This one has been in the works for a while, a follow-up to
Keep it Saaf, a project we did post-pandemic once we were all let out of our cages. The issue now is we don’t want to repeat film locations, so we thought let’s get digging in a Southern woodland we all know very well. 1 1/2 days later we had 5-6 fresh new segments along with some refurbished older track, and then it was all filmed the following two days over a weekend. Dug, sessioned and filmed all in 3 1/2 days. We lost a few riders through illness and the like, but brought some subs in who sent it just as hard. Turn this one up loud.
I see some riders take a huge injury, such as a broken leg, and not be able to come back as strong as before - which is understandable. I’d not come back as strong. Joel is back just as strong if you ask me, if not stronger, after his horrific leg snapper accident at Windhill.
Here he leans it over on his hip-through-a-tree thing. Mind your head.
Joel and myself mainly dug all of the fresh bits, with help from Ollie, Toby and Tom, so we were fairly hammered going into day 3 and we were yet to pick the bike or the camera up. Joel pulled through as always and he used every last ounce of energy pushing back up for more shots.
Toby Down pulling shapes aboard the Norco. He survived the weekend after some wild rear wheel tree tap and nosedive moments whilst properly pushing on. Along with truck driving and bridge building. Some boy.
Ian Stark diving into the woods. He's another local ripper who rides for nobody else but himself. Doesn’t seem to care about phone clips, social media, or anything else other than riding. He seems to come out of nowhere on his Intense (M9 FRO - correct me if I’m wrong?), pick completely different lines and go just as fast as the rest of the lads. Albeit in a very loose fashion. It’s refreshing to see that bike come out and still look (fairly) composed alongside the modern 29er DH bikes.
Big man Preston Williams. He arrived back from Morzine at 1 am on the morning of filming and drove across the country to come out with us for the last day of filming. A few Red Bulls and he was good to go. He is the type of person you want to be involved with, always keen regardless of the situation.
Joel floating over the hip.
This track’s camber invited your back wheel to slide and slap the stumps on every run down, getting progressively worse as the ruts began to push. Toby Down in a wild shape as his rear wheel slides over the stump.
Ultimate dirt flung into the air as Joel skis his way down.
Preston being careful to not whip too hard towards the tree on one of the lower step down jumps. He finished filming, did 33 laps of Hindhead the following day and then drove back to France the following morning for a French race. The lad is an animal.
More skiing shots down the main loam piste as Joel leans her in.
Toby in attack position on one of the warm-up tracks.
The lads thankful that Toby just survived his savage nosedive and careering off track.
Joel on the stump track trying to stay up on the high line.
Ian doing his best to not be drawn towards the trees as the ruts begin to push!
Preston dropping into the top of the bridge track, freshly built over the rain rut gully.
Trains to end the day as Danger man Will Evans rips through the moss.
Joel coming in to land.
Reviewing some spicy footage with the boys.
Huge thanks to Ian Lean for coming along once again to get some bangers for the lads. And cheers to Ollie Halls, Toby Down and Tom Nisbit for helping with the prep and digging.
Video / Words - Caldwell Visuals
Photography - Ian Lean
Soundtrack - Master of Puppets – Metallica
You son of a b***h, I'm in!
Great edit!
I love Beato, I love Kirk, Metallica too.
But really, you should check out the internet. Literally thousands and thousands of awesome bands and musicians making amazing music every day that’s just as good. Metallica ain’t the only ones out there. To say they don’t make music like that anymore is silly. You’d have to have your head in the sand