With plenty of rivers around for Northern Californians to engage in whitewater rafting or kayaking, this feature film will fit right in when it is screened for only one night at one of Sacramento’s beloved local movie art houses. On this special occasion, kayak fans and extreme sports enthusiasts will get together to discuss kayaking tips, see some crazy action on film and, of course, partake in some free Red Bull (hint, hint).

The Submerge staff are afraid of heights (this writer included) and this movie, produced by Red Bull Media House, doesn’t help squash those fears.

Photo by Alfredo Martinez/Red Bull Content Pool

Where do you find the inner strength to conquer such amazing feats?
I find my strength in a process of concentration. Every time I’m above a drop, fear comes, along with negative thoughts. So if I can find that original motivation that has me sitting in my kayak, if I can focus on the rational idea of completing a successful descent, then I will clear my mind. My goal then is to find a concentrated, relaxed state of mind, which is hard to achieve with all the adrenaline.

Are you married or have children? Surely a loved one must go through your mind when doing such stunts.
I just got engaged earlier this year. Fernanda is an amazing woman who has supported my paddling career through every stage. Indeed, as I grow older, the more I consider my close loved ones when doing something dangerous. It’s part of a maturity process. And I can’t even imagine yet what it will be like to have kids. But in the moment of concentration, right above a waterfall, it is crucial to clear your mind.

Why is death a recurring theme in the movie?
It wasn’t something planned. Death just happened to be a constant thing that kept appearing on every trip. Life versus death ended up being a theme throughout the whole movie. From the first line, “Water is life,” to the very final one, “What it means to truly be alive.”

Photo by Matt Baker

Do you think of Jesse Sharpe [one of the first extreme kayakers who died in a waterfall accident] or do you erase your thoughts before taking on such a quest?
I don’t actually think about him too much. Twenty-six years ago, extreme kayaking was in a very different stage in regards to waterfall descent. Plus, he went for a line down the very middle of the falls, which I consider a total gamble.

Would you encourage others to try this sport?
To try the sport? Absolutely, yes. Kayaking has changed my life and given me a unique perspective on our environment. The experience of interacting with ever-changing water, making it down a river and through canyons that only a few have seen, along with a group of friends that you trust each other’s life to, makes kayaking the most special sport I’ve ever got into.

Photo by Marcos Ferro

See Rafa Ortiz and a crew of the world’s best whitewater paddlers in Chasing Niagara. The film screens in Sacramento for one night only at Tower Theatre on Tuesday, July 12, 2016 at 7:30 p.m.

I tested my newfound, post-cancer fearlessness by skydiving with the Red Bull Air Force

The life-changing question from my good friend and publisher arrived during one of our regular back-and-forth editing email sessions:

Melissa: Would you, if I could even set it up, be interested in skydiving to write a story with the Red Bull skydivers? They could possibly send one of our writers to fly with them at the Capital Airshow kickoff, and it’s all filmed and stuff. I’m guessing you might have to see if you could get off work and I don’t know if that’d be a problem… but it might be TOTALLY worth it.

Me: Um, I am SO down to skydive! Like WAY down. I probably wouldn’t have been before cancer, but I’m way into saying yes to everything these days. 🙂

And that’s how I found myself, on Oct. 3, just one year and 16 days after finishing treatment for Stage IIB cervical cancer, strapped to Red Bull Air Force pilot and Skysurfing world record-setter Sean MacCormac as we prepared to make a tandem skydiving jump above the California Capital Air Show.

Six of us, including the plane’s pilot, another tandem team and fellow RBAF Pilot Jeff Provenzano, got real close real fast as we crammed into a teeny-tiny Cessna and began climbing to 8,000 feet over the Sacramento Mather Airport. Before I knew it, the pilot was giving us the five-minute warning. “OK,” Sean said from behind me, as he tightened the straps connecting us and handed me my goggles. “Now you can’t go anywhere without me.”

Can we talk for a minute about what these guys actually do? The RBAF essentially travel the world looking for the next airborne thrill. Jumping out of a plane in a kayak, parachuting into stadiums, BASE jumping off buildings, zooming across the sky at 125 mph in a wingsuit—it’s all in a day’s work. In fact, while doing a little fact-checking for this story, I stumbled across my tandem partner’s IMDB.com page, which credits him with stunt appearances in Iron Man 3 and The Hangover Part III. Not only that, the RBAF was instrumental in this little event known as dropping Felix Baumgartner from the edge of space last October. I wasn’t just jumping with the best-of-the-best; I was putting my life in the hands of some of the most fearless dudes on the planet!

Still, by all rights, I should have been scared out of my mind. This is the same girl who, at 8 years old, insisted on riding the county fair Tilt-A-Whirl alone, against everyone’s better judgment. I could handle it, I insisted. I was no baby. But once I was strapped in and experienced the first whirl-and-tilt, I screamed bloody murder and the gruff carnie had to stop and let me and my utter embarrassment off the ride.

I hadn’t thought of that experience for more than 20 years, but I was sure it would play itself out again at some point on this skydiving adventure—maybe when I was stepping into the harness, or climbing into the plane, or creeping up to altitude, or shuffling to the open door and “dangling” (Sean’s words) my legs over the ledge—and I’d call the whole thing off, riding the plane safely back to Earth, my embarrassment trailing behind me like a spent parachute.

But I never once wanted to turn back. Not even as my legs dangled out that open door over nothing but blue sky and a few brownish-green squares of Sacramento Valley farmland. Or when Sean expertly leaned us out, then in, then heaved us out the door.

Our 30 seconds of free-fall went something like this: Wind. FEAR. Wind. Can’t. Breathe. HOLY SHIT I’M FLYING. There’s Jeff with the GoPro on his helmet—reaching out his hands? OK! I’ll grab ‘em! I AM TOTALLY DOING THIS! Can Jeff see that I can’t breathe? Seriously, I can’t breathe, but this is fucking amazing! Sudden inhale. I can breathe! What are those hand motions between Jeff and Sean? Jeff’s letting go! Oh! Right! It’s time to pull the chute! I’m supposed to reach behind to his right hip and find the pull…where’s the…oh! Got it!

A slight upward jolt, and…

Poof. The two of us were floating in the most serene, silent, bluest sky.

“Holy shit I just jumped out of a PLANE!”

