Darkfest 2021

Darkfest. The be-all and end-all of the Freeride mountain biking scene. Starting 5 years ago, in South Africa, the land of heat, dirt, hills, and yes you guessed it, big f*cking scary jumps. Enter the Hellsend compound, the host venue of Darkfest for the past 4 years. Situated outside of Cape Town, on the Helshoogte pass, Hellsend has quickly become the home of dirt jumps and big air of South Africa, nay the world!

So, what is Darkfest? Well, picture a modestly sized mountain, nestled in the South African hinterland, not a million miles away from Cape Town. Now on that mountain put a 1km custom-made track by the Darkfest crew to provide lines, hips, berms and jumps – aided by the natural features of the hill but involving several thousand tons of earthworks to make the magic happen. This track is then hit at speeds in excess of 75kmph, gaps of over 90 feet are aired at heights of over 25 feet. The jumps on the course are some of the biggest dirt jumps ever built - and year on year the Darkfest crew continue to top their own records of debauchery in more ways than one. The course is designed to push the boundaries of what's possible on a bike, giving ample opportunity to throw progressive tricks that are taking the sport in a whole new direction – quite literally; groundbreaking.