NEW Swiss DH video!

Big Mountain Adventures mountain biking in the Swiss Alps. from Big Mountain Adventures on Vimeo.

We're quite excited about this amazing video on our Alpenrock DH mountain bike trip produced by our friends at Anthill Films featuring riders Matt Hunter, Ludo May and the Godfather Wade Simmons. Sick back and enjoy!

New BC mountain biking video!

This awesome video is thanks to Glen Patchet who joined us on our 8-day Sea to Sky trip out of Vancouver, Canada. This is an amazing guided mountain bike trip that features an amazing variety of riding from super-mountain-bike-friendly Whistler to the cult riding town Squamish to dusty cowboy hamlet Pemberton and the infamous North Shore mountain bike trails. This video shows the creme de la creme of the trip...the South Chilcotins. Thanks Glen! Enjoy folks...

Mountain Biking BC with Big Mountain Bike Adventures - Chilcotin Mountain Range and Windy Pass from Glen Patchet on Vimeo.

Gravity riding on the Italian Riviera.

A Sheppard, his goats and a road gap. Filming in Morocco with The Collective.

It started faintly, almost in a whisper; a deep and monotonous humming sound.  The noises became slightly melodic and blended into words that I did not understand; then grew louder until he was fully wailing on the microphone, blasting a successesion of words. He kept going for what seemed like forever, chanting the hypnotic prayer that was cast at high volume from the mosques’ towers throughout the walled city. Who on earth came up with this brilliant idea? I thought in a half-asleep state. Whoever he is, i’m sure that he isn’t too popular right about now. I rolled over and fought to regain sleep and cruelly smiled as I remembered how close Darcy and Darren’s rooftop room was to one of the loud speakers. It was pitch black outside and the city was coming alive around us; my watch read 4:30am. Welcome to Marrakech.

Our Marrakech abode was called a riad. Traditionally, it was a building where several families lived with rooms and balconies looking over a common courtyard. Lately, Europeans were buying old riads and transforming them into beautiful boutique hotels complete with fountains, orange trees, palatial rooms and over-the-top rooftop patios and of course lots of pillows and rugs.

Andrew Shandro putting his Trek Session to the test Morocco style.

Leaving our riad promised instant adventure as you’d step out and realize that the door, which you’d just closed, was identical to the neighbors’ doors and none had any signs or numbers. To make matters more interesting it was situated in a medieval labyrinth of twisty narrow lanes with no structure. Numerous times I’d had to pay a local kid to help me find the way back to our door. Minutes from our riad was the famous Jemaa el-Fna Square, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the world’s greatest spectacles.  Since Marrakech was developed in the 11^th century, the square has been a cultural crossroad where frenetic commercial activity and entertainment attract crowds well into the night. There is a huge range of performances and acts: story tellers, musicians, dancers, snake charmers, glass-eaters and performing animals. A wide variety of services are also offered, like dental care, traditional medicine, fortune telling, preaching, astrology and henna tattooing and much, much more.

Four hours after morning prayer we were chilling on our rooftop patio in the warm sun sipping freshly squeezed orange juice, eating dates and discussing our proposed plan. Our group of 11 consisted of three pro mountain bikers, Andrew Shandro, Matt Hunter and Thomas Vanderham, four cinematographers, one photographer and four guides: nine Canadians and two Moroccans. We were lured halfway around the globe for Morocco’s world-class dirt, culture and landscape. The purpose of our trip was to film a segment for the Vancouver and Whistler-based mountain bike filmmakers, The Collective. In 2005, their self-titled debut blew the doors off of action sports films and won best cinematography at the X-Dance Action Sports Film Festival alongside the Sundance Film Festival in Park City Utah. They also captured movie of the year and best cinematography at Bike Magazine’s Video Awards. Needless to say, we had an all-star crew and cast on this trip. Our rooftop oasis featured 360-degree views of the city below and the snow-capped High Atlas Mountains on the horizon, which inevitably drew our imaginations to what lay beyond teaming Marrakech.

The crew getting ready to leave Marrakech.

Most in our group hadn’t been to Morocco and didn’t know what they were getting into. Those of us who had knew that patience and flexibility was paramount as things often happen on their own schedule. Safety was also a key issue. Hucking your carcass in Morocco was a dicey idea as proper medical facilities were basic to nil. If a rider was seriously injured it would mean a satellite phone call to a rickety helicopter and a flight to a run-down hospital with cats cruising the hallways. The nearest modern medical facilities, by Western standards, were in Spain or France. It was agreed, the riders needed to stick every stunt and ride with confidence. We wrapped up our meeting with many questions unanswered, stepped out of our door into the dizzying otherworldliness, packed the Land Rovers and drove off across the plains of Marrakech.

