Most think of palm trees, mai tai's, sandy beaches and blue ocean water when the name Maui, Hawaii is spoken. For that reason, it is not easy to convince marketing heads at top brands that we should consider Hawaii for some mountain biking shoots. Truth be told, mountain biking is in its infancy in Hawaii when it comes to vast amounts of sanctioned riding, but all it takes is a glance behind the beaches to realize that the surrounding peaks are actually some of the tallest mountains in North America and the subsequent terrain and vertical access is incredible. Yes, you can combine a holiday to the beach, with a ride holiday to the world's other 'North Shore'.
This is the second mountain bike trip that I have done to the island of Maui. The first one was with The Collective, filming a segment for their first film. The trip back then was considered a huge success, and we knew that we had only scratched the surface of the terrain and trail possibilities on Maui. With much thanks to all the local rippers that opened gates, pointed towards trails, and drove us through hunting territories, we have discovered a few gems that the 'desert isle' has to offer. Returning to ride and shoot on Maui was certainly a priority, and we finally got the green light this year to do it with the
Trek C3 Project.
Andrew Shandro, Brandon Semenuk, Cam McCaul, and Rene Wildhaber were the riders from the C3 Project that I was fortunate to work with on this trip. A perfect combo for revisiting and discovering all the various trails and terrain that we knew of on the Island, and to see what the progressive visions of McCaul and Semenuk could do with some of the terrain. The following is a collection of images from the trip- Aloha!
