Must Watch: Gee Atherton Shares What Might Have Been in 'The Knife Edge'
"When you’re constantly seeking to go beyond your comfort zone, to do things that nobody has ever done before, sometimes the outcome balances on a knife edge" Dan Atherton
Gee Atherton’s 'The Knife Edge' is not the glossy action sports edit that we’ve come to know of late. In fact very little has been edited here, so while we get to enjoy the mind-blowing mountain-biking skills and the daring that we associate with Gee’s recent big mountain projects such as 'The Ridgeline' and 'The Slateline', he also talks of the fear he needs to overcome and shows the horrific crash that resulted in many broken bones, a punctured lung and a 2 week stay in the hospital.
Gee explains why he chose to share such a raw piece of footage and why he feels it’s important that we don’t shy away from the less glamorous side of extreme sports:
 | These Big Mountain projects are really important to me; they take a lot of physical and mental effort and they carry a lot of risk. It’s easy for people to forget that when there are incredible athletes pumping out perfect edits week after week; not just in mountain biking, it’s the same in all extreme sports. Looking back over the previous edits in this series I’m talking about how afraid I feel. That’s not a performance it’s very, very real. It’s important to me to show the reality behind this kind of project; when I talk about waking up in the night it’s the possibility of this level of injury that’s haunting me. I feel like when we’re demonstrating an unending line of successes the risk gets lost in the celebrations so I just wanted to pause for a moment and take a look at when and how things go wrong. I’m keen to show the process behind this series. The creativity is definitely something I’m drawn to and the potential to perfectly match the challenge to the very limits of my ability. I’m attracted to the boldness that’s necessary to push to that point. For me it’s all about overcoming an obstacle and someone just happens to film me, I don’t set out with a film in mind but I do constantly seek out opportunities to do things that nobody has done before, to go beyond my comfort zone. Without that drive nothing would change. It’s something that I recognise in Dan and Rachel too, that passion to pour huge amounts of yourself into a task, no matter the difficulties or the set-backs. The knowledge that it will take absolutely everything you have to succeed is a huge motivation. I want to show that I went into this with my eyes open. There are sections in the film where I think it’s really obvious that I’m anxious. And that the crew are on edge. But that’s no different to the feelings I had at the top of the Slateline, or riding the Ridgeline, both had similar potential consequences and ridiculous small margins for error. I think it’s important to show that this wasn’t an impossible line to ride, it was very technical, very intimidating and it was right at the limit but in fact I successfully rode every section, several times for most parts. There is enough footage there for us to have edited together a complete clean run. But it wouldn’t be real. All of the challenges in the series have come about in their own unique ways, they emerge differently. This one started with me driving past the location again and again – thinking “no, it's not on”. But it’s an important part of who I am to feel that doubt but do it anyway. If I stopped every project when I first got scared there would be nothing. Every ridge has its own particular appeal and its own difficulties. You discover its particular personality and its problems, you get your head around it and figure out how to overcome them. This location was defined by how exposed it was. We learnt from the first hike up that we needed to check every step. We were constantly looking behind us. I knew the risks and fully accepted the level of injuries that were likely if it did go wrong. I had figured out every detail and I knew 100% that I could do it. People think that I’m wild but I couldn’t have survived this long without being super-calculated. There’s a process; walk, scout, build, review, adapt, ride. Even now, six weeks on I can close my eyes and picture every rock on that ridge. The mindset is not so different from racing. In both cases an athlete needs to put himself or herself in a position where if everything is done to the maximum of his/her ability the outcome will be good. You have to deliver to come out the other side successfully. It’s how we’ve approached our entire careers. I guess a World Cup track is slightly more forgiving, if there hadn’t been a massive drop inches to my left I’d have probably gone OTB, dusted myself off and gone again. The section that I crashed on was savage, there’s no contesting that but it was no more technically difficult than six or seven other parts of the line that I rode with no problems. But it just goes to show, however much you plan, however great your support crew, your bike, your preparations, when you are riding at the edge nothing is 100%. I made a mistake, got slightly offline with a bit too much momentum and everyone knows the rest. It went wrong but I don’t regret trying. I’m knuckling down, doing my time. It’s going to be a long recovery but I’m so grateful for the crew who supported me on the hill, the Coastguard, the Air Ambulance, the surgeons at Stoke. They all did an absolutely brilliant job and gave me a head start on the road to recovery. Red Bull hooked me up with the very best aftercare and I will always be grateful to all of them. I can honestly say that being injured hasn’t put me off this kind of riding. In fact it’s the complete opposite. The thought of more of these challenges is the light at the end of the tunnel, the reason I’ve pushed on with physio so early, it’s what helps me face the daily grind of painful rehab. Its my goal. I’m passionate about the projects and I plan to do more as soon as I can. |
Huge thanks to the crew, to the paramedics, Aberdyfi Search and Rescue team, the Air Ambulance who transferred Gee to the hospital and the surgeons at the Royal Stoke University Hospital. Gee is making a rapid recovery without lasting damage.
