Joe lights it up for the Olympics

Rider and guide extraordinaire Joe Schwartz was invited to ride with the Olympic torch in his hometown of Nelson BC last week for the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics. Congratulations Joe!!

Want to ride with Joe in 2010? how about DH'ing in the Alps? Alpenrock.

Life Cycles and Vanderham

The brainchild of photographer Derek Frankowski and Ryan Gibb, the highly anticipated Life Cycles film sheds some light on filming a segment at the Whistler Bike Park last fall with Thomas Vanderham. This movie has been in the works for a few years now and every so often a whisper of a rumour is heard, a photo surfaces of McCaul boosting an air in the Prairies, of something very different that is being created. I predict that we're all going to be blown away and the bar will be raised, not only for mountain biking films, but for action sports films...

Speaking of Vanderham, I couldn't help but think back to the trip we did together in Morocco back in '05 with Andrew Shandro, Matt Hunter and The Collective. Has it been that long?

Vanderham and Hunter navigating the souk in Marrakech.

Thomas stepped up to the plate and was the first to hit this air. It was truly in the middle of nowhere.

NEW! Victoria BC Performance Camps with Seamus and Dre

Seamus McGrath and Andreas Hestler in cooperation with Big Mountain and BC Bike Race launch Performance Cycling Camps - two seven day training camps in Victoria BC, March 1-8 and March 8-15.  Join two of mountain biking's most celebrated athletes; 3 Olympics, multiple National Titles, countless World Cup wins and a couple of BC Bike Race wins - what an opportunity! Go to the Performance Camps website to read more.

Want to ride with this man for a week? Presenting Seamus McGrath.

Dre doing what he loves.

Dirt Mag interview: Chris Winter

The latest edition of UK's DIRT dishes some out on Big Mountain's Chris Winter.

the Dirt Merchant...Morocco

Last November a group of mostly strangers met in Marrakech to ride their bikes on our Dirt Merchant trip....



Thanks to Peter Buck for sharing this with us! And some killer photos from Mr. Daveid Phillips's collection:

moment

this photo was taken in zermatt this past summer on our cloudraker trip. it was just before our last descent of the trip. the weather was pretty much perfect and this couch was just calling our name. after so many good rides, it was fitting to be able to chill out with such a view. of course Jer could not take his helmet off, just in case he needed to make a quick escape.
the horn, a tasty cafe, a quick look over on the bikes and then it was downhill for a very, very long time.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

40 year swell hits Oahu

We surf land, they surf water. Earlier this week the North Shore of Oahu was hit by the biggest waves in years. Check this video of Mondays mega-session at Jaws.

The Brazilian

Upon retrospect we should have worked harder to keep this trail unknown. Back in 2003, on a pioneering trip in the Swiss Alps, journalist Mitchell Scott in a fit of pleasure, compared parts of this trail to that of a freshly shaved Brazilan wax job...the word got out and now we've been told that the name pops up regularly in German mountain bike chat rooms. For years we were the only mountain bike tracks and now we're seeing more riders up there. It's all good. We're mountain bikers and we love a good descent. Here's a good view of it...



Want a taste of The Brazilian yourself? Join us for the ride of your life.

Going Downhill in die Alpen on Pinkbike.com

Calgary's Stephen Matthews joined us in Switzerland this summer on our Alpenrock DH trip. See his sweet vids and read the whole story here.

Here's a little sample following Joe Schwartz.

"...i lost count of the times i was whooping loudly..."

"The three Big Mountain trips I have been on have been incredible and the best trails I have ever ridden anywhere, I lost count of the times I was whooping loudly on this one and I look forward to doing more next year, I'm already dreaming of the Swiss DH trip." Daveid Phillips, UK.
 
View photos from Daveid's recent trip to Maroc....great photos Daveid, thanks!

2010 Dirt Merchant Morocco dates have been confirmed, Sept 19-28. See you in Marrakech!

 

happy birthday joe

hmmmm...where to start? it was just another ride, or seemingly so. we met up, unloaded our bikes and got dressed and then started climbing up the mountain. it wasn't raining. it was Sunday. we climbed high this time, to an unknown fresh trail that few knew, a trail that you had to hike in off the road and where the loam roosted like a jet boat in the Florida Keys. everything felt really good and the bikes were running exceptionally well, or was it the riders? at times, we'd drop into a short downhill transition with a berm at the bottom and both wheels would drift and then traction would return, almost on demand. drift, carve. bikes where thrown around and echoes of glee resonated in the forest. falltime. great friends. Sunday. mellow vibes. thanks Joe and happy birthday buddy.

