DIYX STRT JAM 2023
CSTL Jam, Seefeld, Austria
Ethan Morgan’s brainchild is back and bigger than before. The DIYX Street Jam (Do it Yourself Extreme) started a while years ago (reference their first instagram post), but it feels like that 2021 showing in Innsbruck really raised the bar. The sheer amount of fire and Zeb clips to come out of that weekend seemed to set a precedent for the years to come, and what followed in Innsbruck only reinforces that. So, when invites for this year’s jam in Seefeld, Austria started rolling around, the compounding effect was all that came to mind.
And, right on cue, this year's venue was the biggest it’s ever been. We were hosted at the magic castle right outside of Innsbruck, so there was no shortage of riders who were ready to hop on a flight for a few days of medieval carnage, clips, and partying.
The two day event started off with Morgan and the Helgasons rocking up to the castle on horseback, welcoming attendees with an opening speech before riders climbed atop the castle roofs. An unconventional place to start dropping in, but what would the DIYX Jam be if not exactly that—unconventional.
Among the many ways to jib the structure, it seems like everybody gravitated towards this ledge to double drop off the castle roof. Hard to picture without the above photo, but just know chaos didn’t wait to ensue. Snowfall fell heavy the whole day as riders kept dropping, and in between the inevitable carnage, some highlights went down: a heavy drop by Sparrow Knox, Spencer Schubert’s Back 360 off the ledge to flat, and Egan Wint’s 50-50 Front 360 off the castle ledge. Knox claimed the title for Most Medieval Motherfucker, while Schubert and Wint took home best castle trick.
A performance by a metal band, Terror, and a fireball drinking battle closed off Day one, leaving room for the next day’s chaos to the select few who are immune to cinnamon-flavored-whiskey hangovers or went home early.
Day two kicked off with a Skate jam presented by Monster x Vans, which merged skate and snow seamlessly—or better yet, hecticly. Starting at around noon, there was a vert jam followed by a guillotine for skaters to trick over. This was all before the second spot of the event was introduced…a rail setup that flowed into a wallride.
The setup took a lot of bodies, while some rose above. A few highlights include: Lolo Derminio putting down a huge gap to bs boardslide transfer, with loads of huge wall rides to close off the day.
Lolo and Pat Fava took home best overall right before, in fitting fashion, cops shut down the jam. Maybe a noise complaint, might be a public hazard, there’s a few reasons as to why the cops would get involved. Either way, happy to see the general chaos remain a big consistency in DIYX.
It was an absolute pleasure to visit Austria for DIYX, one for the books as we wait to see what Ethan and the crew put up for next year. Till next time.