The Red Bulletin 03/19 UK

UK EDITION MARCH 2019, £3.50

BEYOND THE ORDINARY

RUN FOR THE HILLS Glen Coe: the toughest skyrun ever STRICTLY BALLSY Flamenco firestarter Rosalía

SHOOTING

THE SURF Four decades of ripping photography

by Brian Bielmann

FRESH DRY DURABLE

S TA N C E . E U . C O M

EDITOR’S LETTER

THE GAME CHANGERS

“I’ve done 120km runs with my camera, but nothing prepared me for the conditions at Glen Coe Skyline,” says Ben Read, who shot our story. “I’ll never forget the speed and grace of the runners on Curved Ridge.” Page 54

Likewise, when Tom Pagès (page 64) got his first motorbike at 15, it wasn’t enough for the future FMX champion to flip it – his ambition was to turn the sport on its head.

They say that to break the rules, first you have to master them. Catalan music sensation Rosalía (page 36) has applied her expertise in flamenco to redefining modern pop. And then there’s Nile Rodgers (page 26), who has been setting the bar high in music – and hard partying – for decades. Good times!

CONTRIBUTORS THIS ISSUE

OLIVER OWEN

When the British sports writer met England rugby player Jack Nowell, their chat touched on everything from tattoos and Lego, to using French bulldogs as vacuum cleaners, to – more predictably – the mental strength needed to play the sport. “You’re reminded just how tough rugby players are,” says Owen. “They play in the knowledge that the next injury is just around the corner.” Page 30

PIERRE HENNY

In addition to being a publisher, club organiser, DJ, and a journalist with a background in the worlds of extreme sports and surfing, Frenchman Henny has experience of MC-ing freestyle motocross competitions. This – and the fact he’s a close personal friend of the man – made him the perfect person to tell the inside story of FMX’s finest exponent, the legendary Tom Pagès. Page 64

We hope you enjoy the issue.

04

THE RED BULLETIN

BRIAN BIELMANN (COVER)

One person’s vision, when perfectly realised, can be transformative. It’s a theme exemplified in this issue by an assortment of incredible individuals.

In 1978, as a 21-year-old living in Hawaii, surfer Brian Bielmann (page 42) turned his hand to capturing his craft on camera. His images defined the look of surf photography and have inspired boarders ever since. Handpicking some of his favourite shots, Bielmann takes us through four decades of surfing as seen through his lens.

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CONTENTS March 2019

BEN READ

54 BULLEVARD

GUIDE

FEATURES

08 Speed cyclist Denise

86 Moor of a challenge:

2 6 Nile Rodgers

Mueller-Korenek: as fast as a jumbo jet 12 Taking the lead: Hugh Jackman talks power, politics and persuasion 14 Holsten, we have a problem: space beer for astronauts 16 Slackline spills in Nazaré 18 Open Bionics: shaping the future of prosthetics 20 Heavyweight champ: the definitive Rocky book 22 Snowfeet: part ski, part skate, all action 24 Metalcore crew Bring Me The Horizon reveal their inspirations THE RED BULLETIN

MTB gets brutal on the Berber trails of the High Atlas mountains 90 Protect and survive: how to master 2019’s hottest new multiplayer video-game, Anthem – by one of the guys who created it 92 Endurance running sensation Tom Evans on how hard work + mental training = success 94 This month’s highlights on Red Bull TV 95 Essential dates for your calendar 98 Home run: rooftop skiing in the French Alps

Good, bad and iconic times with the Chic legend

30 Jack Nowell

From Cornwall to Tokyo: the making of a rugby hero

3 6

Rosalía

The rebirth of flamenco (castanets not required)

4 2 Brian Bielmann

To celebrate his 40 years in the business, the doyen of surf photography revisits his favourite shots

5 4 Glen Coe Skyline

Faster, higher, longer: inside the world’s toughest skyrun

6 4 Tom Pagès

How the French FMX ace turned his sport on its head

7 4 Cut & Run

Our pick of the best fastpacking kit for all terrains 07

BULLEVARD LIFE

&

STYLE

BEYOND

THE

ORDINARY

Denise MuellerKorenek

NEED FOR SPEED

Meet the 45-year-old CEO from California who could give a jumbo jet a run for its money – on just two wheels

or most people, the thought of cycling at the same velocity as a Boeing 747 during take-off is not only terrifying, it’s totally inconceivable. When the idea was suggested to speed demon Denise Mueller-Korenek, however, it fired up her imagination like “a match being thrown on gasoline”. Here was a challenge she just couldn’t turn down.

