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Spend some time with the Bristolian legend  Hey Steve-o, how's it rolling... You've been involved the UK scene since the dawn of time. How does it feel being a major cog in the British Mountainboard machine? It's an absolute privilege and an honour to be a major cog in such a rewarding sport as mtb. They say you can tell how rich a man is by his friends, when I'm on the hill at a comp I'm a fecking millionaire. I have made life long friendships with people I would never have met if it wasn't for Mountainboarding. It has taken me all over the country to all sorts of events and was the prompt I needed to scratch a very big snowboarding itch. It has furnished me with skills I didn't know I had, and honed a few others, Most of all it just feels great. How did you find your (inevitable) stint as Chairman of the ATBA? First of all it found me. I was originally seconded to deputise Andy Cox's position of Riders rep, while he took an extended holiday, he never came back and I took on the role full time. After 3 years of that I took a year off, only to be asked to take the role again in 2005. In May 07 due to unforeseen circumstances I had to step up to the role of chairman, just a month before the first comp of the season. Just about pulled it off, but by this time I had been involved in running comps for 6 years and was getting a little weary, and was desperate for someone to take over. At the AGM we ambushed Dave Mason and got him to stand as vice chair, on the agreement I worked alongside him for a season, which brings us up to date. I have never actually stood for the role of chairman, but having been Riders rep/ vice chair for several years I guess it was inevitable I would end up in the hot seat! It is a lot of hard work, which is never finished, there is always something else on the list to do. Last time I looked I had about 30 tasks in waiting. All this and running my own business means busy times. The trick is to get a good crew around you delegate whatever you can, sit back and take the glory ha ha. The winter months are when all the real work is done, securing dates and venues, chasing funding and sponsors, keeping up with the admin. This is done by several selfless volunteers who give up their free time, and at risk of the sack, their work time to achieve everything. The last 2 summer seasons have been an absolute joy, despite the shitty weather at times. The event crew I have around me are the best, and make my job a lot easier, it has freed up a lot of my time so I can actually get out there and enjoy the events on the hill, sadly this year it did nothing for my results. Could do better!!! I can't thank these people enough for all their efforts, you know who you are, cheers! All members of the ATBA do huge amounts of work, gratis, for the love of our sport. What do you think keeps everyone motivated? I feel there are 2 real motivations. The first is ; If we don't do this then who will, this sport is so enjoyable and the riders so committed they deserve the best we can give them, I think all of us working just don't want to let anybody down. And secondly; When a comp/season goes well and you see the improvement in the riders, how much they push them selves, how much they enjoy it, it doesn't get better. I always love seeing some kid or perhaps more importantly some old git land his or hers first 3 or flip or even just a grab. It genuinely fills me with joy and sometimes a little pride because I have been part of that persons journey on a board. Tommy D at Round 5 being the best of all examples!!!! Props to the "D". I am sure the rest of the crew feel the same. Has it changed while you've been ‘in office'? With out a doubt the biggest and best change is the new committee, For a long time the ATBA was run by Riders for Riders, last years AGM saw a few changes and several parents of riders were given important roles, the advisory group of parents set up the year before is working well so I feel the ATBA is in safe hands. At events we have a strong crew of parents happy to be helping out and getting involved, and most importantly they're not riders who need to be practicing or racing or jumping when there's work to be done. The comps seem to run very smoothly now and everyone knows the drill. The timing system and software is the bomb, we have screens feeding info during racing, It all works great, that's all thanks to John Barry ( one of the dirt monkeys )... The event crew are brilliant and get the job done! Elsewhere the working groups set up have been working on several aims. Stu Kirk and Simon Little have produced an updated Instruction and procedures manual which was much needed and can hopefully create a solid instructor base in all the UK centres. An application for sport England is ongoing and if successful means we can have MTB as a GCSE. How good is that? A GCSE in mountainboarding? Mental! What's next in the pipeline for the ATBA? The next major task is sort out the membership, we need different levels, perhaps a free to join level given away with every board, that way we can keep in touch with the riders. A general level with an annual fee, members getting news, info, forums, and discounts. There should be a comp level which would cost a little more but the money used on the comps. Its going to be a lot of work for someone who likes computers! The new instruction manual should be going out to all centres soon and hopefully we can get that up and running, finally giving the centres what they have been asking for. Sorry you centres! The UK series is only going to be 3 events next year, which should mean smaller regional events happening as well. It also means there is more time for European events- I would love to go out and compete there, especially the new track in Germany. I would love to say we have a brand new sponsor and were getting loads of money. Sadly we're not, and we should be; at Hales Super bole round 5 the Freestyle elite jam was pure gold, an awesome amount of tricks with the best vibe, who wouldn't want to sponsor that? We just need to be more organized, get in early, contact the right people, and start blagging! True. So how and when did you first encounter mountainboarding? Were you already a board-rider? I've been riding various skateboards since 1977, about 8 years ago me and a mate Sideshow Joe tried putting these chunky XT wheels on a regular skateboard, then pointing down any hill we could find, trying not to get rattled off, no control but fun. I got given a pogo stick, for a birthday, it was ok for about 5 minutes but up and down gets a bit repetitive! So I took it back to this shop and they were selling mountainboards, Just the thing I need, and that was it, I took it up to Ashton Court and had a first taste and was hooked, What made you decide to get more involved ? I've never really been comfortable watching somebody else do all the work, and getting involved in mountainboarding was a no brainer. The comps are one big jolly. How did Team B.A.D ( Bristol And District ) come into being? 