Erosion Control: A First Descent in the Remote Idaho Backcountry

For years, rumors have drifted through the mountain bike community about massive, untouched big-mountain lines hidden deep within central Idaho. To most, they were just whispers. To director Marcus Honey, they were a siren song.

We are thrilled to announce the exclusive video release of Honey’s latest freeride film – a raw and breathtaking look at what happens when the next generation of freeriders push the boundaries of the sport into America’s most rugged wilderness.

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Scouting the Impossible & Assembling the Dream Team

The project began with a hunch. Honey identified several remote zones using satellite imagery that looked promising on paper, but he had no idea if they were actually rideable. In the spring, he packed his gear for a solo reconnaissance trip, spending days camping, hiking, and surveying the jagged Idaho landscape.

What he found did not disappoint, and the inspiration began to flow. Massive faces boasting potentially 2,000 vertical feet of pure, uninterrupted riding. The terrain was intimidatingly steep and choked with fields of large, unforgiving rocks.

Honey reached out to Aiden Parish and Harper Simon, two up-and-coming riders who have been making themselves known in the sport of big mountain freeride. Without hesitation, they signed on to see if these remote peaks could actually have a vein of gold.

To capture the madness, Honey partnered with the production company Après Visuals. Together, the crew of athletes and filmmakers packed up and headed into the backcountry for a week-long shoot.

When you’re operating miles away from civilization, your gear is your lifeline. The crew utilized an Urban X Camper as their mobile command center in the remote wilderness.

This rugged basecamp became the beating heart of the expedition, serving as a sanctuary where the team could cook hot meals, charge a massive array of camera batteries and drone equipment, and convene to plan out the next steps after reviewing the day’s footage.

One Line, All Day

Freeride mountain biking, at its core, is not all about chairlifts and shuttles; this film takes it back to the sport’s roots. Big mountain lines, remote locations, and the excitement of being the first person to ride a line that others never even considered. Filming in central Idaho required a brutal, exhausting work ethic.

A typical day for the crew didn’t involve laps; it involved a single, high-stakes shot. The team would spend the entire day hiking bikes and bulky camera equipment up unforgiving pitches to reach the summit. They would wait for the perfect, fleeting moment before dropping into terrifyingly steep lines at sunset, then face another challenge: hiking back to base camp almost entirely in pitch-black, frequently losing their way. It was exhausting. It was punishing. But above all, it was a true adventure.