Brett Tippie in Peru and the World of Freeride
If you are a mountain biker but don’t know who Brett Tippie is, then I suggest you start getting to know him! He is an absolute legend in the mountain biking scene. In the words of YT-Industries:
“When Tippie started mountain biking in 1983, most of us were still in diapers […] As pioneers of a new era of mountain biking, they didn’t care about lycra and race results—only about pushing the limits of what’s possible on a mountain bike.”
Tippie was freeriding before “freeriding” was even coined a term in mountain bike lingo. By the way, freeriding can be loosely described as riding natural terrain with no real rules or set course; add into that some steeze, amplitude, and tricks, and you have a basic definition of what freeriding means in 2021. Brett, along with his buddies Richie Schley and Wade Simmons, created the first freeride team ever, The Rocky Mountain Fro Riders. These guys were launching completely rigid mountain bikes off of cliff sides and looking for MTB lines that didn’t even look rideable. They started a new discipline in the mountain biking world that gets your adrenaline pumping just watching it! Absolute legends!
Photo: Steve Shannon Photography
As ERGON comments about the Fro Rider team,
“The Fro Riders were the first professional freeride team and the craziest bike trio the world had ever seen, known for their brutal riding style inspired by giant cliff drops and steep slopes. Absolute superstars in the MTB world, they’ve appeared in countless films, magazines, and advertising campaigns. Before anybody really knew what freeriding really meant, the sport was given an identity by the Fro Riders and their films—like the Kranked series from 1997, or, somewhat later, New World Disorder. Mountain bike freeriding was born.”
The Most Famous Freeride Event in History: The Red Bull Rampage
One of the biggest events and most coveted titles in freeride is the Red Bull Rampage. This major event takes place in Virgin, Utah, almost every year. Rampage has evolved tremendously since its conception in 2001, when one of the Rocky Mountain Fro Riders, Wade Simmons, took the title. One can hardly believe the bikes these guys were using in the first Rampage events! During the first years of the Red Bull Rampage no one had a dig crew—nor were there any sculptured jumps like the event nowadays. There was no water hauled in to pack down the lines and create safer landings. Line building consisted of moving a few rocks and raking a bit of dirt. Brett competed in the Red Bull Rampage of 2002 when the course was completely raw and as impressive as ever!
Huge Mountains with Big Descents: Brett Tippie in Peru
Over the years, mountain biking in Peru has become increasingly known for big mountains and epic downhill descents. Cusco, the capital of the Incan empire and a world class mountain bike city, sits at 3400 m. (11,150 ft.) above sea level. The shuttle rides alone take riders to an altitude higher than the entire continental USA. The Lares scree field, which does require a 15- minute hike a bike, begins at 4462 m. (14,640 ft). This descent is over 1536 m. (5,000 ft.) of pure, wild descent! MTB guides in Peru often hear the phrase, “This is higher than I have ever been in my life!” Naturally, with all of its big freeride lines and long descents, Brett Tippie was interested in mountain biking in Peru!
Photo: Steve Shannon Photography
In 2017, the co-founder of Haku Expeditions, Nicole Koch, got in touch with Brett to begin organizing his first trip ever to Cusco, Peru. The tour came together in May of 2018, when Brett and four awesome adventurers came out to Cusco to begin riding some of Peru’s most iconic MTB trails ever. Haku created a 10-day Cusco Mountain Bike Adventure with some of the best shuttle downhill rides in Cusco and the Sacred Valley. Brett’s contagious humor, combined with the epic scenery and 1500 m. (5000 ft.) descents, had everyone dreaming for more. Before the tour was over, Brett began scoping out the huge freeride lines that lay all over the region. He also began planning a bigger trip that would combine a 7-day MTB trip (containing the best local trails), along with a 5-day backcountry freeride expedition in the wild Andean countryside.
