FRO Riders Headed For Hall Of Fame

Sep 21, 2010
by Julian Coffey  
The trio, who rode together under the Rocky Mountain Fro Riders banner in the mid to late Nineties, introduced the world to a different style of riding. One where the focus was on flowy style, steep descents and big drops rather than Lycra-clad racing. They were originally to be coined the “Freeriders” but one of Rocky's competitors was attempting to trademark the term, and to avoid a legal wrangle, the “Froriders” were born.

photo
FRO Rider magazine ad circa 1997.

Collectively known as “The Godfathers of Freeride”, these Kamloops boys threw away the spandex and toeclips that were de rigueur, donned their hockey jerseys and pointed their bikes into the unknown. “Steeps, chutes, big drops and natural trannies, nothing was built up in those days, so we just looked for the nuggets and went for it”, says Brett Tippie. “I was racing snowboardcross and GS on the National Team for Burton on the World Cup Circuit in the ‘90’s, and the Kamloops sandpits was where I boarded in the summer for training. I was an avid mountain biker too, so it just seemed like a natural progression to carve my bike down the slopes and jump off things”.

Thus a new era had begun. “Greg Stump, a legendary ski movie producer, (Blizzard of Ahhh’s) wanted to make an MTB film, and Richie (former Canadian Pro BMX Champion and pro freeskier) and I filmed “Pulp Traction” in 1995, followed by “Tao of Riding” in 1996, and two years later we teamed up with Christian Begin and Bjorn Enga, fellow powder hounds, and Wade, a crossover from the Canada Cup Downhill circuit, to make “Kranked 1”.

photo
Tippie sending it Kamloops style.

The rest is history and they went on to appear in hundreds of international magazines and countless pivotal mountain bike movies (Kranked being THE movie series of the time followed by NWD, by Derek Westurlund, upon their release of NWD1 a few years later).

photo
Wade - smooth as butta.

With their backgrounds in skiing, snowboarding and BMX, they "put the culture in and pulled the competition out", according to Canadian Olympian Andreas Hestler, who nominated them for induction. Richie said, “In a way, I always thought it would get big, at least I hoped it would. I had been a skier, and I saw how big that got, and I thought we could do the same thing on mountain bikes.”

photo
Richie schleying it.

"Viva the Fro Riders and the new attitude. Biking is for all, and all for fun”. Rock and Roll...literally.

“It wasn’t really all about how big or sick we could go, but where we could take these bikes, and what we could ride on them that wasn’t normal.” said Wade. These three have been inducted for the joint venture and strength it took to be who they wanted to be and stand up in the face of the unknown to pioneer a new way of biking. An old interview sums the trio up probably the best; Richie the Professional, Wade the Natural, and Tippie the Rockstar. They were the first to travel abroad and film unknown gems, to ride unimaginable terrain, and take it completely to the next level. Perhaps it can be best summed up as this:

TEQUILA TONIGHT, TOMORROW WE RIDE!!!

photo
Tippie with some 1993 gravel pit steeze.

Also being inducted are Mountain Bike Action photographer John Ker, Alan Bonds – who was involved in the original 'klunker' racing scene in Marin County, California, from which the modern mountain bike was born – and Jim Wannamaker, of Kenda USA, who has been recognised for his work as an ambassador for the sport.

The Hall Of Fame would like to invite everybody at Interbike, Las Vegas to attend The Froriders induction into the MTB Hall of Fame Wednesday Sept. 22 at Rm. 106/107 at the Sands Convention Center (down the hall from Interbike) at 6:00pm. Some speeches, laughs and free admission too!

Posted In:
Industry News


Author Info:
JulianCoffey avatar

Member since Aug 9, 2010
158 articles

54 Comments
  • 21 1
 where are all the Tippie haters now? you bunch of f*ckwit forum warriors seem rather quiet now that you all know that the guy is a living legend in our sport & can still do bigger shit on his bike than all of us the guy is a f*cking legend all hail The Froriders & f*ck all the Tippie haters you can all go eat a dick which i'm sure you all enjoy!
  • 3 8
flag SessionNH (Sep 21, 2010 at 23:46) (Below Threshold)
 Tippie is a legend.. on a mountain bike.. no doubt about that. But interviewer.. not so much. sorry.
  • 3 0
 PS..... if tippie did interviews with that outstanding mullet then I would start watching them again
  • 4 0
 ANNDDD I absolutely love the term "f*ckwit forum warrior" I almost pissed myself
  • 3 0
 hahaha yea that would be awesome bring back the mullet please Tippie that is what i call style!
  • 8 0
 anyone else think Tippie should grow that Mullet back for the 2011 riding season? lets see how many positive props we can get for this!!!
  • 3 0
 fuck yea bring it back Tippie Canadians rule the mullet or should i say hockey hair.
  • 4 0
 that's amazing, gotta love these guys and congrats on their hall of fame induction!! one thing i gotta say though... if these guys weren't already in the hall of fame, who is? obviously Gary Fisher and Breeze and stuff, but i was surprised that the FRO riders werent in the hall of fame already long ago
  • 8 0
 It doesnt get anymore bad ass then tippie,a sandboard and a mullet!
  • 4 0
 I remember wade in , i think it was ride to the hills. busted this nice wallride from a upper balcony down to the ground. it was in vancouver down town. on a trip there me and some buddys found it , and damn that was a sick wallride with no run in at all. after i seen that , needless to say wade had my respect. plus he is sooo smoooth.
  • 9 0
 YEAHHHHHH TIPPIE!
  • 7 0
 Legends! Congratulations! Thanks for everything you've brought and are bringing to the sport!
  • 4 1
 you three are all washed up! well I hope you would be for this big night guys!!!! lol! Knowing all 3 of these legends of the sport I know that this is long over due and I struggle to think of anyone else that is more deserving then any of you 3!

