Features

WOODWARD MEXICO WITH KRISS KYLE

Generally speaking, BMX trips are not well known for their luxury trappings and extravagant accommodation. However during the last week of October, I was fortunate enough to experience a different kind of trip, courtesy of the spanking new Woodward complex at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya.

Woodward owns and operates several of the most well known and respected skatepark facilities within the USA. They are renowned for the their ability to offer visitors an unparalleled facility in which to stay for extended durations and progress their riding skills under the guidance of seasoned professional athletes. Woodward provide a unique environment in which visitors can hone their riding skills and get a taste for BMX at a pro level.

A luxury holiday resort may seem like an odd location to house a progressive action sports facility, such as Woodward. However, once you experience the facility, it all starts to make sense. Nestled away on the eastern coast of Mexico and just a short drive from Cancun airport, the Hard Rock Hotel at Riviera Maya is a paradise in its own right. Plumped on the shore of the Caribbean ocean, its tropical beauty is a sight to behold. Imagine clear blue water, white sand beaches and tropical gardens populated with giant iguana lizards. With that in mind, you can start to build a mental image of this decadent paradise resort.

The Woodward facility is situated right smack-bang on the doorstep of the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya resort. The setup is practically perfect, having a little something to suit all tastes and riding styles. The main draw is the large indoor concrete plaza that features a plethora of different setups – from long multi tiered ledges to a variety of good sized rails to slide. In addition to the contemporary street fixtures, there’s a healthy serving of transition available too. Including channel gaps, a variety of quarters and a few choice wallride setups.

Above and behind the plaza room you’ll find the pump style ramp setup. This starts with a little kicker into a big curved wall which flows down into a series of whoops, rollers and small jump boxes with added kicker lines. It loops around the back via another curved wall and slings you out and upwards over a series of whoops and rollers, perfect for a challenging pumped manual line which leads back to top of the roll-in.

Located at the rear of the facility is a Megaramp-esque roll-in that offers a variety of starting heights, one line leads to a decent sized resi jumpbox and the higher starting points are high roll-ins that lead directly into a variety of kickers and quarters to launch into the huge foam pit.

The Woodward complex combined with the Hard Rock Resort makes for an alluring destination for any action sports fans or adrenaline junkies. Sun, fun and frills all-round!