We drove south out of the city and climbed the Tizi-n-Tichka, North Africa’s highest pass at 2260 meters, and down the other side to the city of Ouarzazate. A sense of déjà vu is present in Ouarzazate as it’s the site of movies like as Laurence of Arabia, Gladiator and The Last Temptation of Christ. It’s also a gateway to the Sahara desert, the world’s largest. Looking out over the Sahara one can only imagine what lies between you and the other side, inexpressible solitude, endless sand dunes and one hell of an adventure to those who attempt to cross it. The other side is also deeper into Africa and other foreign worlds.

For the first few days we scoped terrain about an hour from the city in the foothills of the Atlas. The landscape was arid, large and lonely with endless ridges and big mountain lines. For a day and a half we drove, scoped, shot a few short lines, scoped some more but didn’t get our teeth into anything spectacular. In the evenings the North African light would pop, bringing features to life like a painter with his brush. Every so often a man dressed in a jalaba would saunter past us on a mule and wave, in the middle of nowhere.

Then we found a big road gap in a spectacular canyon setting. After a closer look the riders agreed that the jump was doable, but technical. The approach was a downhill roll-in, off an angled lip that would send them 25-feet above the road and 20-plus feet to the landing. It was the landing that was tricky: a steep 50-foot long off-camber shelf with a loose ball-bearing surface. They’d have to make a slight direction change in the air, then lock up the brakes upon impact, throw it sideways and hang on tight. “Look’s good. The air’s actually pretty minor,” Shandro said casually and matter-of-factly, ”it’s the technical and unpredictable run out that’s sketchy. We’ll be hauling ass coming down this landing ramp and throw in the fact that were in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of Morocco and the difficulty level goes up considerably.”

We returned early the next day and worked on the landing while the cinematographers found camera angles. As the riders rolled into the lip over and over and discussed the variables a Sheppard, his dog and fifty or so goats sauntered up the valley. What an amazing sight; a head-on collision of contrast. The Sheppard layed his walking stick down and grabbed a seat on a rock while the goats spread out to nibble on the sparse growth. The cameras were in position, the wind subsided and silence fell in the small valley. Then the call came over the radio. ”OK, im dropping in 10.” Vanderham rolled in and launched the air with total coolness, tweaked his bars in the air just as he’d planned and swooped in for touch-down. He overshot the landing by a good eight feet but stuck it. His bike let out a big ‘whomp’ when it hit the earth followed by a rush of air as he accelerated down the steep shelf. The crew erupted as whoops and howls that echoed off the canyon walls. Shandro went next and made it look easy. Hunter, who had had a close friend get seriously hurt earlier in the summer on a similar feature, dug deep within himself and stomped it. None of the riders did the air twice. 

A sheppard and his flock. Photo: Dave McDougall.

The Sheppard seemed neither here nor there about the whole spectacle. He seemed without reaction. Did he even care? Or was the sight of a bicycle flying off a cliff so otherworldly that it was beyond him? Thinking back, im not even sure if he was facing the jump or not. He might have actually chosen that spot to rest. Either way, he grabbed his stick and walked off with his goats trailing. Meanwhile, one of our drivers, Achmed, was in the distance and on his knees, facing Mecca and praying to Allah as he did five times a day.

That afternoon we feasted on tagine that our drivers had been brewing on fires. The tagine is a slow-cooked stew of meat, prune and vegetable that’s a staple in Morocco. Our driver’s genuine warmth and kind-heartedness was present all the time as they worked tirelessly for us and always with a smile. They were also fluent in Arabic, Berber and French, which made communication with all Moroccans possible. After lunch we relaxed and laughed knowing that we had some key footage in the can.

The next day we rolled up to a new location after a full day of driving and the group pilled out of the Land Rovers, eager to scope new features. Without hesitation they fanned out and descended the hillside like skiers on a powder day. This time we were in the Ouirgane Valley, a greener area in the heart of the High Atlas with staggering views of Mount Toubkal, North Africa’s highest peak at 4167 meters, It was late afternoon and the sun was filtered through a light mist creating a dreamy pastel light. With pine trees and red and eroded hills in the foreground, peaks in the distance with a hilltop town perched on its flanks, the view was reminiscent of a Tuscan oil painting except for the Muslim minaret poking out of the town like a statue.