The 20-year skydiving vet with about 18,000 jumps under his belt (who probably does jumps like these as warm-ups) chuckled as he expertly navigated the chute.

“Reach up,” he coaxed. “Pull down on that cord there, see it?”

We made a slight downward-right turn as I pulled. Then he took over, and my hands returned to the straps on my shoulders.

“You know, you’re fully supported, so you can let go of your straps. Put your arms out. Fly!”

My arms shot straight out to the side as if I were a 5-year-old playing “airplane” in my living room. “Woooooooo!” I yelled (even though I promised myself I wouldn’t). I could tell he was focusing on our descent. The winds were a gusty 23 mph. Once they reached 25, the team would call off the rest of the day’s jumps.

“Do you want to try a hard turn?” Sean asked. I hesitated for a second then acquiesced. With one quick, fluid movement, we swooped in a downward, stomach-dropping radial arc.

In a rush of adrenaline, I found myself blurting, “So, I had cancer last year. And I figured if I could make it through treatment, I could probably jump out of a plane. I mean, I kind of faced anyone’s worst fears and lived to tell about it, right? So, um, thanks. For making this experience so incredible.”

It was the truth! For adrenaline junkies, these guys were some of the most relaxed, genuine, fun-loving gentlemen I’d ever met.

Soon we were landing—a bit harder than planned, due to a wind gust that dragged us a few feet in the dry field—and Jeff was pulling me off the ground and throwing me a high-five. “Mandy! You just jumped out of a plane!”

Hell yes, I did. And I was ready to go again. Maybe this time I’d even attempt those flips Sean tried to talk me into while he was suiting me up.

Who was this fearless carefree adventurer, and what did she do with the girl who couldn’t ride the Tilt-A-Whirl? The girl who always volunteered to stay in the boat and man the flag during wakeboarding sessions?

I guess while I was showing cancer the door last year, I just decided it was time for her to go, too. The thrill of overcoming each new challenge—every scan, every eight-hour chemo session, every trip to the hospital for the latest scary procedure—made jumping into the unknown seem not only manageable, but empowering. Transformational, even.

Right before we jumped, I felt Sean take in a deep, yoga-style breath. I leaned back and yelled the only question I could think to ask.

“Do you still get nervous?”

“Sometimes,” he yelled back. “But not today. Not for jumps like this.”

See? Even fearless daredevils get scared sometimes. But that’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? If the last year has taught me anything, it’s that it’s not about whether you live with or without fear, but that constantly rising to the next test is what matters. That going for the challenges that will make you feel like a total badass just for attempting, whether you land on your feet or on your ass in a dry field, is what makes life worth living. And how freeing is it to let go, especially when you have the support that will let you spread your wings and fly? Even if you yell “Wooooooo!” when you promised yourself you wouldn’t.

Follow the Red Bull Air Force’s adrenaline-fueled antics at Redbullairforce.com or Facebook.com/redbullairforce.

Ready to test your daredevil mettle? Check out the following skydiving centers in our area:

Parachute Center Skydiving
23597 N. Hwy 99 | Acampo, CA
(approx. 4 miles north of Lodi)
209-369-1128 | Parachutecenter.com

“The Parachute Center is one of the largest and oldest drop zones in the United States, serving the sport since 1964,” according to its website. No reservations necessary; the Parachute Center is open daily and can accommodate jumpers who arrive between 9 am and 3 pm. For a list of fees and more info, visit parachutecenter.com.

SkyDance SkyDiving
24390 Aviation Ave.| Davis, CA
530-753-2651
Tandemskydivingschool.com

The recently closed Skydive Tahoe directs all interested parties to SkyDance SkyDiving in Davis, a facility open since 1987. “We have worked tirelessly for over 25 years to provide our customers with the safest aircraft and parachute equipment, along with a capable staff of highly trained and experienced instructors,” SkyDance’s website says. Visit Tandemskydivingschool.com for loads of information, pictures, online price specials and more. Open Wednesday – Sunday 8 am – sunset; Monday and Tuesday 8 am – 5 pm.

Skydive Sacramento
1020 Airport Road | Lincoln, CA
916-434-7700 | Skydivesac.com

Skydive Sacramento in the Lincoln Regional airport is a full service Drop Zone offering rigging services, coaching, training, tandems and more, according to their website. The center offers all kinds of rates and packages, plus training in myriad skills. Open Wednesday – Friday, 9 am – 8 pm; Saturday and Sunday, 7:30 am – 8 pm.

[Editor’s note: We here at Submerge were devastated to hear of Daniel’s passing on April 8, 2017. His impact on Sacramento’s music and art communities will never be forgotten. Rest easy, old friend.]

The P and 21st block is a sleepy pocket in Midtown. Tucked away from the white noise of the freeways, littered with parking lots and office buildings and a tattoo parlor, it’s low-profile–unless it happens to be a dance night at Press Club or The Townhouse.

Both clubs are infamous alternatives to the posh world of dress codes and bottle service. At Townhouse, or Toho as some call it, the beer’s cheap, the drinks are stiff, the tagged-up bathrooms are claustrophobic and the entire interior is low-lit to obscure seedy behavior. It’s the only spot in town suitable for a dubstep and bass night called Grimey. Being coined by a local DJ who goes by Whores is just another notch in its anti-glamour esteem.

On his birth certificate, Whores is Daniel Osterhoff. He’s Dan to those who knew him before he was Whores. We met at his apartment on the north side of Midtown a few hours prior to Grimey. He does not live in a high-rise loft or a gutted warehouse that doubles as a skate park. He lives like the rest of us, in a modest complex with carpeted floors and enough space to stretch. Two fellow DJs, one of which was Jubilee just flown in from Miami, and Grimey resident photographer Eric Two Percent were hanging out. The walls were like those you’d find at any graf-writer/graphic designer’s abode; dozens of pieces from abstract to lowbrow with the exception being a giant rusted-red W mounted on the wall.

“Russell Solomon of Tower told me the letters were lying around on the roof of Tower Cafe,” Whores said. “So one night I climbed up there and took the W.”

While grabbing me a Red Bull from the fridge he apologized for the hair on the kitchen floor. A stylist friend that was hanging out had sharpened Whores’ close-cut before my arrival.

