Who We Are

Crankworx Events Inc. would like to acknowledge that its core team lives, works and rides on the traditional and ancestral territories of the Squamish and Lil’wat First Nations.

Back in 2004, a visionary team in Whistler dared to dream, giving birth to what has since evolved into the world’s largest and most significant mountain bike festival. This remarkable journey has seen the festival expand its reach globally, with exhilarating events now spanning across Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and Austria.

History

In 2003, Whistler Blackcomb’s Rob McSkimming was overseeing the development of the world’s first gravity-assisted mountain bike park. Looking to build a feature event to showcase the park, he approached Mark “Skip” Taylor who’d helped put on Whistler’s legendary World Ski & Snowboard Festival. From their early brainstorming, Crankworx was born. Launching from the Whistler Mountain Bike Park in 2004, it quickly grew to become the world’s biggest and most influential mountain bike festival, dubbed by Bike Magazine as “the Super Bowl of the mountain biking world.”

Milestones

2004: Crankworx is born in Whistler, B.C.

2007: The first Crankworx outside of Whistler is held. Crankworx Colorado, hosted at Winter Park, would run for five years (2007-11).

2012: Crankworx lands in Europe, bringing the action to Les 2 Alpes, France. L2A would remain the French home of Crankworx for four years, through 2015.

2015: Crankworx touches down in the Southern Hemisphere. With the third stop in Rotorua, New Zealand, Crankworx grows to become the multi-stop Crankworx World Tour.

2015: Crankworx announces equal prize money for male and female competitors.

2016: Crankworx sets down new roots in the French Portes du Soleil region, and Crankworx Les Gets is born.

2017: Crankworx adds a fourth stop to the Crankworx World Tour, with a second European home in Innsbruck, Austria.

2018: Crankworx joins forces with the FMBA to create the Crankworx FMBA Slopestyle World Championship, a singular elite-level series of Slopestyle mountain bike events.

2020: Amid the cancellations and postponements that the COVID-19 pandemic brought with it, the Crankworx team develops an all-new concept in mountain biking. The CLIF Crankworx Summer Series debuts the global return of live mountain bike racing, with a crew of all-star B.C. athletes racing from some of the province’s best resorts.

2024: For the first time ever, female athletes will be able to compete in Crankworx Slopestyle World Championship events at all festivals.

Our Core Values

The Crankworx team follows a set of core values that guide our decisions and help us to deliver ultimate experience in mountain biking. 

Here are a few of them, click each core value and see what it means in action.

Promote equality 

Crankworx is committed to providing equal opportunities in competition for all participants, whenever possible, regardless of sex, gender identity, race, ethnicity, and ability.

This has included past initiatives such as pioneering equal prize money for women in mountain biking, creating new avenues for progression for women, including adaptive categories in races, hosting events for adaptive riders, and more. 

Celebrate Culture 

Crankworx’s culture is unique, as are the local cultures in each of the destinations the festival makes its home.  

We are committed to furthering our understanding of local indigenous cultures in our festival locations, celebrating what makes each destination unique and, when appropriate, making these elements a part of the story of each festival that’s shared with the world.

Prioritize sustainability for our planet, our people, and our growth 

Crankworx is committed to sustainable operations, whenever possible.  

Our Greenworx program at Crankworx Whistler has set a high standard for event waste management in Whistler, as well as across the full Crankworx World Tour. Many of the initiatives that are a part of Greenworx have become a core part of our operations at our other festival locations. In 2019 Crankworx debuted a new award at its Whistler festival, the Greenest Sponsor Award, to encourage festival sponsors to prioritize green practices. We’ve also made a concerted effort to pivot to reusable and sustainable when possible, including shifting away from disposable festival accreditation for all stakeholders. As our merchandise program has grown, we strive to work with partners who align with this core value. 

Keep a progressive mindset by being forward-thinking, always adapting, always learning 

Progression is at the core of mountain bike racing and competition, as well as the industry that fuels it, and therefore is a core value that drives what we do. Our team is always looking for ways to progress and innovate in order to provide a forward-thinking product for our stakeholders.
In the past this has meant the addition of new: 

  • Programs (Kidsworx, introduced in 2012 and now a key component of Crankworx festivals around the world) 
  • Events (adding Dual Slalom to the Crankworx World Tour)  
  • Race categories (a women’s category for Speed & Style and the youth focused CWNEXT) 
  • Prizes (the King and Queen of the Crankworx World Tour and the Crankworx FMBA Slopestyle World Championship, two of the biggest prize purses in mountain biking) 
  • Locations at the best riding destinations around the world 
  • Festival concepts (the CLIF Crankworx Summer Series marked the global return of live mountain biking In 2020, In response to the COVID-19 pandemic) 

A progressive mindset is also always at the forefront of course building. Crankworx works with the best in the business and strives to bring its athletes the world’s best courses and tracks to compete on.

Operate with integrity and prioritize safety at all times 

Thorough and progressive safety plans and protocols are a key part of the foundation on which Crankworx was built.

In recent years this core value has also led to the development of a concussion protocol and management system for the top Crankworx athletes. In 2019, this expanded to include a partnership with Dr. Euan Speirits of Action Sports Medical, providing consistent medical consultation and care to athletes across the Crankworx World Tour, focused both on physical and mental health. 

Share and foster your passion for sport, competition, our roles, and growth 

Everything we do is fuelled by our passion for mountain biking, as a sport and as a catalyst for positive change, be it physical, emotional or economic.

Members of our core team have been (and in some cases continue to be) a part of the boards for the Freeride Mountain Bike Association, Women’s Slopestyle Working Group, and Enduro World Series. 

Crankworx is also proud to support the Observer Program in New Zealand, an exclusive, behind-the-scenes look at Crankworx Rotorua for event professionals. 

Be transparent by sharing all you can to build trust 

We believe in openness and transparency, whenever possible.  

In 2018 to help shape the growing Crankworx World Tour, the Crankworx Athlete Advisory Group was formed. The group is made up of Crankworx’s top athletes from across disciplines who come together to advise on the future of Crankworx in regards to rules, courses, and more.

Our other Core Values are: 
  • Respect each other, our work, and the industry 
  • Be professional by owning your role to be a good teammate and getting the work done

The Team

Behind the world’s largest mountain bike festival, is a core team of passionate events specialists. Led by Managing Director Darren Kinnaird, the Crankworx Events Team is made up of eight full-time staffers who work year-round to manage the World Tour, guide the efforts of the local organizing committees around the world, and plan the biggest festival of the year in Whistler. As event time nears, the team of eight balloons to hundreds, including seasonal staff, contractors and dedicated volunteers.

Head to our festival pages to get more information and become a part of our volunteer team: