Showing posts with label Mountain Biking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mountain Biking. Show all posts

VIDEO: "LIFE RECLAIMED" Trailer 1

Here it is! The first trailer from the HSA Documentary "Life Reclaimed". "Life Reclaimed" is an inspirational adventure documentary based on the premise that "Nature is Greater than Therapy". It covers the story of a man who lost everything he worked a lifetime to aquire and his fight to reclaim his life from depression, devestation, and lonliness by getting back to his roots in adventure sports.






 
HSA Trailer1B from Sirfur Productions on Vimeo.



The HSA Challenge... What Will You Do?

Graphic by Human Spirit of Adventure
An idea pops in my head every once in awhile that I can't seem to get rid of... I've been thinking about this one for a bit and decided I would throw it out here and see what happens.

The idea is "The HSA Challenge"

What is the HSA Challenge you ask? Well, simply put, We here at Human Spirit of Adventure challenge our blog readers, our Facebook followers, and indeed the world, to put a little adventure into your lives. All too often people are bound to their desks, chained to their cell phones, or glued to the TV. Many of those people say to themselves, "If I only had the time I would do ______." Yet, for some reason, they never do.

In comes the HSA Challenge...

We challenge you, our readers and fans, to add some adventure to your lives and document it for the world to see. Here is the concept...


  • Pick at least one day each week to do something adventurous
  • Document the adventure with photos or video
  • Share the adventure with us on our Facebook page (www.facebook.com/Humanspiritofadventure)
  • And (most important of all)... HAVE FUN
That all there is to it...

Pics do not have to be professional quality... they can be shot with a cell phone in the crappiest conditions. Vids don't have to be professionally shot or edited... this is NOT an editing contest.

This is about human beings breaking away from self-imposed bondage and servitude by injecting fun and adventure into their lives. It's about rekindling that spark down deep within all of us. It's about showing the world that the human spirit is still alive.

I hope that you will all join us in this endeavor... and I'll kick it off right now with a little MTB vid that I shot yesterday at the end of my ride... Enjoy!




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REVIEW - Where The Trail Ends...

There are some good mountain bike films out there... Klunkerz is a great one. The "Earthed" series is great too (with 2 being the best). and a few others. Up until now, "Strength In Numbers" had always been my favorite. It was by far the most adventurous of the lot.

Enter "Where The Trail Ends" by Red Bull Media House.

This is a great movie. Some of the worlds best DH/Freeriders set out on an expedition across the globe to find lines and terrain that no one has ever ridden.

This flick follows Darren Berrecloth, Cameron Zink, Kurtis Sorge, James Doerfling, Andreu Lacondeguy and others as they blast down the sides of mountains in Utah, Canada, China, Argentina, and Nepal.

What I really like about this movie (aside from great HD footage and a Berrecloth super slow-mo 360 cliff drop) is that it gives the feeling of true adventure. From sleeping in tents to losing luggage, to trips to hospitals, this movie just crushes it.

My favorite scenes are shot in China's Gobi Desert... There the guys find gold... unlike anything that they've ever ridden before. Of course Utah is great too, and all of the crash scenes, but I don't wanna spoil it for you. If you haven't seen it, do yourself a favor and get it.

Check out the full length trailer right here... Make sure to watch in HD!






Adventure Week - Days 4 and 5...

Photo: Human Spirit of Adventure
Days 4 and 5 were spent with a mix of surfing and riding. Spring break was in full effect, there were a lot of kooks in the water, so dawn patrol was about the only good time to catch a few waves. Catch a few thigh high peelers and then get off the island before the mayhem starts.

After surfing, it was back to the trails... Riding and scouting good locations for camera placement for the documentary.

All in all it was a decent week. Not as adventurous as I'd hoped, but I'm not complaining... a decent day of surfing or riding beats a great day at the office anytime...

In June, I will head to the Arbuckle Mountains in Oklahoma for some hiking, backpacking, and a little freshwater snorkeling in a crystal clear river... there will be a little cave exploring too.

Also on tap for the summer is a little trail riding in the Texas Hill Country, filming for the documentary, and shooting videos for HSA's "yet-to-be-named" Survival Series.