We stepped outside for a cigarette and chopped it up. It was not long before James Blake’s controversial quotes to the Boston Phoenix that caused a stir in dubstep were discussed. An uber-popular British electro-soul and dubstep artist, Blake railed the genre’s burgeoning “frat-boy market,” which is being labeled “bro-step.” His rant was widely publicized for statements like, “It’s a million miles away from where dubstep started,” and “It’s been influenced so much by electro and rave, into who can make the dirtiest, filthiest bass sound, almost like a pissing competition, and that’s not really necessary. And I just think that largely that is not going to appeal to women.” Periodically throughout the night, Whores and his fellow DJs coolly reminded me that it’s neither their taste nor in step with the identity of Grimey.

The success of the night is owed to the attention to taste, which can be misperceived as snobbery, but should not be construed as such. Even when resident DJ Jay Two approached Whores with the idea of a dubstep night, Whores was interested but hesitant due to a feeling that dubstep had reached its high water mark.

An attendee of Grimey is not given the opportunity to gripe “not this damn song again,” because its resident DJs (Whores, Jay Two and Crescendo) are intent on remaining ahead of the curve by playing records acquired on advance or playing the newest tracks they think need to be heard. It’s a dedication to the cutting edge that is scarce in the local clubs that rely on Top 40 or are just held down by stubborn old dogs disinterested in new tricks.

“I just hold steady with playing what I think people would like,” Whores said. “I’ve attended a lot of different dance nights everywhere from New York to Los Angeles, Seattle, Portland, San Francisco and Oakland. From the most underground to the most mainstream clubs, and I’ve taken little elements from each. But once you get the word out there, the word kind of does it itself.”

Much like fellow local veteran DJ, Shaun Slaughter, Whores is well traveled. He started DJing in 1997 as part of 916 Junglist before moving away in 2000 to Portland. Each move, he connected with different crews in Portland and Seattle before moving back to Sacramento in 2005. “Most people don’t know that about me,” he said. “They just think I came on the scene or think I’m from Portland, but I’m born and raised in Northern California.”

I reconvened with Whores outside of the Townhouse around 9:30 p.m. He was talking with Matt B of Bass Science, who had arrived in a rental from Tahoe. Whores was quick to share his knowledge on Bass Science, practically orating a short bio. “He started the whole glitch hop scene basically,” Whores said. “When Glitch Mob was starting out and Lazer Sword, he was right there. This guy’s got quite a big history in the newer EDM alternative craze.”

All professions have a language and despite my familiarity with Grimey and its music, talking to the actual artists involved meant brief interruptions to ask if they were saying “IDM” (intelligent dance music) funny, only to learn that EDM translates to electronic dance music–the domain in which the sub-genres operate. The confusion then sparked the two DJs into weighing the blurring sciences between EDM and IDM. “Some of it is [IDM] though nowadays,” Whores said. “Some of the juke stuff. Machinedrum’s new album.”

“The Lazer Sword,” Matt B added. “It’s intelligent footwork basically.”

“EDM is basically a very blanketed term,” Whores continued. “Nowadays everybody plays a little bit of everything because people’s attention spans are about this small [makes his index and thumb nearly touch]. So if you play one genre of music, you’re pretty much pigeonholing yourself and boring the shit out of the crowd.”

Whores stepped into the booth at 10 p.m. The bar was filling out and overflowing onto the dance floor with more than just gangly dudes having acid flashbacks from the Jungle club days. Whether it’s the Whores hype, the distancing from “bro-step” and “filthy bass” or just a misnomer, Grimey is never short on female attendees. By 10:30 p.m. the dance floor was gaining steam with a few girls entertaining each other, but come 11 p.m. to 2 a.m. the floor was a grinding, thrusting hot box of sweaty bodies–sweet, sweet uninhibited decadence.

Whores neither bores the crowd nor himself when he DJs. He keeps a folder of over 10,000 tracks on his computer at all times and does not practice a strict set. “It’s a lot more fun freestyling sets,” he said. “Sometimes when I record the sets and go back to listen to them, it’s like, ‘Man, that mix really worked.’ Others it really didn’t work, but what it comes down to is if you’re a professional, you can treat it like a jazz musician and play out of it. It’s all what you do with an error. Some DJs don’t know how to bounce back, they flop or they panic and that shows. That’s the difference between me and some DJ who took it up two years ago.”

Back outside we resumed our interview session in hopes of a quieter haven, but Grimey is the dance night with just as many attendees milling about the roped-off outdoor smoking section and back parking lot as there will be jammed into the dank of The Toho.

Whores clearly enjoys the popularity of Grimey, but he lamented that its success led to the compromise of his HUMP night on Wednesdays opposite Grimey. Originally called Warpaint Wednesdays with Terra Lopez, Whores came on to assist with the DJing and teach her techniques. Once Lopez began Sister Crayon, she forked over the night to Whores who renamed it HUMP.

“It used to be a popular night,” he said. “When Grimey came around it took the spotlight. I’ve been bringing around a lot of relative and instrumental electronic artists and musicians to try to bring it back.”

It was none of my business, but Whores willingly broke down the financial losses he’s incurred in the past two months that’s led to HUMP’s demise. DJs that are not conveniently touring the West Coast are flown into Sacramento and given hotel accommodations on Whores’ dollar. If no one shows, it means he bites the bullet.

San Francisco electronic artist EPROM and Frite Nite’s Salva, two rising beacons in the West Coast, are booked for HUMP at the Press Club this week. After that it’s the anniversary party with locals only in November, including Dusty Brown’s Little Foxes project, which is quite possibly also HUMP’s night of eulogy.

With Fuck Fridays dissolved, the Toho was in need of a new Friday night event, and Shaun Slaughter was back on the market for work. Rather than compete for the local crown, Whores and Slaughter teamed up to create Heater, an exclusive once-a-month party that combines glitter and gutter. “It’s more like HUMP with an open format,” Whores said. “We can play anything from house to electro to Baltimore to indie to dubstep and bass n’ breaks, whatever. It’s just straight party.”

The party debuted last month with the two DJs performing separately, and then trading off tracks for the last hour. “There’s always been an odd tension between us, but we’ve always been super-friendly with each other. I’ve been super-supportive of his nights and he’s been super-supportive of mine. The odd tension was because it’s a small town and he’s held the crown for quite a while. I think we’d really benefit if we did more stuff together, which is why we’re only doing it as a monthly.”

