Longboarders race at high speeds down Knox Mountain – Okanagan

Knox Mountain was well-liked with hikers and longboarders this weekend. The latter raced down the hill in an try and compete on the world championships.

It was a day stuffed with excessive speeds, a couple of crashes, and tight corners. The Knox Mountain Downhill occasion marked the return of longboarding to Kelowna after a pandemic paise.

“The longboarding group, it’s a powerful group right here within the Okanagan and in B.C. significantly. We’ve got historical past skating in Kelowna. We used to have a race right here a couple of years in the past known as the Skylands Downhill,” mentioned organizer David Befus.

The 2-day occasion noticed racers from across the province, equivalent to 14-year veteran Dane Hanna, travelling down Knox Mountain Drive at speeds round 80 kilometres per hour.

“I actually like simply the releasing feeling and forgetting about all the issues. You go down the street and also you’re free and you may simply concentrate on one factor. That’s why I like to do longboarding,” mentioned Hanna.

The winners from this weekend’s occasion transfer one step nearer to representing Canada on the World Skate Video games in Argentina this October. For Hanna, he’s hoping for a return to the worldwide stage and is aware of there’s plenty of arduous work forward of him.

“I went to Spain for the WRG (World Curler Video games) and ended up profitable that in 2019. I bought the world championship beneath my belt so, I’m hoping to get the second right here.”

With the purpose of increasing longboarding in Kelowna, racers of any age or gender had been welcomed to compete.

“Canada hasn’t had a sanctioned downhill occasion since 2019 so it was nice to carry it again this 12 months. It’s for open class, ladies’s class and junior class,” mentioned Befus.

That is the primary ever downhill longboard race at Knox Mountain however, organizers are already planning on bringing it again subsequent 12 months.