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DarkFEST 2019 - Checking in during week 2 of building the course with Sam Reynolds, Nico Vink and Clemens Kaudela.
NEWS

Looking to DarkFEST with Sam Reynolds | Week 2 Report

Jan 282019

Sam Reynolds and the boys have been on a roll the past week down in South Africa preparing for the incoming riding onslaught that's due in a couple of days. Tune into this weeks news report for the inside story from the highly esteemed DBNC news crew.

We also catch up with Sam on all things DarkFEST 2019 below, from dialing in the course, building some new additions, who he's looking forward to watching ride and even getting a few early test hits in on the side. Check it out!

we've pretty much have gone and made everything steeper, taller, smoother and better than last year.

Things are looking pretty full steam out there at the moment - Has the build been going well for you guys so far?

Yeah it has actually, in the grand scheme the build has been going very smoothly, especially when you have Clemens and Nico at the helm of the diggers. They're two of the best in the business when it comes to building jumps and they certainly know what they're doing. After last year we were really confident in the course so we pretty much continued from where we left off and added a massive trick jump at the bottom of the line and made a few changes to the existing ones.

What are the main changes happening to the DarkFEST line this year?

On the existing jumps we've pretty much have gone and made everything steeper, taller, smoother and better than last year, making all the small changes that we gradually figured out while riding them last year.

DarkFEST 2019 - Checking in during week 2 of building the course with Sam Reynolds, Nico Vink and Clemens Kaudela. DarkFEST 2019 - Checking in during week 2 of building the course with Sam Reynolds, Nico Vink and Clemens Kaudela. DarkFEST 2019 - Checking in during week 2 of building the course with Sam Reynolds, Nico Vink and Clemens Kaudela. DarkFEST 2019 - Checking in during week 2 of building the course with Sam Reynolds, Nico Vink and Clemens Kaudela. DarkFEST 2019 - Checking in during week 2 of building the course with Sam Reynolds, Nico Vink and Clemens Kaudela.

We're just pushing the sport in a different direction which is more about how big the jumps can be built and seeing what's possible on them.

Pretty much everything you and the guys have built is “make or break” - what goes into testing the jumps to making sure they’re perfect?

Yeah it is all pretty much make or break, with a few that are a bit safer to test than others. One being the big step up because it's Ok to crash on that one since you don't land with a lot of speed. So we usually test that first. Then on the other hand you get the 90 footer, which is pretty gnarly to test. We're hoping to get that done in the next couple of days actually. Since we're around the jumps a lot you kind of get used to the look of everything. But when it's time to hit it you just have to literally let go of the brakes and make a calculated decision and hope for the best.

In a few words - Can you explain what Darkfest/The Fest Series is all about to someone new to this?

The Fest Series is basically just a bunch of riders who believe they could make bigger and better jumps that you'd see on the World Tour. We're just pushing the sport in a different direction which is more about how big the jumps can be built and seeing what's possible on them.

So the rest of the invited riders arrive in a few days - Who are you most looking forward to seeing shred the line the most?

I'm very much looking forward to seeing Tom van Steenbergen because it's going to be his first time in South Africa for DarkFEST. Also Adolf Silva, we can't wait to see what he tries on the new trick jump at the bottom. We've also got the return of Aggy and Andreu this year, they always do the most amazing stuff. The riding should be incredible.

DarkFEST 2019 - Checking in during week 2 of building the course with Sam Reynolds, Nico Vink and Clemens Kaudela.
DarkFEST 2019 - Checking in during week 2 of building the course with Sam Reynolds, Nico Vink and Clemens Kaudela.
DarkFEST 2019 - Checking in during week 2 of building the course with Sam Reynolds, Nico Vink and Clemens Kaudela.

 

Sam kits up for the first few test hits and 'takes it easy' with some effortless style on the new and improved step up which now heads into a new final section which they're currently building which culminates into a massive new trick jump dubbed the 'rocket launcher'.

 

In just under a week the rest of the invited crew will touch down in South Africa and from there it's anyones guesses as to what is going to go down.

 

For more behind the scenes action and daily updates, follow DarkFEST on Instagram & Vero.

If you live in the Cape Town area you can catch the crew having a session during the DarkFEST open days on the 8th and 9th of February. See more HERE.

 

Make sure to head back to MonsterEnergy.com the same time next week as things are about to heat up!

 

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