Riding a Thin Line Bordered by Death

Last weekend in Whistler, B.C., my cousin, Brett, introduced me to downhill mountain biking a.k.a. "riding a thin line bordered by death". It's awesome. Here are some pics. Many thanks to Brett's friend Craig for the awesome action shots.

Brett catching air off a boulder right before the impact of the landing caused the rear derailleur to get sucked into the wheel, break off, and destroy Brett and the bike.

The "containers".

This feature looks waaaay worse when you're standing on top of it looking down. If you're out of control after the landing, you'll fall down a ravine.

Wooden platforms are suspended from a foot to 30 feet off the ground and can be VERY narrow. This it literally a thin line bordered by death.

If clearing a 10 foot table top is too tame by itself, you can twist your handlebars 180 degrees while in the air and then back right before you land.

For a "step up" you have to be going mach 5 to clear the gap and make it to the landing.

If the falls off the wooden platforms and cliffs or the crash landings don't kill you, there's always the trees you could hit going 30 mph or the giant potholes, roots, and rocks that can buck you off your bike and either toss you down a cliff or into a tree. For my first time, I'm just proud of myself for surviving unscathed and being able to see Brett and Craig in action.