“This place is unreal,” photographer Sterling Lorence said as he ran up a small hill to see what was on the other side. “It’s a dream landscape with the most beautiful backdrop ever. You could blast off that bush, hit this LZ, snake around that rock and pin it into the hip,” he said excitedly to Vanderham while spinning his hands as if he was holding a toy bike. Vanderham barely had time to answer and Lorence would already be on the top of another mound of dirt ten feet away inspecting the line from another angle. Lorence is a key player in the process of finding a line or feature, and shooting it. His background as a mountain biker combined with his vast experience shooting the best riders makes him a Shinobe of line dissection. 

Very comfortable digs on the edge of the Sahara.

Watching a rider fly through the air in a film is the end result of a lengthy process of many elements that come together. Initially, a line or feature is found by a rider or suggested by the photographer or cinematographer. Upon closer inspection the cameramen make sure that it receives good light at some point during the day - the best light being early morning or late afternoon. Then the crew digs and shapes the run-in, jump, and landing to ensure that the line is safe and doable. The next step is finding the best angles to shoot from, which speed to shoot the film and which lenses to use. Meanwhile the riders continue hammering out the intricacies of the feature and the variables to make sure that they nail it: speed, pop, braking, pedaling and external factors like wind and tricky surfaces to negotiate are taken into consideration. And, each line that is shot needs to be unique and fit into the rider’s segment and complement what has already been captured. Lastly, each line’s overall safety needed to be assessed, especially when working in a remote region. 

The next day we gabbed our sad and decrepit Moroccan tools and started working on the first shot: a large step-down hip jump into a step-up hip jump. The soil was firm yet workable, the perfect consistency for shaping. The in-run was fast and straightforward with a transition long enough to land a Cessna while the second jump’s landing was trickier and off camber. The whole line made for a beautiful shot: long, flowy and dynamic with endless camera angles. Hunter hit the line in his Kamloopsesque no-frills-balls-to-the-wall style. He’d chosen an alternate route off the step up where he’d land and dive down a steep technical chute. Vanderham has an uncanny way to use his body like a spring. He’d pop like a gazelle and be sailing considerably higher and further than the other riders. With his arms extended and ultra smooth style he’d table his Rocky Mountain RM7 slow and big and land it like he was hopping off a curb. Vanderham is unreal to watch. Shandro was hitting the linked airs like a knight on his white Trek Session 10, assertive and stylee.

In the distance prayer began playing from a minaret in a hillside town. The eerie barely audible droning echoed from the mountains that afternoon as our 16-millimeter cameras whirled, shutters clicked and big bikes sailed through the air.

By Chris Winter, Big Mountain Adventures.

Dreaming of Switzerland.

2013 is our 10th anniversary of trips in the Swiss Alps. Our company was built on the energy of this amazing mountain culture. This video brings us back to it's fine singletrack and sunny days.
The Biggest Bike Shuttle in the World (English) from Filme von Draussen on Vimeo.

Like photography? We do. Check this out.

30 Years of BAD Pictures from Bruce Dale on Vimeo.

Top of the world.

Great edit of Whistler Bike Park's Top of the World trail. We must admit that we felt that they'd hyped this trail a bit too much, especially considering that Europe has thousands of high-alpine trails...but it does ride really well and good, purpose-built high-alpine mountain bike trails are rare. It sure is a nice addition here in Whistler; this valley needs more alpine riding. Want to ride it next year, and a slew of other amazing trails in the area? Sign up for our Sea to Sky trip out of Vancouver.

ELEVATION - Elements of Perfection from Whistler Blackcomb on Vimeo.

Heli drop bliss.

A great edit from a private heli drop that we produced for two lucky friends from Colorado who won the "Why I Ride" contest from Sombrio clothing. Check this one out.
Biking Pemberton, BC with Sombrio Cartel and Big Mountain Bike Adventures from Auston Wilson on Vimeo.

Whistler & Pemerton trail riding video with Chromag

Check out this easy to watch trail riding video shot in Whistler and nearby Pemberton with Chromag riders.
Trail Boss on Pinkbike

Ride big. Get free goodies.

We're quite excited to be givin' away some fine schwag from our very fine sponsors this summer! Join us in Nepal mountain bike trip and you can enjoy your new Contour HD camera, join us on our BC Sea to Sky trip and receive a free Chromag OSX bars and Trailmaster saddle and finally come on up to the Yukon on our Midnight Sun trip and we'll give you a pair of fresh Smith Optics shades. Ride...Big!

