Sunday and you can also tune in on www.fmbworldtour.com from 10.30am PDT / 1.30pm EDT / 7.30pm CEST.

The 2016 season began with a shock after the passing away of slopestyle legend Kelly McGarry. It was in Crankworx Rotorua, in honor on course builder McGazza, where Nicholi Rogatkin first pulled off his much-anticipated “Twister”. Since then he has been on the road of success: after coming second in New Zealand, he underlined his fantastic form at Swatch Rocket Air (SUI), succeeding in the jungle of Thun and securing his first win of the season. After following up at numerous other FMB World Tour Events such as Bike Days (SUI), 26TRIX (AUT) and FISE Montpellier (FRA) with the maximum possible amount of points for a Gold Event already in his pocket, he gathered experience for the biggest win of his career. The 20-year-old soared to victory at Swatch Prime Line in Munich, his first ever Diamond Series win. This has given Rogatkin a big lead ahead of Max Fredriksson (SWE), but the pressure is still palpable. He will have to send at least one huge run at Red Bull Joyride in order to secure his next career milestone: The FMB Diamond Series Title.

Max Fredriksson surprised many in Rotorua this March. After coming 7th in New Zealand, his form has constantly been on the upswing. Fredriksson’s banger trick-level and smooth style let him celebrate a second place at the FMB Gold Event at Swatch Rocket Air and confirmed that he was a force to be reckoned with. After a few disappointments due to dropping out of the top 5 at FISE Montpellier and even out of the top 10 at 26TRIX he found his rhythm soon enough to trick himself to second place at Swatch Prime Line, leaving big names such as Brett Rheeder (CAN) and defending FMB World Champion Thomas Genon (BEL) well behind him. Even with a 222 point cushion ahead of the third ranked Rheeder, Fredriksson will not be satisfied yet. The 21-year-old from Järfälla will be breathing down Rogatkin’s neck until the last opportunity for maximum glory has definitely passed.

Brett Rheeder will be looking for redemption and for his last shot at the FMB Diamond Series Title this year. The Canadian will be highly motivated on his home ground at Red Bull Joyride in Whistler. The 23-year-old slopestyle superstar will want to put as much pressure as possible on each of the aforementioned FMB athletes by sending his best runs of the season. After a great third place at Crankworx Rotorua, Rheeder had to wait until the FMB Gold Event GlemmRide Slopestyle (AUT) in July to taste victory for the first time this season. Due to not having reached the top 10 at Swatch Prime Line six weeks ago, the Trek C3 rider has the biggest handicap of the “Rogatkin pursuers” in the top 3.

Two FMB Wildcard winners will also be dropping into the course on Sunday. 17-year-old Emil Johansson (SWE) came out of nowhere this season and has been stunning experts and fans alike with his huge combinations at such a young age. Matt Jones (GBR) on the other hand has been around for a while, but celebrated his first ever FMB Gold Event win at the Colorado Freeride Festival and heads to his first ever Red Bull Joyride venture this weekend.

Who will become the 2016 FMB World Champion? We will know more this Sunday. Don’t miss out on all the action on www.fmbworldtour.com. Red Bull TV will be broadcasting the whole contest from 10.30 am PDT / 1.30pm EDT / 7.30pm CEST!