INTO THE GNAR - Steve and I in race to send the gnarliest features of the Sea to Sky in ONE day.
The Tour de GNAR is a celebration of freeride in the Sea to Sky B.C. Canada!!
During one day in August 2022, the riders will ride some of the gnarliest and most iconic features from Pemberton to North Vancouver, pushing the mental and physical challenge to the limit.
How it all started last year:
I had this idea for quite some time already, sending all the gnarliest and some of the most iconic features of the Sea to Sky corridor, in one day, from Pemberton to Vancouver for a new and burly episode of Into The Gnar!
This place has some of the most insane lines in the world, some are pretty new and some other are 10 to 15 years old, still holding, still waiting to be send.
For this project I needed a team mate, someone who can go by feel, someone who can do one or two run ins at the most, and send it, safely, just one time, and moving on to the next one, for a full day.
Steve Vanderhoek is the most raw talented rider I know, he sends it hard, he goes with feel and is a pretty good time, when I called told him about the idea, he said yes right away.
Couple weeks ago all the stars aligned. Steve, Kelsey (Steve's fiancé and videographer), Alex (young and talented shredder videographer), Travis (NF boss and photographer) and I were free for a full day at the same time. The project was going to happen !!!
I had no idea it was going to be that hard, mentally and physically, it was 30 degrees, super dry and loose, the conditions were pretty sketchy!!
Finishing the day with Steve's line and the top part that I've never ridden before was one of the most committing moves I've ever had to do.I was drained, and this thing is beyond crazy.. After that, everything seemed easy hahaha !!
Steve's impressions:
"When Yoann approached me with this concept I was stoked! All my favorite features in the Sea to Sky plus a bunch of ones I have never seen in one day… sounds like the dream. I don’t think I was prepared for how physically and mentally exhausting it would be. Running on little sleep, a 3:45 am start time and barely enough time to give each feature a run in was a proper challenge. We just had to trust each other’s speed and send it! It was back and forth between the two of us, motivating each other to keep pushing. I think I drank 15L of water in the 30 degree heat and still my arms were cramping every time I pulled my levers at the end of the day. It turned into one of the funnest days on the bike I have ever had and I can’t wait for what’s next!