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MATT BEN STONE

F

September 16, 2018, Bonneville Salt Flats, Utah: Mueller-Korenek achieves the world cycling land-speed record at 296kph

In September last year, the 45-year-old CEO from Encinitas, California, became the fastest human on a bicycle when she achieved a mindblowing average speed of 296kph on her custom-made carbon KHS bike on the Bonneville Salt Flats in northwestern Utah.

“The record was a long time coming,” says MuellerKorenek, who heads her family’s home-security business. “Like many things, it took a lot of work and preparation. The inception of the idea came way back in 2012, when it occurred to me that, in the entire history of the record, no woman had ever attempted it.”

To achieve a land-speed bicycle record, a cyclist rides in the slipstream of a motor vehicle – known as drafting – to minimise wind resistance and build speed. The first recorded attempt dates all the way back to 1899, when New York cyclist Charles Minthorn Murphy drafted behind a Long Island locomotive and reached 96kph (60mph), earning the nickname ‘Mile-a-Minute’.

Around a dozen riders improved on Murphy’s speed in the intervening years, and almost a century later, in 1995, the record stood at 269kph – a benchmark set by Dutchman Fred Rompelberg.

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“IT WAS LITERALLY A RIDE OF SURVIVAL… I WAS BEING BUFFETED AROUND”

Then Mueller-Korenek decided to give it a shot.

The American’s historic 2018 ride wasn’t her first record-breaking attempt: two years earlier, she had taken the women’s world record when she hit 237kph drafting behind a Range Rover SVR helmed by US professional racing driver Shea Holbrook.

You might think that, having become the fastest women on a bike, Mueller-Korenek would be content with her

The cyclist named her record attempt Project Speed

THE RED BULLETIN

MATT BEN STONE

What a drag: Mueller-Korenek drafts behind the same dragster used by the reigning record holder in 1995

achievements, but the experience only made her more determined to take the ultimate prize. “We were so frustrated, because we knew we had speed left out there [in 2016],” she says. “We were like, ‘Screw this, we’re coming back next year, and this time we’ll be going for the overall record.’”

When Mueller-Korenek did return last September, she had made some modifications to her bike, and the Range Rover had been replaced by the same 1,000hp dragster that Rompelberg used when setting the men’s record more than 20 years earlier.

The vehicle provided a ride that was sleeker, but also more dangerous. “[Taking the women’s record in] 2016 had been exhilarating and fun, like the best amusement park ride,” says Mueller-Korenek. “But 2018 was literally a ride of survival. Adding that extra speed meant changing the aerodynamics of the vehicle, so I had a narrower pocket of air in the back. That pocket was very angry, and I was being buffeted back and forth.” The risk paid off, and as she hit a jaw-dropping 296kph, the cyclist beat not only her own women’s world record, but also those established by the men.

So, how does it feel to travel, on just two wheels, at the same speed as a jet plane? “When you’re moving at such an intense speed and you’re so hyper-focused, it’s almost as though the faster you go, the slower everything seems,” Mueller-Korenek explains. “In that moment, there’s almost a sense of peace and calm. It’s not a calmness that lasts once the moment is over, though. When I was told that we had beaten the record, I was beyond elated that we’d accomplished the goal, and also relieved that I didn’t have to go out there again. I’d literally felt like I was gambling with my life.” theprojectspeed.com

LOU BOYD

B U L L EVA R D

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B U L L EVA R D

Hugh Jackman

Which issues are a priority?

