iN PHOTOS: Longboards and street luges racing down Knox Mountain in Kelowna

After a rainy start to the day longboarders and street luge riders burned urethane racing at high speeds down Knox Mountain in Kelowna. The Knox Mountain Downhill is a weekend of racing organized by the Kamloops Longboard Club and the Kelowna Longboard Alliance. Knox Mountain Drive is going to be closed all weekend for the races. Longboarding is a variation of skateboarding designed for speed, drifting around corners, and using special gloves to put hands on the road for control and style.   The event director David Befus said closing the road is the only way to safely see how fast riders can go down the mountain. “On a regular day, it's just like putting it around, going slow. Racing it like this, you've got to close it,” he said.  READ MORE: iN PHOTOS: Avid Vernon hiker captures spectacular scenes in Kamloops, Okanagan https://infotel.ca/newsitem/in-photos-avid-vernon-hiker-captures-spectacular-scenes-in-kamloops-okanagan/it104945 Longboarders and street lugers have been competing in qualifiers all day to see who makes it to the finals on Sunday. Street luge is the same idea as winter luge, it used to be an event at the X Games and Befus said it’s starting to make a comeback. “Downhill skateboarding and street luge go hand in hand, and they've kind of ebbed and flowed in popularity over the years. Back in the 90s, street luge was really big,” he said. “It has faded from the public eye a little, but it's making a strong comeback.” For those who missed the high octane racing today, Befus said the riders are going to be skating even faster at the finals tomorrow. Click here https://knoxmountaindh.ca/ for more information and race results. To contact a reporter for this story, email Jesse Tomas mailto:jtomas@infonews.ca  or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .