Shred with Friends Episode 1

Stoked to be able to say that the first episode of Shred with Friends-Tyrolean is finished!  It took two full days of filming for just over four minutes of footage.  The first day of filming was hot, dusty and loose summer holding strong in the Sierra Nevadas.  The second day the trail and conditions couldn't be more different.  Snow at the top of the mountain lessening with the elevation but just as cold.  The aspens are changing, the days are getting shorter and winter is coming so now it the time to get out there and ride.

The Tyrolean downhill is one of our favorite trails around, which is why we chose to showcase it first.  Anyone can have fun on the trail from pros to beginners. It is fast, loose and different every time we hit it. There are awesome xc trails that offer the best views of Lake Tahoe that surround it or you can shuttle it all day with your buddies.  Click the Vimeo link below the picture to check out the edit!

http://vimeo.com/77531928

Quincy and I have started on Episode 2 blasting through the fall aspens in south Reno. A ghetto GoPro zipline was produced in the wee hours of the morning and we spent the day battling hikers, dusting families, dodging horse shit, puggin PBRs and riding blown out trail to get the best footage. 

Saftey Third!

Drill the pulleys

Add a ziplock bag full of rocks
and you have a GoPro Zipline

Winter is on its way in, so get out and ride! 

Mind the Video Man

Quincy and I have our first film day for the Shred With Friends video series in the books. We are showcasing one of our favorite trails and one of the most fun trails in north Lake Tahoe: the Tyrolean downhill.

Testing out the shot setup with the steady cam.

Lenses, tripods, helmet.

We got about half of the footage we needed yesterday before we ran out of light.  I'm hoping that next week we'll be able to get the rest of the shots we need and will have something put together soon.  I've never been part of such a legitimate filming process before and am stoked to see what we can get out of it. I'll keep updates coming through here. 

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

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.