Sweden's first Championship in Slopestyle.

MTB

The future looks bright for Swedish Slopestyle

We caught up with pros, amateurs and judges at Sweden's 1st Slopestyle Championship to get all the highs, lows and emotions from the historic event.

Written by Hanna Jonsson

6 min readPublished on 09.10.2017 · 12:43 UTC

Emil Johansson has done it again. Not only is he the youngest ever Slopestyle World Champion, he is now also the first ever Swedish Champion. After a sunny day of practice, a qualification round that narrowed 32 riders down to 12, and a very windy final – Johansson managed to beat legendary Martin Söderström in the very last run of the day. It was as nerve-racking as it was exciting. We caught up with the riders’ just moments after the final to get their feel on the big event.

Swedish Slopestyle at its best.
© Emrik Jansson

A cold, windy day in the office

There was a moment last Saturday when it looked like there would be no Swedish Champion crowned that day. Strong winds postponed the competition for almost an hour and half, before the 12 best riders in Sweden could battle it out for the prestigious title. Despite the cold, windy weather both the riders and the crowd were determined to make the best of the day - and once the competition could finally begin, it was all worth the wait.

The bluebird sky was long gone by Saturday.
© Emrik Jansson

Coming out of retirement, one last time

Martin Söderström announced his retirement from Slopestyle in August this year, but he couldn’t leave the sport completely before competing in the first ever championship on home ground - although the weather made sure to put him to the test, one last time.

Söderström still had a trick or two up his sleeve.
© Emrik Jansson

“At one point, when the wind was howling and the cold made all my joints hurt, I did wonder if I was too old for it, if I should compete at all today. But the track was good, and the vibe amazing, so in the end, it was a really good day, despite the weather”, Söderström said after the event.

He walked away with an impressive 2nd place and was in the lead up until the very last run of the day. “I am happy with my performance, I did as well as I could have".

Seeing all these young up-and-coming talents is so cool. It makes it easier for me to take a step back as I know the sport will keep on thriving.
Martin Söderström

He thinks that a national championship is really important for the sport, not only because it creates a goal for young riders, but also because it brings all the riders together - a place to hang out, push each other and have a good time. “It doesn’t matter if you are a beginner or a pro, everyone competes – winning is obviously part of it, but I’d say that just taking part is the most important bit”, the tall, stylish Swede said before going back to the other riders, to exchange excited race stories from the day.

New school or old school - who does it best?
© Emrik Jansson

1st ever Swedish Champion

All eyes were on the current FMB World Champion Emil Johansson last Saturday. To everyone's surprise his first run only placed him in 2nd, behind Söderström, and he had to step up his game for his 2nd run of the day. Although winning was important to him, he, like most others, said that taking part in the event was definitely the most important part of the weekend.

Of course I wanted to win, but if I hadn’t, I still would have been happy just taking part in the event. It is so good to finally have a national championship - it gives Slopestyle more credibility, which I believe is very important for the future growth of the sport. Kids and parents now have an achievable goal to strive towards, we are no longer just kids on bikes hanging out in a skate park - if you know what I mean, haha.
Emil Johansson

Johansson was happy with both his runs today, but Söderström definitely put the pressure on him. “I did a pretty safe first run. I had done it several times during practice and I didn’t really have to push my boundaries with it. For the second run I knew I had to mix things up, as Martin had put down a really good first run. I almost overshot the hip jump by miles in my second run, the wind made judging speed really hard, but luckily I kept it together”.

Johansson taking Slopestyle to the next level.
© Emrik Jansson

In the end, pushing himself a little bit extra paid off and Johansson walked away with the win: “I am over the moon – so stoked!”, the new Swedish Slopestyle Champion said with a big grin on his face.

Competing with the pros

The competition was a great opportunity for the younger generation of rippers to try out the big scene. The Slopestyle course was built especially for Vättern Bike Games and is the biggest one in Sweden. Just putting together a run was a challenge for many.

Pros and amateurs hanging out during practice.
© Emrik Jansson

“It was so much fun to ride such a big course and to compete in a real competition”, Ludvig Eriksson said after the race. At only 16 years old, he is part of the next generation of Swedish Slopestylers. Getting a chance to compete against some of the best in the world was an amazing opportunity for many younger riders: “the vibe has been so good all weekend, and it's been a lot of fun riding all together. I think that having a national championship will get more riders into the sport, it creates a platform where we can practice and become better at what we do. It is a good incentive to get to ride with some of the best in Sweden”.

Eriksson put down two good runs in the qualification round, but didn’t make it too the big final. “Something to work on for next year”, the young freerider said with a smile.

Words from the jury

The competition wasn't only exciting for the riders, but for everyone involved - from the crowds braving the cold, to the volunteers helping out, to the course builders and the jury. Freerider Alexander Bäckvall was one of three judges and was equally as excited as the competitors: “It's been awesome to be apart of such a big event, and to be one of three judges. But i have to tell you, it’s not an easy job!”, he laughs.

A big up to trail builders, jury & volunteers.
© Emrik Jansson

In Slopestyle the riders are judged on difficulty, flow and style. “We put a lot of emphasis on style – how high you go and how smooth you are”, Bäckvall explains. “We never really disagreed on anything, although we did judge slightly different at times. In the end, Emil put down a run that was smooth, stylish and had some of the most difficult tricks of the day in it. A worthy winner!”

Bäckvall agrees with the rest of the field, that despite the windy conditions, the day was a success and believes that a national championship will give the sport the extra push that it needs. “I can’t wait for next year!”, he exclaims.

Well, neither can we!