SAMAYA x FRED HORNY
FREERIDE MOUNTAIN BIKING IN ECUADOR
In August 2023, freeride mountain bike athlete Fred Horny, photographer Luc Grégoire, and filmmaker Jérémy Reuiller traveled to Ecuador to capture moments of extreme bike descents starting from the summits of volcanoes. Fred Horny tells us about his fabulous descents and the behind-the-scenes of his film's production.
"I had already experienced quite a few adventures in Ecuador, where I was able to explore by bike and ride some big freeride slopes, because there are some beautiful, long lines to ride on the volcanoes.
We returned there in August 2023 to make a film that focused both on the commitment of downhill mountain biking and incorporated more societal and human dimensions, addressing the concept of choice and the possibility of breaking away from classical codes and the conventional framework, all while being happy and without being on the fringes of society. We therefore went to meet the locals to talk and learn about their way of life, their cuisine, and their traditions.
We first headed to northern Ecuador. It was very interesting geographically, as the environment is composed of deserts with many cacti, and very arid landscapes—quite unique on the South American continent.
We started in a small valley where the Lake of Blood is located, named as such because of the battles that took place there centuries ago. The lake is at the heart of an old volcano crater, which we rode down from the summit, diving into the clouds.
After this first isolated stop north of Quito, we headed south for a multi-day excursion around Chimborazo, one of the highest volcanoes in the world and also the point on Earth closest to the stars (considering the center of the Earth and our distance from the Sun), rising to 6,250 meters. We spent two days acclimatizing, going up to 4,800 meters with Matteo, a local friend, and then descending back down to 3,000 meters several times on trails maintained by local communities.
The light was magnificent during the acclimatization, overlooking Cotopaxi in the distance, the highest active volcano in the world, and a second volcano erupting a bit further into the Amazon. We were surrounded by vicuñas, the local deer species, and falcons. The scene was beautiful; it was quite crazy.
On the third day, we set out to complete the ultimate expedition, climbing to an altitude of 5,300 meters. That’s the highest point before you have to get off the bike and carry it to keep moving forward. It’s truly a long descent with scenery that changes gradually, moving 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 meters in San Miguel, who maintains, among others, the 'Camino del Rey' which crosses the entire ridge to the side of Guayaquil. You have a view of the ocean on one side and Chimborazo on the other—it’s just magical.
After that, we headed around Cotopaxi to 5,800 meters to bivouac on an ancient Inca site, with the ruins facing the volcano. I slept in the Samaya NANO BIVY under the stars; it was great.
To finish, we headed back up toward Quito. I wanted to do one last ride with 2 beautiful, truly majestic volcanoes peaking at 4,850 meters and a summit at 4,900 meters. We started from up there to reach Quito at 2,800 meters, crossing through very varied vegetation and landscapes once again. There is a real contrast between the summits of the volcanoes, peaceful and majestic, and the arrival in the city where the urban space is being eroded by drug traffickers.'"
