Category: Downhill

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African Dirt Jump Adventures with Nick Clarke

Nick falls in love with African Dirt

When Nick Clarke arrived in South Africa for the Mega Loop build three years ago, he did not know what to expect. The ultimate Dirt Jump was the goal. Turns out he fell in love with the Southern Tip of Africa. Maybe it was the awesome people, the really good riding or simply the laid back lifestyle. Whatever you choose, he chose to come back for Darkfest and two consecutive Night Harvests and would have stayed for ever, if not for a visa problem.

He loves a Dirt Jump

Nick loves dirt jumping and lucky for him, he made friends with the gents at The Trails Crew who quickly adopted him and took him to all the top spots. From Potato trails in Cape Town to the Garden Route trail park, he got a taste of all that SA had to offer. Oh and he took out back to back Night Harvest titles…

Not just riding!

He did not just ride either! Nick worked with myself as the co-commentator for Bmx at the 2017 Ultimate X event, did some work with Monster Energy and was a barmen at Aces n Spades, one of CT’s best bars. He really embraced the Cape Town lifestyle.

Check out the Video

Lucky for Nick, he got some serious video shot of the entire trip, thanks to Thomas Sandell, and now you get to watch the highlights from his African Dirt Jump trip! So sit back, pour some maple syrup over your biltong and enjoy the video, eyyyy!

Support Captain Pugwash

If you want to follow Nick Clarke’s adventures back home in Canada, he won’t be back here for a while sadly, then head over to his Facebook Page and Instagram and show him some love. I am sure he will appreciate it and you will be entertained!

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Darkfest 2017 – Official Video of Insanity

Good Lord, I thought I would have gotten used to the insanity of Darfest after seeing it for myself, but one watch of this video and it all came crashing back down. Seriously, if you are not at this event next year, you are missing out on the most crazy thing you will ever see in South Africa. So sit back, down a tequila and prepare for Darkfest insanity…

The Fest Crew made their way down to South Africa to take on the infamous Pure Darkness jumps. Sam Reynolds, with the help of Nico Vink & Clemens Kaudela, revived the beasts and added a few more to the party and what a party it was! In true Fest fashion, these boys went faster, higher and bigger than ever! With features like a 60ft roll in, 55ft gaps and a 35ft lip that sends you 25ft into the air it is definitely not one to be missed!

Best Trick: Adolf Silva – Double Flip
Best Line: Andreu Lacondeguy
Best Whip: Kurt Sorge
Biggest Slam: Adolf Silva – Tripple Flip Attempt
Dark King: Clemens “C-Dawg” Kaudela – for killing the course build, riding and parties
Cam Zink, Graham Aggasiz

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Insane Urban MTB POV – Red Bull Valparaiso Cerro Abajo

Every year footage comes out of this insane Mountain Bike event, as nutters on 2 wheels throw themselves down the narrow city streets of this 3rd World enclave. Each year I think, well I have seen it before, how nuts can it be? Well the answer is, it still blows my mind each year. How these guys don’t write themselves off is anyone’s guess. Enjoy the madness once again as the Red Bull Valparaiso Cerro Abajo gives us another year and another incredible MTB POV…

Once again, the hills of Valparaiso tested the gnarliest urban DH mountain bikers with an insanely technical DH course through Chilean streets. Take a point-of-view look at what it’s like to charge through one of the sketchiest urban MTB courses in the world.

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Goose bump inducing Downhill Skate Movie – And it’s Free!

The crew at Arbor have a solid track record of great movies, whether Snowboarding or Downhill Skating. So I was pretty dam excited to watch their latest Downhill piece, Grade.

Caliber Truck Co. and Arbor Skateboards, in association with Blood Orange, present GRADE; a downhill/freeride full-length film chronicling a year of travel with our top team riders. Tag along with James Kelly, Liam Morgan, Tyler Howell, Brandon Tissen, and Jordan Riachi as they travel to some of the most critical and challenging roads in the world. GRADE was filmed on location in Mexico, Hawaii, Northern Sierras, Laguna Beach, Australia, and Switzerland.

There are moments watching this film that I was literally breathing hard and clutching the armrests on my chair. You can almost feel the adrenaline shooting through the riders veins with every wobble and vehicle drive by. I highly recommend watching it!

GRADE from Arbor Collective on Vimeo.

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Downhill Skating mayhem in Africa – Hot Heels Africa 2014

The longest running event in South Africa, Hot Heels Africa is a classic Downhill event. Situated in the mountains along the coastline of the Western Cape, near Betty’s Bay, it is one of the most beautiful venues in the World, with Stark mountains, wildlife (aka Baboons) and the region’s iconic Feinbos all framing one incredible strip of asphalt. Some of the World’s best come to take on the SA riders and every year provides plenty of high speed action and big spills. I love the event and once you watch this great short doccy on it, I am sure you will want to come next year!

The final race of the IDF and SAGRA downhill circuits happened on the 11-14 December 2014.
Watch the worlds best as they explore Cape Town and take each other on at Kogelberg Biosphere.
Produced for SAGRA
www.sagra.co.za

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MTB Impossible – Danny Macaskill: The Ridge

What most consider impossible, Danny Macaskill considers a fun day out riding! The world’s most famous trial rider takes on a new challenge that will simply awe you.

For the first time in one of his films Danny climbs aboard a mountain bike and returns to his native home of the Isle of Skye in Scotland to take on a death-defying ride along the notorious Cuillin Ridgeline.

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Deaf defying Mountain Bike Ride –

This video is a strange one. Normally there is always one staple in the high action staple that I post, but this one moves very, very slowly. Its trippy, because you feel like you are on a knife edge the entire time you are watching. The guy is literally riding on the edge between life and death.
Johannes Pistrol rides the Steinerne Rinne from Goinger Halt, July 2014. The upper section from the summit down to the upper rinne is relatively straight forward, albeit slightly exposed. The lower section contains the hardest and the most futuristic riding.

Wilder Kaiser extreme from Big Col on Vimeo.

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Balls of Polyurethane – James Kelly with Arbor Skateboards

Firstly this video is shot and edited really well. Secondly it contains some pretty incredible high speed skating. Thirdly it has possibly the worst speed wobble to high speed wipeout I have ever seen.
“With that we invite you to see a piece we filmed with Arbor team rider, James Kelly, to support the launch of his new pro model. The final product stopped us in our tracks. It reminded us once again why in downhill skating James is called the American Dream. A title he’s been burning down for years with a humble approach and an unmatched intensity at speed.” Arbor Skateboards

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Bombing Cape Town Hills with Oliver Faile

This video opens with Oliver Faile bombing the infamous Kloof Neck road, made famous by another Cape skater setting off the speed camera. Oliver charges this dangerous hill at night and very fast. You also get to check him bombing the Glen, from the famous Red Bull DHX event and other hills around scenic Camps Bay. The Downhill scene in Cape Town is exploding again and it surely must only be a matter of time before we have a World Cup event back in town…