MOUNTAINBIKE FREERIDING

IIf it involves two wheels, chances are Aaron Chase has been there, done that. He’s been on the cutting edge of mountain bike innovation for more than 10 years. Chase started out as a trials rider, then hit the World Cup race circuit before diving head first into all facets of freestyle riding, from slopestyle to pioneering hairball lines in big mountain terrain. “Coming from a racing background really helps me prepare for contests better than some other riders. It also really taught me how to pedal, and I’m a versatile rider who can milk speed out of spots other guys can’t because I’ll get a few cranks in between jumps,” Chase says. These days, he’s about fusing those skills together, building terrain features in a natural setting where the sky’s the limit in terms of what he can ride. “My main focus is bringing all the disciplines I’ve learned over the years and putting it all together, but in the woods instead of on the street or in a park.” Chase isn’t afraid to get his hands dirty, building jumps from natural features that warrant it. “You have to be more of an all around rider to adapt to the imperfections. The end result is something brand new and core to the sport.”

BACKGROUND

Growing up in New Hampshire, where he was born in 1978, Chase tried to mimic videos he’d seen of freeride legend Hans “No Way” Rey, and several scrapes and scabs later, his parents broke down and got him a trials bike. He burst onto the competitive scene at 15, quickly earning a solid reputation in trials, cross-country, and dual slalom racing.

By the time he hit his twenties, Chase was ready for additional challenges, and in 2000 he went pro, taking on the United States’ best in downhill and dual slalom. A flurry of New England Championships followed, as well as numerous top finishes in the NORBA National Championship Series.

Seemingly inexhaustible, Aaron also extended his trials abilities, combining the uncanny balance he’d developed in traditional trials with the pacing he’d learned in races for the relatively new discipline of speed trials. In 2002, Chase’s friends talked him into entering the speed trials event at the venerable Sea Otter Classic, and he stunned even himself by capturing the gold in a field that included the “Godfather of Trials,” Jeff Lenosky.

The Midas touch continued as Chase added a fistful of medals to his collection, including gold at Toronto’s Round House Rumble and bronze at Vail’s Teva Mountain Games in 2002, and more gold in 2003 at the Rye Big Wheels Park Competition and Superfest. With his impressive combination of skills, plus serious street cred as the first mountain biker ever to do a hand plant, Chase was a favorite for 2003’s Red Bull Bike Battle. At the Beantown event – where trials, street, and dirt-jump riders went head-to-head – Chase combined lip tricks, grinds, gaps, backflips, and effortless 360s to carry the day.

TAKING THE SPORT TO NEW LEVELS

These days, Chase has shifted his focus from the podium to progressing his own riding and doing all he can to help fuel the fire during an explosive era in mountain biking. “The things I’m doing now are going to take the sport to the next level. We’re trying to do a lot of the same stuff as snowboarding—big drops, hits, jumps and wall rides. Slopestyle contests are using more of these types of features in their courses, which is better for spectators, videos and magazines. It’s something the average rider can look at and appreciate.”

“There’s nothing like the rush you get from the crowd at a huge event. At some of the contests in Europe the crowds are insane, and that can make you feel invincible. When I won the Red Bull District Ride in front of 40,000 people that was crazy. Every one of them stayed for the award ceremony, and the top 10 riders of that event all received champagne bottles. Before I knew it I was being sprayed by some of my best friends while the crowd was going nuts. At the time it was the biggest purse in freeride, about 7000 euros, so that was cool."

OPPORTUNITY FROM INJURY

The first stop of the Qashqai events in New Castle, England Aaron fell off a ladder bridge about 12 feet in the air. “I fell backwards in a seated position into a wall that kept me positioned straight up, and that caused put all the energy from the fall throughout my back”, Chase recalls. “I fractured my L1 vertebra and it basically looked like a smashed donut on a table. The fall sent the shock up and down the vertebrae causing everything from waste down to shut down for about 30 seconds. I was paralyzed for a short period of time while lying on the ground, and that was crazy to comprehend.”

“In the hospital I was flat on my back for seven days. The doctors fused my T12, L1 and L2 vertebrae with what looked like a capital H made from titanium rods, screws and clamps to stabilize my spine. A bone graph was taken from my hip and put around the L1 so there would be plenty of bone to heal the damaged vertebrae. It’s been a few months since t he surgery, and I’m about to begin rehab and physical therapy. It’s gong to take pretty much 6 months before I can even think about riding again.”

NEW VENTURES

“2006 was a successful year for me, but not from contests side of things. The highlight was definitely filming the latest New World Disorder. I was just coming off of my femur injury, and it was a bit of a struggle at first, but we did some awesome riding in Turkey and I’m really happy with my segment from that movie.”

Count on Chase to be on both sides of the camera—he is also a director and editor for Don Hampton’s DH Productions, the company responsible for the popular Chain Reaction series. Their Killing Time video, which Chase directed, is a classic; the rider’s 2005 release, entitled Counterparts was two years in the making.

Chase has another project underway where he’s in front of and behind the camera. “I’m directing and producing my own action sports documentary about the two months I was in Europe for the Qashqai Urban Challenge. I hired a guy to follow me, Kyle Strait and Cam McCaul around for a month and half. The idea was just to film everything and what happens, happens. The goal was to really show the highs and lows of mountain bike freeride. However, when I broke my back at the first stop of that tour I knew it was going to get a lot deeper than I had imagined.”

DETERMINED TO RETURN

Aaron’s also working on a new mountain bike design with long-time sponsor Cannondale, as well as working hand in hand with sponsors for some new ventures. “Fox and Red Bull have a couple of cool things in the works, and with this down time from my back injury I’ve taken it and used it to catch up with my sponsors and discuss projects and events I’ve always wanted to talk develop, but my travel schedule made it difficult."

“Breaking my back was devastating for me. At the time of that injury I was completely back to form from my broken femur and ready for the season. I was getting every trick really dialed, 360-ing every jump both in both directions and was throwing many 360 combos. The hardest part was on the very first stop of the Qashqai events I was so looking forward to I busted my back, and knew I ‘d have to start all over again. I know what I’m in for, and I’ll be working hard to get healthy. It’s not going to come easy.”