Hangtime. Not just a clever play on words, it’s also a clever way to set the tone of an event. First, and foremost, this was not a competitive event. This was an event that was more… casual. Well, about as casual as you can be when you’re hitting 35+ ft gaps and taking appendages off of your bike mid-air. Hangtime was a weekend for progressing women in freeriding in a supportive environment, but it was so much more than women supporting women. It threw off an incredible vibe of women pulling women up, with the support of every man, mother, and child in attendance over a two day period.

Like Casey Brown, who put on a similiar event in Revelstoke B.C. called Dark Horse Invitational, Hannah Bergemann has access to resources that give her the platform to create these up and coming types of events: perfectly sculpted jumps, a supportive local community, and big name sponsors who are thrilled to lend a hand. Pair these with her personal balance of kindness and drive, and out comes a jump jam that breeds a new level of riders.

Kona Ambassadors Kyleigh Stewart (Kamloops, B.C.) and Sydney Schumacher (White Salmon, WA) made the trip to Bellingham, WA for the event and watching them make their way through the massive Blue Steel jumps was impressive. They played a part in inspiring female riders to progress themselves and show an example of how to re-create the supportive vibes that were exploding out of this jump jam.

Even after two full days of riding, when it came time for the event to wind down, the athletes threw down. The finale went off with a bang seeing trains of up to 16 women hitting the line. The tricks seemed to ramp up as whips and tables were followed by tuck no-handers, one footers, no canns, and the ultimate crowd pleaser – a big floaty backflip. 

Congratulations to all the women for their progression! We look forward to seeing more of this!