14 Jun 2018

Eastside: Where the Jumps are Sick and the Locals Rip

Brian Barnhart captures that unique Austin roast...

Words and Photos: Brian Barnhart

Eastside has become quite legendary in our humble niche of BMX trail riding and building. The jumps are sick, the locals rip, and the place attracts badasses from around the country, and the world. Returning as a visitor in 2018 to a scene that I was briefly a part of felt really awesome. The place has a draw that can not be denied, and although the jumps are some of the best I’ve ever ridden, it’s really the people that make Austin and Eastside such special places. Each local brings something unique to the scene, and although I wasn’t able to capture them all for this gallery, they are all burned into my memory as riders and individuals.

Like all trails, Eastside is ever evolving, with people coming and going and lines impacted by weather and schedules. I know there is at least one individual that all the locals miss. Trying my best to embrace the present experiences with the people that were there, I was smiling for two weeks straight. We had plenty of unforgettable sessions during my visit, and when I wasn’t catching laps with everyone, I was doing my best to capture the roast.

In my opinion, watching Matty Aquizap ride Speedball is one of the greatest things to experience right now in BMX. Table, Speedball hip.

Ryan Greene with a table on the Yolo hip.

Cody Martz, tabletop in the trees on QB Sneak.

Ashley Charles making the most of this jump at the bottom of the line.

Ever Peacock represents a young generation of shredders, a refreshing site in the woods. Here he boosts an extended one-footed table on QB Sneak.

Marky Tomasic has been spending the season in Austin, escaping the PA winter and doing turndowns like this one on QB.

You can see an undeniable influence in Ever Peacock’s riding coming from Clint Reynolds and Chris Hallman; not a bad combo. Huge kickout on QB

Tomas Kudrnac from Czech Republic was visiting for the week, bought a new Credence from Empire and killed the trails with moves like this one footed x-up on Mainline.