- [Blake] Oh, here comes a rider now, two riders.
- [Neil] Nice.
- Big jump.
Steezing it out.
Another one.
Oh!
We are in Whistler.
This is the famous A-Line trail.
- Probably the most famous jumps in the world,
we're going to talk about how to ride big jumps.
- Mm-hmm.
(relaxed hip-hop music)
- Big jumps are loads of fun but
just because you're in the air for longer
than small jumps,
if you get things wrong, the consequences can be worse.
'Cause you've got more time for it to go wrong
and you're higher up.
So, make sure you're confident
with what you're doing before you ride the big jumps.
Also get kitted up.
Today, me and Blake are riding downhill bikes,
not a complete necessity
but they do, sort of, really give you a lot of,
room for maneuver on heavy landings,
also fully kitted up.
I've got all my pads on today and a full face helmet.
(upbeat music)
♪ You are my sunshine on a rainy day ♪
- [Blake] Yeah, watch this!
♪ You are the one who takes my breath away ♪
♪ In the vast skies of love I'm free ♪
- Another big mistake is people, especially using clips,
pulling with their feet to lift the rear wheel,
that's going to be a really limited use on a big jump.
'Cause you can only ever pull your rear wheel up
as much as bend you've got in your leg.
So, on a jump this size that's really not
going to make enough difference, probably,
to help you clear it.
You've got to be able to pump the takeoff,
judge how far you're going,
and use those skills to make the distance.
Also, of course, confidence is a really big one
with big jumps, so make sure you build up gradually,
smaller, you know, get bigger, bigger, bigger.
Tabletops are good, these are really nice on A-Line.
Lots of pretty safe jumps to learn on.
So, when you've got those things, what's the next step?
(upbeat electronic music)
Sent it.
I talk about using the bunny hop technique for jumping.
That definitely works really well on small jumps
where you can, sort of, pop and make air.
On a bigger jump, it's going to feel different,
definitely different to a bunny hop.
But still, you need to be able to control
what each wheel is doing on your bike separately.
So, how much you pop the front,
how much you pop the rear.
If you can't do a good bunny hop,
then you can't really control what each wheel is doing.
So, super important, do that first.
(whistling)
(rhythmic electronic music)
- Right that next step, how are you going to get comfortable
and confident to hit a big jump
just like this one on A-Line?
Well, look at this takeoff, it's really mellow,
but when you're coming in with speed,
this thing can be a little slightly daunting
and feel like it's going to throw you to the Moon.
Now, the best thing about this
is you don't want to compress too much.
'Cause the speed you're coming in
to a big jump like this is going to carry you through.
So, you just want to under-exaggerate
all those tips we've been teaching you
on how to hit small jumps.
Now, when you come to this, the best thing
with a big jump, is a tabletop.
So, you look at this.
A lot of people are landing in the middle.
They're probably clearing about a bike
and a half lengths of travel there on the table.
Well you take a look at this guy, just popping it.
Lovely, and landing on that sweet spot.
So, it's a progressive thing.
When you're going on a big jump like this
on a table it kind of brings in the confidence
'cause there's no big gap in the middle.
And you can land on top if you don't feel comfortable
or you're going a little bit too slow.
That's the next step.
The best thing is to work your way up
to getting that landing on the other side.
It's always about looking ahead, spotting your landing,
and keeping focused on the trail ahead of you.
(ambient electronic music)
- It's been a little while
since I've done any big jumps like that.
So, I'm trying to relax, not get too nervous,
and also it's really nice just following in Blake.
Sort of, just copying his speed,
copying his pop, and taking my time.
I mean, A-Line is perfect for this.
Loads of jumps, we're just seshing this bit,
it's so easy to jump on a lift and just lap it out.
And keep doing that.
I'm going to keep doing that, myself, until I feel comfortable.
Then we can go bigger.
(relaxed music)
- [Blake] Yeah.
- [Neil] That's Cody Kelley.
- Neil, this, my friend, is Dirt Merchant.
- Oh, I've heard lots of things about a new Dirt Merchant.
- The famous Dirt Merchant.
This trail is full of big jumps,
step downs, big drops, big hips, a big hip.
We should talk about that hip.
- [Neil] Yeah, I've seen that.
- A little pro tip, if we have anyone out there
that is actually wanting doing big jumps,
is to follow someone.
- Yeah, well we've both warmed up on A-Line.
And, yeah, I'm feeling pretty good
but I definitely feel like I need your knowledge
for these jumps, never hit them before.
- Yeah.
- So, I'll just follow you in.
- I've done the same before in the past.
Right, dropping in.
(intense rock music)
- [Blake] Yep.
It's coming to a drop, Neil.
Neil, second go in, slightly more familiar with the trail.
- Yeah, I'm just trying to remember which jump's which now.
- Yeah. (he laughs)
It's so good when you nail a whole trail.
- Oh man, I really enjoyed that.
- So good. - Yep.
- Right, I'm really going to lay off the brakes
a little bit on that hip.
- Alright.
I'm not.
- No?
(both laughing)
- And then we'll carry on.
- Yep. - Oh.
(intense rock music)
- [Neil] Yep, that's how to ride big jumps.
Absolutely love it.
- [Blake] Yeah, what's next?
(Neil whooping)
(Blake whooping)