Any profits from this film will be donated to the rescue services.
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Some people might want to step back, look inside, and really ask, "Why am I pushing so hard?"
I have a great life with great friends and amazing family. I have a great Wife. I have a fantastic son who is a serving soldier in the British army serving queen and country, I'm incredibly proud of him. Even got a great job to top it off. I am very lucky indeed.
I do appreciate your concern and worries about me but there really is no need for you to stress. Thank you.
I wish Gee a speedy recovery.
I do think sometimes that these videos are great, but please don’t kill yourself for 5-10 minutes of our entertainment.
Likely an unpopular opinion here BUT as someone who works in the film industry I don't get why they were so woefully unprepared for a bad outcome. Any major shoot that involves people being put at risk ( stunts) always has an ambulance / EMT standing by.
Gee is a professional and doing this shoot to make money and it was planned and a known high-risk shoot. Ponying up for professional medical staff to be there seems like a no-brainer. Perhaps it says something about our sport in general with brands like Redbull and Monster expecting athletes to lay it on the line for content but not ensuring that things are done properly.
Hell. I've done shoots with an NBA star just dunking a ball and there was a medical unit on set.
I'm so happy that he made it through but what if a fractured bone punctured a major artery or something? It could have been tickets well before the heli got there.
jalopnik.com/unauthorized-red-bull-promo-run-reportedly-damages-unes-1847488639
(To be clear this is a legitimate question, with no sarcastic undertone)
I imagine for riders like Gee they do this sort of thing because they have to, it's their art, it's in them, it needs to be expressed. They'd do it whether they were sponsored by Red Bull or just scraping together enough to buy a can.
But, these riders *are* sponsored and we all make the choice to watch their edits, so could and should we be doing more to say no to shoots and events where basic risk management is lacking? These lines and race courses are a place of work and just because riders are contractors not employees should that exclude them that protection?
We vote with our wallets and our clicks on this stuff, could we as a community be pushing back against this? We could demand an opening shot showing the helicopter sitting nearby waiting to airlift the rider if the worse happens?
Over the last few years I've been trying to make the move to spending more on things that are responsibly sourced and recyclable/reusable. It means I can afford fewer of those things, but I value them more. Maybe we need to take the same approach to these edits.
I've no idea what the right answer is here, but I do know that I watch Gee ragdoll and feel like I am a tiny part of what put him on that ridgeline.
I think more people are responsible for the lack of this they care to admit.
Anyways, I liked your comment!
We've all had bad crashes. But Gee's was something else. This was ten times worse than my worst crash. And I'm still hurting from that one years ago.
This was exactly what I needed to see. I'm definitely not at Gees level, but I'm by no means a low end rider. My enduro race season is over before it really began, and i wont have a proper winter of training and practice, and next season will be struggle.
It really helps to hear his perspective, and inspiring to see the journey he has been through. I'm starting a similar journey and it is intimidating.
Hope this made sense, but at the moment this video really hit me emotionally, and gave me some hope at a very dark time.
war·ri·or (wôr′ē-ər, wŏr′-)
n.
1. One who is engaged in or experienced in battle.
2. One who is engaged aggressively or energetically in an activity, cause, or conflict:
Using an idealistic soldier, ignoring all of the horrors and corruption of war, to say that Gee's endeavors here are selfish or silly seems simplistic.
I’d happily label civil rights leaders and leading climate advocates as warriors, but not some dude riding a bike down a hill to make a video for YouTube.
I’m going to give up in the comments on this site, but I do a lot of trail advocacy and on my bad days I worry we’re a bunch of selfish people that would greatly benefit from some perspective. Wrong audience, I know.
On the other hand, I would put this edit right up there alongside any other work of art or endeavor that explores the limits of our physical activities as a reminder of the rawness and depth of experience that each of our lives has the potential for. It's a reminder that life is a significant experience, and I don't see it as selfish to want to have that depth and rawness in one's life. I'd imagine Gee could be making money doing things that are much safer and tamer. If we do call it selfish, it's selfish in the purest, most worthwhile sense of the word, and I think it provides perspective we could all use more of in our day-to-day, Uber-safe, privileged lives.