Our vibrations are in good hands with the Grimey residents. It’s a rare event where making requests is the greatest faux pas. “I don’t think it’s common knowledge that people know it’s rude,” he said. “Believe it or not, I have one job and one job only and that’s keep the vibe going. As soon as I stop to talk to someone and they go into detail about what they want to hear and why they want to hear it, all of a sudden they take me out of the groove I’m in, which takes away from the vibe. The next mix I do will be less involved and the crowd will notice, believe it or not. They won’t necessarily think about it like, ‘That mix sucked,’ but just have a moment to consider going out for a smoke.” Put your trust in Whores, kids.

Grimey gets down at the Townhouse every other Tuesday night at 9 p.m. ($10 cover). DJ Whores and Shaun Slaughter’s Heater happens one Friday per month, also at the Townhouse. It’s free to get in before 10 p.m. with an RSVP. You can also catch DJ Whores at the Golden Bear on Saturday nights.

Our current issue (No. 93) features an exclusive interview with two-time snowboarder of the year John Jackson in celebration of the many upcoming Northern California screenings of the groundbreaking film The Art of Flight, in which he is featured. The following questions were selected from our hour-long talk with one of the hottest snowboarders in the world. Space constraints didn’t allow for all of it to make it to the magazine. Read on to learn about an unnamed film project with Red Bull that Jackson dreamt up, what he is doing to rehab his injured knee, what he knows about Travis Rice’s upcoming contest called Supernatural, and his new “resort” home north of Truckee, Calif.

You and Travis Rice go way back, right? You used to compete in the same comps and stuff?
Yeah, I think I remember the first time I met Rice. We were both super young competing in the USSA regional or something, I think it was at Mammoth. [Laughs] We were both competing in the half-pipe contest.

That’s funny how all these years later and you guys are collaborating on probably the most highly anticipated action sports film ever.
It’s pretty crazy. I know man, it’s such a heartbreaker that I was hurt this year, but I’m just really stoked I went on that trip with them last year at least. And there’s a lot of opportunity in the future…

When did you hurt your knee?
My knee injury happened in December of 2010. I was going to film a good two-and-a-half months with them [Brain Farm] this season, the 2011 season. Then I hurt my knee doing something stupid just messing around. It’s always stupid things.

Were you even snowboarding or were you doing something else?
It was snowboarding, but it was messing around on a blizzard day in an icy park, just playing around. It was windy, couldn’t see well. I overshot this jump and landed flat. I land flat so often, you know, my knees have always been really strong. It was just the way I landed, so square on my board, I just felt it pop. It was so weird. It’s my right knee, so my back leg, the one taking most of the pressure…

That must have been pretty rough. You seem like a guy who knows how to keep his head up, though. How did you keep a positive outlook through all of that?
I kind of new something extreme was wrong. I was trying to be positive, like, “OK, it might be good, it might be good.” I gave it some time, I went down south, got an MRI and as soon as the doctor told me the news I went straight to the bar at like 2 o’clock in the afternoon. I had to get that out of the way, that was the one time I did that. Then I was like, “Alright, I’m getting better and it’s going to be all good. Shit happens.” And then you just got to look at it positive. It’s all about the rehab, and I’ve been working on it like a motherfucker, so I feel like my body is going to be stronger than it ever has been when it comes back.

How is your physical therapy going? What sort of exercises and routines do your therapists have you doing to strengthen your knee?
Man, I’ve been pretty militant with it. All kinds of stuff. I’ve been going to therapy for in between five to six hours a day like three to four times a week, sometimes five times a week. Not all of that is heavy workout, you know, I spend a lot of time stretching, a lot of time working the muscles out on the foam roller or with my therapist…

Los Angeles is where all your therapists and doctors are?
Yeah, I have therapists in Truckee as well. But I really like coming down here. I just went to Red Bull and worked with their trainers today for the first time, and they’ve got such a good program, like all technical, you know? They’re taking blood like every 12 minutes on the bike and figuring out your lactate and judging your heart rate and just figuring out what kind of machine, or, basically what kind of engine is under the hood of your body.

What a trip!
It’s so trippy. It’s nuts.

If I would guess any company would have a program like that, it would be Red Bull. They take good care of their athletes, huh?
They are out of control. I’m so stoked and fortunate to be a part of it. They just have every resource imaginable. They take care of their investments and look at it like it’s not just an investment, it’s good relationships.

It sounds like the knee strength is coming back. So come this January you’ll be ready to be filming again?
They say I’m still a little vulnerable at that point, because I didn’t get surgery until March 1. I was just really trying to do a lot of therapy in between, and I spent January in Jackson Hole hanging out with the crew. Most of January, you know, so I could chill with them. I wanted to jump my sled off some shit. I had to do something.

Do you have any cool trips or projects lined up for this coming year that you can talk about?
Yeah, I’m going to film with, you know, a “company” project. Then I wrote up this project for Red Bull, an idea I’ve had for a while, and I presented it to them. I’m pretty sure it just got the green light. So it’s kind of cool.

Oh, really? What can you tell me about it?
I want to make a really, really passionate project that kind of combines surf aspects and snowboard aspects and has a lot of different views of expertise on the sports. Basically what I’m trying to do is get some sort of bus or van or something, trick it all out, make it run off veggie, or propane or something clean. Then I want to drive from Alaska to Chile, or Argentina. Start in April, have a bunch of heli trips lined up and there will be key characters involved. Hopefully a surfer will be on for the long haul, but I’ve been talking to a lot of people who are going to come in and out. Rice, Ian Walsh the big wave surfer. It’s kind of cool, because it’s more of just this journey that’s going to show, you know…Fuck, I don’t know how much I should be talking about this…

It sounds like there is an amazing film in the works then?
Yeah, it’s going to start I think next April. Basically it’s really going to show what’s behind everything and the personalities of the people and how kids can relate. Not all kids can relate to a professional snowboarder, the tricks they do and whatnot. Snowboard videos these days, besides The Art of Flight, a lot of them are almost like snowboard porn, you know, just gnarly trick after gnarly trick. So for this I want to be, like, the surfers are going to be in the heli coming up on this peak going, “Holy shit, are we really going to land there?” You’ll see the excitement from a different point of view, you know? Same thing with like, I want to bring my brother [Eric Jackson, also a professional snowboarder] in on this trip. You’re going to have us going down to these huge waves and being like, “Should we paddle out? Lets do it!” and maybe getting worked, but having so much fun, you know?

