3 Tips On How To Ride In Extreme Terrain With Jordan Ashburn

This article was originally published in the October 2017 issue of Dirt Rider.

Here we have an uphill with a lot of loose rocks and at the top there’s a small ledge that is at a different angle to the climb. About 10 feet after the first ledge is another series of small ledges, so I want to carry my front wheel from the first ledge and over the second set of ledges.

As I’m coming up the hill I’m trying to maneuver through the loose rocks to get lined up so I can hit the first ledge straight on. When I get to the ledge, I want to hit it with the front wheel and then unload the front end so I can wheelie from the first ledge and over the second set. I want to make sure that when my rear wheel hits the ledge it doesn’t slam my front wheel down, so I’m keeping my weight back so I can keep pressure on the rear wheel. This allows me to set my front wheel down in a safe spot when I get to the second set of ledges. I use my clutch to start my wheelie, and then once the front wheel is in the air I use the clutch to keep the front wheel at just the right height.

I’m riding this sequence in second gear just because the bike seems to work best in second in this type of terrain. I’m not going flat-out because I need to be able to pick my way through the loose rocks and then set my front wheel down in a nice, flat area once I’ve gotten over the set of ledges.