Always ride in the rain. #followcamfriday from the best bike park on earth with Braedyn Kozman. Keeping things moist for your Friday. 

Most people have a different attitude when the rain is falling and the skies are grey. Personally, this is my happy place. Perfect moody fog, perfect lack of shadows, perfect for "getting the shot" in my world. Oh yeah, and the dirt is best-ever too. Added bonus. Most reasonable would be sipping a hot toddy by the fire and talking about that one time they rode Crank It Up. Not us... 

You see, increased moisture levels mean increased stoke levels in our world. Symbiotic relationship. Basically, we are frothing.
Enter Braedyn Kozman. Braedyn is 22, lives in Whistler and spends most of his time riding around on his rear wheel and jumping sketchy gaps when he is not coaching kids in the park. One super-grom, passing on the skills to the mini-groms. Rad. I can't even imagine being a kid growing up in Whistler.  

Fall in Whistler is something special. Once the chaos of Crankworx dies down, things get back to normal. Dry dirt is replaced by hero traction and my liver gets a much needed break from "keeping the streak alive". Thanks for making me an alcoholic, Free Radicals. Owe you one. 

Basic bridge right? Cedar has amazing grip when wet. Good thing for us because the possibility to be upside-down is ever-present when riding in these conditions. All part of the fun I guess. 

Now, if we could just get Dirt Merchant to open back up. I check the trail status at least three times daily.... Every time I ride Freight Train, I have a look to the left, hoping for that rope to be missing from the entrance to my favorite trail. Still waiting Whistler. Love your work. Trying so hard to be patient. 

If you need me, I'll be in Whistler for a couple more weeks. The leaves are just starting to change and the smell of fall is in the air. The taste of loam is in my mouth. I'll be piloting my Loamborghini through the woods until I am loamatose. Hopefully I survive loamlife.

The kids are alright, the future is bright. #followcamfriday from Sol Mountain Lodge in Revelstoke, BC with groms.

What were you doing when you were 14? If you are old like me, you were probably playing video games and still peeing the bed. Things are a bit different in the Monashees. Seth and Ryan are out here shredding on the daily. Some would call them "lucky". In reality, these kids work really hard to make this a reality. 

You see, in addition to riding every day, these kids are building trail. This is part of the BC culture and is refreshing to see at such a young age. These kids have had their hands in a great deal of the newly constructed trail surrounding Sol Mountain Lodge. Their dad Aaron, operator of the lodge, wouldn't have it any other way. Work hard, play hard. 

This was my first time visiting Sol and I was absolutely blown away. This ski lodge, turned bike lodge, is located south of Revelstoke in the Monashee Mountains, known best for its legendary powder skiing. As the climate changes, lodge operators are staying ahead of the curve by offering summer activities that have a premium feel. Why not play in these beautiful mountains year-round?

Always bring Ted Morton with you to test the stunts. Ted is still  a "grom" in my eyes, and makes for a perfect crash-test-dummy. What you can't see in this photo is the 40ft drop, to his left. And yes, he jumped that gap in the rock to get out there. 

The views up here are amazing. Alpine lakes and rock slabs for days. I can't think of a better place to spend a couple of days, exploring the alpine.
Sol Mountain Lodge Info Here

Not bad. 

So basically, if you see Seth and Ryan out there, give them some nucks. These kids are the future. Work hard, play hard. I can only imagine what they can do when this place is covered in a blanket of snow, and the bikes are traded for skis. Wu-Tang is for the children. 
​Keep it locked right here for more Canadian escapades. 

Call it out if you have a better one... Fish Creek delivering the tech. Not sure how we made it without anything breaking... #followcamfriday with James

So.... this is our first lap ever of the notorious Fish Creek Falls trail in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. This is probably the most technical trail in the state that I can recall riding. Let me know if you have a better one. I am in amazement of what my bicycle is capable of in these situations. 

And it certainly doesn't hurt to have James leading the charge. Making sense of the puzzle is Mr. Weingarten's forte. A bit of finesse will get you through most situations as it turns out. Same rules apply to life in general. Better to go in smooth than just ram it... 

Hikers make the best trails. I could give a shit about riding smooth flow trail if it does not involve jumping. The hikers that frequent Fish Creek have done an amazing job of eroding and brading the absolute shit out of this one. Perfect in my book, the rougher the better. There are one million line choices on here, a thinking man's trail,  if you will.  Everyone was amazingly nice too. I think they may have been amazed that we were riding down this thing. Nice folk. 

I would definitely recommend picking an earlier or later time of day to check this one out. This is one of the most popular hiking trails in the state. With scenery like this, that all makes perfect sense. But yes, it's a complete tourist trap in the middle of the day. To reiterate, everyone was super nice, and so were we, so everything worked out. A little bit of a friendly "hello" goes such a long way. Nothing but smiles and good vibes. 

