Smoke, Fires, Filming and Biking

The smoke in Reno is ridiculous right now.  I made my way up to Tahoe to see if I could get above the haze in the valley. However, driving up Mt. Rose yesterday I could see that the smoke was not getting any better as I got closer to Tahoe. Unfortunately, west is inundated with a plume of orange smoke. The mist has taken over everything.  The mountains surrounding the city have disappeared along with anything farther than a half mile. Just the faint green glow of the Silver Legacy making its way through the smoke. Outdoor events have been cancelled and air quality warnings have been issued.  There is no escaping the smell of burnt pine.  It's in every house, car and store in the area.  Living in the high desert we are no strangers to smoke and fire, but in the last seven years of living here I've never seen it this bad for this long with no end in sight.

Anyways, on to the real reason for this post. I'm getting really good at making shitty GoPro videos!

I've been into photography ever since I can remember, but for some reason filming has always escaped me. Turns out making videos is pretty difficult. It's been a slow evolution for me. When I first got my GoPro I would attach it to either myself or my bike, turn it on then go home wand watch the footage. It has been a slow evolution: getting different angles, setting up shots, editing them together.  Most of the time I just want to ride, so setting up shots falls by the wayside.

Since the sierras are going up in flames, I decided to spend some time getting some footage on the Tyrolean downhill in Incline Village.  I've ridden this trail a million and it is one of my favorites close to home.  Fast, flowy single track with plenty of jumps and technical descents mixed in makes for a really fun trail. Still messing around with editing and getting a feel for putting together a cohesive story about the trail.  Trying to put together a real video soon.  Keep shredding

Whistler Whip-off

Every year the bike world drools over the happenings at Crankworx Whistler. I always find myself trolling the highlight videos that come out checking to see what the next big trick or new trend in the mountain bike world is. By far, my favorite part of the week has to be the Whip-off.  There is no trick better in my mind.  It's so simple it's difficult. Everyone has a different way of doing it and different style. 

Don't mind the dh bro in the middle of the video. He has never actually pedaled a bike.  "I only shuttle my downhill bike to the top of the 2 mile downhill near my house."  I've fun into a few people with this mindset around Tahoe.  They refuse to legitimize anything but the 8 inch travel one dimensional downhill bike. Don't get me wrong. The bikes look fun, but they really only provide one type of riding. If I hit  the lotto tomorrow, I'd definitely have a bad dh rig, but I'm poor so I have a bike that can perform in more than one category. People fear change and I guess there is resistance to change in any sport.

Truckee Dirt Jumps Grand Opening

I've been waiting for the new jumps to go in at the Truckee Pump Track ever since the first murmurs about a year ago.  This weekend was the grand opening and my buddy Quincy and I dusted off the dirtjumpers and headed up to check out the new addition.  

It's crazy to think that just a couple months ago the area the jumps were built on was completely flat.  The crew that built this park did an awesome job.  There are multiple lines that can be taken, transfers that can be sought out and progressive jumps to learn on.  Most of the jumps are pretty small, but there is a good sized sender in the middle of the park. 

Navigating through the packs of heckling preteen Truckee shredder kids we were able  to explore the park in it's entirety. It's always a little strange hopping on the dj after not riding it for a while.  The geometry is way different, lower and slacker.  If you mountain bike a lot and want to get more comfortable cornering fast, flying through the air and learning how to use the contours of the land to gain speed you won't regret an investment in an dirtjumper.  Now, the lines through the park aren't the longest ever but they are quick, flowy and fun.  It seemed like every time we hit the staging area someone else was stoked on pointing out a new transfer or line to hit. Even the Sun Valley dirt jump king himself "Hacksaw" showed up to show the kids a thing or two. 

I put together a couple clips I shot with my GoPro from the day.  Check it out and enjoy.