Peace out!

Adventure Week - Day 3... MTB on Tap

Photo: Human Spirit of Adventure
Day 3 was mountain biking day. I awoke to a beautiful sunny morning and loaded up the jeep.

I had pondered the night before about which trail I wanted to ride. It was either a basically flat singletrack  trail in Oso Creek Park, or a bandit trail that has some rougher stuff. Ultimately I decided on the bandit trail.

It was a fun day. I rode hard for several hours and then began setting up shots for the documentary. I captured some fairly decent footage on the GoPro Hero3 Black. It was the first footage shot for the film. Eventually I will put some of it together for a quickie YouTube vid.

Day 4 coming up... Peace out!



Adventure Week - Day 1... The Preparation

Saturday - Day 1

As expected, the winds are howling, so I'm glad that I planned this day for preparation. I was able to accomplish the things I needed to begin my adventure week and start the documentary.

First, I tuned up my bike. I tweaked the brakes, lubed the chain, made some small adjustments to the derailleur, and repaired a flat tire. I also packed up my biking gear so everything is ready to go.

Next I stripped the old wax from my good old Dewey Weber longboard and laid a fresh base coat, followed by a couple of layers of cool water wax. In Texas, the water temp is still 65 degrees so I also packed up the wetsuit. With surfing in Texas, you never know what you're gonna get... the forecast may call for waves, but you are skunked when you arrive; so I also pack my fins and snorkel, just in case. I also bring my handplane... I never miss an opportunity for a little body surfing as well.

Once my biking gear and surfing gear were ready to go, I sat about the task of learning to use the GoPro. That was an adventure all it's own, but I got it figured out, updated, and charged. I shot some test video just for good measure. I also placed the mounts on my bike helmet for some good POV stuff.

Surf is on the agenda for tomorrow... Peace out!


Adventure Week - 5 Days of Fun

Photo: Human Spirit of Adventure
Friday - The Day Before...

After the last 9 months of working my butt off with only Saturdays to find adventure, I am looking forward to five glorious days off.

The Big Bend expedition that was planned late last year fell through due to various circumstances. First, I was unable to get as many days off from work as I had hoped. That kind of put a bummer on what I was wanting to do. It's a rare trip for me and my family and if I'm going to spend the money to go, then I want to be able to get the full experience. Second, I was unable to secure reservations as the park was already full with Spring Breakers. The rafting tours were full as well. So the trip has to be put on hold.

Still wanting adventure, I decided to take what is available in my own backyard... surfing, mountain biking, hiking and kayaking. With crappy weather in the forecast, I refuse to be defeated... I will find adventure.

So I picked up a GoPro Hero3 Black edition. It was the missing piece of the puzzle for beginning the Human Spirit of Adventure documentary that has been in the works. Several months of planning can now begin to take form and get the shooting underway.

Well, I better get some sleep. I have a lot of prep work to do tomorrow. Peace out!


Sick Mountain Biking Video...

Courtesy - fatman2ironman.com

When the urge hits, but due to work or whatever reason I'm unable to get out and ride, I just love to scour the web for sick mountain biking videos.

I stumbled on this video on such a day. I found it on YouTube and I've watched it at least a dozen times.

This video is very well shot and has 4 sick riders just tearing it up...

Check it out below!





Bikes Not Bombs... A Cool Concept

Photo by Matt Teuten
A Boston-based company called "Bikes Not Bombs" has a very cool concept of driving social change in developing countries by recycling used bicycles and donating them.

In developing countries, people many time have to traverse long distances just to get the basic necessities of life. Having a bike makes that much easier.

There is a great article on Takepart.com about this company, their concept, and all the great work they do... Read it HERE


2013 Enduro World Series

Fans of Enduro style mountain biking are in for a real treat in 2013 as the EMBA (Enduro Mountain Biking Association) has created the Enduro World Series slated launch this year.

"Cool," you say, "but what is enduro style mountain biking?"

