DarkFEST 2018 Week 2 Build Update

The second week of building at DarkFEST has come to a close with good progress being made. Sam Reynolds, Nico Vink and Clemens Kaudela are putting together an amazing line – methodical and precise at all times.

To start off week 2 Nico got to work on a “small” jump after the first big landing, a long and low style jump, but it’s probably still bigger than anything at your local bike park. It’s a bit hipped to the right to set the riders up for the big hip, which Clemens has been polishing. Watching a pile of dirt turn into a lip so smooth you can almost see your reflection in is a thing of beauty.

The hip landing is a lily pad style, short and goes straight into a road gap which drops down into a super steep run-in for the DarkFEST style monstrous step-up. They managed to make good use of a hill on the opposite side of the valley and, like the rest of the course are, using the already existing natural features and turning them into works of art that riders can fly over.

Experience has helped them make amazing progress and the line is very nearly complete! The idea of using an FMX style steel kicker to find the sweet spot for the first gap’s lip has been scrapped as they have enough time to build a dirt lip and change it if need be. Another bonus of being fast and efficient is having some time off and being able to go for a surf and have a few sessions on the Hellsend Dirt Compound that Justin Novella of The Trails Crew has spent the last year building.

Things are looking as good as can be at the end of week 2 and we even have some rain forecast next week, so the spades will come out to make the most of it and get the final touches smoothed out to hopefully get some testing in.

Photos by Eric Palmer.