Garett Buehler – An Interview With BC’s Big Mountain Badass

Garett Buehler is a twenty year old singletrack slayer from Nelson, BC. His riding speaks for itself, and he makes everything look easy. He is best known for hitting huge airs, and for his fearless approach to tackling any and all terrain. I had the pleasure of interviewing the STUND star this fall - I hope you enjoy getting to know him better.


  Your early years were spent growing up in Valemount,B.C., am I correct? What was going on up there, and when did you move to Nelson?

I lived in Valemount until I was ten. It was close to where my dad was working, but it’s a really nice spot, it was fun as a kid messing around there, so it was a good place. We moved to Nelson in 2000. It was a good move!


  Your dad is a super legendary ski guide at Canadian Mountain Holidays. Have you ever thought of following in his footsteps?
Yeah, my dad is pretty cool, He’s been guiding and playing in the mountains for 40 years. He is one of the original CMH heli ski guides, he came over from Switzerland. Hanging out with him has defiantly had me thinking about becoming a guide. For now I’ve found something I’m stoked on, but who knows, maybe sometime down the road I’ll do the ski guide thing.


  Have you got to do a lot of heli skiing with your dad? Has that had an impact on how you view mountain biking?
I’ve been so lucky, the heli time has been insane! Growing up back country skiing and living in the mountains has had a huge impact on my riding. I love exploring the landscape, and using the natural features to play with, that’s what gets me excited to ride!


  Did you start riding when you moved to Nelson?
I was always riding, for as long as I can remember. Living in Valemount, which is a super small town, we could just shred all around town as kid. But riding real DH trails didn’t start until Nelson… I think my first trail was 719, such a classic at the time.

Who did you start riding with?
Whoever was riding that day, there were a lot of kids to shred with back in the day. I started riding with Kurt Sorge and Evan Schwartz at a really young age, and still shred with them now, but there was a big scene of kids shredding when I was younger.

   It seems like Mike Kinrade has played a pretty big role in your experiences, bringing you on some riding trips and filming. Has he helped your progression as a rider?
Big time! I owe a lot of thanks to Kinrade for those early years. He really helped push me as a rider, sending big gaps with him at a young age helped a lot in my confidence on big terrain. Growing up in Nelson, which is fairly isolated, hanging out with Kinrade really helped me get out there when I was younger and ride lots… Thanks Kinrade!


   You’ve done some of the biggest airs out there, but what captures your interest in terms of going big? Isn’t it scary as f*ck sending those gaps?
Going big is fun! I love the feeling of flying through the air and going fast - stomping a big hit is super rewarding. It can be scary, but you just have to be confident in yourself. Overcoming the fear is a good feeling!


   It looks like you’ve started to 360 some pretty big stuff. Is that something you’re really working at, or pretty much just sending it when it feels right?
It’s got to feel right, but I’m for sure working on it… Doing all that stuff on big natural terrain is what it's all about.


   Are you pretty focused on trying to bring tricks into big mountain riding?
I’m focused on big mountain riding, tricks are just a part of the natural progression. I’m mostly just focused on having fun and keeping it exiting for myself. Riding stuff which is fun, and gets people stoked to ride. I like getting gnarly sometimes, but it’s not always all about sending it…

Garett is an absolute machine and a total charger. I used to think he was riding over his head and just plain f*cking crazy, but after having a chance to work with him a lot more this year he is evolving into one of the next big mountain riders to watch for. A serious bad ass. - Derek Westerlund, Director of Freeride Entertainment

   You’ve ridden a lot in some pretty epic spots, especially Nelson, Williams Lake, and Kamloops. Tell me a little bit about what makes each place special. Do you have any favourites?
Every spot is so rad! I could really go on about all of them… But in Nelson it’s all about long epic shuttles with friends, nothing but good times. Kamloops is the best digging and you can find, so much rad stuff to build and it’s effortless. Williams Lake is just raw and bad ass, natural big mountain lines and a seriously sick trail network.


   Something I’ve noticed about your riding is raw talent. You make everything look really easy. I remember riding with you when we were filming one of the early Rilor Wilderness webvideos and you pulled this manual on a roller coaster bridge you’d never even ridden before, I was super impressed... you probably don’t remember because you are pulling that sort of shit all the time. What are some things you’ve ridden lately that were really challenging or scary?
The north shore on a rainy day, hahaha!


   Describe a perfect day out riding with your buddies.
Every day is a perfect day out riding with your buddies.

Who are some of your favourite people to ride with?

I like riding with Sorge and Doerfling as much as possible, those guys are keen to send it any day, and it’s always rad riding with people who are stoked to giver!

Any riders out there that you look up to whose riding amazes you?
So many guys are unreal these days… It’s hard to single out just one.


   Whats up for this winter?

Winter is looking good. I’m going to ski as much as possible, shred some waves down on the coast, hang out in Vancouver with my pretty lady friend and ride the shore. I’m also going to take some first aid courses, and keep busy prepping for next season.