Thanks for coming back with some humility so we could get into the nuance of the thing
For the less experimented of us, it's a reminder that our sport is dangerous, and that when you accept the fun of it, you have also to accept the potential consequences of it.
Get well soon, mister the point (joke inside), I'm looking forward see you on our 2-wheeled machines.
Going forward, we are likely to see much more of this though. Kids are pushing the limits so far now. Every time I watch Rampage or Crankworx I'm shocked there aren't more horrific injuries.
I guess its just in the human spirit to keep pushing the limits to see what's possible, but to what end? When someone dies as a result, will it be enough?
Having guys standing on a blustery ridge above a steep & deep drop hoping to catch a moving biker wearing casual clothes and skate shoes, with no fall protection, seems like a breach of various laws and regs, and an oversight in the risk assessment...in any case, whoever is managing these situations needs to take greater responsibiltiy for their safety, be it defining the safety controls, or enforcing existing ones.
Living a couple of hours from Machynlleth I'm happy to lend a hand...
If anyone wants to see other extreme crashes Gee has had so far, google the exact following words and hit the first result:
- Gee Atherton crash snow
- Gee Atherton crash balls
- Gee Atherton crash rampage
- Gee Atherton crash Mont Sainte Anne
Our view?
Red Bull has encouraged many in the sport to push boundaries to a point where life-changing injuries are likely. It’s not clear that they provide the full protection and compensation which goes with the risk. Young people undertake the risk consciously but with a mix of bravado and lack of consciousness about the implications of injury. Having said that, as an older and highly experienced athlete at the top level of the sport, Gee A and the Dyfi crew know the risks inside out, and know the consequences. He has been injured many times - and contains and controls risk very carefully.
Red Bull could fund full medical facility for all such shoots, and they should consider it. F1 was totally indifferent to the safety of drivers in the 60s and 70s, and it took Jackie Stewart and Bernie Ecclestone to get the right level of medical facility to reduce fatalities to a morally-acceptable level. We all ride things which could kill us, all the time, but these boundary-pushing shoots perhaps need something a bit extra. Red Bull should consider this.
It’s right that the coastguard is a State service, recently being tendered by the State for supply. The Atherton crew knew how to call it in and called it in fast.
A final thing. I know from many sports that you can practice and practice, and develop consistency. But humans are humans...you ride a line fifty times and for no apparent reason you screw it up the next time. The explanation is simple, and comes from cognitive science. As humans we do incredibly complex things - like serve a table tennis ball precisely, or jump a rock feature, or solo an outcrop. But it’s so complex that performance can break down suddenly: the unforced error. 100 times perfectly, the next a collapse in performance. It happens to us all, constantly, and periodically. You have to monitor the conditions which can bring it about: tiredness, lack of focus, over-confidence, and ‘just one more run...’. That’s part of performance at the edge.
I can tell you 100% that most riders will think more of you for showing the failure as well, not less. Heal quickly.
Of course he is a big boy who makes his own decisions but Id like also like to see him around a bit longer. A different arrangement of rocks and we might have seen a darker scenario. Heal up Gee and please be careful (said in my best fatherly tone).
I can’t believe the air ambulance is still a charity , disgraceful !
On a lighter note... Am I the only one who felt like he should have been on a Karpiel for this clip? Hearkening back to the days of old where you're doing things no one else even thinks of... sadly the high level of old school carnage came along with it this time.
As an aside, I'm in NZ and my dad used to climb around there when he was a kid, can anyone shed any (accurate) light on where that ridge is, I want to talk to the old man about it.
Greatest healing wibes of all time and best of luck in whatever you choose to do in the future!
Can't wait to see what Gee will come up with in the future and I am waiting to see him back on a bike for sure.
Heal up buddy and stay closer to your comfort zone for the next edit
Love Gee as a rider and that family seems really cool, but I am somewhat conflicted about someone taking that level of risk in what is best categorized as a profit-seeking activity and then getting evacuated on what I assume is the taxpayer's dime.
It's a conundrum for all action and adventure sports and I'm not trying to criticize Gee at all. It could have been any one of hundreds of people spread across dozens sports. Just saying it ought to provoke a little more thoughtful response than "wicked crash, bro. heal up quick."
So is someone like Gee putting more load on the healthcare system over a lifetime compared to an average person? maybe, but it's probably no worse than someone that has an unhealthy lifestyle and will need a lot of medical care later in life. In the end we all pay for it through taxes and insurance. I'm not sure if there is a better alternative.
Hard to imagine as an American, isn't it? God bless the NHS.
There’s nothing more to say. That’s how a dead person rag dolls down terrain.