#followcamfriday squirrel lording with The Free Radicals and Braydon Bringhurst. Whistler's most popular alpine trail. 

I seem to get a lot of requests to film this trail when I ask the question- "what do you want to see in Whistler". So here you go, people of the interwebs. I present to you, Lord of the Squirrels. King of the squids. Master of puppets. Zebras in a cage. 

If I am being honest, this isn't my favorite trail in Whistler. It contradicts everything I love about riding in the alpine. Let me explain...

Don't get me wrong, this trail is super fun. That said, I couldn't be bothered to ride bench-cut, bike park style trails in the alpine. The reason I ride in the alpine is to escape that style of trail. It just seems very manufactured to me. Quite the contrast to normal alpine riding that is actually natural. And hard. It just seems very out of place to me, considering where we are. I mean, look at those views. You could drive a subaru up the climb trail to access them. 

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Due to the difficulty of access, most alpine riding is devoid of people. That is part of the appeal. An escape. When you build a 3 meter wide climb-trail to the top, it is accessible by anyone with a bicycle and a little bit of fitness. Now I completely get it, trails are meant to be shared, and beginners make my job possible. Somehow this all seems a little out of place, on the top of a mountain in Whistler. Everything I am trying to escape, is up here. So very strange. This is an artificial alpine experience to me. It's like going to the zoo or on a safari to me. Not quite like being out in the wild. But like I stated, it's still fun. A zebra in a cage is still a zebra. 

Braydon, The Free Radicals, and myself did this ride on a busy day during Crankworx, hoping to escape the madness of the village and work off our hangovers a bit. While we did sober up a hair, we did not escape the madness unfortunately. I can't really complain, I don't even live here. But, I do live in a tourist town and plan rides to avoid the masses on occasion. I have never seen so many people on a trail outside of a bike park. We still had the time of our lives, don't misunderstand me. It's just weird. I myself am to blame for making trails popular, so I really cannot bitch. It's partially my fault, and the fault of the current state of social media and how people consume information. But that is another story for another day... End rant. 

What I remember the most about rides anymore are the people I am with. Always a pleasure to chase Will and Mark around and make Braydon bonk after riding every day, all day, at Crankworx. That first-time Whistler stoke finally got the best of Braydon. Kudos for living your best life while in Whistler. Leaving on your death-bed is a proper exit. Good thing the Free Rad's were having a rest day. Just a casual 5K eh. 

It should be noted that I am still in awe of the current moisture levels after the last two smokey summers, here in Whis. I think we can all breathe a collective sigh of relief and appreciate the moisture. See what I did there? Black and green, blasting through the forest. As it should be. Where will followcamfriday turn up next?

#followcamfriday riding the Whistler Bike Park with Braydon Bringhurst. Prepare to be amazed. 

This is a proper reminder to do things your own way.  While most things have been done before, it is all too easy to copy someone else's style. This applies to all things in life. While imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, creativity is king. Braydon has a style,  all his own. 

When the person you are filming is backwards and only has one foot on the pedals. Jra for Braydon. Fun is first and Mr. Bringhurst is bringing the party. 
Follow Braydon on the IG's
HERE

Those down-valley views tho.... This is the first time I have been here for Crankworx in a couple of years where you could actually see the valley. Consistent moisture has kept the fires at bay and the trails perfect this year. How refreshing. Quite literally. No more smoking darts and riding bikes. 

This was Braydon's first trip to Whistler. We had the talk. You know the one. It basically goes like this. Chill the fuck out, don't kill yourself first run.... Fortunately this man's "chill" is still next-level, for your viewing pleasure. It was impressive to see how fast Braydon got his head around the lines in the park and rode them in his own unique way.  

And yes, the new Dirt Merchant is all that it is cracked up to be. Extra bonus points for nose-presses. If you need me, I'll just be spinning laps on this beauty.  The trail crew here never ceases to amaze. 

I think I will be staying up here for a while. How could I not? With Crankworx in the rear view mirror and a continued smattering of moisture, fall is lining up to be perfect. My what a year it has been, Nate is a fortunate boy. Maybe I should explore Squamish a bit. Any recommendations?

#followcamfriday from Green's Creek in Salida with special guest, Rajesh Magar. 

I couldn't think of a better way to welcome RJ to our country. Green's Creek is easily on my top 10 in the world list, so this seemed like a logical stop on the way back from the Yeti Tribe Gathering. It's not every day that you get to share one of your favorite trails with a celebrity.

Have a look at this gem of a film from Joey Schusler. If you are not familiar with RJ's story, this is a brilliant watch. This one really put some things into perspective for me. RJ is a legend. 

Got rocks? Bucking today's monotony of smooth, flow-trails, Green's remains as rough as ever. Perhaps that is why this trail is so near and dear to my heart. This is basically a fist-fight the entire way. Oh yeah, and it is more than 25 minutes long, without any breaks, at race pace. Prepare to get reduced. I have raced this one a few times and I am not sure that I can think of a harder stage to race. Humbling, to say the least. 

As we began the descent, it took all of 5 seconds for me to realize that RJ was on the program. Slapping turns, laughing, jumping everything. It is amazing to me that people from opposite corners of the world can have such a similar eye for terrain. Same team. Brother from another mother. 