Freeride Expedition in Peru with Brett Tippie and Jordie Lunn
Nicole and Brett spent the next year planning and organizing for 2019. Brett invited Jordie Lunn, and Haku put together a cool crew of riders to explore Peru with these two legends. Adidas-510 and YT-Industries sent out Andrew Young and Steve Shannon to document and film the project. On the first day of their epic Peruvian MTB expedition, they headed out to the Rainbow Mountain/Red Valley area to begin some serious freeriding. First ridden by Kilian Bron, another pro-rider that has ridden many times with Haku Expeditions, the Red Line couldn’t be missed.
Photo: Steve Shannon Photography
This huge scree field is the epitome of freeriding. The descent begins at 4861m. (15,950 ft.) after a long 4-5 hour hike a bike in sandy conditions. At the top you will find not only unbeatable views, but also areas that are striped like the Rainbow mountains of Peru. Seeing as you cannot walk or ride on the Rainbow Mountain (which is visited by thousands), we took advantage of this small section to get some amazing shots!
Photo: Steve Shannon Photography
From there, the crew began the long descent down to the bottom. Once this mission was complete, they headed out to the small mountain village of Pacchanta, where they stayed with a local family before embarking on a fully supported mountain bike expedition. The next three days were spent hiking, biking, and camping—all while searching out epic freeride lines in the Andean backcountry.
Photo: Gabo Diaz
Haku made sure to purchase an alpaca from the local farmers, they enjoyed a long-time tradition of the Peruvian Andes called Pachamanca. This involves making a stone oven into the shape of a pyramid. It’s then heated (by fire) for about two hours, before being smashed down and adding potatoes, fava beans, platano, and freshly cut alpaca steaks that are then buried in the ground and cooked for an hour. A wonderful Andean cook, Rocky, made many meals that kept them filled with the needed calories for a trip of this kind.
Photo: Steve Shannon Photography
Long Live Jordie Lunn
The entire crew at Haku Expeditions and all of the adventurers who came out to ride with Jordie Lunn remain heartbroken over his tragic passing only five months after his trip to Peru. The heartfelt memories made with him and the times spent on the trail will never be forgotten. For those who don’t know, Jordie Lunn passed away on October 9th, 2019, while riding with friends in Cabo, Mexico. A legend in the mountain biking scene, Jordie Lunn will remain sorely missed by all who knew him.
Where Will You Find Brett Tippie Today? Present Day (2021)
Where will you find Brett nowadays? Yes, you can still find him looking for steep, gnarly lines. At the age of 52, he is still shedding big vertical lines and looking for adventure. His fun personality and confidence on the microphone and in front of a camera have earned him countless jobs announcing for races, MTB events, and for PinkBike. Recently, he started the Brett Tippie Podcast (which you can find on Youtube or Spotify), where he interviews MTB legends, professional mountain bikers, and up-and-coming riders in the MTB world. This podcast is a great thing to listen to when shuttling up to the trails!
When Brett is not busy snowboarding, announcing mountain bike events, or riding, he is spending time with his family—he’s often seen shredding at the Whistler Bike Park with his wife Sarah Fenton Tippie or his two daughters.
Future Plans for Brett Tippie and Haku Expeditions
At the moment, Brett and Haku are currently planning a trip to Ecuador. Ecuador, like Peru, has big, long descents that you can reach with a shuttle vehicle. The combination of high alpines, lush Andean forests, and volcanic freeride lines make Ecuador a top MTB destination worldwide. The country is quite small and allows for a cross country mountain bike vacation that hits all the best bike trails and some fun bike parks too. Ecuador also features the Galapagos Islands right off the coast. A quick plane ride from Quito or Guayaquil, this ecological reserve is a bucket list item that should not be missed!
Haku Expeditions currently hopes to ride Ecuador with Brett in November 2021. However, with the possibility of Canada closing the borders again, they may push it up to 2022. If you would like to be included in the small crew of riders that will adventure to Ecuador with Brett, get in touch now.
Written by: Nicole Koch
