Back by popular demand, I present to you more Whiskey Mike and Tom Sampson from everyones favorite steep trail Mecca, Nelson, New Zealand. #followcamfriday. Accept no substitutions. 

Te Ara Koa, Nelson's version of a "flow" trail. I guess when most of the trails in Nelson are true fall-line skidders, this qualifies as a flow trail. If this was in the States, this would be considered a tech trail with a sign at the top warning people that they may die. I normally I avoid trails with the word "flow" in them like the plague. Let me explain. 

I enjoy challenge. Mountain biking is hard. I don't need to feel like a hero on every ride. I like trails to have sections that I cannot clean. Being humbled is good, it builds character and skill. Braking bumps make smile and rocks that try to break my carbon wheels are my idea of a party. Normally, "flow" trails have none of those things. And if I am being honest, I couldn't be bothered to ride those trails. 

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I get it. We need flow trails. Scaring people away from out sport is definitely not the direction for growth. Hell, I wouldn't have a job if everyone hated mountain biking because it was to hard. I get it, I really do. But homogenized, sanitized, flow trails just don't do it for me personally.  Have you seen what are bikes are capable of? Frankly, it's amazing. Trails don't need to be sidewalks. 

And that brings us to Te Ara Koa. Whiskey Mike is demonstrating proper last second crash-avoidance outrigger techniques here. This trail has flow, but still presents challenges. There are roots, rocks, and hard flat-track turns everywhere. Hardly any berms. I guess the takeaway is that the trail builders in Nelson know what's up. This is a blue run that is hard to ride fast, has tech and has some flowy fast sections. Nothing overly steep or scary, but hard to ride fast. Good work boys! Turns out you don't need to remove all the rocks and roots to boost peoples egos. A solid intermediate can make it down this track with a huge grin and a sense of self-accomplishment, and we can shred. Everyone wins. 

So next time you hit something so hard that you flat, cherish that rock. If you remove that rock, you loose. If you learn to jump over that rock, you win. Avoiding things that are hard in life will get you absolutely nowhere. Same for bikes. Instead of complaining about brake bumps, skid thru them and make them bigger. Steve Wentz just smiled.  I mean, have you seen the modern mountain bike? It is built to hack holes and smash into things. Embrace it. It's a great time to be a mountain biker. 
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Nelson perfection from the top of Te. Would you just look at it. If you made it this far, thanks for reading my rant. Don't take anything I say seriously. I am just looking for some slippery roots to crash on. I will continue to try and make my life as hard as possible and hopefully learn something along the way. 

Follow Cam Friday from Nelson, NZ  on Maitai Face with the legend that is Whiskey Mike. 

When I asked Mike where he got his nickname from, he basically smiled and mentioned that he may, or may not have had some good times with a certain brown beverage. As delicious as whiskey is, I can say that it has never really been a friend of mine. I am more of a beer guy... And tequila. Lots of tequila. 

After having the pleasure of riding with Whiskey last year, I had naturally assumed that his nickname came from his reckless style on the bike. Got some fucks to give? Mike does not. Throttle open at all times. Loose as. After riding around Nelson a bit, this style makes perfect sense. In order to make it down some of these tracks, you have to be okay with your rear wheel swapping around a bit. That is normal. 

Whiskey is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. He was more than happy to tour myself and Tom Sampson around Nelson on some of his favorites. We did a shuttle day with Gravity Nelson and banged out 7 laps of steep, tech, natural  trail. These trails don't have berms and are not sanitized or user friendly. How refreshing! I could definitely live in Nelson. 

 Mike and his wife started YUM Granola a few years ago and set up shop in a shipping container in their driveway. I have a ton of respect for people that build a business from nothing. These guys make some of the best granola in the world. Check out YUM  HERE
Careful though, if you order some, you will be addicted. Your next bad habit. Don't blame me. 

Back wheel love. Mike has a style all his own. Witnessing debris flying off of Mike's rear wheel is a normal occurrence. If you ride close enough, some of the debris may hit you in the face. Don't worry, that is normal. JRA. Scandinavian flicks and nose picks go together like peanut butter and jelly. 

Back to the top for another please. Keep it locked right here as the New Zealand odyssey continues. Yup, still snowing in Colorado. 

Jake and I found out quickly why this Queenstown NZ classic is named "Slip Saddle" Wet as bro #followcamfriday

Slip Saddle is accessed off of Coronet Peak after a 20 minute climb. It then descends to Arrowtown where coffee and ice cream await. We raced this track as part of the Trans NZ enduro a few days prior. Conditions were moody and foggy. Perfect.

Fellow Yeti athlete Jake Paddon is on the hunt. Look for him smashing EWS races this season. When he is not eating ice cream of course. This section of the track was very steep and technical. I was definitely balling him up here. 

Stream crossing number 37. Not really sure how my camera gear survived any of this. The lower part of this track reminds me of Agate Creek on Monarch Pass in Colorado. It's basically a trail that runs next to a river in a valley, that can't decide which side it should be on. My shoes are still wet. 

Always scandi around trees. This is proper turn initiation technique. Please pay attention. You have been doing it wrong for all of these years. If you want your bike to drop into a turn, set it up opposite of where you are trying to go...

We rode this a couple of days after Trans NZ ended, knowing full-well that we were still throttled from the race. The only thing motivating us was the reward if ice cream at Patagonia in Arrowtown. Ice Cream for breakfast, yes please. 

Every 4200' descent should end at the pub. Throw in 50 of your closest mates and you have a party. #followcamfriday mini Megavalanche practice. 

Every day at closing, Cardrona Bike Park does a little thing they call "Peak to Pub". Basically, you send it from top to bottom with all of your friends and grab a beer in the valley below. We may have had a 60 person train going. The bar, which is apparently the oldest in the country, was closed for a wedding unfortunately. Instead, we ate ice cream. Congratulations, newly weds. 

Yes, Matt Wood is wearing a KFC kit that he paid 29$ for. TLD pj's got nothing on the Colonel... And yes, he is passing Tom Sampson on the outside for good measure. Seems appropriate when dressed like this. Fried chicken gives you wings. 

Moisture levels on fleek. If you look closely, you can see roost hitting me in the face from Tom's rear tire. Right where you want to be. Stoke levels are already dangerously high. Throw some hero dirt in the mix and we are reaching critical froth. 

Rule number one of riding with your friends on wide trails-  Make as many salty passes as possible. You are next Ben Duke, I'm coming for you. Once I get past the Colonel, that is.... Glutenous amounts of fried chicken have left little room for passing. Good strategy. 

French lines in the fog. There really is nothing better that I can think of than riding 10 wide down a hill. Witnessing your friends almost rag-dolling in every direction is absolutely priceless. Patiently waiting for that wheel-eating hole to come out of nowhere. Seriously, this will be burned into my memory for ever. 

Just 4200' from here to the bottom. What could go wrong? No-one even flatted... I will try harder next time. Keep it locked right here for more NZ action. It's still snowing in Colorado. Sure is hard to film mountain bike movies when I am skiing...