Riding Through The Silent Forest
An Interview with Matt Hunter
Most people look at successful athletes and marvel at their ability. When we, the viewers, are separated from their feats by the two-dimensional media forms—magazine, television, Internet—it is difficult to understand what really goes into being “world class”.
Matt Hunter is world class, though he would say he’s just a kid at heart doing what he loves best—riding mountain bikes. For Matt, it’s the intangibles that pull him to the unique sport of freeride mountain biking: the solitude, the endless slivers of singletrack and the challenge of pulling off massive airs. But Matt’s ability didn’t just happen. Hours of riding and falling and getting back up mark his life and have shaped his emerging career.
We marvel at Matt’s ability to fly through the air on a mountain bike. We marvel at the way he carves a trail at break neck speeds. But most of all we marvel that beneath the world-class ability there is a person who has shrugged off the distractions of culture to seize their dream—riding bikes all the time.
TDS: What or who got you into riding?
HUNTER: Like a lot of kids, I grew up riding bikes. I rode to school with my sisters every day. We didn’t watch TV and I never had video games, so after school I would just keep riding. My best friend and I would find old scraps of lumber and build terrible, sketchy jumps, then session them.
Some older cousins I looked up to got into XC (cross-country) racing. I was maybe 11 years old and I would hear stories about them racing. I decided I wanted to try it. I had a heavy, rigid steel 15 speed. The race was pretty much a gravel road for 10kilometers. I won, and I was hooked.
I raced XC for years, until I got a summer job and didn’t have the time or desire to race anymore. I bought what I thought was a good freeride bike and started working on riding fast down the hills. If I built a jump and got comfortable on it, I would build a bigger one. Riding changed quickly for me in those days.
TDS: Some guys race downhill, others attack slopestyle; you are more of a big-mountain rider. What draws you to that side of the sport?
HUNTER: Well, it wasn’t like I woke up one morning and decided, “ I am going to be a big mountain rider.” I’m a product of my environment. I just rode the way that was most fun for me. I have an amazing landscape surrounding me, and I love to explore. The riding that resulted can be called “big mountain,” I guess.
About four or five years ago, slopestyle events were gaining popularity. I rode in a few of them, just because I got invited. When I saw some of the footage of myself, it just looked like I wasn’t having fun. I told my sponsors I didn’t want to do any slopestyle events, and they were cool with it.
TDS: You're involved with a group known as The Collective. You've been a featured rider in the films they produce and have even contributed as narrator for the Roam film. Do you have film or journalistic aspirations? Or, is your contribution with The Collective a simple by-product of the relationships developed along the way?
HUNTER: I don’t think I had much interest in telling stories when I first started shooting with those guys. But over the years I spent a lot of time with the film crew, photographer, even writer—they became friends. Those guys are all so passionate about their work that it really rubbed off on me. Whether it is a short film clip, an article or a photo, they want to make sure it tells a story about mountain biking. Now I think about it all the time, it has become something I really enjoy. That is what I focus on as my job. Share the ride, and get people stoked to ride.
TDS: In an email string you told me that you and some friends wanted to ride so bad that you took your bikes apart and hiked forever just to enjoy a 2-minute downhill. Most people would not "get" that. Is this kind of passion necessary in life for a fuller existence? Why do most people simply not bother to explore outside their comfort zones?
HUNTER: The question of whether or not something difficult is “worth it” is something I ask myself a lot. When I look back at my most memorable days, the times I will remember forever, without fail there was some kind of huge obstacle that had to be overcome. You know, the things that you consider the morning before heading out that almost make you want to stay home.
It seems great challenges or risk make the reward that much sweeter. The evolution of this realization is to find great challenges or risk and then just try anyway. Of course there is a limit to where this attitude can take you safely, but by getting close to that limit life seems to expand. I think the reason a lot of people don’t go past their comfort zones is simply because they haven’t realized what they are capable of, and what they can achieve if risk is managed properly.
TDS: Describe your mindset before and during an approach for a big jump.
HUNTER: Before an approach to a big jump, everything has to be considered. The speed required must be accurately estimated. The horizontal and vertical distances of the move determine the speed but jump shape, wind, corners, even the rolling resistance of the dirt become factor in on big airs.
Also, the risk vs. reward debate is raging at this point. It has to be decided if the move is worth it. Once these critical factors have been decided and conditions are right, the physical approach is very different. It’s commitment time, time to let instincts take over. You visualize the move being completed and then just ride.
TDS: In one film you bailed hard on a massive jump. A bit later it showed you standing at the jump again three months later ready to try again. Talk about your mindset here as it relates not only to riding but to all of life.
HUNTER: The mindset that works for me in this situation is to stay positive. I focus on what I learned in the last attempt and try not to make the same mistake. This approach always works; so many shitty situations can have a hidden positive, or at least a good reason for a laugh.
TDS: When it comes down to it, big mountain riding is between you and the mountain. Talk about the solitude that you encounter while riding or seeking out new places to ride.
HUNTER: Man, that’s one of my favorite things. A XC ride through a silent forest is the best. That’s the thing about mountain bikes; they can quickly take you to new places quietly, you feel so fast like you are exploring without having any effect on your surroundings. The feeling of solitude that mountain bikers seek is easy to find on singletrack.
TDS: Though there are times of solitude in mountain biking the sport produces a tight-knit riding group and has a strong sub-culture to it. Talk about the idea of community and how it factors into your experience with the sport.
HUNTER: Mountain biking’s sub-culture is unlike anything else. I think that there are two reasons people get into riding. One reason is because riding is so damn fun. The other is because the people who are into riding are awesome. I have met mountain bikers from all over the world, who ride all different disciplines. It’s like there is some kind of underlying brotherhood, a sense of camaraderie that exists. It’s like an “understanding” … I don’t know where it comes from. I have met so many good friends through biking. The sport just attracts a certain kind of person I guess.
TDS: So much of the younger generation is dialed into social networking sites, television and other forms of digital media. How do you manage to stay above the fray with all of this and remain focused on your passions and pursuits? Or do you battle with that stuff as well?
HUNTER: I try to ignore the things that I see as useless. I want to keep my eyes open and notice when something is bullshit. There is so much out there that it’s overwhelming sometimes. TV is a complete waste of time. The Internet can be useful, I use it but I am careful about what I do. Time is so valuable; I just try to use my time well.
TDS: What are your goals in mountain biking? Do you hope to become more involved on the "story telling" aspect of things at some point (i.e. films like Seasons)?
HUNTER:I want to keep riding. I enjoy filming and shooting stills of the ride. I am a part of the story being told. Nothing is better than having a kid come up to you and tell you that you got them stoked to ride—to keep doing that would be amazing. I like taking people riding, I coach a camp in the summer and it’s great. Maybe someday I will do more of that, I don’t know. Taking people out and showing them your trails is another way of sharing the ride.
TDS: What's next for you?
HUNTER: Well, it’s still winter here in BC so I am going ski touring! We just got a big dump and it’s supposed to be sunny tomorrow. I sure can’t wait to ride though, should be soon.
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