Danny Macaskill: The Ridge

November 17, 2014 1:25 PM

"The main action plan when I am riding along the high stuff is just not to fall off. " Scotland's own professional mountain biker Danny Macaskill takes on the Cuillin Ridge on the Isle of Skye.

More pictures.

Previously, Previously, Previously.

posted by something something (19 comments total)

Really beautiful and completely bonkers.
posted by rtha at 1:39 PM on November 17, 2014 [3 favorites]

Shaking my head. Amazing.
posted by ReeMonster at 1:41 PM on November 17, 2014

Whew. Dumbfounding and palpitation-inducing. (I mean, I knew it would be.)

And of course the landscape in Skye, particularly the Cuillins across the south and The Quiraing in the north, is absolutely spectacular even for the casual hiker not scrambling on the high ridges.
posted by aught at 1:48 PM on November 17, 2014

I recently did something very similar on Mt Chiliad.

In contrast to Danny Macaskill, I wrecked early and fell the rest of the way down the mountain.
posted by malthusan at 1:50 PM on November 17, 2014 [4 favorites]

It's so fun to see drones open up more possibilities in film.
posted by CaseyB at 1:59 PM on November 17, 2014 [1 favorite]

yeah and right at about 3:45-4:00 when he's basically freeclimbing that spire one-handed with the bike on his back I'm all like nope, nope, nope, oh HELL NO. I mean the rest of this is just so incredibly impressive and all about riding skills and such that that bit seemed just totally pointless and gratuitous but who knows.

useless tech derail: i have the same style of POC helmet he's using and it's pretty rad.
posted by lonefrontranger at 2:12 PM on November 17, 2014 [1 favorite]

It's a bit sad that when he finally gets back to the beach, some numpty's stolen his boat.
posted by Devonian at 2:29 PM on November 17, 2014 [5 favorites]

Chiming in with the NOPE on that freehand climb but, still, goddamn, that's the sort of landscape that makes a people, you know?
posted by KingEdRa at 2:30 PM on November 17, 2014

Ha, Devonian, I thought: that's what you get for not tying up the boat! And then I was like, maybe he did fall and hit his head because he's at the wrong beach. Then I went back to thinking about how beautiful and crazy that ride was.
posted by rtha at 2:31 PM on November 17, 2014

That trick with the fence, though. I could do with learning that one.
posted by pipeski at 3:34 PM on November 17, 2014 [2 favorites]

And I hopped a high curb and bent my rim. Sighhh.
posted by notreally at 3:36 PM on November 17, 2014

That trick with the fence, though. I could do with learning that one.

I hit a fence at speed once. The only part similar was that I also turned a complete summersault; landing on the tires and riding away not so much.
posted by Dip Flash at 3:47 PM on November 17, 2014 [1 favorite]

His videos are consistently amazing, from the biking to the scenery to the music. (And I don't care if they're ultimately Red Bull ads.) This one made my palms sweat.
posted by stargell at 4:03 PM on November 17, 2014 [1 favorite]

Yeah, mad props for his skills and complete aplomb at tackling something this fucking difficult like it was just another ride on a fire road, but nope nope nope nope nope nope nope! My palms were sweating just watching this. And that free climb with the bike up a solid Class 4? WTF?! Uh...not enough whisky on that entire island to make me do this.
posted by mosk at 4:32 PM on November 17, 2014 [1 favorite]

And I hopped a high curb and bent my rim. Sighhh.

our team coach spent about four weeks recently teaching us intermediates on the cyclocross team a rudimentary barrier hop. by "rudimentary" I mean he taught us enough about manuals and rodeo hops that we can now all safely hop a 6-8" curb or low barrier at speed, and larger logs or railroad ties with a bit of a look-see first (and by that I mean slowing down to time the wheel lifts correctly). this gave me a huge advantage at a recent race where they had a set of those little 15cm speed barriers set up on a straightaway with a clean entry and lots of room between them; I was able to hop them when a lot of the other women in my field elected to dismount.

40cm UCI max height vertical barriers tho? no, not so much.

plus the last time I got cocky and tried to hop a high, sharp bridge curb with a funny angled entrance at Mach 8 chasing faster guys out on an open space ride I fucked up the rear wheel timing and pinch flatted, so there's that.

all that to say: while I have learned to (sort of) manual which was a goal this year, I am no Danny Mac.
posted by lonefrontranger at 4:54 PM on November 17, 2014 [1 favorite]

Dip Flash every mountain biker I know (and quite a few roadies) has war stories about wire fences tbh.
posted by lonefrontranger at 4:57 PM on November 17, 2014

I enjoyed the downhill sequence at the end. You don't get to see him ride fast very much.
posted by werkzeuger at 5:48 PM on November 17, 2014

Yeah, that's some scary stuff to watch. But his proprioceptive sense astonishes me. My sense of self and where I am permits me to trip on a flat, open surface such as an unobstructed floor.
posted by bryon at 6:44 PM on November 17, 2014 [3 favorites]

It is very impressive, to be sure, but can he do it backwards and in heels?
posted by Devonian at 6:53 AM on November 18, 2014 [1 favorite]