Environment, education, poverty. We live in an interconnected world: we’re connected economically and also environmentally.

Something that’s happening in Ethiopia is affecting the environment – it’s literally affecting the weather here [in the US]. You can’t just think that it’s not our problem. We can’t go back to when we were all separate, when we were just looking after ourselves.

The Australian actor has made his name as a leading man in Hollywood, but he also has strong views on what it takes to lead off-screen

H

ugh Jackman is best known to filmgoers for his performance in the 2017 hit musical The Greatest Showman, and for his long-running role as iconic Marvel superhero Wolverine – a troubled man who fights for justice and saves the world. The actor’s latest project, however, provides him with the meatier task of portraying an elusive and flawed public figure whose real-life mistakes changed history. In political drama The Front Runner, Jackman plays US senator Gary Hart, whose leading campaign for the Democratic ticket for the presidency in the ’80s was ruined by reports of an extramarital affair.

Here, Jackman, 50, reveals the lessons he learnt from Hart and from portraying a real-life politician, and what he thinks it takes to be a successful and focused leader in the world today.

the red bulletin: Gary Hart worked towards becoming US President in the mid-’80s – what did you learn from him? hugh jackman: Gary Hart himself once said to me, “I was always trying to think ahead. Great politicians look into the future. Take Abraham Lincoln, for example – he saw a world beyond slavery, and he made it happen.”

But Hart also had a large number of opponents...

That can’t be helped. Everyone thinks a leader is on top of the people, but that’s wrong: they’re ahead. If you’re doing your job right as a leader, you will be unpopular most of the time; most people won’t understand what you’re doing. To lead others, you have to be a futurist.

How do you convince people of your vision?

If you have real ideas, you must communicate them in a way that makes others think, “This is a world I want to see.” You have to tell them to stop worrying about the way we are right now, and instead create another world for them. Then you can make people believe.

Gary Hart ultimately failed in his efforts because, as a consequence of his mistakes, he lost track of his true goal.

How do you prevent that from happening to yourself?

How do you maintain focus?

I simplify things all the time.

I think, “What’s my priority?”

For me, it’s my family first, then it’s my work. So, what do I need to spend my time on? And what do I need to focus on to make sure I do that? I remind myself of that every day.

You once said that being a professional actor helps you understand why we’re all here. What answer have you found so far?

The older I get, the more unclear it becomes. I love my job; I get to put myself in the shoes of others, and to understand what the world must be like for different people. I keep coming back to love and family, and the people I’m really close to.

Relying on other people, being dependant on other people. We’re a community.

And if we take care of the immediate community, that can spread out into the wider world.

The Front Runner is in cinemas now; thefrontrunner.movie

RÜDIGER STURM

“WE CAN’T GO ON THINKING ONLY OF OURSELVES”

So, a good politician needs to possess imagination?

One hundred per cent.

Creativity. Real ideas.

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THE RED BULLETIN

“IF YOU CREATE ANOTHER WORLD FOR PEOPLE, YOU CAN MAKE THEM BELIEVE” THE RED BULLETIN

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B U L L EVA R D

1 Effects of alcohol The rate of alcohol absorption in the human body during space travel is yet to be studied, so its effects are still unknown.

2 Taste The tongue swells in space, so it’s thought that we taste things differently.

Vostok Space Beer has a rich chocolate and caramel flavour to remedy this.

3 Carbonation Vostok Space Beer has been formulated with just the right amount of carbonation so that it can be drunk without causing discomfort.

Vostok Space Beer

INTERSTELLAR ARTOIS An Australian team has raised the bar astronomically high – by creating a beer that’s out of this world

4 Wet burps These are the result of liquid and gas remaining unseparated in the body after the beer is drunk. A little bit like acid reflux – and pretty repulsive.

5 Pouring

S

pace tourism is imminent: there are already more people booked onto commercial space flights than have ever left the Earth’s orbit.

As holidaying in the stars becomes a reality, Australia’s 4 Pines Brewing Company and space engineers Saber Astronautics have teamed up for an important cause – to create a beer for microgravity.

