Video: Yoann Barelli Resurrects a Gnarly Beast of a Feature in 'Into the Gnar'

Jul 20, 2022 at 8:25
by Yoann Barelli  

We are back for a new episode of INTO THE GNAR!!!!

photo
Sunrise banger by Guy Fattal

I've looked at this feature on the side of the highway between Whistler and Pemberton since I moved to Canada in 2014, this beast was created by Kenny Smith and Kyle Norbaten in 2004.

At the end of last year I stood on top of it and imagined what it would take to rebuild it and how I would ride it. But it's only when you start to put on the work that everything starts to click. Thanks to my good buddies Jolan, Sergi, Matt and some of my Colorado friends we got this thing up and ready to roll last week.

photo
photo
Steve, Jolan and matt preparing the take off, PC by Guy Fattal

I love sharing these gnarly lines with my buddy Steve, he is always the best guy to have around as we do things for the same reason which is pure love for this stuff and we have a pure blast doing it !!
That day, an amazing crew was with us, Kelsey, Matt Tongue, Ryan Kenny, Sergi, Jolan, and Guy, the vibe was perfect, the weather was perfect, all the elements were on our side.

I love this, I love going through that full process, I love the fear, the excitement and the commitment that it brings me. This is my meditation, another way for me to find myself, fully.

photo
Guinea pigging something is the best feeling ever, PC by Guy Fattal

Big up to Matt Tongue on double duty, the guy was filming for a piece that you will watch very soon, and sent the line like a boss right after hahaaaaa !!!

Massive Thank you to everyone who contributed to this project, it was a blast and of course, as always, more to come soon !!

Thank you for watching

Love

YoB,

Video by @toevs
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85 Comments
  • 62 2
 Pinkbike needs to get Yoann to ride with Tom Bradshaw at some point. In my eyes they are the two most stoked riders around. Their personalities together would make such a fun video.
  • 18 0
 But we like Tom, it would be good to keep him alive !
  • 6 0
 Ben Boyko stomped this on film in 2004 - 18 years ago in the embedded video.

m.pinkbike.com/news/ben-boyko-2010.html

Check out the first video at 2:47. The lily pad is the ender in his video.

It’s also pictured at the bottom of the linked page.

Boyko was an absolute animal! Very innovative and one of the best Freeriders from that era, IMO. I always wondered what happened to him.
  • 1 0
 @dkendy1: when you ride with Yoann you absorb his magical powers and nothing can go wrong. Tom will be perfectly safe.
  • 1 0
 @dirtdiggler: crazy
  • 29 1
 Apparently Steve just got married. I wonder if he’ll have to calm down now? When I got hitched I went from massive 3ft drops to rollers
  • 6 0
 So you're saying he'll need to scale back from 50 feet to what 48, 47? I'd make that comprimise for my SO
  • 15 0
 His wife has been his filmer for years (and talks about it in one of his vids) and sounds like she's made her peace with how he rides Smile
  • 13 0
 @dolface: so she watches him throw himself off cliffs during the weekend, and during the week he literally fights fires. She’s a tough one
  • 21 0
 As an American all I can think of is how many different type of police officers would show up (at the same time) to immediately shut this down.

where I live we have:

Sherrif’s
Highway Patrol
City Cops
Forest Service Law Enforcement Officers
BLM Ranger
Wildlife Protection Officers
Tribal Police
And whoever drives those blacked out suburbans.
  • 14 0
 Dont forget the Sierra Club
  • 1 0
 @Jcolis1904: I think they just put rocks all over the trails, and closed signs on trails that are perfectly legal. . . At least where I live.
  • 6 0
 You've also forgotten all the 'concerned citizens' who will stop and block traffic to let you know how safe they think you should be, calling the aforementioned fuzz on your behalf.
  • 2 0
 you can do it, just hide your features
  • 2 1
 And probably shoot him.
  • 2 0
 and the Karens
  • 19 0
 this thing looks absolutely massive on camera, I bet in person it's pure insanity standing at the top looking down!
  • 2 0
 Yes!! Saw this was rebuilt a couple weeks ago while driving home from Pemby. Couldn't believe the size of it!! I love the lillypad half way down! Yoann is a beast!
  • 4 0
 That’s what she said.
  • 16 0
 Incredible - although I feel personally attacked with what Yoann says around the 8:11 mark. Being in a scared, stiff defensive position is my jam.
  • 10 0
 For some reason the thumbnail gave me the impression that Yoann was jumping straight to the wooden landing, minus the rock bounce. Scary as hell anyway
  • 11 0
 FOUND MY OG CLIP: www.dailymotion.com/video/x6dg9c
Go to :50 with Mick Hannah's start.
  • 1 0
 Rad!
  • 10 0
 Just seeing the name Barelli makes me nervous.
  • 7 0
 Speaking of bringing back old features, somebody needs to bring back that one under the Gondola at Whistler.....double rock roll with than janky old landing ramp.....
  • 3 0
 Been looking at that for years and wondered if it was built for bike film? Strange how the moss has never grown back too
  • 6 0
 @WelshClemo: It's in the credits to Arrival, Kenny Smith hits it... also it's under Garbanzo not the gondi.

