Gracey Hemstreet talks to us about riding the course at Redbull Hardline.
Interview and photos by Sven Martin
So Gracey, comparable to anything else you’ve done in your World Cup career, how does Hardline compare? You were the first lady to top to bottom.
I’ve never hit anything like this track before in my life, but yeah…
…you’ve grown up in Canada with some pretty big famous hits. You would’ve done some of the bigger stuff in BC.
True. Yeah. Oh, I dunno, though. Those big drops, I’ve never hit drops like that before. But big jump lines, like Coastal Crew’s, and there’s some shark fins on there, and I dunno, Crabapple, you got to go fast. Yeah, I dunno.
What do you reckon is harder? Big short drops or long big jumps?
I find the technical drops way harder than the big lofty jumps, for sure.
Just the speed and then having to pick up or push through.
Yeah, I dunno. Popping off a downhill ramp, it kind of scares me, but
Yeah, we have a big jump if it’s built right, you can just send it on.
Yeah totally.
When you did track walk, were you thinking then and there that you knew you’d jump all of this or hit all of this? Or what was going through your mind when you showed up and did the track walk?
At first, I was like, oh, I don’t know. But then, yeah, we showed up a bit early, and then we walked it four days early and then, I don’t know, by the time the event came around or practice, I was like, okay, I think I could do it all.
Cool.
Yeah, I was pretty stoked. It was definitely my goal.
And then, obviously, the wind today didn’t make stuff easy for you. Did you just, I mean, it was pretty breezy at the bottom, and you still sent them all?
I didn’t really mind the wind. I didn’t feel it at all, really.
You’re not a free rider, that’s why.
I guess so
Any breeze, and there’s a course hold if it’s a freeride event.
Yeah, pretty much.
It is a downhill race. I think you’re inspiring a lot of people out there, not just the women and breaking new ground.
Yeah, I’m super stoked.
Cool.
It’s cool.
And a lot of, you’re doing it
Awesome. I know. Yeah, it’s awesome.
Alright.
