Having never made it further west than Quebec, we thought it would be wise to cure this injustice by treating Amaury Pierron, fresh off his 2nd place finish in the World Cup overall, by shipping him off to B.C.
Feeling ‘fresh’ after a week in Whistler with his crew, Steel City Media and co dragged him out of Garf’s one morning and into the truck. Destination Retallack.
A nine hour journey littered with MTB history and ever changing scenery blew his mind (and nearly his ankle whilst messing around on the ferry), before arriving at the infamous lodge, nestled deep in the heart of the Kootenays.
“I love it here, I might just stay” - AP 2019.
One of the biggest characters currently on the scene and a key leader in the ‘new breed’ of riders gracing the top of the results, it was cool to see him relaxed and un-winding in a way only he knows.
First day and straight out of the loam gate, it was clear he was all in and keen to show what can be done when the clock is off and the lines can be creative. Witnessing a World Cup athlete outside of the tape and in an environment like this can be a pretty unique experience for even the most experienced locals, like Liam who accompanied us as Mtn staff during the shoot…
“I’ve never seen anyone ride here this fast at all. Not even close. And we’ve had some pretty quick people here too.”
The way a DH racer like Amaury interprets each section of a track is a humbling and sometimes confusing experience, always going faster, higher and wilder than you could have imagined.
From the open, high speed slopes up top, to the dense loamy woods down low, the aim was to pick off a variety of terrains to showcase all that he could offer, before ending on a Heli shuttle to Texas Peak. Another first for Amaury hopping in the bird, grinning like a Cheshire cat, to access one of their most coveted trails.
“It was so sick, but it was done in like 8 minutes! I was like whaat? Can you do another lap or something?! Haha.”
Snow played havoc briefly up high, but after ticking off some aerial shots and a quick warm up to some T-swift, it was time for him to shut it down one last time.
B.C Virgin is a testament to the speed and style that only a World Cup rider of Amaury’s calibre can showcase, set amongst the stunning backdrop of Retallack British Columbia.