That’s cool to put each other in a different element.
Yeah, it’s cool. I want to focus on a couple different things with it, like the science of the seasonal change, get kind of National Geographic on it. And I want to do a lot of giving back, too, helping people out along the way. Line up orphanages to go work with, or schools, and have tons of products to give away. We’ll ship stuff down for different points we stop and just stoke kids out, you know, get a following going. We’ve got a few pretty cool ideas of filming it, which could be interesting. It could be a fun project.

So that’s kind of your baby? Your brainchild, if you will? How long have you been thinking about this?
I love road trips, I love traveling and I love people. I love everything about it, I love to explore. I have so much passion for it. So I’ve been thinking about it for a good year. And I wrote up this whole story, just kind of ideas and they’re [Red Bull] backing it. So hopefully it goes through and it’s good. I mean I don’t have time to really get all the…I want to get hopefully the gnarliest shots I can get, because that’s really my baby is pushing my snowboarding. With limited time it’s hard, you know, that’s why these guys [Brain Farm] take two years to film their project. You’ve got to budget in bad weather and bad snow and it just doesn’t go as planned all the time. Either way, it’ll be a really good eye opener I think for a lot of different things. It will have a lot of emotion involved in it.

Sounds unique, like a cool change of pace.
Yeah, exactly, trying to do something totally unique. And then hopefully I’m going to have, you know, some snowboard porn to go in there too.

Switching gears a bit, someone from Red Bull Media House told us that Travis Rice is up at Baldface Lodge in Canada building for his Supernatural contest that will happen there this winter. What do you know about that?
Basically this is his idea of a contest, saying “fuck you” to building jumps and the idea of having a set path to go on. It’s all done in the backcountry. He picks out an epic face, and there will be a window of time when you wait for good snow, good weather, then you go shred natural terrain. That’s why it’s called Supernatural. And what he’s doing, though, he’s like building stuff right now. He’s drawn up a bunch of plans. They’re actually building structures out there on this mountain face, so that when it snows, it builds up, you know? It’s going to be nuts! It would blow your mind if you saw the drawings that he was working on!

Have you seen any of The Art of Flight besides the two trailers that are out? Or are you looking forward to seeing the full film as much as the rest of the world?
Nah, you’re seeing as much as I have. This is so fresh. And for me, because I was hurt all year, I almost like forgot I went to Alaska with all those guys. So I’m remembering that trip and definitely still wish I could have filmed with those guys this year, but there’s nothing you can do about it now.

Still looks like you got some good footage though, like for example that huge gap that Rice hit on the cover of Transworld Snowboarding’s 200th issue! And you got the inside poster foldout shot on that gap, too. That was during that trip, right?
Yeah, that was during that trip.

Tell me about that gap. Was that something you scoped out for a long time?
Yeah, we saw it from the heli. We were like, “There could be a jump over there,” and we kind of overlooked it. Then coming back we were like, “Oh, that actually could be something.” Then you know, we’d go down and check it. And toward the end of the trip, after we’d gotten quite a few big lines, we’d be like, “We need to find some jumps.” So there was two jumps right next to each other, actually. That was like the thing that I wanted to hit. And Trav wanted to hit this one next door that was like off this face into just a perfect flat gully, into the widest landing you could imagine. You could put like three jumps on it. There wasn’t any set way to go. But anyways, the guide didn’t want us to hit it, because there was a cornice above and if the slope ripped or it slid… and it was over a crevice as well.

Yeah, the crevice below you in the photo looks pretty huge.
Yeah both jumps were over crevices, but the other one had a cornice above it too, so if something slides and you’re building a jump, there’s nowhere to go. Everyone’s dead.

Talk about a nightmare, you’d have nowhere to go!
You’ll get pushed right into the crevice and then buried on top of it. And then you’re in there with the fossils.

So the guide was like, “No way!” to the gap with the obstacles overhead?
We kind of talked him into it. He was like, “We’ll go out and drop some charges on the cornice and see if anything slides.” They dropped the first charge, explosion, little piece falls off, nothing slides. Then they’re going to the next cornice and just the vibration and the sound from the heli and the wind as it approached dropped the cornice and the whole face slid down to the rocks and filled in the entire thing. Our guide was like, “I told you so. Hell no.” So we went and hit the other one and it was so rad. It definitely took a little mountain manipulation, shape shifting, getting the run-in dialed in.

How long does it usually take to get these huge gaps and jumps set up?
It depends on the feature. It can take days. This one wasn’t too bad. We actually cleared it up, fixed it up, built it and then it snowed and we had to re-do the whole thing. But it was such a good day when we hit that. We didn’t have much time to hit it, so we were kind of under pressure at the end of the day. We hit it in the afternoon, rode some great lines in the morning. That’s another point I forgot to bring up, which actually works in our favor, how the days sometimes clear up in the afternoon, because the sun is so high, it’ll bake snow on the points that get sun when it’s high noon. Those facing slopes will be just totally screwed, so you have to hit north-facing slopes, which only get sun in the evenings and first morning, otherwise everything is baked. So we’d have to strategize kind of what we were going to hit and only get the north-facing stuff.

So those shots were later in the day?
Yeah, that was evening. That was the last part of the day. And then Trav went up and did the back flip that was in first teaser.

That gap looks sick, though. I can see how it was on your hit-list.
Yeah, there are certain things that are really valuable…and you’re like, “Oh man, we got to take the time and hit this thing proper,” and sometimes you’ve got to just go for it and you don’t have all the time in the world. You’re always under the gun. It was awesome though. That was a good day hitting that thing. You’re going over just a straight black hole in the air.

Well and doing a double-inverted trick over the gap you get to see that black emptiness twice!
[Laughs] Yeah!

Tell me about this goal of yours to do a back flip on a snowmobile. Because there’s a crazy shot of you in The Art of Flight’s trailer where you are like upside down 30 feet in the air, bailing from a snowmobile…
I just love snowmobiling. I’m not like, “I’ve got to do this!” But yeah I was feeling confident in it. I had a blown knee, and I had to do something, so I Googled it a bunch of times and figured I had it. I still feel like I got it. I just need to make some adjustments.

