It has been a month now since my crash happened in Taxco Mexico during the Best Trick Competition at the Urban Downhill race. I came up short on a 35 foot double and landed, I think, straight on my shoulder. I separated my shoulder and was told that it is a Grade V separation and usually involves surgery. Right now my decision is to get full range of motion and get back on my bike rather than think about surgery. I have been doing physical therapy on it for a month, rode a pump track and hit...

This year I decided that I will not sell my downhill bike and buy new one for next season. Now I can ride downhill even during winter. The temperature is not too low at the moment, just light is bad, it gets dark at around 4.30 pm. My friend and I are building a new freeride line at local woods. Last year we built some nice line there, but this year all jumps and berms are getting bigger, it’s going to be even nicer freeride line. When spring will come, we will make some movies there. I just started...

There are endless skills available at any track if you know the right way to ride it. BMX bikes are ideal, but as mountain bikers these days we use single speed hardtails (33-16 gearing) with fast rolling tires. Just about any bike will do, even beaters, no excuse. Suspension bikes work as well, you just gotta add more air pressure to your shocks and tires. Jumping drills are probably a little better than manualling, etc. cornering drills are good too.

It may officially be ski season here (7 or so Tahoe resorts are open as of Thanksgiving Day), but mountain biking conditions are currently AMAZING. As a result, I’ve spent more time on dirt than snow this holiday weekend. I’ve spent a majority of the time in Reno at the local dirt jumps. After multiple sessions I heading out to the DH trails of Tahoe (12-inch or less wide single tracks on very steep wet slopes, with unavoidable obstacles; obstacles consisting of log jams, snowy roots, steep drops, jumps, and berms … a mixed bag...

Shoes are an important piece of riding equipment. For Downhill, slalom, jumping, etc, there are two points of contact attaching you to the bike- Hands and feet. For XC or all mountain, there is the seat seat as well, but yeah, hands and feet are still the main contact points. One of the main reason's why 5.10 has dominated in Downhill with the Minnaar and Hellcat models, is because in gravity racing there are a lot of different loads on your feet. You turn, jump, land sideways, pump etc. Having a good feel on the pedal...

With it's minimalist ethos, mountain unicycling is the cycling equivalent of bouldering and an ideal sidekick sport for climbing road trips.   ESPN's E:60 profiles Five Ten athlete Kris Holm riding steep, slippery trails on Vancouver's North Shore in British Columbia, Canada.