   What are your goals for next season? It seems like you did a lot of filming this year - at least four different edits? Did you film them all with the same guy, or different people?
Next season my goals are to explore more remote zones, and have as much fun as possible. I want to return to Rampage, and a busy film schedule is shaping up! I shot a lot this year, with tons of different people. STUND was a project that took up a bunch of time, but I also got the chance to work with Freeride Entertainment on some stuff, and tried to be filming as much as I could different people, like Connor Macleod, Matt Brooks, and Mitch Cheek. It was a fun year!


   Any riding zones in BC you are really keen to check out?
I’m keen to check out a variety of places… BC is endless for mountain bike zones, and I want to check out every corner of it. That’s the part of riding which gets me pumped, the search for the perfect feature, or line… and traveling is something I really enjoy.


   Did you ride in any new zones in BC this year that you’d never checked out before?
The Sunshine coast was new for me. A lush spot! Myself and Doerlfing explored this spot “The Zone”… Which was super remote and a fun adventure to get into! We explored and pioneered some insane heli lines on STUND in the wilds of the Cariboo… that was really cool!

I have been best buds with Garett since we were ten. From riding our bikes, heli skiing with his old man, general Kootenay kids growing up. Garett has always been pushing it on that next level. It is really rad to see that he is still doing just that! - Evan Schwartz, Master Shredder

   It seems like you’ve done a lot of shooting with Margus Riga. Who is he and what is he all about?
Margus is a rad dude, super easy to get along with, and he’s really fun to work with. He’s been killing it this season! He is the Knolly team photographer, so we had him around lots. I can’t wait to get back out there with that guy, good laughs! Margus is from Estonia, I think that's where Dracula is from too. He moved over to Canada when he was pretty young and grew up in Ontario, but now lives in Vancouver.


   How about James Doerfling, he lives in Williams Lake, right? What’s it like hanging out with him up in the Cariboo region?
Doerfling's rad! He calls Williams Lake his home, and we’ve been shredding lots together over the past few seasons. It’s cool going up to the Cariboo, the people there are just core shredders stoked to live for the ride. It’s really cool, and the riding is just insane. Everything you could ask for!

   Something I thought was cool in STUND this year was how they showed each of you guys shredding the same section. It kind of sounds boring but totally wasn’t. Especially the cable cams in Williams Lake, that was rad. I noticed you and Romo have similar style. Have you picked up some stuff from him or do you just do your own thing?
I think on STUND it was all about just having fun, so we would just session our favorite sections, it was fun. I’ve been watching Romo ride for years and always liked his naturally fast, pinned out style. I think we have real different backgrounds in terms of other sports… but I don’t know really, we’re just having fun out there riding how we like to ride.


   I bet you really want to go to Rampage and get some good luck. The last two times you were riding really well, but then had some bad luck. You cased the Oakley Sender in 2010. Did you get hurt?
Yeah, I bent may handlebar pretty good, but luckily I wasn’t too badly hurt. My chest was wounded and it was hard to breathe a bit. Good luck would be helpful, but I just really need to try harder!


   Did you get hurt or have any setbacks this season?
Yeah, there are always little setbacks. But injuries are always a big one, and I hurt my ankle really good at the Chatel Mountain Style this year. I was off the bike for about eight weeks, and that sucked! Time is always the biggest set back! Never enough of it, haha!


   How has your Knolly Podium been for you?
The Knolly is unreal… so smooth! That bike just rocks and works so well, I couldn’t be happier with it! It feels just perfect the minute you get on it, nothing feels weird, everything is just proper.


   You are running Suntour suspension on your bikes this year. It looks like they are making a big push this year.
Suntour are working on some really exciting new things. This season I was on their AM Durolux a lot, and was using it for FR stuff. It held up on some rowdy stuff and it’s a real lightweight platform, I was impressed! I’m super excited for what the future has in store with Sr Suntour.

   Do you have any stunts or crazy ideas for trail features you hope to build in the future?
Yeah, for sure, but primarily I’m looking for natural features, stuff you don’t need to use a shovel on too much. Just show up and ride it. Finding the perfect line with minimal building, that’s the stuff that captures my imagination and I seek out! When you look at something and can be creative with it, it makes it a lot more fun.


   Did Mitch Cheek film all the episodes for STUND? What was it like working with him?
Mitch is from Williams Lake. He’s the funniest dude ever, so much fun to work with. He’s always keeping the crew stoked and making it fun. He was the main filmer on STUND, and I’ve worked with him on some of his short flicks for Solosproductions.com. Mitch is the man!


   Any gnarly stories from the making of STUND?
Kinrade came close to killing everyone a couple of times. He can be a little loose behind the wheel, haha.


   I liked the feature article in BIKE about the jumps in your yard. John Gibson took the photos and wrote the story. Have you done much shooting with Gibby?
Yeah, I’ve been shooting with Gibson lots. It’s sweet working with Gibby, he’s been doing it for so many years, and he’s still so stoked on being out there and enjoying it all. He’s a really cool guy, always looking out for everyone who’s out that day. He lives in Canmore but has a place in Nelson too so I see him a fair bit… Love working with Gibby! He’s never going to miss the shot you can always count on him.


