NSMB.com Team
almost time to fly.....
Posted by Curtis on 2008-06-28
Two days to go, and we're off to Europe. Dylan, Team Kyle and myself are heading to Europe on the 30th for a big mountain freeride contest called "MountainStyle" in France.
I have never been to Europe....or really anywhere. Hahaha, so this will definitely be quite the experience for me. Going with 3 of your best friends puts the icing on the cake!
We are only going for 8 days, 3 days reserved for the contest and the rest to play and rest. Kyle Norbraten went down a week early to ride and live it up, so the 3 of us will fly out to meet up with him.
and we are also bringing another friend along....
my box 
more stories and pics of where we (and the mug) will be to come!
Curtis
Packing The Bags
Posted by Dylan Dunkerton on 2008-06-27
Friday afternoon, I'm sitting here packing my bags. On Monday Curtis Robinson, Kyle Jameson and I are flying out to France to meet up with Kyle Norbraten and the rest of the Radical Films Crew. We got an invite to attend Châtel Mountain Style which is a big mountain slope style. Chattel is in France on the border between France and Switzerland. There are over 20 lifts in this area which allow you to ride between the 2 countries. Were going to be riding in the heart of the swiss Alps for 8 days and im incredibly stoked about it. Look out for some possible updates.
AIRprentice 2008
Posted by Cam McRae on 2008-06-21
The AIRprentice has gone from being a fun way to find a team rider to an event that can put a rider's career on a professional trajectory. Mitch Chubey leapfrogged from AIRprentice into The Drop In bus and then across the pond to the Qashqai series where he made the final round and finished an impressive 12th in London. We're damn proud of Mitch and his accomplishments and stoked to have him on the team.
The AIRprentice crew from 2007 - including Mitch Chubey (3rd from left) Dylan Dunkerton (far right) and Curtis Robinson (3rd from right). Photo ~ Dan Barham
This year the comp will roll out on the 19th and 20th of July - when the Boneyard is all sorted for Crankworx and the trails are nice and dry. As usual we'll spend some time riding trails, some time in the Boneyard, the Air Dome and some time drinking beer and getting to know the riders bidding to be the AIRprentice.
If you'd like to take part in this year's event please submit some records of your accomplishments to Jay Sinclair. He'll want to see some video, some stills as well as a resumé talking about your experience on and off the bike as well as your future goals as a rider and a person. More info is always better. Please include a headshot as well.
Mitch Chubey - roadgapping in Washington State while filming for Drop In. Photo ~ Brad Walton
This year AIRprentice will be open to riders 15 and over but those under 18 will require a parent or guardian's signature on the morning of the 19th of July. Unfortunately for insurance reasons we can't have riders who aren't Canadian citizens in the event.
AIRprentice rolls out more like a photoshoot or jam than a competition. We do our best to make sure everyone has a good time and gets to enjoy the treats the Whistler Bike Park has to offer.
While we officially take one rider for the team as part of the event, we often see potential in another rider and invite them to join the team. This happened with Ian Nelson, who went on to the final of the Crankworx Slopestyle last year, and Curtis Robinson who along with Dylan Dunkerton starred in their own segment in Kranked 7.
Testing out one of the new rigs. Mitch just after being named AIRprentice in 2007. Photo ~ Dan Barham
Our first AIRprentice was Ryan Schnepf followed by Neil Meier and Benton Hennig and then Mitch Chubey. Who will be number five? Stay tuned. Past participants include Ryan Berrecloth, Andrew Sherry, Justin Wyper, James Doerfling, Trent Kidd, Alex Stathis, Leroy Chase, Mason Mashon, Graham Aggasiz, Kenny Smith, Grant Breshears, Kyle Hansen, Dylan Sherrard, Brendan Howey and Luke Fulton. A prestigious group to be sure.
For the first time in 2008 every rider in AIRprentice will win a sweet prize from Nokia (ring?) and of course the winner will score two bikes from Specialized - a P3 and an SX Trail - each adorned with Fox Suspension, Syncros components and tires, A SRAM drivetrain, Avid brakes and Race Face cranks. If you are named AIRprentice you'll also be hooked up with Adidas Eyewear, Dakine gloves and packs, and a stack o' Denny's bucks to fill your stomach.
