Mountain Biking UK December 2021

‘Freeride’ is one of those words that means different things to different people. Is it the knife-edge ridgelines, super-steep chutes and ridiculous cliff drops of Red Bull Rampage, or the technical trickery of slopestyle? Is it carving solo lines down unridden terrain in remote lands, or busy bike-park sessions with mates? Is it North Shore woodwork or pristine dirt jumps? It’s all of those, and more – and it’s also one of the fastest-evolving and most exciting areas of mountain biking, which is why we’ve devoted a chunk of this issue to it. At its heart, freeride is about self-expression. With no race tape to ride between or signs to follow, you can take whatever line you fancy and ride it however you wish. So, even if you’ve never hucked your…

MALCOLM MCLAWS VETERAN FREERIDE SNAPPER Our man on the ground at Red Bull Rampage (p44) rode the North Shore before it was cool and counts many of the top riders as mates AOIFE GLASS PODCASTER & WRITER Taking time out from her Spindrift podcast, Aoife has been speaking to some key players to find out why women’s freeride is blowing up right now (p19) HANNES KLAUSNER AUSTRIAN FREERIDER He’s starred in our last two calendars and now Hannes has made it into the mag itself, with a self-penned piece about taking freeride back to its roots (p54) VICKY BALFOUR MECHANIC (& MUCH MORE) Vicky’s been beavering away creating Grimetime guides for us for a while now, so it’s time she shared the spotlight!…

DYFI BIKE PARK THE ULTIMATE JUMP LINE? The newest trail to be born from the spadework of Dan Atherton and Dyfi Bike Park’s digging crew is the absolutely insane Oakley Icon Way. Continuing the evolution of the 650-acre site, which already has lines graded from red to double black diamond, former World Cup racer and pro trail builder Dan envisaged something even bigger, and created this triple black diamond behemoth! “I wanted to create a jump line that raises the bar for UK riding,” he explains. “I’ve experienced a lot of amazing trails, and this track was about bringing together all the coolest things I’ve ridden. I’ve always wanted an uplift-able jump line, pure-surfaced, smooth… I’m definitely showing my BMX roots! It’s like a cross between a slopestyle course, a DH trail and…

Think of women freeriders and you can probably list names such as Casey Brown, Hannah Bergemann, Veronique Sandler, Katie Holden and Vaea Verbeeck. But just five years ago, it would’ve been more of a struggle. It’s not that those women weren’t riding, rather that they’ve only recently had the support, the events and the coverage to really showcase what they’re capable of. Women’s freeride is here and it’s growing. “I used to watch freeride films before I even started riding,” says UK-based Vero Sandler. “I guess that was my first exposure to it. I remember thinking ‘this is sick!’ but I didn’t see it as a potential career because there were no women visibly doing it. [By 2016] there were a couple of girls, like Casey Brown, doing freeride stuff, and…

CASEY BROWN A freeride icon, Casey has competed at Crankworx, been in films such as Not2 Bad and ReturntoEarth, and entered Rampage qualifier Proving Grounds KATIE HOLDEN With over 10 years as a freerider, Holden is a pioneer of the sport and one of the key women behind Red Bull Formation VERONIQUE SANDLER The New Zealander switched from downhill to freeride and is known for her watch-worthy Shredits, as well as films such as Vision and Accomplice HANNAH BERGEMANN Enduro racer turned freerider Bergemann took part in Formation 1 and 2, and went on to set up her own women’s freeride event, Hangtime…

Massive injuries are, sadly, a danger of the job when you race downhill, and these risks increase enormously when you add big-mountain projects to the season. So why do it? A lot of people have asked that since my recent crash. My answer is always the same – “because I love it!” The moment I set eyes on a line and start that initial hike up with the build crew, I get the fear. As I realise it can be done, it evolves into terror. Knowing that the only way I’ll survive is to perform at the peak of my ability makes it a unique experience. The build has to be perfect, and the crew are a huge part of any project’s success. I scout the line with my main man,…