This section was particularly interesting. Basically a carved-out rock channel to get through the steep cliffs. We got some good cheers and strange looks as we rode through. Maybe people were waiting for us to crash like your typical NASCAR fan in the Deep South. Maybe people were genuinely stoked that we could casually ride this section that they could barely walk... I prefer to believe the later explanation. 

Next time you find yourself near Steamboat and are up for a challenge, give this a rip. Grouse is really good too. Fish Creek is more natural and takes the cake in my book. You will break things, and you will see people, but you can thank me later. 
If you clean it top to bottom first go, I owe you a beer. Best of luck frothers. 

When was the last time you rode your bike in Steamboat? #followcamfriday bringing you the course preview of next weekend's Revolution Enduro Event. Come on out and support local racing! Throw things. Heckle. 

There is a 2-day, 8 stage enduro race happening in Steamboat on August 18-19 2018. Info HERE. There is still time to register for the party. Haven't ridden in Steamboat? Time for a vacation. Treat yo self. 

If I am being honest, Steamboat has never really been a destination for me, due to its lack of technical trail opportunities. Steamboat is beautiful, scenic, absolutely stunning really, but relatively smooth. If you read this blog, you will know that I prefer to fight with rocks than cruise on buff singletrack or flow trail. Enter Grouse..... Haven't ridden it? Just wait. 

I just knew there was good riding hiding somewhere in the boat. Grouse blew us away. James and myself live for this sort of riding and were amazed at this masterpiece of tech. In my eyes, Steamboat has been the least progressive when it comes to mountain biking in Colorado in the last 15 years. This one changed our perception. More of this please. 

Always a pleasure to meet other enthusiasts on trail. James tests out one of the many rock booters that litter the upper section of Grouse. This descent will be broken into two stages and when combined with BTR, will make for a solid 3-stage, day 1. 

And yes, there are go-arounds for all of the consequential features. Not that we rode any of those, but they are out there. This race is not meant to be intimidating, but rather, inclusive. Everyone can ride this trail, everyone will have fun. The bonus features aren't really faster anyway,  just more interesting.....

Day 2 of this race will be in the bike park, traversing through the widely spaced aspens that Steamboat is known for. 

Did I mention that Steamboat is scenic? Basically the perfect ribbon of singletrack, leading you delicately into the aspens. This is what you might find on a post card. Do they still have post cards? This is what you might find in an Insta Story..... 

As a man who appreciates some good Mexican food, the taco cart at the bottom of the mountain will not let you down.  These tacos get an 8 out of 10 on my internal taco scale. 

And this is precisely why I like riding with James. Everything is rideable. Everything is a jump. Pull up. You know the deal. The older we get, the more we act like children. Yay bikes. 

Classic #lovesbackwheel situations. Pavement is just an opportunity to use half of your wheels. Unicycle world championship coming soon. Keep it locked right here!

Round up 450 of your closest friends, ride some bikes, drink some tequila. Pretty simple really. #followcamfriday from the chaos of the 17th annual Yeti Tribe Gathering

What the hell is Tribe? Well, let me explain.... Every mountain biker I know likes a good party as much as a good trail. These two experiences go hand in hand for most. It's so much easier to just have "one more" beer if you earned those calories on the trail right? All the convincing I need!

The person you see above is doing Tribe to the fullest. Anything worth doing is definitely worth over doing, or so they say. After riding all day, eating food and having a sporty cocktail or two at elevation, the fun really begins. These bikes are way harder to ride than they look. 

Much like the entire state of Colorado, the Snowmass Bike Park is dry as. As in, driest I have ever seen it in 12 years. Dry as. This makes my job harder, more dangerous, and way more interesting. Its like riding with pants on your head. I was hit in the face with roost on multiple occasions. Life well lived. 

Michael Larsen making squares of the curves and filling my mouth with sand in the process. The sand box always wins. Hold it wide, let it slide, come in tight, berm goodnight. Fucking poetry. Sand in my potty mouth. 

This was the 17th annual Tribe Gathering,  only my third, and certainly not my last. Sarah Rawley has been responsible for this event, basically from its inception. It's her baby. She sets her clock by it. More logistics to manage than UPS. Huge cheers to Sarah, Chris and Hoog for putting on the premier bike party in Colorado. This is a consumer appreciation event and is living proof that Yeti is more than just a bicycle producer. Its a squadron of rad people who are recreating in the woods properly. Thanks for having us!

Liz Cunningham, first in line to the gun show and for the  margarita line. Firearms ready for battle. #ladyshred squad game tight. I owe you a beer if you can keep up with Liz. Best of luck friends. 

Chris Heath, legend of sport. "Retired from racing" still kicking my ass on every occasion possible. Now that Chris has a family and chooses to focus more on that, he spends his free time riding faster than he ever has. There is a lesson in there somewhere.
Where will #followcamfriday travel to next? Only time will tell. Stacking miles for your viewing satisfaction.