Search YouTube for Arrival (2013) [Movie MTB] and watch at 31:30
  • 3 0
 Are you talking about the one on the right as you go up garbo chair?
  • 1 0
 @jazzawil: yes, that’s the one I was referring to
  • 1 0
 @gramboh: that’s not the one. We are talking about the line and wood you see on the right as you go up on the garbanso chair
  • 1 0
 @jazzawil: yeah, my bad, it's the garbo chair......
  • 2 0
 @WelshClemo: I know, wtf, line is still there clear as day....
  • 2 0
 @gramboh: that vid makes it look SOOO easy, seeing that in person, no fricking way! For some reason I thought that was originally hit back in the early 2000's by Wade or Richie?
  • 1 0
 @RadBartTaylor: there is another old line that you can see from Garbo chair on the right, there's a big rock island that Blue Velvet now goes though on the Bear paw ski run. It had a wooden drop off it that richey hits in nwd6 I think. His segment had a heap of Garbo zone one off features and also he does the rock Lilly pad drop that Yoann and co just rebuilt and is all over instagram!
  • 1 0
 Nwd5 I meant

youtu.be/MeJH2fgWk-g

@41:00

Also my nwd memory is blurry must have been another one he does the Lillypad in
  • 1 0
 @jazzawil: love it, thanks for sharing....
  • 8 1
 They did this in 2004 already, crazy
  • 5 0
 Kenny Smith is crazy. His riding in older videos is ahead of it's time.
  • 4 0
 This is unreal.. I could not ride, having my pants full... never know how guys like him muster the confidence and fight their fear, to do such jumps.. impressive, really is...
  • 7 0
 Rides like a GOAT hammers like a 3 year old.
  • 2 0
 Yohan was in the day before and I knew that they were filming that the next day so on my way home I pulled over and hiked it to the take off. I thought for sure that this was going to be the one where one of them ended up in the hospital. Like Steve said, they have the skill but if something does happen the consequences were big. Congrats to the whole team for pulling this one off. All your stuff is big but this one definitely had the gnar factor.
  • 9 0
 I filmed this in 2004 for No More Heros. Both Kenny Smith and Mick Hannah trained it - on 2004 bikes...and 2004 brakes.
  • 4 0
 2:18
www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhUCfS1jDUo
  • 4 0
 You're an animal Yoann! Great to see the boys getting a bit spooked on a feature for once!
  • 3 0
 I didn’t see the lily pad feature and when he was going for it I was like “oh shit he doesn’t have enough speed!” Thought they were gapping to the wood landing.
  • 5 0
 That pickup at 9:42 Big Grin
  • 4 0
 where's the vid of this from 2004?

This is, like, big.
  • 3 2
 They didn’t feel the urge to film everything #googleads
  • 3 0
 GoPros and decent cellphone cameras didn't exist back then. YouTube didn't even exist in 2004 yet to post and brag about it. They would have had to edit a whole VHS or DVD to make lugging a camcorder around worth it. Then market and sell them to get views. It was a different world back then.
  • 3 0
 @MTBfloat: Sorry, only out on Betamax
  • 1 0
 www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhUCfS1jDUo

Here's a teaser of it I found on the YouTube
  • 2 0
 Incredible. I guess if you even start to waste a thought on possible consequences you better go home.
  • 1 0
 @yoannbarelli then if i want to do it i need to bring my own boards correct?? haha
Always dreamt of doing it on my F scooter!
Watch out!
  • 2 0
 Wooh Shit...!!! Just Kill it Bruh.
  • 1 0
 Kenny Smith and Co we’re doing this back in 04. I believe. Batsh$t crazy.
  • 3 1
 The absolute state of that coffee...
  • 1 0
 Somebody should teach these guys to properly make espresso...
  • 2 0
 @JaumeV18: looks like that's the hot water spigot flowing (ie, he's making an Americano)
  • 1 0
 Epic. Is there a video of the founders hitting it in 2004??
  • 4 0
 www.youtube.com/watch?v=GhUCfS1jDUo
  • 2 0
 Radical!
  • 1 0
 Fuck that! These boys are mental Fair play.
  • 1 0
 I noticed this last Sunday, driving back south from Pemby. It's a monster.
  • 2 0
 Toonie drop next!
  • 1 0
 Amazing! these guys are awesome!
  • 3 6
 How does this play into accessibility due to access from the highway? Any concern about folks getting in over their head cuz they can see it while driving and say 'yeah ill send that'? Most stuff over there seems somewhat hidden away in the woods so a bit less eyes on? Just curious how that is approached or discussed at all.
  • 2 0
 I drove past this the other day and it looked like boards were removed. So my bet is, if you want this feature you’d have to put in some work before you get to send it.
  • 17 0
 Should people not have some responsibility for their own actions?
  • 31 0
 Canada ER visit - Doctor - You're pretty banged up. What did you do? You - That old line on 99'er going up to Pemby. Doctor - Crazy. That's a big one. Let's get you fixed up.

US ER visit - Doctor - who is your insurance provider and have you thought about suing the person that built the jump you decided to go off? It's probably their fault you got hurt.
  • 2 4
 @Strath-cona: They for sure should, was just curious if it ever played into how Barelli and crew built stuff. If someone sends it and breaks themselves, thats on them haha.
  • 1 0
 @wilsonians: what an American thing to say ;-) people should be responsible for their actions, but if someone gets hurt riding this, of his own free will, it’s the builders fault…
  • 1 0
 @9:48 that truck is like what the f*ck was that!?!?
  • 1 0
 That alarm sound tho. Giving me anxiety
  • 1 0
 Is there an original video of norbraten hitting it?
  • 1 0
 The crew delivers the goods again!
  • 1 0
 I know the spot, I know it's pure gnar. Good job!
  • 1 0
 Evel Knievel would be proud of you guys!
  • 1 0
 Was this Kenny Smiths original line?
  • 1 0
 Drove past it last night. Looks like it was dismantled?
  • 1 1
 thats one gnarly looking "coffee" @ 6"
  • 1 0
 This is what we Love!
  • 1 0
 Were. Spellcheck shite.
  • 1 0
 Yikes!
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