ULTRAMONTANE No. 01

Since we released the Ultramontane Preview on December 23, we have received an incredibly positive response. This pushed us through to today, with a drive to come out the gate strong with the series.

We're releasing two parts in the No. 01 release, and it may become something worth pursuing in the future releases. The world is a visual place, and we planned to correspond to and parallel this by creating a visually heavy debut. The opening section below focuses on Connor Macleod and myself, Derek Dix, as we push to maximize our winter participation within the sport.

If you missed the preview a brief summary of the project is that as both media and riders we're combating the lull created in a sport that doesn't necessarily require an 'off-season' when faced with the climate of South West British Columbia.



Since our preview on December 23, we have been incredibly lucky with the weather we have faced. Balmy winter days were the regular all through late December and early January, and we took full advantage with riding, building and maintaining what trails already exist.


Rain quickly set in at the start of January, which gave us a prime opportunity to focus on drainage work for some of the trails that have been a staple for us since we began riding. Conveniently they are also close to home and make for quick work in a morning or afternoon.


We also have began construction and selecting a new line in an old area that has been long forgotten since logging was the last activity it has seen.

Building in the winter through foul weather has a certain allure to it... there's a dead still that carries it's own sound when you pause from the high pitched clink of your mallet hitting a splitter head. There's less people out in the forest during this time and that can leave it's own impression on you as well when you consider the solitude you're left with.




That same still carries into riding, if you pause to take in the vastness of an area it really can trigger you to consider the scale of your place in the world.






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Pt. 02

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My father always told me-- and still does: "A man's character can be judged by the company he keeps." I feel that holds incredibly true, and its part of the reason we chose to create Ultramontane & Company.


Katherine Short and Mitch Forbes are hands down our favorite power couple in mountain biking. We had our introduction to them through racing on the BC and Canada Cup Circuit. They carry such strong spirits and every time we shoot with them the woods fill with laughter.

We presented the idea of Ultramontane & Company to them and they were instantly instantly pushing us to pack our bags and go shoot. With Katherine and Mitch dog-sitting the handsome Foster we had our trail team. Over the last few weeks we aimed to put together an edit incorporating all the elements that make a ride something worth telling about, from hard-tail climbs and descents, to trail dogs and foul weather night rides, their ambition to showcase what riding was to them gave us a great deal to work with.








That concludes ULTRAMØNTANE No. 01 - Our next release will be on February 03.

Thanks to these guys for all the support: Mountain Equipment Co-op | Spicebox Whiskey | Sombrio | Smith Optic

If you do the social media thing don't be a stranger: ultramontane.ca | Twitter | Facebook | Vimeo