Utah has been a classic mountain bike destination forever. The trails are legendary and the desert terrain begs for freeride bikes. Since people have been riding Utah for decades, one may think that the potential for exploration had been tapped dry.

This was weighing heavy on my mind as I boxed up my Demo 8 and my Enduro for a flight to Utah. My goal was to go to Utah with my friend and photographer Sterling Lorence in pursuit of new and unique freeride features and to document our search on video with the help of Freeride Entertainment. One thing that really gets me going is setting my eyes on new landscapes and new trails, and heading to good 'ol Utah didn't seem like the right direction.

Boy was I wrong.

We arrived in Green River after dark and I didn't get much of a look at the desert on our drive in. If I had, I might have been better prepared to have my mind completely blown in the morning.

The land around Green River is a mind bending maze of lunar dirt sculptures. The mesas have eroded to create features of a mountain riders' dream. There are cliffs and ridges and boulders and berms and perfect landings everywhere. There are dirt slopes that look like powder fields for DH bikes. ( I think Utah is pretty sweet.)

Like I mentioned, our goal was to get some unique photos and to document the way that Sterl and I work together. We have been shooting photos together for seven years and we both enjoy exploring terrain and the way light can bring the landscapes alive for mountain bikers.

Going on a photo shoot for freeride type shots requires a different approach. You don't just go ride a trail and shoot the good corners, you really have to get out there hiking around to find something cool.

We hiked around looking for three days. We found a lot of lines to ride but we were looking for something special, so we kept looking. I was starting to get pretty worried about it because we hadn't found anything; I was hoping to find a really high speed line with a nice air. ( I usually try to find fast jumps, I feel more comfortable on them)

We found the slowest drop in the world. It was a hip from a dirt cliff-island to the base of a dirt spire. It required me to creep off the edge to hit the landing below.

We built a little bridge out of rocks to get me over to the island take off, and we fixed up the landing a bit and then waited for the light. When I say "waited for the light" I mean we went back to the hotel, slept, got up in the dark, and hiked in to the area as the sun came up. This is Sterl's specialty, he knows exactly when to shoot to make the photo look as rad as possible. I can tell when the the light is getting good because Sterl gets really excited and starts talking faster.

I landed the drop. It was a really interesting sensation to ride so slowly off of something so high. I had to leave my good friend, momentum, behind. But everything worked out, I had a good time, and we bagged some great photos.

We spent the next couple days seeking out some singletrack. I had my S-Works Enduro with me and I was itching to ride it; we also wanted to get some more photos. The trails we found were unbelievable. Nice soft dirt to carve turns real deep, in beautiful landscapes, with stunning light... You really can't ask for anything more. I got to ride fast too, which makes me happy.

I have just one bad memory from the Utah trip. I saw a billboard from the freeway that read: "Wind dies, Sun sets: You need reliable coal and gas powered energy". I can't believe that people are allowed to be so stupid.

The trip home went smoothly, the rental car agency didn't complain about the missing front bumper too much.