Return to Shop. Continue planning your vacation.

Back to Blog

Cannonball MTB Festival 2016

Posted on 12 Dec, 2016 in Festivals & Events

With over 600 plus competitors, even more spectators and 3 days of jam packed action and perfect weather, the Cannonball MTB Festival was one of the best events Thredbo has ever witnessed go down! With some of the world’s best riders in attendance, live non-stop entertainment and tons of action, it set the stage for the biggest, raddest and best mountain biking event in Australia.

@troybrosnan flying in to take out the Men’s Pro Downhill at #cannonballfestival 2016 in #thredbo

A video posted by Michael Lendrum (@michaellendrum) on

Friday was the first day of competition and it was non-stop  action with the competitors getting up at the crack of dawn for first lifts to get in practice laps in order to familiarise themselves with the Thredbo Mountain Bike Park trails for the weekend.

The Canyon All Mountain Assault was the first event to kick off the festival and competitors did not hold back one bit! Kids, teens, women and men all put in 100% for the first event, flying down the 7km long track at high speeds, navigating their way through tight trees, loose rocks and a mix of berms and turns all the way to the finish line. In the end it was Claire Whiteman who came out on top taking out the Pro Women’s division and Benjamin Forbes winning the Pro Men’s, showing off his technical skill and speed on the All-Mountain trail.

The RockShox Pump Track Challenge went down on the Village Green on Friday evening under the lights, setting an amazing stage for all the competitors and spectators. The support from the Mountain Biking community was beyond amazing with masses of MTB lovers travelling all across Australia to attend this iconic weekend of action.  As the sun began to set, competitors pumped their way through the figure 8’ish lap of the amazing course built by the  team at Dirt Art for their chance to be crowned king and queen of the Maxxis Pumptrack Challenge. With such tight competition, the challenge went into a top 10 final where Daniele Beecroft and Remy Morton ended up winning the pro divisions.

Riders were greeted with perfect conditions for Day 2 of the Cannonball MTB Festival with blue skies and prime alpine weather. Early in the day the Flow and Downhill trails were jam packed with novices, amateurs and pros all figuring out the fastest line to take in order to shave crucial seconds off their time. The women hit the Flow trail first and took the definition of speed and control to a whole new level! Local ripper Tegan Molloy definitely showed the boys a thing or two about riding Thredbo’s technical Flow trail.

Josh Carlson used every skill he had to win the Pro men’s category and Thredbo MTB  team rider Tegan Molloy got one of her best times ever on the Flow trail to win the Pro women’s category.

The Sram Whip Wars took place that afternoon, with non-stop freestyle whipping mania for a full hour on the 40-foot table top. Riders took whipping to a whole new level, putting on an amazing show for all the spectators as they whipped and flipped into the night for their chance to take out this event. Conner Fearon ending up winning the Whip Wars  for the second year in a row, however there were some definite contenders in the mix with Ryan Dawson and David McMillan sending it bigger than most of the pros! Ellie Smith and Ronga Hill couldn’t contain their excitement and stepped up to the massive jump, being the only women to compete in this year’s insane whip off.

The final Day on Sunday was the event everyone was waiting for…the GoPro Australian Downhill! Spectators headed to the grassy hill at the bottom of the competitor’s area to watch all the action go down. There were cowbells, vuvuzelas and loud cheers all day long from the extremely supportive mountain bike community. Crowds gathered all along the trail to cheer on the riders as they flew down the black diamond of Thredbo Mountain Bike Park’s trails. It was tight competition however Troy Brosnan and weekend favourite Tegan Molloy won the event taking home $5,000 in cold hard cash!

The masses flocked to poolside in the afternoon for the Cannonball official presentation and party where the Canoonball king and queen were to be crowned. It was Thredbo’s own Tegan Molly who won the Queen of Cannonball category, showing consistency and local knowledge all weekend long! Tom Crimmins killed it all weekend on his bike and won himself the well-earned King of Cannonball category.

With tons of action, entertainment and 3 days of non-stop mountain biking to be had, it was an amazing weekend for everyone to enjoy, from the keen bikers to weekend visitors. Bring on next year…we can’t wait.


mtb-2 mtb-16  mtb-6 untitled-design-7 untitled-design-9 untitled-design-13 untitled-design-15 untitled-design-18 untitled-design-17crowd

Download our new mobile app

Whether you ski, snowboard, hike, mountain bike or are visiting for the first time, our app is your companion to Australia’s Premier Adventure Destination.

Thredbo sits on the traditional land of the Monero – Ngarigo people who have looked after this land, water and community for over 60,000 years. We thank them for all they have done and continue to do to look after their country, a special place which we all love and respect.

Coca-Cola Red disk
defender
red-energy-logo
boost-white
Flip Logo_Landscape Insurance_Colour (72dpi)
oakley
GoPro-logo_compr
fox
balter
sram
norco
Osprey_Logo_Bird-Word_black (1)