Pro freeriders defy gravity at Big White

Years ago, professional freeride mountain biker, Tom van Steenbergen, approached Big White with an idea – a mountain biking competition and festival where pros and amateurs can ride together.

The idea came to fruition and this weekend, the fifth annual Freeride Days Mountain Bike Festival welcomed some of the world’s best and most daring riders to the resort.

“I just wanted to grow the sport and I know there’s not a lot of events in North America for these guys to look forward to,” Steenbergen, who also hosted the event, told Kelowna10. “I just wanted to give them an opportunity to express themselves.”

Steenbergen helped design the course and its location, and it has been growing ever since the event began five years ago.

“I just wanted something big and gnarly and something a little different from all the other sloped courses,” he said.

Due to the size of the ramps and hills, Steenbergen added, riders can execute tricks they normally aren’t able to on most courses.

On Saturday morning during practice runs, competitors tested the track with flips, spins, and other death-defying tricks ahead of the afternoon event where spectators could watch with bated breath.

For the competition, riders had two chances down the hill. Their goal was to impress the judges with the variety and difficulty of their tricks.

Up for grabs was a shot at competing in the biggest event of the year, the Red Bull Joyride in Whistler on August 13.

For the ski resort, it was a ‘no brainer’ to host an event like this as its been expanding its summer activities, which have only been offered for five years.

“Big White was looking for an event to amplify the notoriety of the bike park here,” sales director Andrew Daly said. “The bike park just gets bigger and better every year.”

The Free Ride festival has been a big part of drawing crowds to the mountain outside of the busy ski season.

“This event doesn’t just reach the core mountain biker. It’s for families [and] anyone who wants to come out and see some really cool slopestyle action,” Daly said. “We hope to grow the sport that way and reach people in Kelowna, the Okanagan, and beyond.”