Sometimes, the best days start with 5 days of rain!

After 5 solid days of rain in Stellenbosch, South Africa, the Darkfest build crew managed to snag a rare breather as they waited out the bad weather.

In the meantime, Sam Reynolds decided to make the most of his morning by checking out some local trails, courtesy of the newest and youngest Darkfest invitee: Dylan Lamb from South Africa.

Dylan welcomes Sam to his home turf for a quick sesh on some technical, sharp-edged dirt jumps. 

“It’s so cool to come back to the roots of what I grew up riding, 

super sharp technical jumps. And it’s so good, loving it!”

Sam Reynolds

Progress at Darkfest

After the rain had finally subsided enough, the dirt was in prime condition for building! So the crew got back to work, shaping one of the most technical dirt builds on the course yet: A shark-fin gap on the run up to the wooden quarter pipe!

Riders will be able to choose to hit the wooden quarter pipe, which leads to the new shark-fin gap. Or keep right and hit the step-up before leading into the rocket jump line!

The level of creativity that has gone into Darkfest 2025 is insane. And we can’t wait for long trains of riders hitting these jumps from all directions while pulling out some rad tricks too!

Escaping the Rain for a Pump Track Sesh

With the weather keeping most trails totally soaked and unridable, the only dry spot left was the pump track in Stellenbosch. Naturally, the crew headed out for a quick hit of fun. Despite Sam taking a crash coming into a berm, the energy and stoke were 10 out of 10! They sessioned rollers, eyed up gaps, and dabbled in some street sessions too.

From local trails to massive builds, quick pump track sessions to moments of madness, this glimpse into life behind the scenes at Darkfest shows what it’s all about: progression, passion, and a whole lot of fun!

With a few more dry days on the forecast, the course will soon be ready. - And so will the riders. 

Stay tuned for more insane builds, wild riding, and some of the gnarliest airtime of the year!