The question that’s been plaguing the internet can finally be answered… After months of speculation and chat feeds filled with rumours, Sam Reynolds has filled the freeride MTB void with some good news for fans of big air: “We’re ecstatic to be on the ground in South Africa and looking forward to opening up the DarkFEST course this year!”
After cancelling the event in February of this year, the crew decided to lay low until international travel became more viable, causing endless questions to pop online; ‘When’s DarkFEST?’ ‘What happened to DarkFEST this year?’ The crew simply couldn’t ignore the global uproar. While parts of the world are still in severe lockdown, luckily South Africa is open for events and Sam couldn’t resist the opportunity to do DarkFEST again.
With a select few legendary riders invited to take part in this year’s event, the mission is to unveil the giant course, give it a lick of fresh dirt dust off the big bikes and get ready for some FEST size action. Names like Adolf Silva, Bienvenido Aguado, Szymon Godziek, and World Cup rider Theo Erlangsen will be heading to the Hellsend Dirt Compound to ride the biggest and longest Fest course ever built.
DarkFEST events are designed and run by the riders, showcasing the world’s elite freeriders jumping colossal courses that don’t exist anywhere else on earth. The rider-voted awards are handed out following a jam format that is one of the most anticipated and celebrated series in mountain biking.
Since touching down in South Africa, Sam has wasted no time getting stuck in on the course with some help from a crew of dedicated locals and it’s paying off! Now joined by Austrian rider and course build specialist Clemens Kaudela behind the helm of the digger machine, they’ll be able to put on the finishing touches to get this beast of a line rideable in time for the event window which will run from the 16th to the 26th of May.