The creators of Vostok Space Beer aren’t the first

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4

5

1 2

3

In zero gravity, liquid will not pour like it does on Earth. To solve this issue, Vostok has designed a passive feed system for its bottle, using surface tension.

THE RED BULLETIN

LOU BOYD

Exactly what happens when you drink beer in zero gravity?

to fancy an interstellar tipple: when Buzz Aldrin first set foot on the Moon on July 20, 1969, he took a small container of wine and some bread to carry out the first-ever outer-space communion. And, for a brief period in the ’70s, NASA allowed sherry to be drunk during Skylab missions.

To make Vostok Space Beer a reality, there are problems to overcome, such as wet burps.

“When you burp on Earth, the gas comes out and the liquid stays down,” explains Dr Jason Held, CEO of Saber Astronautics. “The problem in space is that both gas and liquid come out. There must be enough bubbles in the beer so you can taste it on your tongue, but not so many that it becomes uncomfortable.”

Drinking itself is another obstacle – how do you swig from a bottle in zero gravity?

“The idea is to be able to drink a bottle of beer in space like you would on here on earth,” says Dr Held. “We modified technology from a fuel tank, putting a device in [the bottle] that lets you whip the beer from the bottom to the top.”

The next step is to test the beer in flight. A simulated microgravity taste test has already been conducted, and the bottle has been dropped from 23m to simulate the effects of zero gravity. But there’s no substitute for the real thing, so, in preparation for final bottle production, Vostok is raising funds to send up the first beers.

So, how soon could space travellers be getting legless while weightless? It might be a while yet, but the brains behind Vostok Space Beer are confident that when we start holidaying off-planet, there will be a drink up there on the bar, waiting for us. vostokspacebeer.com

VOSTOK

Spacial brew

CHRISTINA LOCK

THERE ARE PROBLEMS TO OVERCOME, SUCH AS WET BURPS

B U L L EVA R D

Slacklining

BALANCE OF POWER

16

AIDAN WILLIAMS

As gargantuan waves lash the rocks at Nazaré – Portugal’s mecca for daredevil surfers – Russia’s Andrey Karr is thrown off balance before falling from his slackline. The self-confessed adrenalin junkie first visited the famous break to surf monster swell, but then hatched a plan to walk above the waves. “It was one of the most intense experiences I’ve been through, and that’s coming from a wingsuit pilot,” says Karr, whose fall from the 30m-long highline left him suspended 15m above the waves by his harness. Instagram: @andreykarr THE RED BULLETIN

THE RED BULLETIN

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B U L L EVA R D

“PEOPLE ASK IF THEY CAN SHAKE MY HAND” Daniel Melville

GRASPING THE FUTURE

The bionic arm is no longer the stuff of sci-fi fantasy – thanks to a UK start-up, robotic prosthetics could soon be an everyday sight

D

aniel Melville has an arm straight out of the world of science fiction. Born without a right hand, the 27-year-old 3D-printing-firm owner from Berkshire wore a medical prosthetic until four years ago.

That was when he met Joel Gibbard, an engineer working on an affordable robotic hand for Open Bionics, the start-up he co-founded with journalist Samantha Payne. They devised an arm with advanced functionality, inspired by Adam Jensen, hero of Deus Ex, the video-game series featuring transhuman characters with

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a mixture of augmented and real body parts.

“Finding a games character I could relate to was great,” says Melville. “I’d never liked wearing prosthetics before – the medical ones are really grim. With my bionic arm, though, people ask questions; some ask if they can shake my hand.” The movements it offers are a huge advance on conventional prosthetics: “I use pulses in my arm to open and close the hand. If I tense my muscle, it’ll change the grip pattern to certain modes.

It’s simple, yet very effective.”

The Hero Arm is a pioneer product from Open Bionics,

which was formed in 2014 to improve the lives of amputees.

