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Watch MTB ace Remy Morton build (and ride) an epic trail in just 7 days
Armed with just seven days to build a brand-new trail in his own backyard, Australian MTB prodigy Remy Morton went all out.
Whether it's BMX dirt jumps or massive freeride MTB lines, Australian Remy Morton loves nothing better than going big on a bike. Born and raised in Queensland, Morton got his start on two wheels racing BMX from the age of five, going on from there to ride everything from downhill to local dirt jump trails with his friends.
As a seasoned trail builder, Morton was challenged with just seven days and a AUD$7,000 budget to build his ultimate run and give back to the community. Watch his efforts in the player above and scroll down to find out more about the project.
Remy, tell us how the Seven Days and $7K project came about?
Red Bull came to me with the idea of building a trail in just seven days and with just seven grand. I was really stoked on the idea, because it’s basically what I do anyway – build during the week and ride on the weekends, so it was the perfect scheme. The next thing was finding a place to do it.
Thrashing lines
© Andy Jackman/Red Bull Content Pool
Stoked to build a new trail at his local centre
© Andy Jackman/Red Bull Content Pool
Luckily, right where I grew up, there’s a bike park now – Boomerang Bike Park – that didn’t exist the last time I was in Australia. I’ve known Shane, the main guy there, forever. He’s built a lot of the trails around the Gold Coast and I've basically seen him every weekend of my life for the last 15 years. So it was cool to be able to give back to him, and to the local community, by building a new trail.
Trail building is a huge part of what you do, right? Almost as important as the riding itself? Tell us more about that.
Yeah definitely. Growing up, I was probably building for 70 percent of the time and riding for 30 percent. I’ve slowed down on the building a little and been able to focus on my riding more. I was working full-time as a trail builder before, but now I’ve been able to be a little more selective.
Remy used to work full-time as a trail builder
© Andy Jackman/Red Bull Content Pool
Growing up, I was probably building for 70 percent of the time and riding for 30 percent of the time
But they both work together, riding and building. It’s like doing art, you’ve got your hand and you’ve got your pencil. I have my shovel and my bike. I want to build stuff I want to ride and my riding style relies on me building – they work together, hand-in-hand. It’s what I’ve always done since the age of four or five. I’ve been working for trail-building companies for the last seven years, then last year, I bit the bullet with my mate Jacob (who’s in the video) and we started our own trail-building company, called Flux Trail. He’s an insane rider, as well as builder, so it works out well. For us, it’s more about the lifestyle; we want to build the shit we want to ride.
Carved to perfection
© Andy Jackman/Red Bull Content Pool
Amazing. Can you tell us more about the run you designed?
The beauty of trail building is that every time you get to the terrain, you’ve got to work with the land. There were three spots on the mountain we could’ve built on and the spot we ended up choosing actually matched a few of the things I’ve been dreaming up for years. It’s nothing super innovative, but it’s definitely a more BMX-inspired run for downhill bikes. It was pretty cool to build something like that, there’s definitely not much like it around.
Super smooth lines
© Andy Jackman/Red Bull Content Pool
Style is a given
© Andy Jackman/Red Bull Content Pool
How long would it usually take you to build a run like that?
I reckon that would’ve been a one-month build. We were pretty lucky that we had a really good crew and we’ve all worked together before, so we know what's needed to get stuff done. Everyone knew what they were in for, they were doing 14 or 15-hour days some days, with no set breaks. Just grab a snack and get back in. The boys went so hard.
Full steeze ahead
© Andy Jackman/Red Bull Content Pool
Your dad even helped out as well. How was it to have him on the tools?
Yeah, it was sick. I grew up riding and building with dad every day. I'd just get home from school and he'd always have built new jumps for himself and for us kids. I definitely think the thing that he misses most about me not living at home, is us building and riding together. And it was pretty sick to have him involved because his background is carpentry, so we put him on all the timber work. I just explained what we wanted and he basically just knocked it out with no plans.
Remy and the crew assess the wallride
© Andy Jackman/Red Bull Content Pool
You crashed pretty hard on the wallride on your first run – where was your head at, after that happened?
I’ve ridden a few wallrides before and I made it real clear to the boys, 'this is exactly what not to do'. I was telling them all day, 'you really don’t want to turn down early and once you come around that berm, you’re not going to stop. If you land the berm you’re committed to the wallride, you’re not going to stop'. As soon as I hit the exit of the berm I just sunk into three inches of dirt, which slowed me right down. I knew exactly what I was in for. I tried to hold the wall, but it only helped for about half a metre until I turned down.
Success on the wallride
© Andy Jackman/Red Bull Content Pool
It was pretty bad. I basically wrapped my chest around a tree. I was laying on my back, winded, my mouth full of blood. So I was choking on blood and I couldn't breathe to get it out. But once I got my breath back I wanted to get back up again. I took four more runs, but I was coughing up a lot of blood and I have bad lungs from previous injuries, so I thought I better get it checked out. So I got an ambulance to the hospital and spent two days there. And then I went straight back to the run, fixed the landing out of the berm and rode it the following day.
Did it ever cross your mind that you wouldn’t give it another go?
No. I knew I was going to do it again. The only concerning thing was whether or not I’d be able to go fast enough. But taking a few days off was actually a blessing in disguise. It let the dirt settle and the next time we rode it was perfect. It was a good feeling.
Sometimes you need to just let the dirt settle
© Andy Jackman/Red Bull Content Pool
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