p.s. rode with Tippie yesterday and the guy was still sending it! doing lines that I know over 90% of shore riders won't do and he was going for it no hesitation!
  • 3 0
 experience > everything else
  • 5 0
 Even now, if you look at some of the shit Richie has hit in the Whistler area it would blow your mind. Huge sniper shit with f*ck all run in/out.
  • 5 0
 Any chance of seeing a retro pic gallery anywhere? Love to see where/how the sport started.
  • 2 0
 This is great, but I am a little disappointed that they are inducted as the "Froriders" rather than their individual selves. I think they deserve individual credit. It would be like lumping John Tomac and Ned Overend as "those racer guys."
  • 3 0
 It's about time. Also it's nice to read on here that the kids are finally finding out who Tippie really is and what he's done. I have been riding for almost 30 years, gotta love the sport.
  • 6 0
 LEGENDS. Well done guys
  • 5 0
 OMG!! I remember those shoes. I still want a pair.
  • 2 0
 hahaha! was thinking the same thing!
  • 3 0
 The Raceface Fluevogs? I got some back in the day ... maybe I can still dig them up. Between those and some Specialized TJ Lavins, I was all set in the mid 90's.
  • 4 0
 My childhood heros. I raise my glass to you boys! Thankyou for the inspiration!
  • 4 0
 thank you, thank you, thank you and congrats!!!! You are LEGENDS!!!
  • 3 0
 Congrats guys! You deserve it!
  • 4 0
 Congrats guys! LEGENDS!!
  • 2 0
 Yeah buddy. No one more deserving. You guys opened Pandora's Box and changed the game forever. Props!! Salute
  • 3 0
 Utter legends and well-deserved inductions!
  • 3 0
 Congrats to all 3. Very much deserved
  • 5 1
 cool cool
  • 27 0
 used to think tippie was a bit of an idiot... after this article and that gravel boarding photo i have new found respect. what an idea.
  • 7 0
 I try not to judge people before I know a little bit more about them. Well done guys another mark of the hard work and fun you brought to the sport.


PS. Not hating on "pinityoufairy" loads of other people are probably the same.
And you're right, the gravelboarding photo is awesome.
  • 17 0
 Tippie looks so legit on that sand-board haha.
  • 18 0
 Nice work guys. You guys inspired the next generation or riders, and you're responsible for pushing the sport. It's pioneers like this that we should thank for the where the sport is now.
Hats off to you all. Salute
  • 5 1
 Congrats to all of you! No one deserves it more than you three! Definitly showed the pinacle of style and flow. Thanks for kickstarting this great sport, without you 3, most of us probably wouldn't be here!
  • 5 0
 All three deserve this honor big-time!! I have personally ridden w/ Tippie and Wade, but not Richie. Tip and Wade are super nice guys who love what they do, and are not too big to be unapproachable. Thanks for being great ambassadors to our sport!!! WahoooooooooooOOOO!!
  • 2 0
 thanks again to the three who really got me stoked about mtn biking the way i wanted to do it. i can't beleive its been so long- 10 + years, but i really appreciate the style and simple humility those fellas show. shaums march is up there too. hes a fro bro in my books.
  • 4 0
 "Viva the Fro Riders and the new attitude. Biking is for all, and all for fun”.
Nothing more to say really... Huge props to you three (amongst others as well) for showing us a new way to go having fun with our bikes out there.
  • 2 0
 Ahh, the 'Loops in the 90s. What a time it was. Congrats boys, well done indeed.
  • 3 0
 ahhh so stoked! hahaha yes!
  • 3 0
 so cool
  • 2 0
 those guys know how to live : )
  • 2 0
 i am now a tippie fan ! congrats guys
  • 3 0
 WELL ITS ABOUT TIME!
  • 2 0
 Wish I could be there! Thanks for the inspiration guys!
  • 2 0
 Congrats guys, very well deserved.
  • 2 0
 Oh shit gettin RAD Tippie.
  • 2 0
 amazing for that time...
  • 2 0
 congrats to you all.
  • 2 0
 weerrrd up tippie
  • 1 1
 Where to frak is Joshua Bender.
  • 5 0
 For sure - Bender belongs in there too... but not in the same spirit as the FRO riders.







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