Video: Vancouver Island Freeride with Honza Faistaver in 'Utopia'

Utopia is defined as an imagined place or state of things in which everything is perfect. Honza Faistaver is a Czech rider who has been traveling the world in search of the perfect riding destination, a mountain biker's “Utopia”. To his excitement, Honza believes to have finally found just that, here in British Columbia.


“People from all over the world come to British Columbia to get a taste of riding some of the best trails ever. For myself, this was the exact motivation for moving to BC. Whatever trail you're looking for, I bet it already exists here. The amount of riding you can get within just a few hours of driving is ridiculous. And the fact that there's always something going on and there's always someone down to ride makes this place so special. It is likely the closest thing that exists to a mountain biking Utopia.”

Honza Faistaver


Upon moving to BC, Honza initially lived in Whistler, but as winter quickly approached and the riding season on the mountain came to an end, he had to move on. Honza found himself settling down in the Cowichan Valley of Vancouver Island, a place with an extensive network of world-class trails which can be ridden all year round.


Since his move to the island, Honza has spent equally as much time building as he has riding. Most notably, over the past two years, Honza has dedicated hundreds of hours into rebuilding a massive hand-dug jump line at the bottom of Mt. Prevost.


For 2022, Honza has teamed up with Knolly Bikes and is on-board a custom Warden 168, built up to complement his gravity-focused riding style.




Video/Photos: Liam Morgan
Athlete: Honza Faistaver
Words: Liam Morgan & Honza Faistaver
Sponsored by Knolly Bikes
Shot on the unceded Coast Salish territory