Research by the Bristol-based firm revealed that just as important as keeping the price of the prosthetic low was its aesthetics and how it would feel on the wearer. It was while looking for ambassadors to try out the limb that Open Bionics came into contact with Melville. “I’d always wanted a bionic arm,” he says, “but they’re ludicrously expensive – £50,000 or even more.” At around £5,000, the Hero Arm is a fraction of the price.

According to the team at Open Bionics, this could be a stepping stone to yet more fantastical possibilities.

“At the moment, we’re still focused on creating a bionic limb that can do the most good for a lot of people,” explain the firm’s founders.

“But we can definitely see ourselves working on bionic limbs with superhuman functionalities in the future.” openbionics.com THE RED BULLETIN

FRIENDS AND FELLOWS/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

Open Bionics

LOU BOYD

Superhero product: Open Bionics’ innovation is changing the lives of prosthetics wearers such as Melville

B U L L EVA R D

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THE RED BULLETIN

The ultimate Rocky book

LORE OF THE RING

ROCKY © 1976-2018 METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER STUDIOS INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

LOU BOYD

“No holds barred in Moscow!” exclaims the commentator in this famous scene from Rocky IV (1985) as Ivan Drago pummels Rocky Balboa. It’s hard to believe that more than 40 years have passed since Sylvester Stallone’s heavyweight hero first hit the big screen. To celebrate, Taschen has compiled the ultimate collector’s book, chronicling the Rocky story from its conception right through to 2015’s Creed. Every one of the 1,976 copies of Rocky: The Complete Films is numbered and has been signed by Stallone, and inside are rare, never-seen-before photos from the archives; interviews with the actor; a print of Sly’s artwork, plus a facsimile of the personal notebook he used when making the original 1976 movie. Die-hard fans will want to hunt out one of just 50 Art Editions, which also include a film still shot on set by sports photographer Neil Leifer. £650; Art Edition, £4,500; taschen.com

THE RED BULLETIN

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B U L L EVA R D

Snowfeet

LET IT SLIDE

Fun on the piste without the need for bulky equipment? This highly portable skate/ski hybrid is set to revolutionise snow sports

T

he winter sports industry has always been open to innovation, from the snowboarding explosion of the 1980s to the growing appeal of more left-field pursuits such as heliskiing and splitboarding.

Now, the next big thing has arrived – and it’s small enough to fit into a backpack.

Looking like the offspring of a conventional ski and an inline skate, Snowfeet clip onto your winter boots, much like a pair of crampons, and allow you to glide down the slopes without lugging around bulky skis or a board.

According to its Czech cocreators, Zbyněk Šuba and Michael Podešva, this nifty piece of kit was invented by accident. “In 2016, we forgot to bring our skis on a trip to the Alps, so we decided to try skiing downhill wearing only

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winter shoes,” says Podešva.

“It was a lot of fun. You have to learn it the same way as skiing or snowboarding, so we fell down a lot, but it’s actually a lot like ice-skating on snow.”

The duo believe Snowfeet will soon be as commonplace on the slopes as skis and snowboards, and that one day they could have their own event at the Olympics. Public support seems to back this up:

Clip service: Snowfeet fit over standard winter or snowboard boots and come in one adjustable size

the Indiegogo campaign has exceeded its funding goal of £8,000 and raised more than £260,000 at the time of going to press. And the founders believe Snowfeet have more potential in competitive sport than some established kit.

“You can do almost any trick with Snowfeet, because your legs are so free,” Podešva says. “Besides ski stunts, you can do twists and tricks like ice-skaters, hockey players and inline skaters. You can even use them for cross-country skiing. We haven’t measured it yet, but my guess is that you can go around 70kph on a hard-packed steep slope.”

Will there be a Snowfeet event at the Olympics in a few winters’ time? Perhaps. But with the first pairs available to pre-order for around £100, we’ll definitely be seeing them on the slopes before then. snowfeetstore.com THE RED BULLETIN

LOU BOYD

The co-creators believe that one day we could see athletes going for Olympic gold in Snowfeet

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B U L L EVA R D

DEFTONES MY OWN SUMMER (1997) “Deftones are another band who carved out their own career. My Own Summer (Shove It) is a killer nu-metal song with aggressive riffs and a cybergoth vibe we love – the track was even used in The Matrix.