2001 at the Hill, Stinchcombe, I met Ian Williams and John Poole, Ian was in his pants trying on arse pads. We got chatting, discovered we were all from Bristol, and wanted to ride. A week later we arranged to meet in Ashton Court bring any mates, 12 of us showed up and that was it. How did the first fun family try-out days go? They were the best, the biggest blag, we had nothing, we asked around, got a load of boards and pads. The council gave us a license, we built some kickers and we flyered everywhere . Loads of people would show up, they were probably walking there anyway but they stopped and had a go. We would have comps for the newbies slalom and freestyle- it was carnage. To be honest I think they were more fun when it rained. And the sessions in the pub after were legendary. What's happening with the Bristol scene now? how many riders are on the Team Bad rota? Ow! Bristol scene is somewhat deflated, the core is still strong but we not as expansive as we once were. Some of the founder members have moved on, I myself got so caught up in the ATBA and when I was working for Ride the Hill, that my attendance and support dropped. There is a strong crew coming out of Bristol Uni, and Team Bad still meet up, more like every fortnight instead of the every Sunday and wednesday evening calender we used to stick to. At comps we still field 3 teams in the BX , not sure if we have ever had a freestyle team!!!! We've been out for a ride every New Years Day for the last 5 years; do you have any riding traditions? The Team Bad Xmas parties are somewhat legendary.... Yeah the Team Bad parties were the stuff of legend, I say were, as this year we won't be holding one, the skate park is much more BMX `orientated now and they have regular club nights every weekend so we couldn't rent out the skate park, bummer! We always used to ride L.A. woods the weds evening before a comp. If you could ride L.A. clean thru all those trees then BX was never going to be a problem. Our only other tradition is be crap at freestyle ha ha!. Lol.. On the comedy tip, we've seen Team Bad All Terrain Boats, All Terrain Wheelbarrows and more. What else has there been? Is having a laugh one of the most important things for you? Me and Matt Gaydon devised a rolling freestyle canon, hard to explain but it basically fired you out over a big kicker, still on the drawing board. Have you ever tried stick fighting?, dangerous and random!!! One of the best feelings is sitting in the pub after a good freeride sesh, with all your riding buddies around you, chaos normally ensues, have lost count of the pubs we've been kicked out of!!! Team Bad was and always will be about having a laugh, we never take ourselves too seriously, The name says it all. You're well known for the live commentating at events ( "c'mon you riders!" ), do you still enjoy it? I hope to be doing the commentating for a long time to come, I love it. First off you get a list of names and numbers Saturday morning, so its easy to get to know everyone on the hill. There's normally a few tales from the night before to share, I get to tell all my best jokes too, (or worst) and you are always stood right next to the action. Is there really a Birkbeck curse ( ie "he's doing really well..... crash! ) ?! I think Stevos' "kiss of death" is just one of those coincedences, but its weird how often it happens! In 2005 Johnathon Charles specifically asked me not to use his name when he was racing. I just called him some bloke on a nosno, and he went on to win! How have comps changed in the last decade? Yes the standard of riding has gone off the scale. The centers are way better now, the tracks faster and jumps bigger. There are no easy races now, especially in the masters. We are still getting the same sort of numbers and thankfully the vibe on the hill is as good as it ever was. Did entering the comps yourself change your riding style? Yes I think it did, as soon as you start doubling at speed you need to be right on your game, we took this back to our freeriding and spent lots more time in the air. Actually thinking about your start and improving is a big part of racing, you have to be aggressive and strong, good attributes for a rider! What are some of your most memorable event highlights? Too many to list, some choice moments would have to include. Alex Downie, a virtual unknown, showing up at OTG and whipping the American MBS team. The Scottish comp at Dunkeld, more about the Saturday night than the riding... The Blinder, it was way ahead of its time. Hales superbole 2008. Wight air road trips, moshing to Lulu! Raf laroche taking the Master overall 2008. Hopper bopper ........it goes on! Do you have a favourite bx track? Always loved Court farm, if you get it right and ride fast everything links perfectly. Haredown before it was altered, when driving there you could smell the fear! If you can class lil B as a BX track then that is right up there. How do you feel about freestyle? It's a young mans game! It is awesome to commentate on, just a little tricky keeping up with all the tricks. I would always prefer a slopestyle set up with rails, hips, picnic tables etc its all about the jib! The Fat Face night air this year was all set to go off, then it rained!! It would have been mental ,Bugs boarding is an ace centre and was looking pristine. I felt so sorry for Bugs and AJ. Freeriding is obviously important to you- taking your skills to new places... What