#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.... 

#followcamfriday fifth and final stop on my tour across Northern BC. Put Valemount on your short list. 

I have ridden many bike parks in my day, and this one is right up there with the best of the best. Not to be confused with Valmont in Boulder, Valemount lies near the BC / Alberta border, just south of Banff National Park. How such a small town can sustain such an amazing trail network is beyond me. Impressive, to say the least. 

 Circus stunts or bike park features.... You be the judge. Any time you can pass over the top of your squad, on trail, you are winning. These trails have been thoughtfully created. The attention to detail is obvious from the second you point your bike downhill. You can support the trails HERE 

Synchronized park riding. Because everything is better with a squad. I was fortunate to get a proper tour from Conor, Glenn and Jacob. Rad Army has these trails on lock. 

Turns out that your hands are worthless. Hands are for slowing down and maintaining control. Two things that are less important than the send. 

Living life correctly means almost touching your friend's back wheel in mid air. If it looks close on my GoPro, I am basically tire buzzing. Fortunately Jacob whipped right, as I was sneaking under on the left. Timing is everything friends. 

Glenn King has more ups than you. At least 1 meter higher than everyone else on this particular jump. That is three feet for you 'Mericans. Where will #FollowCamFriday turn up next? Canadian withdrawal hitting hard!

No worries eh, welcome to Canada. #followcamfriday hunting for wet-wood-jank. Prince George delivering the goods.

Stop 4 from my tour across Route 16, exploring the lesser known spots in Northern BC.  You can learn more about the Ride North initiative HERE

Glenn King, Conor Sproull, and Graeme Paterson were kind enough to give me the tour of their local spot, Pidherny. This place has more wood than you can shake a stick at. It is all remarkably well-built and rides well, even in the wet. Which was a good thing because it rained heaps, upon my arrival to town. Moisture levels on fleek. 

Always pull up, never not. Glenn knows the deal. The young shredder vibe is alive and well in town. All the dudes at the local bike shop rip and are keen to hit big jumps. All is well in the world. As long as the kids just want to hit jumps and don't actually like to pedal uphill, everything is right in the world. As it should be. 

Sideways is the right way. You can definitely jump over your friends on the lower section of Ditch Pig. The gist of the game is to get as many people in the air at that same time as possible. We had 3. You can do better. If you can buzz the tire of the person you are following, they buy you a beer. Have fun. 

Most Americans have a great disdain for wood. I rather enjoy it. Most people hate on things that they suck at, as a general rule of thumb. "That track had too much pedaling"..... You suck at climbing. "That track was too tech".... You suck at riding downhill. I just try and embrace all of the trails, and ride them all mediocrely. Jack of all trades, master of none theory.  

Yeah BC forest. Brown and green make the trails slappy and mean. Prince George received its first rain in a while, upon my arrival, leaving the conditions perfect for shredding. I am not sure how it is possible, but I have timed my visit just right. Breaking my streak that is normally a day late and a dollar short. Let's keep those moisture levels up and keep "fire season" at bay. 

Check out the boys from Rad Army HERE!!. They are a crew based out of PG, representing all things sweet in bicycling. Sometimes they even do merch, so go give them a follow on the IG and buy some socks because your feet smell. 

This trail nomenclature made me smile. I grew up in New England, eating clam chowder. Interestingly enough, the "r" is silent and the "e" is pronounced a, but I digress. Chowda guy. Although there were no clams on this trail, it was still a heartwarming comfort trail. Yum. I don't even know what that means.  

Where will FollowCamFriday emerge next? Keep it locked right here for more misadventures from The Great White North No Worries Eh Welcome To Canada Tour. Get that down your neck. 

#followcamfriday coming in hot from stop three of my Route 16 tour of the Great White North. 

Enter Burns Lake. Another riding area that I had previously not heard of before my trip. I'll say this again, what have I been doing with my life.... The riding up here is absolutely amazing.  Every single trail that I have ridden for the last 2 weeks has been new to me. I could get used to this....  I have been so very fortunate to be put in touch with the right people in the communities I have visited, to show me a good time. And man, have they ever. 

Cameron Stewart putting the Cam in follow cam friday... See what I did there. Cam is 16 and pinned as. Keep your eye on this kid. He was kind enough to give me a tour of his home tracks. Burns Lake has a wide variety of tracks, from tech, the flow and everything in between. You can ride xc all day or smash shuttle laps. Options. 

Burns Lake has a family vibe. I was lucky enough to be greeted with a weiner roast, before doing a bit of digging and eventually smashing out some shuttles in the afternoon. It turns out that if the whole community helps to work on the trails together, has a bbq together and rides together, good things happen. Ownership and pride in the trail system is next level, just like the hospitality. Communities could learn a lot from this model. 

