Many of the top longboard riders in the world will be in Kelowna this weekend as the third annual Skylands DH takes place high above the Okanagan Valley.
Over 140 longboard skateboarders will take part in the event, which has tripled in growth since its inception two years ago.
“B.C. is known for having some of the most technical race courses in the world and people will come from all over the world to ride them,” said organizer Blake Soneff. “The reason I chose the location is because of how technical the course was. It’s not Kelowna that is bringing these riders here it’s the course.”
Situated in the Wilden-Skylands subdivision off of Clifton Ave., the Skylands DH course packs 12 corners into a 2.5 km downhill ride. Standing on their longboards, competitors will reach 90 km/h before hairpin and chicane turns slow them down.
The course once prompted world champion Kevin Reimer to proclaim it as one of the most technical race courses he has competed on. And that’s why the event has grown from 56 riders in year one to what is expected to be about 150 riders this year.
Many of the worlds top riders are already in the Okanagan, having participated in the Vernon Downhill last weekend and stayed in the area to ride the world renowned stretch of road at Giants Head Mountain near Summerland.
The Skylands DH is a fully sanctioned and insured event that will see Upper Canyon Drive closed down from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. this Saturday and Sunday.
“I started this event because I wanted to provide a safe, sanctioned and insured event where competitors can come and practice the sport with all the safety precautions in place,” said Soneff. “It’s all about getting experience and getting runs down the course. Most of the people are not there to win the race they are there for the experience and because they love the sport.”
Practice runs will take place all day Saturday with the actual races taking place Sunday. You can access the course by heading up Clifton, taking a right at Rio where you will find the parking lots. There is no charge for admission.
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Winners at this year’s Skylands DH will be presented with custom handcrafted longboards made in Kelowna.
Derek Frechette, longboard maker and owner of Peregrine Longboards has partnered with Skylands to build four podium longboards for top-placing athletes of the prestigious event.
Peregrine Longboards emerged onto the skateboard racing scene building custom handcrafted longboards for local downhill racers in Kelowna.
“We are proud to be presenting Peregrine Longboards to the top four on the podium,” said Soneff. “We want to showcase the local talent of downhill longboarding and to be awarding the top competitors a Peregrine longboard is a perfect fit with what we’re trying to achieve with Skylands DH.”
“When Blake contacted me about building podium longboards for the Skylands DH, my hair stood on end,” smiled Frechette. “It is an honour to be involved with an event of this caliber. The longboards I built for the podium are one-of-a-kind and reflective of the talent and skill that these competitors bring from around the globe to ride in Kelowna.”
For more information, visit www.peregrinelongboards.com and www.skylandsdh.ca.