So that shot in the trailer where you’re bailing, you’re hurt right there?
Yeah that was when I had a blown knee [laughs].

Was the landing soft?
It was pretty powder-y, but this was after those guys had sessioned the shit out of it. I’m not going to track up anything fresh. I don’t know. I went way, way too big. If I would’ve committed, the thing probably would have come around, but my sled landed dead flat.It was so weird being that high in the air without my snowboard on… just full-on freestyle walking. It was all like, you learn how to act on instinct. You just do it. I don’t know, it’s just programmed. I pushed my sled away, I was so high up and my sled was doing a back flip and obviously I wanted to watch out for my head, so I tucked into like a front flip off of it, then opened up and landed pretty good on my feet. It was pretty insane, yeah, but my sled was all good, I wanted to try it again. Everyone was like, “Please don’t.” Like our photographer, Danny Zapalac, who is so funny, that guy is awesome, I love that guy. He’s got a really good heart. He was like, “Dude, please don’t ever scare me like that again. Please.”

Wasn’t Curt [Morgan, director/producer] and everyone like, “Yeah, you got this!” and egging you on?
Well, Curt always wants to see something gnarly. I was planning on doing it. I Googled it for like three days before that, you know?

I read somewhere you make music? What sort of stuff are you into?
Yeah I love, love music, man. Music is the best high; it’s just so fun, man. I’ve been playing a lot of guitar. I got my brother into guitar, and he’s getting really good really quick. And I’ve been jamming the bongo a lot and the djembe. It’s fun. We travel around with all our stuff. We’re tapping into more banjos and mandolins and just getting a good mix. My two sisters play too, so having like a family band is awesome. We’re not that good or anything, but it’s just fun. I love making music.

Do you write your own songs and shit? Or just covers of stuff?
I do a lot of like just, mumbling, you know. I love to just freestyle it and just make up songs as I go. But I have been starting to write a couple things and eventually I will more. When you don’t have much time, anytime I can play I just want to jam, you know, and not be in the homework stage trying to learn something. But I should. I need to do that.

You just bought a house out in the cuts, right? What made you decide to purchase where you did? Where is it, like north of Truckee somewhere, right?
It feels like it’s in the cuts, but it’s really close to everything, so it’s the best of both worlds. It’s in Verdi, right outside Reno, between Truckee and Reno. Right on the border, you know, fuck Cali I’m getting in Nevada. I’m going to buy guns and shit…

So your address is technically Nevada?
It’s Nevada, all the way. I’d been looking at buying a place for a long time, and I just really wanted to get into Nevada and out of Cali. I’m right on the border, still got everything I love around me, all my friends. Right there on the Truckee river… Oh man, if you ever come that way you got to come to my house, and we’ll fish. There’s awesome fishing right there.

Sounds like a resort getaway!
It’s crazy. There’s a tennis court and b-ball hoop and I don’t even do that shit. I’ve been asked recently if I play tennis. It’s so weird. I’ll be in the airport, and I don’t know if it’s just because I wear crazy gear and have dreads or something, but people are like, “Do you play tennis?” and I’m like, “No, but I have a tennis court” [laughs].

Well congrats on the home purchase. When did you buy it?
Thanks, man. I’m so blessed. It’s like the perfect bill that just fell into my lap. I bought it at the beginning of this year, and I really haven’t spent much time there at all.

Do you have roommates? Are any of them in the same line of work as you?
Yeah I’ve got like three roommates. One of them is Daniel Ek, he rides for Forum too. He’s awesome, love that kid. He has a really good heart. For instance, there’s a bar downstairs in the house that was completely empty. I went down to get surgery and when I came home he had left to go back to Norway. I go downstairs and the bar is just completely dialed, like with 25 bottles! Danny Boy just styled it out. It was all like Red Bulls in the bottom, so styled, I just started laughing.

Most of the time roommates drink all your booze, not stock you up!
Yeah that’ll happen, too. Usually with the Coors Lights.

Catch John Jackson and Travis Rice in The Art of Flight along with other heavy-hitters like Mark Landvik, Nicolas Muller, Scotty Lago, Jeremy Jones and more! Visit Artofflightmovie.com for more details and to view the film’s two official trailers. Follow John Jackson on Twiiter @johnjamun.

Ashley Fiolek is the new face of motocross

Ashley Fiolek is the type of chick that leaves boys in the dust, literally. And if they scream at her to “come back!” she won’t hear them. And it’s not her Honda’s 249 cubic-centimeter four-stroke engine’s growl that’ll drown out the sound. Fiolek, a 20-year-old professional motocross racer from St. Augustine, Fla., has been profoundly deaf since birth. In a sport dominated by both sound and men, Fiolek is causing a ruckus in the world of motocross.

In 2008 Fiolek dethroned five-time Women’s Motocross Association champion Jessica Patterson and became the youngest WMA champion ever. She has two X Games gold medals under her belt as well as a second WMA championship, was the first female in action ever to grace the cover of Transworld Motocross, the first ever female appointed to the factory Honda Red Bull Racing team and most recently Fiolek was featured as the central figure in a “World of Red Bull” TV commercial that is getting major primetime airplay. The epic minute-long commercial, shot at the picturesque Zaca Station motocross track in Buellton, Calif., features dramatic Indiana Jones-style music, fly-by helicopter shots, crazy 3-D POV camera technology, and of course, Fiolek ripping through the track like a true savage. The only catch, you don’t know it’s a girl the whole time. At the very end of the commercial, Fiolek pulls up to the camera, takes off her helmet revealing her long blond hair and says in American Sign Language, “Welcome to my world. The world of Red Bull.” Imagine millions of viewers’ jaws dropping when they realize that the mystery rider in the commercial is in fact a cute, young, deaf woman.

Fiolek has never been one to let her disability get in her way and she even goes as far as to say that it’s harder being a female in motocross than it is being deaf in motocross. “Most people have accepted my deafness pretty easily,” Fiolek told Submerge in a recent e-mail interview. “I have been riding and racing for a long time and people are just used to me being around.

“I think the women in my sport just struggle because it is a male-dominated sport and the girls get treated differently. Things have definitely changed since I have become a pro and for the better, so that is a good thing! Hopefully things will keep changing and maybe one year it will all be equal. I think in general women in most sports are not treated the same as men. It is just something we have to keep working on and trying to change.”

