Darkfest 2024
A look back on DarkFest 2024…
DarkFest was one of the first major events of the summer season, and rather confusingly it kicked off in the middle of our winter here in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s one of those events that really stands out from the rest and tests the limits of modern mountain bikes, and their riders, to their fullest extent.The very best freeride mountain bikers from all over the world converge on one spot in the stunning mountains of Stellenbosch, South Africa, and throw down on some of the biggest jumps on the planet- and we get to watch it all unfold.What is DarkFest?
In the absolutely mad and adrenaline fuelled world of freeride MTB, there are only a few major events for the best riders in the world to strut their stuff; DarkFest, Red Bull Rampage, Red Bull Hardline, Proving Grounds, Freeride Fiesta, a couple of other smaller events and well, that’s pretty much it. With such little chance to prove themselves, you can bet that the riders get a little loose; and with gaps of up to 110 feet and top speeds of 60kmph and above, getting a little loose is really something to behold. If you’re unfamiliar with DarkFest then it’s worth checking out the documentary below to enjoy the history of the event started by Sam Reynolds, Matt MacDuff and their favourite builders Clemens Kaudela and Nico Vink. Originally the event was called Pure Darkness and was a punky, anarchic mess of crashes, massive jumps and rad tricks- thankfully, not much has changed aside from there being a touch less anarchy. This small and highly skilled team did something unheard of in the sporting world- they started a competition that wasn’t really about competition. They wanted to build and ride the biggest jumps they possibly could with a simple goal; to progress the sport and ride with friends.DarkFest does not see athletes competing against one another for glory, instead it sees the entire field supporting each other and learning things together. The atmosphere that is cultivated at each and every event is what makes it so special, riders buzz off each other, share the stoke and push the limits in an organic and exciting way.One of the key elements that helps to break the ice early on in the event, is the DarkFest haircut- everyone gets a stupid haircut, or a lovely dye job, then just gets down to shredding the biggest jumps on the planet.To paraphrase Sam Reynolds himself; nobody is judging anyone when we all have stupid hair, instead they just get sendy, it’s the perfect leveller. DarkFest 2024 | A Round-up
This year’s DarkFest was a bit of a ground-breaker for female athletes, with a stacked list of some of the very best female riders in the game. The very nature of DarkFest makes it the perfect place to progress the sport, and our girls did just that.Robin Goomes - The Only Women’s Top-to-Bottom (Again)
Getting a T2B on the DarkFest course is no mean feat. Some of the very best riders in the world struggle to do so, and if you can get a successful run cleaning every jump, that's a major achievement in anyone’s book. Robin Goomes has been pushing things extra hard over the last couple years, so it would make sense that she was the first ever female rider in 2023 to complete a full top-to-bottom run of the full course. She repeated the feat this year, and in some style too. She made the 90 foot booter look easy, threw some steez at the shark-fins, and over cleared the first of the rockets by a considerable margin- and still had the speed to clear the final jump. It was incredible to see, and so inspiring. What an incredible achievement, and a great goal for the other girls to target for next year!Robin (and plenty of the other girls!) were also taking part in the now famous step-up sessions, throwing huge back flips and super steezy tricks- this is what DarkFest is all about! Harriet Burbage-Smith - Racer Turned Freerider
Harriet is actually a downhill racer through and through- or so we thought. She has been showing off her freeride credentials at some major events, and does not seem to be scared of anything. As an 8 time Australian National downhill champ, and 2 time amateur national champ she was put on this earth to ride bikes, and DarkFest seems to have unlocked the absolute best in her- she threw down a huge flip on the step for one of the best moments of the event. Vaea Verbeeck - Sends Galore
Vaea was one of the stars of the show this year, and was just sending non-stop bangers on the step-up. She threw down one of the sickest no-foot cans of the event, and went big on pretty much every jump on the course; it was awesome to see and we can’t wait to see her riding more crazy stuff this summer. It could be argued that Vaea pushed the sport for women in just a couple of DarkFest sessions than it has been pushed in years- keep your eyes on this one, she has a lot to give over the coming months! Vinny Armstrong - Mad Steeze
Vinny is just one of those riders that seems to have bucket-loads of style and she made sure to show it off at this year's event. She threw down some massive whips, some impossibly slow dragged one-handers and just generally looked amazing on the bike all week. Watching Vinny makes you want to ride your bike. Chelsea Kimball - MTB Perfection
Chelsea Kimball will be a new name for some but she proved to us all that she can ride with the very best, throwing some insane tricks on the step up including a massive suicide no-hander, and some absolutely perfect sends on the 90 footer- we can’t wait to see more from her in the future.
The Prize Winners
Now despite the lack of overall competition, DarkFest does offer some rewards to the riders who embody the event most of all, with some modest cash prizes of course.These awards are all voted for by the riders and crew, so when you win, you really know you deserved it.The winners are listed below: King & Queen of Darkness
~The male and female athletes who most embodied the spirit of the event, and sent it hardest~
Vaea Verbeeck
As we already know, Vaea was one of the stand-out names of the event, and just kept delivering trick after trick and send after send. Elias Ruso
Elias was one of only two riders to clean the 110 this year, and delivered some insane bangers throughout the week- he’s a real treat to watch.Best Moments
~This award is given to the riders who delivered the most memorable moments over the week~
Tom Isted - 110 Foot Flip
Ice-T, as he’s affectionately known, was the only other rider to hit the 110 footer- but the madman actually flipped it on flip on his first attempt, it was insane. Robin Goomes and Harriet Burbidge-Smith - Backflip Train
Haz and Goomey sent it for the girls and gave us a flip train on the mega step up, it was a sight to behold.Spank Bikes Best Whip
~Pretty self-explanatory - everyone loves a good whip~
Vinny Armstrong
Vinny once again delivered ridiculous style that we have come to associate with her riding, and a massive whip that was hard to beat.Dan Paley
Dan suffered a huge crash (we wish him a speedy recovery!) but also delivered one of the biggest and most stylish whips ever seen on the rockets. GoPro Best Line
~This is for the best top-to-bottom run of the event~
Bienvenido Aguado
Bienve delivered what is arguably one of the best runs we’ve ever seen at DarkFest- it was sick. Pinkeye Vision Biggest Burke Award
~This is the fan-favourite! The award for the best DarkFest haircut~
Vero Sandler
Unfortunately, Vero was not riding this year due to a recent shoulder surgery, but she captured some sick content and got involved with the madness- the 'Nutty V' was the cut to end all cuts! We will see her next year for sure!Kenda Tires Mind Bender Award
~The absolute best trick of the event~
Kurtis Downs
Kurt delivered what we think to be a world’s first, and no one is too sure what it was… It was some kind of holy-man, seat-grab to nothing, Indian air… whatever, it was a sick fusion of moto and MTB and we loved it.Looking to 2025!
It was a sick edition of DarkFest, and one of the most progressive freeride events for women’s MTB ever- what a way to kick start the 2024 summer season. We would urge you to go and consume as much of the content as you can from DarkFest this year, that’s if you haven't already done so! It’s a great way to build the hype for the summer, and share in the incredible things that these women are doing for our sport. There is an awesome rostrum of events coming up this summer and we will be talking about as many of them as we can, so keep an eye on our Pro Women’s MTB blog page for more, and check out the official highlights of DarkFest below! We saw some incredible things from the girls, and this is only the beginning- roll on 2024!