And then there is the whole camping situation. Free campsites at the trailhead. Oh yeah, and there is a lake to jump into at the edge of the camp ground. If you are looking for a weekend getaway for the entire family, there is probably no place better. Bring bug spray. 
You can support the trails 
HERE!

The locals were even kind enough to share their whiskey stash with me. Rule one, don't tell anyone the whereabouts of said whiskey stash. So don't even ask. I couldn't find it again anyway. There is a tree in Arizona with a bottle of Tequila hidden beneath it... Similar situation. I'll never tell. 

All the views. 

This may be the biggest wall-ride ever constructed. If it was a deck, you could put 200 people on it and have a bbq. Fortunately, this is for bikes, and the public grill in the parking lot is close by. I didn't notice anyone at the end of this ride without a beer in their hand. My kind of people. 

As I type these words, I find myself in Fernie, right in the middle of racing the TransBC 6 day enduro race. In addition to racing, I am producing nightly recap videos. #followcamfriday is tired as, but promises to keep the content machine fed. After all, she has got to eat. Anyone want to be my intern? I can pay you in worn out DHF's. 

#followcamfriday bringing you along for stop 2 of my tour of The Great White North. Smithers delivering the green room. 

Stop 2 from my Northern BC road trip. Just a short drive from Terrace lies Smithers, a picturesque ski town, a bit farther inland on the route 16 corridor. This township of approximately 6000 people has an amazing network of XC and easily shuttleable trails. I was impressed, to say the least.

The true start to Backdoor is on this platform in the alpine. A twenty minute hike a bike up the tee bar line at the ski area gets you to the top so that you can take a selfie above the trees. Fortunately I had my camera so there was no need for Heiko to grab a quick snap of himself for the gram. Heiko is 17 and as pinned as they come. I was amazed with his raw speed and ability on the bike. Especially when he mentioned that he didn't really have many people to ride with locally, that were his age. Humble as they come too. Keep your eye on this kid. 

I was fortunate to get the local tour from Heiko, his friend Ben and a mix of other locals in the riding community. Brian Shorter is responsible for building this amazing network of trails over the last 20 years. Brian even made me dinner at his place and drove a few shuttle for us. Solid dude! You can support the local trail organization HERE.
I was blown away with the attention to detail and the thought given to construction of this network. Some of the finest pieces of trail I have ridden anywhere.

Giver ski do. It wouldn't be a proper alpine ride without a bit of snow to keep things interesting. The skiing is world-class and uncrowded here apparently. Quite the contrast to the blown-out situation that I currently call "skiing" in Colorado. I really do need to come back and visit in the winter at some point. It should be noted that I spent Canadian Independence Day up here, so that kind of makes me a citizen... right... ha

It also wouldn't be a ride in British Columbia without a fair share of wooden jank. At least there was chicken wire on most of it. All of the wood work was remarkably well built actually. This particular stunt was 100 meters long and had drops, linking the sections of skinny. So very Canadian. Go out and practice your skinnies kiddos, if you visit, you will need this skill in your bag. 

And the tour continues. I wish I had a bit more time to hang out and see more things but the #followcamfriday train has to keep moving. I have a race to get to next week in Panorama. Trans BC begins on July 8th. I have a race to try and win. 

#followcamfriday headed into the Great White North to bring you some fresh trails for your Friday viewing pleasure. 

Ever heard of Terrace? Chances are, if you live in the States, like most of my audience, the towns that make up "Northern" BC are not on your radar. And if I am being honest, they were not on my radar until a few months ago when I was approached about documenting a road-trip through Northern BC. New trails, people, and culture. Sounds like a party. 

​Enter Ride North. Ride North is an initiative by 5 communities in Northern BC to showcase the diverse mountain biking experiences found across the region. This emcompases the coridor from Terrace to Valemount, and points in between. You can read more about Ride North HERE

Terrace is world renowned for its steelhead and salmon fishing. In addition to showing me the trails, Tyler was kind enough to fill my freezer with some of his catch from last year. I was also fortunate to end up with some bear sausage. A lucky guy, I am. Tyler is acting president of TORCA. The Terrace Off Road Cycling Association works on the trails and makes sure that mountain biking has a future in the area. You can donate to the trails HERE

Theo is an engineer by day, hole digger by night. He is responsible for moving  dirt and testing the trails. Fortunately it stays light until well past 11pm in these parts, so Theo finds plenty of time to ride, and dig holes. When he isn't doing any of the aforementioned activities, it should be noted that he makes a mean cocktail and knows how to cook a proper piece of fish. Thanks for the hospitality friend!