New Nepal video.

A quick edit from our fall 2011 Nepal mountain bike trip, Himalaya Heights. Enjoy!


Nepal mountain biking. from big mountain on Vimeo.

Ride High Alpine Singletrack in Switzerland.

We're really proud of this segment from Anthill Films' latest movie Strength in Numbers which we helped produce. Want to ride Switzerland next summer? Give us a call. The riding in Switzerland is amazing and this clip captures it perfectly. Enjoy.

7 Facts about Switzerland.

7 Facts about Switzerland.

1. Monks and clergy were the first true pioneers of alpine exploration in the Swiss Alps. The earliest recorded ascent of a prominent peak was in 1387 when six priests bagged 2132 meter Pilatus and were promptly thrown in jail for breaking the law. It's no longer illegal to climb mountains in die Schweitz.

2. Switzerland is home to the highest peaks, largest glaciers and deepest valleys in the European Alps.

Trail carved out of rock in Zermatt.

3. Switzerland has over 37, 000 miles of singletrack.

4. One of the most appealing aspects of riding in the Swiss Alps is the mixture of cultural and natural beauty which blends smoothly. And the cheese and chocolate that is consumed during every meal.

5. Switzerland has the highest vineyard in Europe, the Visperterminen, Valais, at 3949 feet. The Italians are trying to beat this with a newly planted vineyard in Cortina that's 100 meter higher.

Ryan Bowland and the Aletch glacier.

6. Europe's longest glacier is the Aletch in the Valais, 14 miles long.

7. Switzerland has 48 peaks over 4000 meters, more than any other country in Europe. France's Mont Blanc is Europe's highest peak at 4808 meters.

Perspectives: from shop mechanic to professional guide

From some of the highest zones in the Alps, to the prairie foothills of Calgary, the last few years of my mountain bike career has been an incredible journey. I’ve gone from wrenching on bikes and dreaming of travel, to living in some of the most spectacular riding zones in the world, and taking on the head guide position for the industry’s leader in adventure travel. To stay active and relevant in Calgary’s cycling community, I’ve involved myself with organizing movie premiere’s and events, but organizing Anthill Films’ latest flick, Strength in Numbers was easily the most rewarding.

Calgary premiere. I think i'll stick around for Miss Bala at 9pm, sounds like a great show.

 

A full section of Strength in Numbers was filmed with Big Mountain Bike Adventures, in the Valais region of Switzerland. The trails and people captured are experiences and familiar faces i’m proud to call some of my own. From the Pellissier family of the Hotel la Vallee in Lourtier, to co-workers Chris Winter and Wade Simmons. The epic trails and memories of Switzerland were captured beautifully by the Anthill crew, and I was lucky enough to be around to see these boys hard at work.

Mountain biker crowd: 1 girl, 34 guys.

 

During my time with the 2011 Alpenrock DH trips, Matt Hunter, Wade Simmons, and the Anthill crew landed in Switzerland to film this section of their movie, and share a our beautiful hotel with the guests. They met up with Verbier local Ludovic May, and between heli-time and sunrise/sunset shoots, were pinned what seemed like 24 hours a day. Watching these professionals go after their shared vision was nothing short of inspirational. To be able to personally know these trails, see the Anthill team working on them, and then third see the area captured in the greatest film of the year, was an incredible viewpoint

Stephen Matthews on the mic!

 

BigMountain Bike Adventures was a fantastic and perfect sponsor for a nearly sold out show. We packed in the seats and flooded the crowd with prizes. The movie was special to me because it showed a process that i’ve personally seen work. First thing is to get out there, become involved in the scene you love, and then seize the opportunities presented. In the future, it may give you a completely unique perspectives that no one else will ever have.

Words Stephen Matthews.

Preparing for your dream trip.

Our friends at VeloNews magazine recently published a special issue called Ultimate Ride Guide. Are you going on a mountain bike trip this year or planning one for 2013? Here are some handy tips on prepping for your big mountain bike adventure.

Pre-trip Training.

