Swedish invasion at Huckfest

"Have you never been to Huckfest?" Huckfest Bike Festival should be on every respectable cyclist's bucket list. Earlier this year, Hallingdal Ride's representative ended up in a chairlift with a bunch of nice Swedish mountain bikers in Järvsö Bike Park. After a couple of runs, we managed to convince Simon, Victor and Oscar to join us at the Huckfest Bike Festival in Ål. This is what happened when the Swedes invaded this year's Huckfest...

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The run-up to this year's Huckfest was anything but routine. As the festival approached, Hallingdal was hit by a severe storm, causing extensive damage to trails, roads and other infrastructure. But it takes more than a 500-year storm to stop Ålingene. Festival participants, organizers and local enthusiasts worked together to help rebuild the bike park - and with a week's delay, Huckfest was able to open its doors for the 14th edition of the legendary festival. On the other side of the border, our Swedish friends were keeping a close eye on the situation. Fortunately, they were able to adjust their schedules and finally make their debut as Huckfest participants.

Simon Johansson takes a breather after a long car journey.

The "party line" at Hillbilly Bike Park has remained pretty much the same for 10 years. It's not the size of the jumps that's intimidating, but rather the timing and finesse required to gain enough speed to jump the biggest jumps. The Swedes loved the course and it didn't take them long to start adding style and tricks to the big moto jumps.

Legendary Huckfest WhipOff

Photo: Magnus Grönberg and Gisle Johnsen

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Huckfest Bike Festival:

Since 2009, Huckfest Bike Festival has established itself as Norway's premier mountain bike festival. An incredible spirit of volunteerism and an iconic jump line have transformed the festival into the highlight of the year for mountain bikers and the enthusiastic public alike. Activities that take place during the festival:

• Guided tours and shuttles to the best trails in the area

• Fest Series Session

• Whip-Off Challenge

• Huck to not so flat (long jump competition)

• Death Grip competition

• Dual Slalom

• Clunker Race

• Beer Pong

• Live music

• FMX show

Key takeaways from this year's Huckfest Bike Festival:

• The freeride scene in Norway is booming.

• It was awesome to see 12-year-old Tess tackle the first three jumps on the Fest line.

• You can get a free tattoo at the Huckfest Bike Festival.

• Even a 500-year flood couldn't stop "The Party".

Buy tickets with early bird discount now!