Doubt


Garett Buehler is deeply introspective. In the dark hours of the night, when worries creep unbidden to the front of the brain, he wonders: what am I doing? Why am I risking my blood and bones for a job with no pension, no safety net? Should I be in school? Am I missing out on other, richer, life experiences? It’s a delicate question to answer, and one that provokes a ‘’stop whining, you have the best job in the world!’’- type gut level response from weekend warriors. But riding this close to The Edge comes with severe consequences; one needs to be calculated in order to stay healthy and keep riding at this level. If you’re hitting big moves with no regard for your own safety, you won’t be a professional rider for long. Doubt is necessary for self-preservation. Riders like Buehler are confident, not madmen.






Builder movie


bigquotes Nelson is unique in a lot of ways, it's pretty far away from any major centres, so it's a bit out of the way for most tourists. It's a small town so you get to know your neighbours and almost everyone is outdoorsy. The riding and sledding is awesome, so there's fun stuff to do all year round.


Garett Buehler


Builder movie




Freeride Lives


Nelson, British Columbia is synonymous with freeride mountain biking. It’s where riders like Robbie Bourdon, Mike Kinrade, Joe Schwartz, Sam Brown, Kurt Sorge, and Buehler, among others, have grown up and made their mark on the sport. The trails, woodwork, and rock slabs littering the mountains nearby have graced the pages of countless magazines and were seared into our eyeballs through the pioneering film work of Freeride Entertainment’s New World Disorder series. But why is Nelson such a hotbed for talent? There are several towns in BC with comparable terrain and population, but you’ve probably never heard of them.




Builder movie
Builder movie




Holt


Nelson is a small town by most standards - population 10,230 approximately - and it serves as a case study into how dedicated trail builders can singlehandedly turn a place into a bike riding mecca. Mark Holt, owner of The Sacred Ride bike shop, is one of the most important trail builders in the world, even if you’ve never heard his name. Holt has built over 40 trails in Nelson since he first put shovel to dirt on Kutcorners, back in 1994. Today, many of these lines are Kootenay classics, trails like The Paper Bag, Vein, Oil Can, Bed Frame, Slabalanche, and Placenta, all were built by Holt’s hands.




Builder movie



Ernst


Ernst Buehler’s cabin is across the lake from Nelson and overlooks Garett’s jumps. Ernst, Garett’s father, was a legendary ski guide for Canadian Mountain Holidays (CMH), a heli-ski operation with lodges all over BC. A plaque from a CMH guest reads, ‘’If you can’t f*cking ski, don’t f*cking come - Ernst Buehler.’’ That same quote applies for riding a bike in Nelson. The trails here are so steep, rugged, and technical that young riders just assume this is how everyone learns. On an average day you’re liable to see a Red Bull Rampage veteran on the patio of Oso Negro or behind the wheel of a shuttle truck headed up for another lap.



Builder movie
Builder movie




Garett


Garett Buehler is 23 years old. His first movie segment, in Kranked 7, premiered way back in 2007, and he was already 360’ing huge drops and backflipping his downhill bike as a teen. Now, he’s an established name in freeride and can focus on riding year round (with a break for skiing and surf trips in the winter). Buehler is a small town blue-collar guy, he’s kind and hard-working, with an easygoing California surf bum demeanour. He is funny and gregarious when surrounded by friends. He rotates though coffee shops for breakfast but gravitates toward Sidewinder, and Oso Negro where he knows most of the staff by name (a defining small town trait, although it probably helps he went to school with them or their siblings). He also listens to a lot of reggae, Damien Marley is a favourite; the speakers in his truck, which is pockmarked from shuttling and reeks of gasoline, are constantly cranked. If he’s not on the road Buehler will rotate through riding partners, but his most frequent companion is Kurt Sorge. Sorge is three years older and you can see how a young Buehler would have pushed himself to keep up with his seniors Sorge, Mike Kinrade, and Robbie Bourdon.





Builder movie


bigquotes Filming for the movie was great! It was pretty tough dealing with weather as we had a ton of rain this fall (and even some snow), plus everything was super saturated from being freshly built. We got it done though, and had lots of good laughs in the process.


