Inside you'll find a selection of high quality images from last weekends Center of Gravity festival in Kelowna, BC. It was an awesome time for everyone involved, from riders to photographers to spectators...double backflips and lawn dart front flips led us to believe that "dirt jumpers gone crazy."
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Words and Photos by David Peacock
The progression of dirt jumping over the past 10 years has been astronomical, and that's been well documented in the upper echelon of films and contests. It's the passionate kid though, who's really pushing the sport. It's the people who ride every day just for the love of learning a new trick keeping the discipline fresh. Last weekend I attended Center of Gravity, a concert and sport festival in Kelowna, BC. At the mountain bike event, I was blown away by the level of competition.
The setup was awesome, but required some tweaking before the best trick contest. Once dialed, the riders proceeded to throw down. Remember to click the photos to make them BIG.
Mike Dekoning gets stylish on the drop in ramp.
Garrett Robertson was one of the few riders to trick the drop in ramp during the "Best Line" section of the event. Photo by Liam Mullany.
Luke Fulton looked dialed all weekend.
Jaden McBlain drops into one of the gnarliest tricks out there...a double backie. Full commitment!
There were two competitors attempting double flips, one of the most challenging tricks out there. The riders saw the crowd, the setup, the concerts, and decided that it was their time to shine. The contest was held in a "Best Trick" and "Best Line" format, but it seemed to disintegrate into an all out war of one-upping. One rider would try a cork 7, so immediately another would attempt an opposite cork 7. And so it went.
Reilly Horan with a surprisingly stylish oppo cork 7.
Jaden McBlain didn't shy away from a challenge...or a front flip flat drop to back flop...Photo by Liam Mullany.
Luke Fulton, 360 table.
Another angle of Reilly's cork 7...crazy rotation!
No, we're not closing out the riding photos with a straight air...that's a lawn dart front flip. Garrett Robertson drops into some of the gnarliest tricks around.
In the end, one rider successfully landed the double and the other crashed hard. Those are pretty much the only two options with that trick...it's a game of survival. Other highlights included Garett Robertson's lawn dart frontflip, Reilly Horan's numerous 720 attempts and Luke Fulton's smooth and consistent 360s.
After the riding was done, the concerts raged on. Awesome photo by Liam Mullany. Bloody Beetroots were one of the headliners, as were Nero and Miami Horror. For more information on the lineup of bands and events head to Center of Gravity.
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