Digging in Dreams on the Isle of Wight

IDEA
It can be hard to come up with a new and different idea for a dirt jump edit. To me dirt jump edits can be boring to watch. Don’t take this the wrong way, if someone comes up with a great story line to a dirt jump edit it turns the whole jumping edit around and makes it interesting to watch. My main goal was to use what the Isle of Wight has to offer and that it has beautiful coast lines, with great beaches, cliff tops, and amazing views covered in the evening sunset. I came up with an idea that was to find the perfect spot for my “Day at the Beach” edit. With all of the above I was looking forward to seeing the out come of Nico Turner's filming skills and Szymon Nieborak’s photography wizardry.



SCOPING
Finding the perfect blank canvas location to start carving what you've been dreaming of takes time. It’s all about location / location! After walking miles and miles along the Island's coast line, I finally found the perfect blank canvas with the help of my good friend Harry Steele. This spot had to have great natural looking dirt features to work and sculpt into something awesome. When scoping for a new location to build a great trail, I have to step out of a rider's point of view and put myself in a Photographer's and Videographer's shoes. I find this helps so much to see what the end result will look like and gives me the urge to push myself to fulfill my goals.


DIGGING
Digging comes with mountain biking that's for sure. Digging has to be my most favourite part of mountain biking. You look at a spot you've scoped out for days and all your dream obstacles come to life right in front of you in a dreamy sort of way.

The way I look at it, is that the dirt in front of you is a big sand box when you're a kid. The lines you dream of come to life when you start to mould the dirt around you. It's an art form, you know exactly what the end result is going to look like and the way it will ride. (Most times that is ha ha.) With each pound with the spade to dirt, manipulating earth into shape you get a great sense of satisfaction in your work. Digging is a way of expressing my feelings, love and passion into what I love to do. Without hard work and determination I wouldn't be where I am now and I take that into consideration with digging. At that point where you know you have finished building your line, you stand back for a few minutes and gaze over your hard work and start to imagine yourself riding your line.


RIDING
After months of scoping for the perfect location and digging in all types of weather, moulding the dirt into perfect obstacles, I can lay the first tire marks on a perfectly shaped take off. It’s the best feeling! After lots of hard work, time, and you lay down the spade, you know it's time to send all of those tricks that you were dreaming of to kill time when moving tonnes of dirt into place. Riding what you've built feels amazing, even if it's a small jump and you get just one foot of air. All that time you put into the jump for just a split second of RADNESS, it's all worth it. That's what riding is about, having fun and shredding with your friends. Riding to me is like two perfectly moulded mechanical gears moving in perfect sink, I'm the second gear to my bicycle. Cycling has been with me from a very young age and riding a bicycle is not just a hobby to me, but a way of life.


FILMING and TAKING PHOTOS
Expressing myself on my bike is what I love to do. Having great buddies that like to express their arty flair behind the lens of their cameras, like Nico Turner and Szymon Nieborak is a perfect combination to capture that expressive moment of radness. There is always something about filming or freezing the perfectly extended trick of the day. Having the digital tech nowadays is great to continue reliving your most favourite moment with you buddies.

What I love about filming an edit, is working with Nico. It's always satisfying knowing that the guy behind the lens has a great understanding about the sport he is filming. The bond between rider and videographer is crucial, you have got to be on the same page. Having someone that knows the way you ride, will get the best result.

This goes for the photographer as well, I've known Szymon Nieborak for years now. Been on loads of shoots, trips and the bond between rider and photographer is super strong. When we work together the results are unreal. If I was to call a trick or he was to push my skills to the next level on a certain jump, he will know exactly how I will execute the trick and he will know when I will be fully extended. Working with videographers/photographers that are not just dudes behind the lens, but great friends is a recipe for epic footage and breathtaking photos.


REWARDS
Rewards are everywhere - when you are scoping for the right location, digging and finishing your line, filming and freezing that perfect moment. But the best reward has to be when everything falls into place on the day. When you stomp all your desired tricks and the videographer has come up with EPIC angles to capture that trick in the amazing light and that the photographer has stopped motion and captured the perfect extension on every trick of the day. Having this all fall into place and working with two great guys like Nico Turner and Szymon Nieborak is the biggest reward.


Photos by: Simon Nieborak / @lunatyk
Video by: Nico Turner / @Nico-T
Words by: Blake Samson / @blakes19 / @SaracenBikes