Water march!
Skógafoss is one of Iceland's most famous waterfalls. At 250 metres wide, the masses of water plunge 60 metres into the depths and fill the air with a roar as if jumbo jets were taking off. Laugavegur, a 52-kilometre trekking trail through volcanic sand and glacier tongues, ends at Skógafoss. The trail dates back to Viking times; today it can also be travelled by bike. Here, professional biker Hannes Klausner winds his way towards the sea, because once he reaches the bottom, Hannes rolls straight onto the beach and stands in front of the wild Atlantic Ocean. Photo: Christoph Breiner
Far away
Bike adventurer Kilian Bron travelled to Nepal by mountain bike to explore the isolated mountain region of Dolpo for the film "Mandala" - the second part of his documentary triology. Here, on the border with Tibet, are the highest settlements in the world and the mountains rise 6000 metres into the air. It was not until the mid-1990s that foreigners were allowed to visit Dolpo. The French bike acrobat returned with breathtaking shots of an unknown mountain world. We are already looking forward to the continuation of his adventure and to part 3 of the bike documentary. Photos: Pierre Vieira
The landscape shocks you! So beautiful, so lonely, so rugged. - Kilian Bron
Colour explosion
No, there was no AI involved here - this bridge really exists. The so-called Devil's Bridge is located in the Kromlau Azalea and Rhododendron Park in Upper Lusatia/Saxony. The manor owner Herrmann Friedrich Roetschke had it built in 1866. The romanticist wanted to play with the phenomenon of its semicircle being reflected in the water to form a full circle. Photographer Lorenz Holder waited for autumn, garnished the natural spectacle with professional BMXer Senad Grosic and won the Red Bull Illume photo competition with this picture. We say: there's no better way to capture autumn. Photo: Lorenz Holder
Sky ladder
Bike pro Brage Vestavik inspects his latest construction - a crazy narrow chicken ladder over the abyss, somewhere in the forests of British Columbia. In his YouTube clip "Trolldom", the young Norwegian hurtles down planks of split cedar wood into the depths, where the real tests of courage await. Brage Vestavik gained media attention in 2021 when he won the silver medal in the top-class online competition X Games Real MTB and was crowned the public's favourite. Photo: Ale di Lullo
Interview with freeride pro Brage Vestavik
"No more stopping!"
BIKE: Brage, you've just published a spectacular YouTube video. It's called Trolldom. What does the word mean?
BRAGE VESTAVIK: Troll is a forest demon. In other words, a creature that used to live in the mountains. The word trolldom can be translated as witchcraft.
Apt, because what you show in your edit borders on witchcraft. A crazy balancing act on thin wooden beams over the abyss. What fascinates you about the so-called skinnies?
It all started with the Northshore skinnies. They were an integral part of freeriding and were featured in films such as "New World Disorder". These films influenced me as a child.
And you build them yourself.
Yes, I really enjoy building. And I have even more fun finding trees that are already there. It's all about using what nature offers me.
The wooden structures looked incredibly elaborate. How long did it take you to build it all?
We worked for two and a half months until everything was ready - thank goodness I had a big team, otherwise it would have taken much longer.
Which part of the line was the trickiest to ride?
The last double drop was the most blatant. Because you couldn't see anything from the top. I was riding completely "blind". And there was no stopping me. Once I went in, I had to go all the way.
What will happen to it now? Will it rot like the old "New World Disorder" stunts?
We've already taken out the landings and will also take out the rest. I don't want anyone to get injured.
Your most successful video "The Sound of pure MTB Mayhem" has been clicked on two million times. Do you use this as a guide when planning new projects?
No, I don't care about that. I want to be inspired by spontaneous ideas. I just like realising my own ideas, without an external timetable and without external guidelines. So I want to be a freerider in the truest sense of the word.
Dimitri Lehner
Editor
