Crankworx is heading back to Crabapple Hits. The site of the original Whip-Off World Championships returns as a highlight event for this summer’s Crankworx Whistler festival, even if it won’t be Whip-Off World Championships.
The actual Whip-Off Worlds? They’re still happening, but they remain in the new location in Whistler’s Boneyard, front and center in Whistler Village.
So what is happening at Crabapple Hits? Crankworx is announcing a new event, the Crabapple Hits World Championships. Now, that seems a bit, well, specific to earn the title of a world championships. But Crabapple Hits are an iconic part of mountain bike lore. And it’s Crankworx, they can call it whatever they want.
“This jump has a lot of history on it,” said Vinny Armstrong, one of the riders confirmed for the event. “I won my first world championship Whip-Off title there, which probably helped me get sponsored and noticed on the world scene.”
Other riders that have made waves at Whip-Off worlds? Finn Iles. Casey Brown. Jackson Goldstone. Gracey Hemstreet. Hayden Zablotney. Just to name a few Canadian examples.
The new event will close the 2026 festival, taking place Sunday, August 2. It’s a rider-judged, two-hour rider jam. There’s no brackets, no judging pannel. Every feature on the line is in play, not just the final jump. Riders themselves will pick the winners, with $5,000 each on the line for the best male and female rider. That’s a whopping $10,000 total for this brand new event.
“They’re Whistler’s infamous big air jumps, open to the public. It’s so rad there is a line like this for riders to push themselves and get a feel for jumps this big,” says Talus Turk. “I’m glad to hear this line is being tailored towards a freeride progressive event.”
Crankworx already has a stacked roster lined up for the inaugural Crabapple Hits World Championships. That includes Canadian multi-talented freeriders Kirsten Van Horne, Georga Astle and Vaea Verbeeck, mutliple-time Red Bull Rampage winner Kurt Sorge, freeride legend Cam Zink and many more. Should be a riot to watch.
Confirmed Riders: 2026 Crabapple Hits World Championships
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
When and where
Event: Crabapple Hits World Championships
Date: Sunday, August 2, 2026
Location: Crabapple Hits, Whistler Mountain Bike Park
Format: Two-hour rider jam, rider-judged, every feature in play
Prize purse: $5,000 best male / $5,000 best female
Crankworx Whistler 2026 runs from July 24 – August 2, 2026.