Following a bad injury in the summer, and a broken collarbone right after starting to ride again, Steve Vanderhoek is back on the bike and we meet up to build back some confidence on steep and gnarly features in Squamish.
Big shout out to the builders for their talent and hard work on these features.
@stevev88: doodman! So stoked your back at it! Also, love the mint 1st gen Tacoma! What year is that? I have an ‘01 in same color, manual transmission.
Full faces offer protection for unexpected crashes where you don't have time to ditch the bike and protect your face. These guys are studying features carefully and taking calculated risks at controlled speeds. They anticipate crashes and minimize risks in ways that the rest of us will never understand. Wear whatever makes you comfortable.
@fentoncrackshell: Anticipate crashes? Yes they do, but Steve's latest was not anticipated - he said he done it many times. The full face is for accidents - IE not anticipated.
A full face seems a small inconvenience to protect a vital part of our body - but it's their safety regime.
Lots of Slopestyle and DJ riders have had to adopt full face helmets for contests and they've stated it was tough. Because of the decreased visibility it took a long time to get as comfortable with tricks as when wearing the half shell. I imagine it's similar here.
@njcbps: People can downvote me all they want, but I am 100% on full face for gnar levels over trail riding. I see these guys logic but yea, half shells are not for me in gnar. I also have family responsibilities that don’t align with my MTB hobby. Granted I’m not doing this level of freeride, either.
A full face seems a small inconvenience to protect a vital part of our body - but it's their safety regime.