Terrace is only a short flight from Vancouver. Apparently, during fishing season, the airport is littered with small, personal aircraft, flying in the rich and famous, to slay salmon for a weekend. They really should be bringing bikes with them. And on that note, it's about time that I started carrying a rod in my van. What am I doing with my life? I could be eating fresh fish every day... 
Stay tuned for more adventures from the Great White North over the next month. 

#followcamfriday viewing moose and getting loose with the squad from Rooted MTB

If I am being honest, I really love the Tetons. The skiing is world-class, the biking is amazingly good, the lack of bro-scene is refreshing. There is wildlife in the woods, lurking just off the trail. One of these days, I will get to jump a moose.... #moosegoalz

Mom jokes aside, Jimmy's Mom is really good. Jumps in the woods.... What more could you ask for? Jimmy's mom knows how to party. A "cougar" if you will. Ready to prey on the youth. The guys from the Rooted MTB squad will make a good meal. Did I take this analogy too far?

Cougar-bait Austin was injured and kind enough to drive us for some laps on the pass. The Rooted squad is chasing the ProGRT series when they aren't being hunted by the local wildlife. Harrison Ory, Armen Davis and Wiley Kaupas make up the rest of the pack. Long live DH racing in the USA! #usdh ! 
Subscribe to their YouTube for a behind the scenes look into the lives of American DH racers
HERE

You can't see the take off of this jump in this photo. That is because it is 40ft to the right. Harrison approves of the size. An amazing amount of work and passion has gone into making these trails a work of art. As all trails go, these things don't build themselves. Buy these builders a beer or 7. They do amazing work!
You can support the trails
HERE

Armen learned no-handers the day before apparently. No better time that I can think of to use a new skill. If it works for Mick Hannah, it works for Armen Davis. This technique extends grip life dramatically. These guys are privateers and are pulling all of the tricks out of the bag to save some money. Can you blame them?

I am on my way up to the Great White North for a month. This seemed like a logical stop along the way. If you are anywhere near the Tetons, this is required riding. You can thank me later. Keep it locked right here for more adventures from my the other side of the border over the next few weeks. 

#followcamfriday dodging rocks and shakin' shocks at the Granby Ranch Bike Park with James. 

Guess who's back, back again, James is back, tell a friend. Everyone's favorite stunt-man is back in action for your viewing pleasure. In all seriousness, James is a new dad. When you see him, congratulations are in order. His dad-bod hasn't set in yet, but give it some time.... Legend has it that his baby can already hold a manual for 30 seconds on a strider. Start em young. 

Oh Granby, your rocks and sand boxes hold a special place in my heart. I will never forget how scared I was to race nationals here, back in the day. Overcoming that fear and learning to ride that track made me who I am today. There are now trails for all abilities here, but I am glad to say that the hard trails are as rough and rugged as they have ever been. Thank you for keeping the rocks on the trail on behalf of mountain bikers everywhere. My wheels don't love you, but I think they understand. 

This weekend happens to be the opening weekend of big brother, Winter Park, just up the road. Record snowfall is keeping WP from opening much terrain. Granby is 100% open and running sweet. Choose your weekend park lap strategy wisely. People will be lining up early for WP and standing in line for most of the day. Granby is the "line avoidance" strategy. Choose wisely. Maybe a day at each? A Front Range Festivus, for the rest of us. 

Fatherhood definitely seems to be slowing James down a bit, lol. He is basically trying to jump over me in this photo. The old Nationals track still has the amazing set of jumps after the wooden drop. This section is one of the more well-built and funner jump sections to ride anywhere. Kudos Matt Thompson, love your work. 

Once you get your fill of berms on Silky Johnson, go ride Fraser Canyon for some flat trackers through the aspens. Flat turn practice for days. The absence of a berm is a beautiful thing. Races are won and lost in the turns. Better check yourself. 

#lovesbackwheel situations. The original trail names, given by Matty and the boys, are mostly references to the Chapelle show. I miss the Chapelle show. Anyone who gets the references, is old like me. I am dating myself. I guess that was back when people watched television. I don't even have television anymore. Oh the irony, as I stare at my computer and type these words. My how times have changed. 

Making the case for DH bikes. Granby is one of the last places in the state where a DH bike is probably faster on most of the black trails. Trail bikes have gotten so very capable in recent years. It is an amazing time to ride a mountain bike. Granby however, still is making the case for a DH rig. How very refreshing. Bucking the trend of complete sanitization. Good work Granby. There are trails for all abilities, thanks for leaving the rocks on the hard ones. We love you. No love from my wheels. 
Since I only ride park, where will Follow Cam Friday show up next.... 

I present to you, the lunch ride.  #followcamfriday foregoing eating to ride my bike with the Yeti Squad and the boss man. Just don't call Chris "boss" at lunch. 