   Tell us about Margus’s shot, the one included in this Interview from Kamloops, where it looks like you have a really long way to go to get to the landing. That looks huge - where is it and who built it?
That is a move I built in Kamloops. It’s cool because you come flying down this piece of single track and you have to peel a hard left corner as you fade off the lip... the whole way through the line you are drifting to the left. It feels super cool!

I've known Garett for a long time now, we filmed our Race Face Contest videos together, pretty much rode all the time growing up and then from there we started traveling the world competing and filming. Now he's one of the best big mountain riders in the world and it's really cool to have made it as a professional rider with your bro from your home town. Everyone should keep their eyes on him because the kid goes huge! - Kurt Sorge, Professional Freerider

   You have done some Winter traveling in Mexico. What's the story there?
Yeah, we left in December, 2009. My girlfriend and I planned this big road trip to surf and check out the country. We drove down the entire west coast to the tip of the Baja Peninsula. Kurt Sorge, Mitch Cheek, Matt Hunter and Matt’s family friends were also down there and we joined up with everybody. A big crew to met up with, we had tons of fun in the sun! Kurt and I figured that since we where there we might as well do some riding and check out some zones. We made a short edit with Mitch, and had a sweet little video to look back on a rad trip!


   You went to Waldorf school, what's that all about?
Hahaha... that’s funny that you asked that. I went there for two years. At the time I remember all the kids in the public schools thought Waldorf was weird, but looking back, it was pretty cool. I guess it’s just a different approach to education, it was sweet though. We did two week long sailing trips throughout the Gulf Islands, and winter camping trips. Waldorf included lots of outdoors time and more or less just a lot fun. It made school cool!


   Do you have brothers and sisters?
I have an older brother... Jacks man! He was racing xc and road for a lot of years, and is insanely driven and athletic. We find it funny how we both are into such different things, but he's good shit! We're good buddies and get along well. He just needs to get off the road bike and come shred! Hahaha.

   You knew Sam Brown really well. Did you ride bikes with him a lot?
Sam built the hampster wheel in NWD 3 and was an absolute legendary trail builder back in the day, and at a really young age too. He built the Monster in Kaslo when he was super young, and he was just insanely talented at everything he did, and just a really amazing person to be around. He got caught up in a really foolish game and it took his life. I love that guy like a brother, it feels like a movie that you just wish wasn't real. Our moms where really close friends throughout our childhood, so we became really close to Sam and his sisters Casey, Elinor, and Jen... lots of life long memories! Some of those memories are of the long jump contests off the one foot kicker in the drive way with Sam, all the sisters and my brother and everyone who was hanging out with us. I rode bikes with him. The freeride scene, jumping off stupid stuff, building ladder bridges. He is the one who introduced me to all of that. He brought Kranked 1 over one time and that started my dreams.


   What are your strengths and weaknesses as a rider?
Uphills are a weakness, downhills are a strength, hahaha.


   Any new sponsors for 2012?
Some of my 2012 sponsors are still a little up in the air, but a lot of returning sponsors; Adidas Eyewear, Knolly, Sr Suntour, Royal, and Lizard Skins. Now is the time when a lot of stuff is still in the works, so can't say too much just yet.


   You filmed a lot back in the day with Tamas Forde, who won the breakout producer of the year at the BIKE Magazine Awards in 2008. Those look like some great times!
Tam is an extremely talented, completely self taught film maker from Nelson. He made his first film, Local Yokels when he was still in high school, and he also shot mine and Sorge's UFC videos the year we were in it. Kurt won, kick starting his career. Tam’s been doing it for a long time now, and helped a lot of us along the way! Definitely another huge influence on me as a young one. He and I would team up and film as much as we could, it was a lot of fun. I helped Tam with some of his film projects, and in return he was helping me with my riding career. We both ended up getting noticed, and now we are both still doing the same stuff we wanted to be doing. He's working for Freeride Entertainment as an editor and filmer. Tam has made a number of his own films including Local Yokels, Stripped, Brighter, STUND seasons 1 and 2, he was editor of STUND season 3, and is responsible for a lot of the final cuts in NWD movies, as well as rampage films, and the best of NWD. Being in his films was awesome, it was just like going out and filming with your friends, but Tam would turn it into this masterpiece. He’s just pure talent with graphics, editing, filming, media stuff, and just the nicest, friendly dude around!


   What are your plans for the next few months?
SHRED!


   Shout outs? Props? Favourite trails? Words of Advice?
Shout outs to everyone who is out riding for the fun of it! Props to you for building Powerslave, it’s my favorite trail. Thanks to everyone for watching STUND! Enjoy the little things and have fun! Also, to everyone who has helped me along the way: family, friends, sponsors, you know who you are. Thanks!


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www.srsuntour-cycling.com
Twitter - @garettbuehler
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/GarettBuehler

Photos by Margus Riga, Mitch Cheek and Ian Hylands