Bikers will show off their best tricks at the Wam Bam Dirt Jump Jam this weekend.
Riders from across the province will convene at the Fernie dirt jump Sept. 2 to showcase their best one-footers, no-handers and bar spins.
“It’s always a great time at Wam Bam, seeing all the pros integrating with the younger kids and mingling with them and being big supporters,” said Fernie Trails Alliance executive director Melanie Wrigglesworth.
In the pro lineup this year is Jack Feick, Max Cookman and Sebastian Riopel, who all achieved a podium finish at Vancouver Island Slopestyle in Nanaimo earlier this summer. Feick placed second in the mens category, while Cookman and Riopel placed first and second respectively in U15.
Professional Fernie rider and skier Dylan Siggers, who is the face of outdoor companies like Line Skis, Stellar Equipment. Forbidden Bike Company and Smith Optics, will also be joining.
When the Free Press spoke to event organizer Nathalie Perrault, Mia Moore was the only local woman who had registered to compete in the pro category. She landed in the top 10 in Crankworx Summer Series Canada, a competition that brought riders from Canada and the U.S together to compete in B.C., Ontario and Québec.
There are a few novelties at the event this year. Guests will be able to sit and watch the riders from bleachers, which are a recent addition to the park. They can treat themselves to a drink at the event’s first-ever beer garden.
READ MORE: FTA transforms dirt-bike park
There will be food trucks and a barbeque concession run by Uplift. DJ NayTaron will provide musical entertainment.
The event is free for spectators, but bikers must pay a fee to enter, which ranges from $10 to $45 depending on the age and skill category, and whether the participant is a Fernie Mountain Bike Club member. Proceeds will go towards the dirt jump park.
This will be the last time Wam Bam will be held at this particular site. The dirt jumps will be relocated next spring in order to accommodate a 100-child daycare unit and 27 apartment units. The project is being funded by $19 million worth of provincial and federal funding, and the apartments will prioritize housing for early childhood educators. This project was announced by the City of Fernie on Aug. 10.
Wam Bam’s riding categories are divided by age and ability. The youngest bikers, around the age of two, will complete a non-competitive obstacle course. Beginner and intermediate youth will ride the jumps, with the option of rolling over the crest or taking air. Riders in the advanced youth or open men and women categories must show the judges as many tricks as possible, with preference being given to variety over technicality.
“If they do the same trick all three or four runs, that’s less points than someone who does less complicated tricks, but then does five or six different tricks,” Perrault explained.
The pros will compete for cash prizes — $1,000 for first place, $750 for second, $500 for third, $150 for fourth and $100 for fifth. Perrault said these skilled riders are looking to accumulate points so they can access high-level rides on the world circuit.
Rounding out the night is the “best trick” category, where riders must show off their most impressive moves.
“I love best trick. It’s probably the most entertaining. They get some pretty crazy stuff,” said Perrault. “It’s pretty awesome to watch the young kids on the black and the blue lines too just because of what they’re able to do already.”
@gfrans15
newsroom@thefreepress.ca
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