sort of stuff do you love riding and how far has it taken you? The best is deciduous woodland preferably beech trees, the mix of leaves and beech nuts provide plenty of drift. I like fast technical runs with plenty of do or die moments, and plenty of air time, stomping landings and ragging it. One of the best things about freeriding is putting yourself in situations where without a doubt, the safest and best option is lock and load and have it clean, falling off or sliding out just isn't an option sometimes. What would your dream freeride destination be like...? Long. Starting with some tech woodland stuff with plenty of rocks to avoid, with a few rough and ready berms and jumps then onto a balls out fast section, with banks either side to hit, then back into the woods, with some big drop offs more tech stuff, a bit of north shore, thru a deep and damp cave (floodlit) then bursting out into the sunlight somewhere like Cleeve with a million lines all finishing at pub with Guiness and cheesy chips. Oh and lift back up preferably a tow behind a quad. Either that or the Alps! Which riders do you rate and for what reasons? Don't like doing this but hey. Ant bloody Wilson and Stu Lugger for their freeride attitude, who I must say have recently been surpassed by Beiran Seltzer Martlew he has no fear! Jack Poulter for his loose style and huge flips. Pete Tathem and Potter and Pudding no sno demons! Renny Myles. The smiles, the style, and the night before! Micheal Payne has a come a long and worked hard at his craft. Nikki Forcast, for being one of the few girls with balls! Tommy K , makes it all look so easy and is true ambassador for our sport. Harris Corr for his freeride attitude. There are too many too mention and I apologise to everyone I have left out Tell us about any of your most memorable mountainboard trips... How long have you got? Any Scottish or Wight air road trip with team Bad, they were nuts, don't fall asleep in the bus up there, someone will burn your hair! Tinned food on the fire Kaboom!!! Tents covered in chicken soup and Haggis! Actual riding trips where the riding took precedent are many. Crooked Mustard is always great. And then there is just about every comp I have been to. I have only ever missed one comp in 7 years and they are all memorable! We saw you on some telly program a few years back where some crazy boffins made you new ‘extreme' gadgets including a rolling carpet board thing. Tell us about that, or did we dream it? Carpet surfing- Dreant up by the "men in white". I was made out to be this extreme sports nut who had ran out of things to scare myself with, so they created carpet surfing! Basically a big steel wave shaped wedge pulled behind a car under a carpet. I was on a kiddies snow board and had to try and ride it, with varying degrees of success by the third run I had it clean and wanted to go faster, we were running out of light for filming so I went for it, fell and tweaked my knee a little which of course they exaggerated. It was a good laugh, and has potential, every dry ski slope could have something similar without the car just a conveyor carpet going round and round a wedge shape, you could even stick kickers on it so every 15 secs you gotta jump. One thing it did teach me was never never never trust tv editors, don't matter what you do or say, they change it to suit there needs!!! You won't be going on Big Brother then... ;) So what are your plans for the future and where do you see mountainboarding going? Find more and more new freeride spots to ride, would love to hold a downhill series somewhere. Do more snowboarding, skate more concrete bowls, move out to the country, build my own skate ramp. Stay involved. Mountainboarding will continue to grow slowly until that first injection of big cash comes then everything will change, I have seen it in Skating, BMX, snowboarding, with the money comes the bollox attitude! Right now our scene is fantastic, real friendly and tight knit but not at all cliquey. In ten years time I would like to see MTB as a niche sport big enough to support well organized events and most of the action happening in Mountains, I think the Alps will eventually wake up to the fact that MTB is perfect for the summer in their resorts. They have the lifts and the runs, but they just don't get it yet! Any advice for newbies ( or oldies! ) just getting into riding? Hook up with your local crew, ride as much as you can, in as many places as poss, it's always more fun with lots of others. If you are daunted by a particular run start lower down and hit a section at a time then link it all together. Keep your eyes shut. Nice!... Wanna do some shout outs? First and foremost is Ant Wilson, he was there for me thru some of my darkest times, we learnt an awful lot together, a true Friend who I would have never of met but for Mountainboarding. Beiran for being the best wing man ever. Ian Mitchel Innes and MBS for sponsoring and supporting me. Stu "the Godfather"Kirk, a selfless man. All of Team Bad. Abby my Darling x All the riders at all the comps. And everyone who knows me! And finally, the random remolicious questions If there was a Steve Birkbeck signature deck, what would the graphics be? It would have to have a cat on it, My favourite ever skate deck was a Neil Blender G&S with a cat on it. Definatley no skulls! How big does a mountainboard have to be before it becomes the first mountainboard bus? Don't really understand that one. I guess a bus carries about fifty people so a mountainboard bus would have to be a bout 8m long and 1.5 wide. How many pairs of shoes do you own? Maybe 14, most are Vision I love the brand old skool skate shoes and I get them cheap. Tyres. Red, blue, grey or black? Hard! Coffee or tea? Coffee in the morning, tea the rest of the day. Lager or Bitter? Lager Sunrise or sunset? Sunset or maybe tequila sunrise Vampires or werewolves? Have to be the werewolves, just find the whole idea of vampires ridiculous!!! Do you know who put the ding in the ramalamadingdong? Same person who put the bop in Bopshebopshebop! Any good places to eat round here? Mine. You're always welcome. Steve, a big fat remolitional thank you x. And a big thank you to you too! |
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