Teaser: The Swatch Rocket Air 3000 is taking off

In five weeks time, Thun will fast forward into the future: On the 27th and 28th of April 3000 (2018) the Swatch Rocket Air 3000 will take place in the Thun ice rink. The world's best freestyle mountain bikers will travel forward in time and use their tricks to bring color to a bleak future.

Only (982 years and) six weeks until the only Freeride Mountain Biking (FMB) Gold Event comes to Switzerland. On the last weekend of April 3000, the Flying Metal Crew will present the Swatch Rocket Air 3000. The organizers will draw a dystopian picture of the future. With the help of mountain bike freestylers from all over the world, together they will bring color and humanity into a machine and robotic-like society. Among others, stars such as last year's winner, Nicholi Rogatkin, Sam Pilgrim and Thomas Genon are expected.

After looking back in time last year with a lot of color, glitter and iconic gadgets from the 1980s, course builder Ramon Hunziker now dares to look to the future. In the year 3000, everything is digital. Freedom and freestyle is on the fringe of society.

"The riders will take off from a rocket launcher," reveals Ramon Hunziker. Add to that a "Mad Max Mobile," style theme with at least a hundred other props," shares Hunziker. The big challenge for the builders of the Swatch Rocket Air 3000 is no longer the construction of the course itself: "From feedback, we know which elements the riders like." The challenge lays in combining the course with the invention of a world in the year 3000. "Meanwhile, a team of creative minds are busy shaping this future world," says Jérôme Hunziker. This year, for the first time, a scenographer was consulted. "His task is to implement the theme with the existing material," explains Hunziker. "It is important for us to reuse the decorative material after each event to avoid as much waste as possible."

Over the coming weeks, the organizing Flying Metal Crew will be up to their ears in preparation for the big show. Tickets are available today at rocketair.ch/tickets. Fans can follow their progress on Facebook and Instagram.