One of the biggest mistakes riders make it to approach a cycling trip like a final exam. You can’t pile on the training workload at the last minute like you're cramming for a test, it won’t work; you’ll just end up exhausted and slower than you were two weeks easlier. Instead, plan for your final high-volume and / or high-intensity training week to end 10-14 days before you leave for your trip. Whatever fitness you have at that last point is what youre going to have for your trip, and nothing you do in thsose final 10 days is going to give you more power or endurance. While you could say “the hay is in the barn” about 10 days out from departure, there are still plenty of ways you can burn the barn to the ground. Your actions and habits over those final 10 days can absolutely impact how rested and fresh you are for your mountain bike holiday, and that can have a significant influence on how much of your power you’re able to apply on the trail when it counts. You have to back off the number of hours you spend on the bike, but continue incorporating high-intensity efforts in those shorter and less frequent rides.

Your travel day.

Get a good nights sleep: don’t wait until the night before your trip to pack. You don’t want to be up until 1am packing and then have to wake up at 4:30 to get to the airport. The more rested you are for your travel day, the less stress you’ll place on your body as you endure the progression of planes, trains and automobiles the next day.

Eat clean.

There’s a lot of crappy food between your house and your final destination. You’ll feel better by avoiding heavy, high-fat options. To keep it simple, focus on consuming primarily water, raw fruits and vegetables and nuts during your travel day.

Stay clean.

You’ve been preparing for this trip for a long time so why risk it by picking up an illness in transit? Wash your hands frequently and keep them away from your face as much as possibly.

Pack for the worse-case scenario.

If the entire purpose of your trip is to be able to ride your bike at the other end, carry your helmet, shoes and pedals and one cycling kit in your carry-on. If your bike gets lost you can rent/borrow one. If your lugguage gets lost, at least you’ve got on complete kit and clothes on your back.

Getting the most out of your bike trip.

One of the best traval habits you can get into is to build your bike and go out for a 30-45 minute easy spin as soon as you arrive at your destination. You’re accomplishing a few things at once: you’re making sure that bike survived the baggage handlers’ best effofrts to destroy it, youre working out the stiffness and fluid retention issues associated with airline travel, and light exersive hels minimuze the impart of jet lag if you’ve crossed time zones. Don’t be the person who drives the pace or goes pounding up ever climb on Day 1 of a week-long trip, becsue no one wants to have to wait up for you on Day 5. If you have the opportunity to plan ahead, make Day 3 the big day of your trip, you’ve got a few days under your belt so you’ll feel smooth on the bike, but not so many miles in your legs that you’re suffering from excessive fatigue.

Above all, try and keep your trip in perspective. Most likely, you only get one big mountain bike vacation in a year, so do your best to let go of all the multitasking you normally do. Be a cyclist for a week, immerse yourself in the sport you love and soak in the sunshine, the scenery and the company of great friends. Ride as hard or as easy as you want, but do your best to disconnect from the numbers on your handlebars and connect with the human experience that only riding a mountain bike can provide.

Find a treasure in Iceland.

The Skógafoss is one of the biggest waterfalls in the country with a width of 25 metres (82 feet) and a drop of 60 m (200 ft). Due to the amount of spray the waterfall consistently produces, a single or double rainbow is normally visible on sunny days. According to legend, the first Viking settler in the area, Þrasi Þórólfsson, buried a treasure in a cave behind the waterfall. A local boy found the chest years later, but was only able to grasp the ring on the side of the chest before it disappeared again. We may not find this treasure, but while mountain biking Iceland we'll surely find our own treasures. Want to join us in Iceland 2012? We're excited about this trip. Click here for all the details.

The Skogafoss waterfall, just one of the many amazing sights in Iceland.

Olleros, Peru: the best trail on the planet?

The brief stats: 56 km, starting at 12, 500 feet and ending on the Pacific shore. This trail is absolutely unreal...natural berms, pump track features, buttery corners, perfect jumps and amazing views...that go on for hours! Want to mountain bike Peru? Click HERE for our Unforgettable Andes all-mountain trip and HERE for our DH departures. Trust us, Peru is shangri-la for mountain bikers.

weather forecast: san jose, costa rica

Hmmm. Are you craving some dirt beneath your tires and warm sunshine on your face in the next few weeks or months? If you love mountain biking, and can appreciate quality singletrack and want to head south for a week or downhill mountain biking or cross-country mountain biking, then let us know. Here's the weather forecast for San Jose Costa Rica in the next few days...pura vida eh!

Happy New Year mountain bikers!

Wishing you, your family and friends a fantastic year ahead...filled with perfect singletrack, howl out loud descents and amazing experiences while mountain biking. Cheers!

Another day, another potentially great ride.

Winter Fun!