BUTUAN CITY (MindaNews / 1 Oct) — While most coastal towns in the Caraga region lure visitors with stretches of white sand, the town of Nasipit, Agusan del Norte is charting a different course.
Known primarily as a busy port town, Nasipit is now banking on its natural downhill slopes to carve a reputation as an adventure tourism hub.
This push was on full display during the 1st Roscoe Democrito B. Plaza International Downhill Gravity Championship, held from Sept. 27 to 29 in the hills of Barangay Camagong. The event formed part of the town’s 2025 Dunggo Festival.
The competition drew around 95 riders from across the Philippines as well as international competitors from Japan, Korea, Singapore, Malaysia, and Australia. It featured downhill skateboarding also known as downhill longboarding, a discipline that uses longer, more stable boards built for speed and control.
Event director Joseph Falcone of Philippine Extreme Sports told reporters that while downhill competitions are held in other Mindanao cities such as Cagayan de Oro, Davao, and Iligan, Nasipit’s event marks the first international downhill skateboarding race in Mindanao.
“This racetrack is unique. It’s not that high, but it’s technical. It’s cemented, has quality turns, and the rough surface makes it challenging. You have to be careful,” Falcone said, describing the race track.
He added that the natural terrain of Camagong gives the town an edge as a venue for extreme sports.
“All of Camagong will really be made into an adventure tourism site. The natural trails, terrains, and roads are already here, you don’t need to build amusement parks. You just have to develop what’s already here,” Falcone said.
He hopes that in future editions, Nasipit’s event could be one of the qualifying series competitions under the World Downhill Skateboarding Championship allowing local riders to earn points toward the championship tour.
“The plan is to bring it up to the next level, make it an annual event, and bring in more racers from Europe and Canada,” he added.
Japanese rider Hiroki Endo, who previously joined the World Skate Games in Barcelona in 2019, praised the Nasipit course.
“I’m enjoying the race. The people are very warm, the weather is good, and this course is very fast, straight, no braking, very good. I want to come back to compete again,” Endo said.
The event featured four categories: Open International, Masters, Women’s, and Surfskate.
In the Open International division, Australian Zak Goodwind emerged as champion and took home the ₱100,000 top prize. Filipino riders dominated the rest of the podium, with Eryan Abarico finishing second (₱30,000), Ealoy Maquirato in third (₱20,000), and Warren Arnais in fourth (₱10,000).
Apart from downhill skateboarding, Nasipit also hosted the Mountain Bike Downhill Mayhem in Camagong, another extreme sports competition that drew both local riders and enthusiasts. (Ivy Marie Mangadlao / MindaNews)