Any questions about AIRprentice? Wonder what colour shirts we'll get this year? Past competitors want to chime in? Ask away right here...
GMG Buffed
Posted by Eamonn Duignan on 2008-06-19
With all of this beautifully wet, and unseasonably cool weather we have been having lately, I took some time of the bike to do some spring cleaning on GMG. It was a long winter with a huge snow pack (in fact GMG is still, in some parts, partially blanket by It), so needless to say that it was in dire need of buffing, as there were more than a few trees down on the trail. After some hard work, and the better part of the day, I got’ r all buffed! So all we have to do now is wait for some dry weather to come so we can ride it!
The entrance to GMG...still covered! Photo: Eamonn Duignan
For those of you who don’t know, GMG is one of the original trails on the Shore, some say its even older than Cam ‘The Man’ McRae (NSMB Editor) and T-Bone Hansen (Team Captain), but even I have trouble believing that one! Regardless of its age, GMG has, and always will be a personal fav of mine (I've been addicted for some 12 years, or so!). It is a timeless trail, even despite the advancements and improvements of mountain bikes over the last decade, GMG is still as gnarly as it has ever been! I think that’s what I love about this trail, no matter how good you think you are, GMG will sank you when you least expect it!
Can you say tree down? This shot gives you an idea of how ugly some sections were! Photo: Eamonn Duignan 
I'd like to take all the credit for the clean up, but my new Dakine Builders Pack truly was the hero of the day! Photo: Eamonn Duignan
What's a blog on GMG with out some action shots? Yours truly negotiating a some what classic GMG corner-rocky, rooty, and steep! Photo: Jerry Willows
GMG at its finest...got'a love it! Photo: Jerry Willows
Specialized and John Henry Bikes
Posted by jaydub on 2008-06-12
Specialized Bikes had a demo ride at John Henry Bikes last night. Basically you could take out a kick ass bike and ride it down a mountain really fast. There were 2 groups, Advanced and Intermediate. The "Intermediate" group was headed up by none other than Kenny Maude. They proceeded to Neds and the "Advanced" group was off to CBC, Corkscrew and Neds.
I didn't know what to expect when Jason Wutke from Specialized asked me to come out so I brought out my SX Trail, XC helmet and no pads thinking of a mellow ride as I was filming with Digger earlier in the day.... kind of a mistake when your riding with pro DH riders Jeff Bryson and Tim Coleman.
When we got to the top of CBC, it was really foggy, cold and drizzling out. As Sterling would say, it was "dank!". Temperature was probably 5 degrees with 100% humidity. There is still a tonne of snow on the side of road. I was only wearing a short sleave NSMB Team jersey and cruising down the road to the entrance was not fun. I still have shivers thinking out it.
CBC was wet and the wood was slippery. I was pinning it to warm up and to get off the trail. I usually try to avoid CBC at all costs but thought I would give it a go for old times sake. The top part is not bad but overall the trail lacks flow and skinnies are out.... I guess riding you bike is still better than not riding your bike/ end of rant.
Upper Corkscrew was fun as usual and then we absolutely pinned it down Neds. Neds is one of the only trails on the shore where you can open it up for a prolonged time. The trail has rock and more rock but flows really well. You can definitely get in some "braapp" moments in there. I think we (Jeff, Tim and I) passed at least 3 groups of riders, including our other group on the vertical assault down the trail. With the little bike I was hanging on for dear life chasing the downhillers on crazy lines that I didn't know existed. Probably not very smart with the lack of protection I was wearing but nothing serious happened and at the end it was all smiles and knuckle bumps. The bike killed it and Syncros DS-28's wheels are still straight and true.... /shameless plug.
Shout out to the Big S for the best bikes on the planet and JHB's for keeping the wheels rolling.
www.timcoleman.ca/ should have his rant up shortly as well.
Cheers,
JW