"Lunch Ride" Nope, it's not marketing hype to sell bikes. It's an actual THING. An activity. Almost a requirement, a right of passage if you are employed by Yeti Cycles. If you don't love to ride your bike, this job may not be your cup of tea.... As it turns out, when people that actually love to ride bikes, make bikes, good things happen. Completing the circle. 

If you look closely at the desk behind this dog, you will notice that it is empty. That is because between the hours of 11 and 12:30, Yeti is closed for lunch, so that the employees can smash out a quick lap on neighboring Apex. If you do show up at this time of day, you can pat this dog until they reopen for business. There are worse ways to spend your time.... Bring treats. 

Yeti recently made a "Lunch Ride" spec for their SB130. A bit more travel. A bit more confidence. The employees prefered weapon of choice for the local trails that exist on Apex. Just a short pedal from the office lies some of the best riding in the Denver / Golden area. Such good riding in fact, that Yeti has purposely chosen this location for its headquarters due to its easy access to the trail. Eating can wait. 

Chris Conroy is the President of Yeti Cycles. In addition to Chris, our squad consists of employees of all skill sets and positions in the company. All are welcome, all are equal. Chris does not like being called "boss" on the trail. We are all just people enjoying our bike ride together. Nothing more. All of the work-day is left at the office, shit is talked, bikes are ridden. I can't think of another employment situation where the coworkers of all levels get together at lunch to do something that they all have a deep passion for. It's an inspiring way to run a company. Happy employees are good employees. There is a reason that Yeti makes some of the finest bicycles in all of the world. 

This dog will also gladly accept head-scratches until Yeti reopens for business at 12:30. Again, do the right thing and bring treats. 

Yes, Yeti has beer on tap. There is Kombucha too, but we won't go into that. According to Dacre, who gave me the official " tour", beer-thirty is 4:30, unless it is Friday and then it is 4:00. Well since today is Friday, you can feel good about starting a little bit early. Those bikes aren't going to build themselves after all. Let's keep those wrenches lubricated. 

My how far we have come. This rig offers some wonderful perspective into how good we have it these days. I mean, cantilever brakes were sweet and all, but man it's a good time to be a mountain biker. Next time someone complains about their wheel size, consider this bike and its limitations. We have it so good. I have a hard time imagining how things can get much better. They just will. Those elevated chainstays though... 

Not having any fun at all. Next time you are in Golden and have some time to kill, join these guys for a "lunch ride" For $40, you can demo a Yeti and ride the local trails. That 40$ goes directly to the local trails. Wu-Tang is for the children. Kudos Yeti. And if you are lucky, Dacre will give you a factory tour and you can pat some dogs. And, if it's after 4:30, you can have a beer, unless its Friday, in which case you can start early. 

#followcamfriday continuing the opening weekend tour with a stop at the Angel Fire Bike Park to ride with the man, the myth, the legend, Chris Boice. 

I only ride park. On opening weekends.... It's all blown out after that. Powder days are hard to come by anymore, so get out there while the getting is good. It only gets dryer from here. Dustbowl. 

This photo represents the dustiest turn of the weekend. Chris did just blow this thing up and all, but the dust factor was minimal, as compared to last year when I actually rode with a dust mask to prevent black lung. True story. Hide your berms kids, Chris is looking for holes to smash. Interestingly enough, the park was in such good shape that the holes were hard to find. #searchingforholes

Mr. Chris Boice is an absolute legend. Few people alive turn a bike like Chris. Races are won in the turns and Chris has won a lot of races. Now he mostly races RC cars, converts Sprinters into tiny homes,  and climbs rocks, but he is still unbelievably pinned, off of the couch. Pinned like I am hanging on by a thread pinned.... Chris Boice things. 

My Bike for AF
SPEC HERE

I couldn't be more stoked on my new rig. This is the perfect setup for crushing park laps and DH trails, despite being reasonable capable on the uphill... Not that I am trying to ride any uphill this weekend. She is build for smashing into things and giving less fucks. My kind of girl. 

I have been visiting Angel Fire for the better part of 15 years, racing and riding, and it is nice to see the place growing and evolving into a modern bike park. The builders have done an amazing job over the last handful of years, turning this place into what it is today. Good work squad. The trails are unbelievably fun to ride. Now if we could just fix the food scene in town. I will still drive to Taos for a proper taco until conditions improve. 

What park should I visit next? I am running out of opening weekends, but there is still a ton of snow in the high country to keep the alpine parks from opening on time. Any moisture is good moisture, and as a general rule, we need more of it. Always. I am interested to see when, or should I say "if" the alpine opens this season. Time will tell. Until then, I will be smashing low laps with the boys.