SAMAYA x FRED HORNY
FREERIDE MOUNTAIN BIKING IN ECUADOR
In August 2023, freeride mountain biker Fred Horny, photographer Luc Grégoire and filmmaker Jérémy Reuiller travelled to Ecuador to capture moments of extreme downhill biking from volcano summits. Fred Horny tells us about his fabulous descents and the behind-the-scenes making of his film.
"I'd already had quite a few adventures in Ecuador, where I'd been able to explore by bike and go down some big freeride slopes, because there are some really nice long lines to ride on the volcanoes.
We returned there in August 2023 to make a film about both downhill cycling and the more societal and human dimensions of choice and the possibility of breaking out of conventional codes and frameworks, while still being happy and not on the bangs of society. So we went out to meet the locals, to discuss and learn about their way of life, their cuisine and their traditions.
Our first stop was in northern Ecuador. It was very interesting geographically, as the environment there is made up of deserts with lots of cactus, very arid scenery, quite unique on the South American continent.
We started out in a small valley that is home to the Lac de Sang (Blood Lake), named after clashes that took place there centuries ago. The lake lies at the heart of an old volcano crater, over which we rolled from the summit, plunging into the clouds.
After this first isolated stop north of Quito, we headed south for a multi-day excursion around Chimborazo, one of the world's highest volcanoes and also the world's highest point, considering the center of the Earth and our remaining distance from the Sun, rising to 6250 meters. We spent two days acclimatizing, climbing to 4800 metres with Matteo, a local friend, and then descending to 3000 metres several times on trails set up by local communities.
The lights were magnificent during acclimatization, overlooking Cotopaxi in the distance, the highest active volcano in the world, and a second erupting volcano a little further into the Amazon. We were surrounded by vicuñas, the local deer, and falcons. It was a beautiful, crazy scene.
On the third day, we went on the ultimate expedition, climbing to 5300 metres altitude. This is the highest point before we have to get off the bike and carry it to keep going. It's a really long descent with gradually changing scenery, from volcanic rock at high altitude to banana trees at 700 meters.
We went to meet Marcello, a friend who lives at an altitude of 3,000 metres in San Miguel, and who opens the "Camino del Rey" across the ridge to the Guayaquil side. The view of the ocean on one side and Chimborazo on the other is just magical.
After that, we headed off around Cotopaxi at 5800 meters to bivouac on an ancient Inca site, with the remains facing the volcano. I slept in the Samaya NANO BIVY, under the stars, which was great.
Finally, we headed back up to Quito. I wanted to ride one last time, with 2 truly majestic volcanoes rising to 4850 metres and a summit at 4900 metres. We set off from there to reach Quito at 2800 meters, once again crossing a wide variety of vegetation and landscapes. There's a real contrast between the peaceful, majestic peaks of the volcanoes and the arrival in the city, where the urban space is eaten away by drug traffickers."