Joe, Wade and Arthur's dog, mid-ride.

Dave Norona, birthday boy, Chimonez and me.

wanna ride with Joe and Wade too? Wade's guiding our Costa Rica Pura Vida DH trips, February 19 - 27 and February 27 - March 7 2010 and Joe is guiding our Swiss Alpenrock DH trips next summer, Aug. 13 - 21 2010 and Aug. 21 - 29 2010.

last week in Peru...

A group of friends went to Peru on a private trip last week. "The trip was fantastic. The guys enjoyed a lot the trip and we have just good memories," said head guide and mountain bike shinobe Wayo with a big smile from him home in Lima. Back at the office in Whistler and Vancouver we could not be happier. Thanks for joining us guys!

By the way, you have to come ride Peru with us soon...the riding is ridiculous, the culture unforgettable and being hosted by Wayo could not get any better. All-mountain or downhill?

 

 This photo was taken on one of the many Inca trails that was built centuries ago. This one drops into the beautiful Sacred Valley.

The group at our hotel in Lima.

 Cruisin' dawg. He knows who's boss.

earlier today somewhere in Morocco...

this photo just arrived from today's ride on our Moroccan Dirt Merchant cross-country trip. looks like the trip is going well!

safety first

a photo of Nathalie Grether, the backbone of Big Mountain, on the shores of the Georgia Straight in Vancouver last week during a wilderness first aid course. this is what we want to avoid at all costs, having to use a stretcher like this one. needless to say, safety is a high priority at Big Mountain - we keep it high on the list and revise and update our plans and education all the time. mountain biking is inherently dangerous and falling is part of the sport however... ride defensively when you're in a far away place.

Put bike in box, fly somewhere, unpack, ride.

It's that time of the year again. Yea, i know, time, it flies eh? But what can you do? I actually like fall. I know that it's not the best time to ride bikes, but when you do ride it's just good, really good. Fall is mellow; springtime is when you need to get in shape and it hurts more, summertime is when you are in shape and it still hurts so good, and falltime is just time to ride qualitytime. Riding is better when you have a dream trip to look forward to...
The grandpappy of freeride mountain biking, Wade Simmons, will be co-guiding our annual 9-day Costa Rica Pura Vida DH trips again this winter. Dates are Feb 19-27 and Feb 27-Mar 7, 2010. If you haven't heard, Wade is an unreal guy to get to know and an unreal rider. The chance to ride with him for 9 days does not come around very often....think about it, life is short afterall...
We're also offering a shorter version of this trip, the Pura Vida DH Junior which is 7-days from Mar 20-26. Unfortunately Wade won't be on this trip but you'll still be in supremely good hands with our man Paulo Valle.

Jill Kintner

Check out Jill's mtb site. Art and racing bikes. I like.

rolling worldwide this week...

Hey, how's it going? Is the riding season winding down in your neck of the woods? Same here really. Whistler's getting cold and the snow line is creeping down the mountains and it's getting wet on Vancouver's North Shore. The Big Mountain office is pumping though...we've got groups off to Marrakech tomorrow on our Dirt Merchant XC trip, a private group later this week heading to Lima Peru on our Incredible Andes all-mountain trip, another private group off to Johannesburg on November 2 for our Rhythm of Africa Safari...and to Copper Canyon Mexico with Ride Guide TV soon after. Talk about some action! Want in? Give us a shout!

Did you know? These Moroccan goats climb Argan trees with incredible ease to eat the nuts which they then leave in their turds that the locals pick out to make oil that is expensive and supposedly makes your skin glow and make ladies look younger. It's true, Argan oil makes you beautiful.

mountain bike safari in africa

Earlier this year sponsored Adidas riders visited South Africa and Botswana on our africa safari trip. If you dream of experiencing Africa and the safari, this is a great option...you get an intimate, hands-on experience and it's suitable to many levels of riding which is unique. Join us on our Rhythm of Africa trip in 2010...

Hans Ray rollin' with the antelope. Photo Sven Martin.

 

Photo: Sven Martin

signatures

sit back, relax, and be transported to a powder day in Hokkaido Japan where the snow is feather light and the trees spaced just right. this trailer is not your usual ski porn but instead just beautiful shots in a beauty place. winter is coming...