Nomads Mountain Bike Freeride (HD) - National Geographic

The steep trails and dirt ramps of British Columbia lure freestyle mountainbikers from all over the world. The crew at Freeride Entertainment/New World Disorder journey there to capture the speed and big tricks for their big mountainbike movie, Unchained. In the splendor of clay canyons and lush woods, Alex ""Axel"" Fostvedt and action sports photographer Blake Jorgenson search for the ultimate shot. With a cast of athletes that's the best of the best, NOMADS has to go behind the scenes for this one-of-a-kind film shoot.




The party begins at KamLoops, the Disneyland of freeride. Axel busts out the Bobcat to build a wall out of natural clay, for some tricks by experts Aaron Chase and champion Paul ""Bass"" Basagoitia. Still, there are no guarantees in this business. Even these masters must face plant a few times before they stomp their landings. Yet that's nothing compared to the nasty biff taken by Kyle Strait, the Superman of mountainbiking. He cartwheels over this handlebars during a jump and has a short dirt nap, but this athlete can't be stopped. He gets up and dials in the double jump before you can say ""concussion.""




The guys in the saddle aren't the only stuntmen, either. Axle shows how to slide down a cable fifty feet above the ground and keep the shot steady. It's the only way to catch Bass as he takes a drop off the custom wooden tranny built by rider Brad Stuart. The best shots are yet to come, though. Daredevil Geoff Gulevich gets serious air time over B.C.'s most massive road gaps. Finally, the crew travels to Kelowna, a gorgeous lake resort in the backwoods, where two-wheeler guru Dave Watson lets go of the brakes on the wicked downhill trails he built himself. It's a serious, surprising look at the wild personalities of mountainbike athletes, and the guys who put them to celluloid.