Garett Buehler


Builder movie






Girl Talk


Buehler passed the spring and summer of 2014 working on his trail ‘Girl Talk’ for Builder. He spent hundreds of hours in the woods with Alex Volokhov, a 20 year old Nelsonite (who probably had a beard at age 12), building a trail which embodies what he loves to ride on a bike. Unlike most film segment lines, which tend to be a collection of stand alone stunts, aka ‘’one hit wonders,’’ Girl Talk is an actual trail with massive jumps and bike park sized berms. Like any new trail, there were growing pains: the corners were too soft to carry speed, huge puddles gathered in certain sections, and a landing had to be moved back. We began filming in July and captured the final shot in October after waiting for snow to melt off the trail.






Builder movie
Builder movie


bigquotesBourdo, Kinrade, Sorge, Buehler, all these guys have been a huge inspiration for me. Ever since I can remember they've been building and riding the biggest, most unique, and just plain badass stuff. They make me want to ride my big bike and build rad shit!


Alex Volokhov


Builder movie
Builder movie
Builder movie





Neldor


Buehler’s friendship with Volokhov mirrors that which he shares with Sorge, the young upstart learning from the older brother figure and pushing to progress, not necessarily past the other person, but rather alongside them. Buehler, Sorge, and Volokhov, don’t ride many contests because it’s more fun to stay home and build and ride huge jumps with your friends. Maybe that’s why the Nelson scene has produced so many great riders: there’s a real sense of community in town, and when you get to ride with your idols, these accessible, genuinely nice human beings, on some of the most challenging trails in the world, then you get the kind of town which produces some of the best freeriders in the sport.



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Pre-order your copy of Builder on DVD/Blu Ray here.





Builder movie
Builder World Tour
World Premiere - Monterey, California, USA - April 17
Calgary, Alberta, Canada - April 23rd
Corvallis, Oregon, USA - April 25th
Mt. Buller, Australia - April 25th
Victoria, BC, Canada - May 6th
Sooke, BC, Canada - May 8th
MSS Bike Park, Quebec, Canada - May 8th
Prince George BC, Canada - May 9th
Vancouver BC, Canada - May 15th
Kaupanger, Norway - May 15th
Kendal, Cumbria, Uk - May 15th
Whistler BC, Canada - May 16th
Mission BC, Canada - May 16th
Squamish BC, Canada - May 17th
Boulder, CO, USA - May 18th
Quadra Island, BC, Canada - May 22nd
Merritt, BC, Canada - May 22nd
Coleman, AB, Canada - May 22nd
Extreme Zone Cycles, Santiago, Chile - May 22nd
Banbridge, Northern Ireland - July 2nd
Cordoba, Argentina - May 22nd
Moscow, Russia - May 22nd
Krakow, Poland - May 22nd
Angelfire Bike Park NM, USA - May 24th
Campbell River, BC, Canada - May 26th
Novato, California, USA - May 29th
Valemount, BC, Canada - May 29th
Rossland, BC, Canada - May 30th
Bristol, England - June 4th
Hood River OR, USA - June 4th
Bracknell, England - June 8th
Revelstoke, BC, Canada - June 11th
Bellingham, WA, USA - June 11th
Penticton, BC, Canada - June 19th
St Louis, MO, USA - June 24th
Koblenz, Germany - June 24th
Silverstar Mountain Resort - June 27th
Glasgow, Scotland - June 27th
Stowe, VT, USA - June 27th
Juneau, AK, USA - June 30
Innsbruck, Austria - July 7th
Canmore, AB, Canada - July 8th
Crankworx Les 2 Alpes, France - July 11th
Monthey, Switzerland - July 11th
Taichung City, Taiwan - July 25th
Tucson, AZ, USA - July 29th


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Posted In:
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Author Info:
scottsecco avatar

