That’s A Wrap On The 10th Cannonball MTB Festival!

Day 1 | Monday February 12

On day one, riders turned out to the park to practice for the Osprey All-Mountain Assault, Fox Flow Motion Cup and Oakley Australian Open Downhill race events. The sun was shining and the festival atmosphere was in full swing as everyone geared up for a massive week of racing ahead.

Day 2 | Tuesday February 13

Tuesday was the first official day of racing, kicking off with the Osprey All-Mountain Assault. Competitors put their stamina to the test across a 6 kilometre racetrack that challenged even the most avid enduro purist with rock rolls, pinch climbs and steep switchbacks. While the final times were tight, it was Ryan Gilchrist and Ellie Smith who took out the wins in the Pro Division.

Day 3 | Wednesday February 14

With perfect conditions for a heated day of gravity racing, day 3 saw the first round of competitors take to Thredbo’s famous 5km Kosciuszko Flow Trail for the Fox Flow Motion Cup. Ellie Smith took out her second win of the week in the Pro Women category and in the Pro Men category, it was Luke Meier-Smith who came out on top of the podiums.

Day 4 | Thursday February 15

With the qualifying Pump Track laps in the morning, followed by the second round of Fox Flow Motion Cup racing and the Official Practice laps for the Oakley Australian Open Downhill, and then the electric Rockshox Pump Track Challenge Finals in the evening, day 4 was absolutely jam-packed for racers and spectators.

Ultimately, it was Thredbo Ambassador Caroline Buchanan who took out the win in the Pro Women division with Connor Mielke in second and Ellie Smith taking out her third podium of the week in third place. In the Pro Men division, Ryan Gilchrist took out first place in a heated final race followed by Bailey Meares in second place and Luke Meier-Smith in third place.

Day 5 | Friday February 16

To celebrate 10 years of the Cannonball MTB Festival this year, Thredbo added a brand new race to the schedule – the Maxxis Dual Slalom. On Friday, this old-school dual racing format saw riders go head to head on the grass at Friday Flat with the qualifying laps in the morning followed by the final races in the evening.

The huge crowd of spectators were treated to an exciting evening of old-school thrills and spills as riders were pitted against each other and put it all on the line to score a winning time. After some fiery heats, it was Thredbo Ambassador Caroline Buchanan who took out the win in the Pro Women Category and Luke Meier-Smith who won the Pro Men Division.

Day 6 | Saturday February 17

The energy in the resort was absolutely electric on Saturday with the biggest crowd Cannonball has ever seen. Over 3000 people turned out for the famous Oakley Australian Open Downhill Racing Finals and the high-energy Deity Whip Wars event.

Kicking off at 11AM, the Oakley Australian Open Downhill saw the world’s best riders take on the iconic Cannonball Downhill trail to fight for the highly sought after title of Downhill Champion.

After a huge spectacle of world-class racing, it was ultimately Santa Cruz Syndicate rider Nina Hoffman who took out the win in the Pro Women’s Division at the 2024 Oakley Australian Open Downhill with Thredbo Ambassador Sian A’Hern only one second behind Nina in second place and Myriam Nicole in third.

In the Pro Men’s Division, it was Thredbo Ambassador Jackson Frew who claimed first place with Kye A’Hern in second place and Connor Fearon in third. The P1 seed Jackson Goldstone and P2 seed Troy Brosnan both hit rocks and got flat tyres mid-race, resulting in Jackson Frew sliding through to first place as Troy and Jackson cruised down together while crowds cheered and showered them with beer.

With so many international riders on the start list, it was incredible to see an all Australian lineup on the Pro Men Downhill podiums this year.

After the downhill finals, everyone headed to the event hub for the invite-only Deity Whip Wars event. As always, this spectacle brought in an insane crowd with thousands of spectators turning out to witness the pro riders send it with non-stop whips, front flips, backflips and loads more tricks on the massive booter.

After some next level whips and tricks, it was young riders 14-year old Archie Young and 13-year old Indi Lambert who impressed the judges and took out the top spots on the podium.

For all event results, please click here.

King And Queen Of Cannonball 2024

At yesterday evening’s presentations, it was Luke Meier-Smith and Ellie Smith who tallied up the most points at each event this week and were officially crowned as the King and Queen of Cannonball 2024.

Non-Stop Entertainment, Live Music & Activations 

It’s not just the on-mountain action that drew in the crowds. With a non-stop lineup of entertainment, live music and activations, the good times didn’t stop rolling all week.

This year’s schedule featured multiple pro athlete signing sessions, DJ sets every day, and a massive Balter Brewers Cannonball Closing Party featuring the Terrys Band on Saturday night followed by the Official After Party at the Keller Bar. The atmosphere was electric throughout the entire resort all week as the best MTB brands set up shop in Cannonball’s pit village and offered non-stop games, giveaways and product demo activations.

Thank you to all the competitors and spectators who came and celebrated 10 years of the Cannonball MTB Festival with us this week. You are what makes this event so special and it was truly one to remember. See you next year!