I cannot recall a time when RJ didn't have a shit-eating grin on his face. I mean, how could you not? With Joey at the helm, I was impressed at how fast RJ was able to make sense of terrain he has never ridden. The smile is 10 seconds faster in every situation. Never not. 

Maybe this is why they named this one "Green's" A record winter and continued spring moisture have the green levels peaking. Such a relief to see this, instead of 
"fire season", that is unfortunately becoming the norm. This particular stretch of aspen forest is as good as it gets. I need to get back out there when the trees start to change in another month. 

It wouldn't be the Colorado High-country without some proper stream crossings. Get wet! As I type these words, I find myself in Whistler. The contrast between this sort of riding and the chaos that is Crankworx, couldn't be more pronounced. Don't get me wrong, I love Whistler, but it is pretty hard to beat a solid romp in the mountains with a good group of friends. You can have a drink or two, post ride, wherever you are in the world. They just cost more in Whistler. And the line at the GLC is brutal. 

There is no other day like "new bike day" Proper shake out in the Telluride alpine with Joey, Jon and Nate. #followcamfriday

I have built a bunch of new bikes lately. If I am being honest, I barely have the time to ride them all, between traveling, filming, racing, and typing these words. I am definitely not complaining, because after all, these are good problems to have. I built my 140 a couple of weeks ago and was excited, to say the least, to give her a proper rip in the alpine.

When Joey Schusler isn't busy traveling the world and making films about his addiction to adventure, he is bringing the streets to the alpine. Always a pleasure to ride with, Joey is special. It has been far too long since we had done a proper ride in the alpine together. Finding time is hard for both of us, but I am glad that we made this happen. Like getting the band back together. 

Our squad was made up of myself, Joey, and two Telluride locals, Jonathan Yaseen and Nate Smith. These guys were stoked to get a ride in the alpine after an epic winter that left meters of snow on their favorite trail. Our timing was perfect, and the "Weenie Wasatch" was just melting out. Jon owns a bar in town called "There". Where? Yeah, There. If you are looking for a proper cocktail, this is the place. Pisco Sour anyone? Definitely check it out if you are in Telluride
THERE 

I had not been to Telluride since racing the last Mountain States Cup event there in 2012. What have I been doing with my life? Telluride is hard to get to, and that is perhaps what keeps this place so good. You have to try really hard to get here for a weekend if you live in the Front Range. Perfect for weeding out the crowds on the weekends. I bet the skiing is good too. 

Loose as. There is only one way if you are Joey Schusler. 

Views with the Bru's. Focus grasshopper, you actually can fall down the hill on this one. Long live rustic alpine trails. While this  is not a bike park, it should be noted however, that the Telluride Bike Park is building new trails and fixing up some of the classics. Nice work Telluride, keep it up!

Where will #followcamfriday turn up next? Only time will tell, but this trip will be hard to beat. Keep it locked right here for sweet biking action. 

#followcamfriday visiting the historic Mount 7 psychosis track with the Kiwi contingent. Good luck. 

Know your history, nerds. Mount 7 last hosted the Psychosis race in 2008. At the time, and still to this very day, it is regarded as one of the hardest tracks to ever race a DH bike on. Bars were narrower, bikes were heavier and men were manlier. Despite having $10K, state of the art, carbon space ship MTB's, we still didn't come close to Sam's winning time. What have we learned? Skills over bills. 

In case you were unsure of the pitch, here is a catch-net so save your body from flinging itself off of a cliff. I wonder how many people have ended up in this thing. I didn't bother, or should I say, actually couldn't stop to see what was behind that thing, but I am guessing it is not pretty. Stay left. Ignorance is bliss. 

The top of Dead Dog is a scree chute. Don't get too cocky of you make it down that in one piece, the trail only gets steeper and more slippery once you make it into the trees. If you make it into the trees... The tree section was wet when we rode it, bad choice, but there is no time like the present. To put this in perspective, bot Kiwi's opted for gloves on this day. I have never seen such a thing. 

The drop in is enough of a squirrel catcher to keep 99% of the people from dropping in. Basically dropping off the edge of the world. Nope, you can't see the bottom. The tourists that we passed by as we rolled in were in disbelief, clutching their iPhones, documenting the gnar. Tag us on IG, tourists. Made their vacation. 

If I had a dollar every time someone said "the GoPro makes things look flat" I wouldn't be typing these words. GoPro effect in full effect as Nigel tries to not die. Basically, the accepted technique is try and go as slow as possible. Turns out that is still too fast. 

Tom Bradshaw. Kiwi legend. Dirt suit model. No fucks given. Standing on the paraglider launch ramp offers hella views to the valley below. Just 1800 meters below. What could go wrong? 

So, good luck. Sam Hill holds the track record at just under 13 minutes. honorable mentions to Stevie Smith and Tyler Morland for holding it down for Canada. I should mention that it is worth googling "Mount 7 Psychosis" and going down that rabbit hole. A word of caution though, you will feel like less of a man, after you do. 2008 has come and gone and these guys are still faster than you, by a mile, on what would be considered "unrideable" bikes, by today's Pinkbike audience. I mean, they had 26" wheels....