POCATELLO — X Games gold medalist Colton Satterfield said he was so thrilled by the positive response Ramp Riot has received that he hopes to bring the event back to Pocatello next year. 

Ramp Riot was a two-night event held this past weekend at Holt Arena that featured some of the top freestyle motocross and BMX competitors in the world. These competitors launched themselves from a variety of ramps —some as tall as 75 feet — and entertained the crowds with a variety of wild tricks. 

Satterfield said there were approximately 2,700 spectators in attendance on Friday and 4,400 on Saturday. Though the turnout was smaller than the organizers were expecting, Satterfield said the elite group of athletes who came to Pocatello were appreciative of the positive response. 

“We had a couple thousand people waiting more than an hour for autographs,” he said. “I’ve never seen that anywhere else.”

The competitors in attendance this past weekend included Satterfield and fellow eastern Idaho natives Josh Hult and Ben Voyles, as well as Australian Dew Tour champion Vince Byron and Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham, a Nevada native who performs his tricks in a wheelchair. 

On Saturday, the competitors honored Eli Hill, an 8-year-old cancer survivor from Bountiful, Utah. 

“It’s not every day that a kid’s dream to become a pro BMX rider comes true,” Satterfield said. 

Satterfield got his start in the BMX world as a 15-year-old in Pocatello, practicing jumps on his bicycle at his grandfather’s farm on Tyhee Road. 

It has been his dream to bring a large extreme event like Ramp Riot to Southeast Idaho. 

“We knew it would create a buzz,” Satterfield said. “It would still be a large event if it was held in a city like L.A.” 

Though he said he is not sure if Ramp Riot will return next year, he is hopeful. For now, he is focusing on the upcoming X Games in early June.