Simply put, enduro is a combination of XC fitness with Downhill riding. There are sections of pedaling with plenty of trail and downhill skills needed to deal with the course. One of the things that appeals to many riders is that contests can be run on traditional trail bikes with only minor modifications, the events are popular with riders who don’t have, or want to buy, specialized downhill or XC race bikes.

With this in mind, the new Enduro World Series announced in November of 2012 a schedule of seven races to be held in four countries (U.S., Canada, France and Italy).

Below is the schedule:


May 18-19 - Superenduro PRO - Punta Ala, Italy
June 29-30 - Enduro Series - Val d'Allos, France
July 6-7 - Crankworx Les 2 Alpes - Les 2 Alpes, France
July 27-28 - Colorado Freeride Festival - Winter Park, United States
August 10-11 - Crankworx Whistler - Whistler, Canada
August 24-25 - Enduro Des Nations - Val d'Isere, France
October 19-20 - Superenduro PRO - Finale Ligure, Italy


You can read more about this new series at www.enduroworldseries.com or just click HERE

Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest - Feb. 14 - 16, 2013

Photo courtesy of Desert Sports
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. have teamed up with Desert Sports to bring the 2013 Chihuahuan Desert Bike Fest to the Big Bend Ranch State Park in mid February.

West Texas, and the Big Bend area in particular is quickly becoming a "go-to" destination for Mountain Bikers.

(From the TPWD website) "The Chihuahuan Desert Dirt Fest is a celebration of Mountain Bike Riding in the Big Bend Area. 
This festival will feature rides in Big Bend National Park, the Lajitas Resort Trail System, as well as various rides in Big Bend Ranch State Park. 

The 3 day event will feature a different riding area each day, with options for alternate rides in other areas. 

The main venue and staging area for the event will be the Lajitas Resort and riders will either ride or drive to the Trail Head for the start of each ride. Each day will offer opportunities for rides of different lengths and difficulty and will include rides appropriate for Families/Kids. The Main Event for the Festival will be the route named as an IMBA Epic in Big Bend Ranch State Park."

You can find more about this event and sign up information at the Desert Sports Website.



Mountain Biking Skills... Pt. 2 - Downhill Skills

Photo courtesy of Extremesportsx.com
So you have yourself a decent bike, you've been out on the trail, and you've read our post on Mountain Biking Skills... Pt. 1.

You've been up late at night scouring Youtube for videos of the worlds best downhill riders, watching DVDs, and now you want to get ON it...

Slow down, Cowboy... if you've never blasted downhill at break-neck speeds over rough terrain before, you must realize that its not as easy as it looks. Downhill body position is extremely important to ensure balance, stability, and control of your bike as you test your mettle.

Zeptechniques Mountain Bike Camps has put together the perfect tutorial video for you. This video has very detailed explanations and a good rider to show you how it's done...

Watch the video below, learn your bike and your skill limitations, and then Get ON it!




Mountain Biking Skills... Pt. 1 - Basic Skills

Photo source: Wikipedia.org
For most of us, a bicycle was our first real mode of transportation.

We learned to ride as a child when our dads would push us off, running behind us to catch us if we fell. Later, when we were pre-teens, our mothers would clean our skinned knees and elbows.
As teenagers, we began to push our limits, ramping our bikes off of home-made ramps of cinder block and plywood... some of us eventually graduated on to half-pipes and grinding hand rails.

Eventually our bikes faded away as we learned to drive cars... after all, it's hard to take a date to the movies pumping them on the handlebars.

Now that we are older, grown adults with jobs, families, and responsibilities, it seems as if those biking days are gone forever... we remember them though as we push our sons across the lawn and run behind them.

For many, the thought of getting back on a mountain bike is exciting... blasting down a trail, dodging obstacles, and peering over sheer drops gives us an adrenaline rush at the pure thought of it. Slow down... trail riding isn't as easy as it looks... if it's been a while since you rode a bike, take the time to reacquaint yourself with the basics.

CycleActive has produced a mountain biking video that takes you through the basic mountain biking skills you will need to venture back into your childhood... This well thought out video familiarizes you with such skills as basic climbing, basic descending, drop offs, and much more.

Watch, enjoy, then Get ON It!






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