Member since Sep 18, 2009
1,028 articles

44 Comments
  • 44 0
 Looks sickk! Always stoked to hear about things happening in the Koots! Best place on Earth
  • 9 0
 As someone from Nelson I definitely can agree with ya on that one. Some of the best riding in the world here for sure!!
  • 2 0
 Margus Riga 3 Simply perfect!
  • 21 2
 Buehler?...Buehler?.........
  • 2 0
 wow this step down is like one fifth of what he has hitted before. when will you get back on this. you shoudnt.. cause that was a great risk. that stepdown really nicely build. buelher def. got some building skills aswell.
  • 3 0
 damn! beat me to it!
  • 6 0
 chicka chicka
  • 13 0
 I've had a sneak preview of this segment and let me tell you all, you're in for a real treat!
  • 5 0
 Did you happen to get a sneak preview of the release date?
Edit: Just saw the mention of April premiere at Sea Otter. I'm there!
  • 7 42
flag scott-townes (Feb 11, 2015 at 6:08) (Below Threshold)
 Oh yeah? Well I've seen the whole thing and let me tell you, its absolute crap. The building looks like it was done by a blind 6-year-old, and the riding would have been improved if he had used training wheels. He could barely pop-a-wheelie!
  • 6 1
 yeah, because good riding is defined by you ability to "pop a wheelie" and you know how to build better than someone who has spent thousands of hours perfecting trails.
  • 14 0
 I think he was trying to be sarcastic/funny but ended up sounding like a bell end
  • 2 1
 TFree can pop a wheelie.
  • 2 8
flag scott-townes (Feb 11, 2015 at 14:54) (Below Threshold)
 Or that Pinkbike members are either too stupid or too serious about biking to know when someone is obviously being sarcastic. I lost all faith in humanity a while ago.
  • 5 0
 Sarcasm is never picked up on the internet, sort of sucks for sarcastic people.
  • 1 0
 No, it actually sucks for stupid people. That comment was hilarious. How could it not be sarcastism.
  • 4 1
 because i've met people dumb enough to say something like that not sarcastically.
  • 4 0
 Lived there for a summer a few years ago. Great town and steeeeep trails. And hot as hell!! Nelson riding is special. Love to see these types of trails and riders exist!
  • 2 0
 Always loved visiting Nelson/Ainsworth as a kid living in CDAlene. Unfortunately back then I wasn't mountain biking. More for party and hot springs hahaha. I'd love to go back and bring my bike now. Looks pretty awesome.
  • 2 0
 Man I love Nelson! Any sweet single ladies looking for an american husband to move up there with ya.........?????????
  • 7 2
 No, but there is a gay sasquatch that lives in the woods. If you spot him and anybody asks why you are walking funny afterward, just say you fell off your bike. But people will still ask, how you know the sasquatch is gay.
  • 1 0
 You must know this from experience?....but hey by looking at your profile which has nothing of you on it I'd say your a Troll and you and the gay Sasquatch are perfect mates! Lol go ride a bike and get off your computer!
  • 2 1
 Gay Sasquatch is real. I blew him because I hate my dad. Weird how things like that work out. Have a great day guys!
  • 2 1
 GaySquatch. Soon to be on the Discovery Channel on Friday night.
  • 1 0
 Looking at these photos makes me want to watch Stund, first time I saw Buehler. What happened to it, it was the best thing on pb...
  • 3 0
 Rad ! Garrett is definitely one of my favourite freerider
  • 2 0
 These photos are straight porn. A NSFW tag should be included.
  • 2 1
 Exactly why not many world class skiers aren't produced in London. Sink or swim!
  • 1 0
 it's a miracle! i think i see the likeness of jesus in the ramp (photo 13)!!!!
  • 2 0
 what a beautiful part of the world
  • 1 1
 What?? No trolling from AngryNipples on this thread yet? He must have crawled back under his rock, BRAVO!
  • 1 0
 really looking forward to this film
  • 1 0
 Nelson is siiiiiick, awesome photos. Looking forward to the film.
  • 1 0
 Wallpaper supply for months
  • 1 0
 Why oh why does everything in Canada always look better?
  • 3 0
 Because in reality it is better!
  • 1 0
 sick features, great pics, keep this content coming
  • 1 0
 The trail looks amazing! I so want to go out there..
  • 2 0
 amazing pictures!
  • 1 0
 yeah Buehls!...and dirty V!
  • 1 0
 Amazing Photos ! Big Grin
  • 1 0
 Free Ride Lives. Word.
  • 4 6
 This makes me want to go and build trails for a living........too bad I have this stupid mortgage, wife and kids to support.
  • 4 0
 I'm glad we agree, I hate your wife and kids too.







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