And to all the naysayers reading this thinking, “She’s probably just good for a girl,” know this: Fiolek is fast. Very fast. Don’t believe us? Take Travis Pastrana’s word instead. Pastrana is the most successful competitor in the history of X Games freestyle motocross and a dude who knows something about going fast, as his list of motocross winnings is too long to list. On the back cover of Fiolek’s book (yeah, she even co-wrote a book) called Kicking Up Dirt, Pastrana is quoted as saying, “It’s difficult to imagine that such a petite girl with a warm smile could be so phenomenal in an extreme sport like motocross. But Ashley Fiolek’s not just good for a girl…she’s flat-out good.”

You can catch Fiolek and other top motocross riders, in action right in our own back yard on Saturday, May 21, 2011 at the 43rd Annual Hangtown Motocross Classic in Rancho Cordova. Read on to learn more about this fascinating and inspiring young athlete.

Photo: ©Simon Cudby/Red Bull Content Pool

What have you been up to lately?
I normally head out to California to train but right now I have stayed at home in Florida. We have had very good weather and no rain so it has been good! I have just been riding and training and hanging out with my friends.

What have you been doing to get ready for the upcoming motocross season? What is your training regimen like both on and off the bike?
I normally take some time off then I start back up riding and training at the New Year. I ride as much as I can during the week, and then I do a cardio and strength training program for off the bike stuff.

Last year you finished second overall and in truly dramatic fashion. It came down to the very end between you and your “rival” Jessica Patterson. Was that a tough loss for you? Has it motivated you to work harder to re-claim your throne this year?
Yes, it is always hard to lose! Anyone that is competitive knows that. I have definitely been motivated this year, and I hope it all pays off.

How important is winning to you? Is it everything, or is it just one thing?
It’s everything! Well it is pretty important. No one likes to lose.

Photo: ©Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool

I’ve heard you say in past interviews that you “live and breathe motocross.” Can you imagine what your life would be like without it? Where do you think you’d be today if you never started riding?
Wow, I am not sure what I would do if I wasn’t riding, but it would definitely be some kind of sport! I am not one to just sit around and do nothing; I like to be active and moving.

I’ve seen the footage of when you fell and injured your collarbone in a Sept. 5, 2009 race. I was amazed how fast you popped right up and got on your bike despite having just fallen so hard. That shows a lot about your character. Is falling something you think about often while riding? It seems like it would be hard not to.
Well, of course you don’t want to fall! It is part of our sport not if you get hurt but when. When I am out riding I really don’t think about it and hopefully it won’t happen! During that race, I knew I had to finish 11th place or better for the championship, so knowing that and with my adrenaline pumping I just kept going.

You’ve received some major press over the past couple of years and have become the face of women’s motocross, if not motocross in general. Seeing as how you are a huge figure and role model in your sport, do you ever feel pressured or stressed out?
Well sometimes I do feel pressure. I am only 20 and it is a lot to think about! I just always try to do my best and be the best role model I can be. I want our sport to grow so whatever it takes to get women’s motocross out there is good for me.

Photo: ©Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool

I want to talk a bit about the new World of Red Bull commercial. It’s an incredible ad and I’ve seen it on television a number of times in the past few weeks. How does it feel knowing that literally millions of people are going to see that? That’s got to be a gnarly feeling!
Oh yes. It is incredible! I didn’t really realize how many people would see it or how far it would reach, but the response has been crazy. It is strange to know that so many people are seeing it. My mom was watching cartoons on the FOX network the other day with my brother and it came on. Go Red Bull!

How shocked do you think most people are at the very end of the commercial when you take your helmet off and they see that A) you are a girl, and that B) you’re deaf? I bet the look on most people’s face is priceless.
I hope people are shocked. For me and my family it is hard to watch the commercial thinking I am a guy, because we know it is me. Some people that I know, that didn’t know about the commercial, were shocked. They didn’t realize that it was me until the end! I am sure most people that are not into motocross are probably more shocked that I am signing at the end.

What are your techniques to make sure you get in front, and stay in front, of other racers? How does being deaf play into these techniques? What sort of signals or indicators are you looking for when you’re riding?
Well you have to try and get the “holeshot,” this is to be the first one to the first turn. It is hard to be out in front but you have a clear view of the track so that is good. If I get the holeshot, I just try and push myself hard and stay in front. My mechanic will give me info on the pit board when I come around to the mechanics area so I know where the next rider is at.

Photo: ©Garth Milan/Red Bull Content Pool

Switching gears a bit. Tell me about your book that was released last year, Kicking Up Dirt. What inspired you to want to write a book?
Well I hadn’t really thought about it much, but a woman that interviewed me one time for a magazine wanted to write a book with me about my life. She approached me and we started working on it together, and my mom and dad helped too with some early on info from my life.

Is writing something that you particularly enjoy? What are some of your other hobbies? When you have free time (if any), what do you do for fun?
It was a lot harder to write a book than I thought! It was a lot of research and a lot of interviews. It took over a year to do and it was pretty intense, but I am glad that it happened; in the end I really liked the book! In my free time I like to Jet Ski and snowboard or ride pole position cars, anything crazy.

Any final shout-outs you’d like to give?
Well I would definitely like to thank my sponsors who have stuck behind me all these years. Alpinestars, Red Bull, Honda, Leatt, they have been with me almost since the beginning of my pro career. Alpinestars and Red Bull were with me in my amateur career! My mom and dad have been great, they have helped me with everything and are always there for me. I wouldn’t have made it this far without them for sure! God is definitely looking over me.

See Fiolek and other top pros in action on May 21 at the 43rd Annual Hangtown Motocross Classic in Rancho Cordova. Hangtown is the longest running and largest of the outdoor national motocross series and it is still being promoted and produced by a local club, the The Dirt Diggers North Motorcycle Club. The greater Sacramento region has the DDNMC to thank for bringing the fastest motocross racers in the world to our own back yard for the past 43 years. Our hats are off to them! Visit Hangtownmx.com or call (800) Hangtown (426-4869) for more information. To learn more about Fiolek and to watch her World of Red Bull commercial, visit Ashleyfiolek.com

Red Bull Soundclash: Cee Lo Green vs. The Ting Tings

Saturday, March 12, 2011
MGM Resorts International lot, Las Vegas, NV

Red Bull is a company known for doing things big, nay, huge. Most events they throw are spectacles that leave people thinking, “WTF?” or “How is that possible?” Example: New Year No Limits where every year Red Bull athletes push the boundaries of their respective sports, smashing world records left and right, leaving jaws on the floor all around the world. Or how about Red Bull Media House’s groundbreaking and awe-inspiring snowboarding films in collaboration with Travis Rice? That’s It, That’s All, released in 2008, and the upcoming film The Art of Flight (September 2011) are arguably two of the best films ever produced in their genre. Point being, anything Red Bull touches turns out epic.

