A longboarder taking the hairpin turn on Knox Mountain Drive.
(JESSE TOMAS / iNFOnews.ca)
June 01, 2024 - 3:30 PM
After a rainy start to the day longboarders and street luge riders burned urethane racing at high speeds down Knox Mountain in Kelowna.
The Knox Mountain Downhill is a weekend of racing organized by the Kamloops Longboard Club and the Kelowna Longboard Alliance. Knox Mountain Drive is going to be closed all weekend for the races.
Longboarding is a variation of skateboarding designed for speed, drifting around corners, and using special gloves to put hands on the road for control and style.
The event director David Befus said closing the road is the only way to safely see how fast riders can go down the mountain.
“On a regular day, it's just like putting it around, going slow. Racing it like this, you've got to close it,” he said.
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Longboarders and street lugers have been competing in qualifiers all day to see who makes it to the finals on Sunday.
Street luge is the same idea as winter luge, it used to be an event at the X Games and Befus said it’s starting to make a comeback.
“Downhill skateboarding and street luge go hand in hand, and they've kind of ebbed and flowed in popularity over the years. Back in the 90s, street luge was really big,” he said. “It has faded from the public eye a little, but it's making a strong comeback.”
For those who missed the high octane racing today, Befus said the riders are going to be skating even faster at the finals tomorrow.
Click here for more information and race results.
Two street luge riders hitting the corner at high speed.
(JESSE TOMAS / iNFOnews.ca)
Spectators jump out of the way as a longboarder crashes into the row of safety hay bales.
(JESSE TOMAS / iNFOnews.ca)
Three longboarders neck and neck at the hairpin turn on Knox Mountain Drive.
(JESSE TOMAS / iNFOnews.ca)
A racer drifting to slow down before a sharp turn.
(JESSE TOMAS / iNFOnews.ca)
A rider preparing to take the sharp turn on Knox Mountain Drive.
(JESSE TOMAS / iNFOnews.ca)
A street luge rider leaning hard to take the sharp corner.
(JESSE TOMAS / iNFOnews.ca)
A longboarder in a tucked position for aerodynamic efficiency as they cross the finish line.
(JESSE TOMAS / iNFOnews.ca)
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