- Right, we're out here on the French Alps.
We're in Les Gets for Crankworx stop,
and behind me
is a massive pile of dirt shaped into a table top step up.
And that is where they're gonna host
the Whip Off contest.
You're probably asking,
"What is Whip Off?"
Well I'm here to explain the whole thing,
talk to the founder, talk to some of the riders
on what Whip Off is all about to them.
Let's go and find them and let's go talk to these guys.
First off, the jump.
It doesn't necessarily have to be specifically built
for Whip Off.
This one is,
but sometimes, like Whistler, they have Crabapple Hits,
where they have the table top there and it's massive.
And it has to be big, because you want big air time
to get that big whip out.
It's all about big whips.
Right, the business end, the lip.
This is where it all goes down.
This is where the fundamental part of doing the whip starts.
It's all about coming in with a carve.
For me, I like to carve like that
to get the ultimate whip.
Could be another one.
You can carve either way, but
if not necessarily a big steep kicker to get you high,
you want a nice, mellow, moto-kicker so you can like,
proper lay it down and get the biggest whips going.
Mr. Bernard Kerr, what is Whip Off, to you, all about?
- Ah, Whip Off's just a fun time with the boys, man.
Everyone goes off, they have some music, normally, and
you get a good jam going.
It's just a good time.
- There you go.
It's all about having fun.
Alright, Mr. Martin Soderstrom, steaz master,
what is Whip Off all about for you?
- (sighs) I would say,
land as much sideways as possible, and still hold on.
- There you go.
Alright, I'm here with Bas Steenberg.
What is Whip Off to you, my dude?
- I think just a good time, and then
if you get some cool photos or whatever out of it,
it's just bonus, but mainly just a really good time.
- It's all about having good fun.
Alright here's Reboul.
What is Whip Off for you?
- For me it's just like good vibes
with good people and
just enjoy the moment and do the sickest sweep.
That's it.
- Sick.
Alright, I'm here with Sam Reynolds.
What is Whip Off to you?
- Fun,
Air.
Time.
- Okay.
What, yeah?
- No that wasn't very good,
but yeah, it's fun times and you do fat whips
with all the boys and at the end,
someone's a winner but really
everyone's a winner, my dude.
- Everyone that gets sideways, my dudes, is a winner.
- Yes they are.
- Right, there's a bit of history behind the Whip Off.
And Sven Martin, right here, I'm guessing
you're the founder of it;
he's a world renowned photographer.
- No one can claim anything like that because
people've been getting whips since day one
and people have been competing against each other
for bro points since day one on the whip
and that's really what it's about.
We actually had a really early Side-Flights Championships
in Southern California.
Shawn McClennan did it.
Then we all when to Whistler, the next year,
they'd just bought Crabapple Hits.
This is like seven or eight years ago.
- Wow.
- And everyone was just a good session.
It was like they lined up and cut up and did crabapple hits
Those at that stage were the biggest jumps in the park.
Downhill and slope-siders, four-cross racers,
that was what they did.
It was like a no-brainer so we got there the first day
It was like (beep) are we going to do this?
And then just through,
then I don't even think instagram, no instagram.
Probably Twitter and Facebook.
Winner on the pits.
Winner's got a couple hundred bucks and some prizes.
We thought going viral then was hard on social media
but it was a huge success.
I looked at them at the photos from seven years ago
and there's a couple hundred people on the slope
and I was like,
"Woah, that's the craziest, biggest event."
But then you look more recently
and there's thousands and thousands of people
but that first year felt really big
and that was the beginning of it.
- So that is Whip Off.
It's all about having fun,
getting super sideways,
having a blast with your mates.
At the end of the day,
if you're getting sideways, you're winning.
Everyone is a winner but if you want to
learn how to do whips just like these guys and myself,
click just down here on
"How to Whip with Brandon Fairclough."
And if you want to learn how to scrub,
click just down there.
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