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Brett Tippie's Life Story, pt1

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Chimp
Jun 28, 2001
36
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(...okay, not his WHOLE life story)

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Interview by Patrick Branch

Where did you grow up and where did you live the longest?

I was born in Vancouver, BC, but I was raised in Kamloops, BC... lived there the longest, but I lived a lot in Whistler as well. But, now I live in North Vancouver with my girlfriend and my baby girl...11 months old. And I live with my girlfriend who rides. She was riding Northshore 20 years ago.

Who is your girlfriend?

Sarah Fenton. She's a good solid shore rider!

Awesome. What was your first mountain bike?

My first mountain bike was a Kuwahara. It would have been 1983.




Cherry Bomb. photo: Layne Marett

Bikes in the early years of freeriding weren't exactly meant for such abuse. What do you think is the most parts you went through in a week?

Whole Bikes. I've gone through probably three complete bikes in a week. Frames, wheels, two bars, two sets of cranks, and pedals...and seats.

How old were you when you became a 'professional' freerider?

Hmmm... Well, the first movie I did was in 1995, called Traction by Greg Stump. He used to make really cool ski movies. He made like the original cool ski movie, kind of like, you know, how Crusty Demons of Dirt was to motocross or like Kranked 1 was to mountain biking. He made a movie called Blizzard of Ahhhs. He was one of the good ski movie makers. He made this film for Specialized called Traction. I got a free bike out of that and they payed for dinner every night of filming, so that was cool. That was my first, not literally pro, but that was my first shot in getting a few spots and riding in a movie. Richie Schley was in that as well. Then in '96 we made Tao of Riding by Christian Begin. Also riding in Traction was Craig Olsson. He was an early unknown freeride pioneer. In '97 was Kranked 1.

Were you involved at all in organizing the first Redbull Rampage or were you just competing?

I was just competing. I wasn't in the first one; I missed it. I was in the second one. They had me as a judge the year after.

With all the differences between the first and last Rampage that just happened, what's the same?

Something that's the same?...just the electricity in the air, the vibe, you know and the excitement of boundaries being pushed and new envelopes...and people sending it.

You had kind of a drug addiction for a few years? How long did that last and what did it take to quit?

It was alcohol and drugs. I just got bored of it. I missed riding...I missed riding my bike. I missed snowboarding. I missed riding my snowmobile. I missed riding my dirtbike. I missed all my riding friends in the mountains - the mountain tribe. Plus, you know, my grandma died and then my dad died. My dad dying was the hardest thing that ever happened. I was already sober, but it just made it unbelievably easy to quit from then on. It made it totally easy to stay sober. Plus, now I have a baby and a beautiful fiancé. And riding again and the mountain bike world has taken me back. and...I'm back! (laughs) It was all like a bad dream. Now, I don't drink or do anything. But I do a lot of energy drinks...and I'm always wired anyway, just on life. (laughs)

What do you do now, since you aren't being paid to ride?

I work for a company called Finished Guaranteed, for a fellow named Neil Sinclair, as an apprentice finishing carpenter. It's super rad because my boss is a mountain biker, and a Northshore mountain biker at that.

Does he do a lot of trail building as a carpenter?

He doesn't build a lot, but he rides a lot. You can be late for work, but you can't be late for a ride. He sends it. He goes big and does tricks off cliffs...super good at skinnies and rides gnarly steeps. It's crazy to have a boss who's a charger.



Crankworx 2009. photo: Patrick Branch

Did you ride the Canadian Open Course this year at Crankworx?

Yep.

I rode it last year and did fine on it, but this year, it was so much more technical in the bottom.

I didn't race in it. I just went and rode it.

Yeah, I rode it the day after the race. The steep section at the end, I ended up walking down 10' before hitting it because I was such a bitch. (laughs) It was way sketchier than last year.

Actually, the first time I rode it, I bitched out. I rode it, but I went way out to the left.. and then after I rode it, I was like, oh **** that! Then I did the regular way, down the right. Pretty scary though...like woohaa!!

That bottom section?

I think it's called the Poop Chute.

Yeah, I almost pooped myself looking at it.

Yeah..yeah..yeah. Man, they were flyin' down that.

Do you have a favorite photographer you've shot with?

Oh god. Um... I really like shooting with John Gibson, and Blake Jorgenson.

They do awesome stuff.

Yeah. Also, Eric Berger in the early days. Scott Markewitz from the States is super badass...sometimes he's got two cameras at once. A wide angle and a telephoto.

Like one on remote?

One on each eye.

(laughs) That's crazy!

Yeah yeah yeah. And you know, Sterling Lawrence, always, of course. Who else was there that I enjoyed shooting with?? Those were the big guns that I shot with. I like shooting with buddy, Layne Marett, because he's a bro and all. He's not a pro, but he takes some good shots and he's fun.
 

gemini2k

Turbo Monkey
Jul 31, 2005
3,526
117
San Francisco
Did you ride the Canadian Open Course this year at Crankworx?



I rode it last year and did fine on it, but this year, it was so much more technical in the bottom.



Yeah, I rode it the day after the race. The steep section at the end, I ended up walking down 10' before hitting it because I was such a bitch. (laughs) It was way sketchier than last year.
That's the best part. Hearing what the interviewer thought of the course and how he rode it.