This past weekend on March 12, their Soundclash event held in Las Vegas featuring Grammy Award winner Cee Lo Green and indie pop stars The Ting Tings was no different. Roughly 6,000 eager spring breakers crowded into the MGM Resorts International lot directly across from the Luxor (the giant pyramid looking building that shoots a beam of light up into space) to experience a concert unlike any they had ever seen. The set-up looked and felt more like a festival than a regular parking lot concert, with two giant stages facing each other on opposing ends of the lot, leaving the crowd and a giant DJ tower where host La La Anthony oversaw the event sandwiched in between.

Before the show started an informative video aired on all the giant screens around the venue that explained what we were about to see and hear. Then, it got underway. Round 1 was the “The Warm Up” where each act performed three original songs. Cee Lo performed “Lady Killer,” “Bright Lights” and the Gnarls Barkley hit “Crazy.” The Ting Tings responded with “Keep Your Head,” “Hit Me Down Sonny” and “Shut Up and Let Me Go,” which you have no doubt heard. It was featured in 2008 in a famous Apple commercial. Round 2 was “The Cover” which featured both acts covering the same song, The Clash’s “Should I Stay or Should I Go,” with their own personal twist on it. Cee Lo’s version was pretty a straight-forward, rockin’ rendition of the classic song, but The Ting Ting’s version had more depth and dynamics to it, progressing into a high-energy finish.

The Ting Tings // Photo by Garth Milan, Red Bull Photofiles

Round 3, “The Takeover,” was probably the most innovative and impressive round of all musically speaking. The concept seems simple enough: one band starts a song, the other band takes it over seamlessly halfway through and finishes it, but in reality it is extremely difficult to get the timing and pitch just perfect when taking over another band’s song, especially from about 100 yards away on a separate stage entirely. Each group started two songs; Cee Lo’s tracks were “Run” and “Smiley Faces,” (both technically Gnarls Barkley songs) and The Ting Tings songs were “Fruit Machine” and “Be the One.” This led to Round 4, which was called “The Clash” and highlighted the artists’ versatility by having them perform their songs in three different styles outside their comfort zone. The styles chosen were reggae, acoustic and rock/metal.

Finally, round 5 was “The Wildcard.” In this round, the bands were allowed to invite a special guest to perform with them on stage. The Ting Tings appropriately enlisted the help of an Elvis impersonator (this did take place in Vegas, after all) to help them with their hit single “That’s Not My Name,” a crowd favorite for sure. Cee Lo invited Khujo, T-Mo and Big Gipp to reunite Goodie Mob for a performance of “Get Rich to This.”

When round 5 ended the crowd somehow knew the show wasn’t done, Cee Lo hadn’t even performed his latest smash single “Fuck You,” which might go down as the past year’s most talked about, controversial song. After a few moments The Ting Tings joined Cee Lo on his stage and they busted into a collaborative version of the song, sending the crowd into a frantic sing-along. Afterward DJ Mick Boogie kept the party going for a bit, large crowds stayed and danced, but after a while everyone headed to Studio 54 inside MGM for the official Soundclash after party featuring The Glitch Mob. Once again, Red Bull does it properly.

Blue Turner

There I was, chillin’, maxin’ out, “lurkin’ hard” in a limo, drinking a Red Bull Vodka on my way with the Red Bull Sacramento Crew to swoop up some of the nastiest local skateboarders in the 916. I knew it was going to be ill. I mean, shit, we’re in a limo, so I sat back and waited for the madness to ensue.

Rob Mason

We pulled up to the old Flatspot skate shop downtown and saw a dozen or so sweating kids skating flat ground awaiting our arrival. The limo driver, we’ll call him Dan, got out of his driver seat and opened the door, allowing everyone in. “Beer me” someone exclaimed, as an ice-cold one got tossed into his hands. “Do you have any CDs?” I replied to the dude clutching the beer and almost before I’m finished I get a sarcastic reply, “Yeah”¦see deeze nuts!” I should’ve known not to give him such a golden opportunity. After a few quick laughs we all saddled up, cameras and lights chillin’ in the back, and headed over to the first spot: Granite Skate Park off Power Inn Road. Although there was nothing NSA about skating the biggest park in all of Northern Cali—our crew just needed to warm up and get their bones loose on their home turf.

So we pulled up to Granite like straight pimps. Everyone piled out of the limo to skate the park and immediately everything was getting destroyed. These skateboarders were killing this park, literally, name a trick and it was laced. After about an hour of the park, a few flip tricks over the double set courtesy of Kyle Duval, and stenciling all the local groms’ decks (www.redbullskateboarding.com), we jumped back in the fly mobile (Dan’s limo) and headed to some gnarly 11 stair at a school in Fair Oaks, Calif.

We pulled up to this handrail, and it was pitch black. As soon as Danny Boy let us out, I realized we were in the fuckin’ suburbs somewhere and we were being mad loud. I gave it 15 minutes before the cops showed up. With this in mind, we quickly set up the lights, and they got to work. After a few warmup ollies, things started getting dope. This little man, Blue Turner, was destroying it: backside smith grinds like it was his day job. Then next thing you know, Rob Mason barreled through and started trying to backlip the damn thing. It was dope; the Lurk Hard homies were representing.

After another hour or so, we jumped back in the limo and headed over to Ink in Midtown for some grub and drinks. An hour or two, a few drinks, and a chunky meal later, we were ready to peace out.

All in all, the night was an unforgettable experience. Big ups to Armain Austin, everyone at Red Bull, Lurk Hard and everyone who was along for the ride”¦thanks for a dope evening! And remember, NSA is only a state of mind.

By Brandon Brown
Photos Courtesy of Joe Poinski