10 of the worlds top slopestyle athletes in the world have converged on Vail Colorado to compete for a $10,000 prize purse at the first ever Teva Winter Games Mountain Bike Big Air. Pinkbike sent two journalists down to cover the festivities and keep us up to date on all of the debauchery as it unfolds. This is the first post of three giving you the behind the scenes look into life on the road.
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 I love getting to the airport, with the exception of the scrutiny of security, and the hassles from customs, it always marks the start of a new adventure. |
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| Pinkbike intern Nic Genovese better get used to check-ins, his passport is gonna be getting a lot of use this year! |
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| There is never a shortage of hurry-up-and-wait in our travel schedules. I've gotten pretty good at finding power outlets at YVR. |
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| If you think going through security is a hassle under normal circumstances, try doing it with a backpack stuffed full of camera gear and a laptop bag piled high with accessories. Not fun. |
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| Layovers are a bit bitter sweet, they mean you don't get where you're going as fast, but they also mean you don't have to eat airplane food. Lose win situation. |
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| Layovers also give you ample time to work on those edits that are piling up. Here Nic puts the finishing touches on an upcoming series on PB called winterviews. |
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| When we landed in Denver, Cam Zink was nice enough to come pick us up for the drive in to Vail. It's a few hrs of highway driving and lucky for us, it had just started to snow so conditions were downright horrible. |
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| The rental car company tricked Cam, they said he was getting a brand new explorer but really it was a 2007 and had no auxiliary port for our iPhones. Can you believe that? Horrible. |
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| Teva had us all set up to stay at Manor Vail, which is a super nice hotel. I sometimes wonder if they know what they're gettin into with us... |
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| I'm not sure how many times in a year Cam does this, box up and then un-box his bike, but he's got it pretty dialed. |
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| Sam Pilgrim and his missing tooth were passed out when we arrived, as it was well after midnight, but he had already found a pretty safe spot for his bike. |
Stay tuned for parts two and three including more behind the scenes photos of the athletes, Teva parties, and full coverage of the Big Air event!