You can hear elements of this in our song Wonderful Life. When I was a teenager, I worshipped Deftones. Their keyboardist and DJ, Frank Delgado, is the main reason I do what I do.”

Bring Me The Horizon

ATB 9PM (TILL I COME) (1999)

To mark the release of their genre-melding new album, the UK pop-metal band reveal some unlikely influences

“Euphoric ’90s dance music is a big influence on us all. We turn to tracks like 9PM (Till I Come) in the studio for lead parts and chord structures – this was in our heads when we were writing the new song Nihilist Blues, which is very ’90s-sounding. We take elements from this style and feed it into our music in an organic way. We always play these epic tracks before we go on stage.”

“WE’RE OFTEN INSPIRED

BY JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE”

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ARCTIC MONKEYS FOUR OUT OF FIVE (2018)

JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE CRY ME A RIVER (2002)

“We’re huge Arctic Monkeys fans.

Their latest album [Tranquility Base Hotel + Casino] is a big departure, and we respect them for making such a bold move. It came out when we were making amo, and gave us confidence to do what we want. Four Out Of Five is a slow-burn lounge tune that recalls their earlier sound. We sometimes see them in Sheffield – the bassist lives opposite where we rehearse.”

“We’re often inspired by Justin Timberlake, believe it or not. This song has had an effect on all our records. Cry Me A River is from that cool era when Timbaland’s production was really sick, and for me this is the archetypal break-up song. We’ve got a new track, In The Dark, that ticks the same box in terms of being about someone whose partner isn’t telling them everything.”

THE RED BULLETIN

PRETTY PUKE

or many years, the music press has lamented a dearth of young, successful rock bands. This makes the rise of Bring Me The Horizon even more significant. The Sheffield band’s fifth album, 2015’s That’s The Spirit, debuted at number two in the UK and US album charts, and saw them headline festivals worldwide. Now, they’re back with a more electronictinged follow-up, amo, which features team-ups with Grimes and Cradle of Filth.

Keyboardist Jordan Fish lists four songs that influenced their sound. bmthofficial.com

PIERS MARTIN

F

MORE WIIINGS WITHOUT SUGAR.

NILE RODGERS Still cool as funk

In his own words, the legendary musician and producer holds forth about the birth of disco, the rebirth of his band Chic, wild times with rock gods – and his unquenchable desire to create and evolve The first time I went to a disco was in 1974. I was out with a lady, and we ended up at this club where they were playing an early version of Love To Love You Baby – this was before it was a hit for Donna Summer. It sounded so different, and the DJ moved seamlessly from one track to the next, which I’d never heard before. Up until then, a song would end, there’d be a short gap and then the next song would start, but here there was never a moment of silence, just an endless beat. At the time, I was playing in a rock band that was relatively successful, but not doing anything new. That experience blew my mind and made me want to come up with something similar. I wanted to be part of this exciting world where the music never seemed to end.

I formed Chic with my late partner, Bernard Edwards, in 1976. The first time we went to Studio 54, we were invited by 26

Grace Jones, but they wouldn’t let us in. That’s what made us write Le Freak [1978], which went on to sell 13 million copies.

It was our way of getting back at them. At first, the chorus wasn’t “Freak out”, it was “Fuck off”. Luckily, we changed it.

Probably the most important song that Bernard and I wrote – Good Times [1979] – was the last we released as Chic. It was so important because it got to number one after the ‘Disco Sucks’ campaign. The way people had burnt their disco records was nothing less than an act of racism. That movement was led by white people from the American Bible Belt, and the music was never meant for them. We created it for people like ourselves to dance and have fun to, not for rednecks in Wisconsin in Journey T-shirts.

The success of Good Times, and that it could overcome such mass hysteria, showed the strength of a good song. I’m sure that a lot of the idiots who were part of the ‘Disco Sucks’ campaign must also have been among the buyers. So Good Times was the ultimate irony, as was everything that came after it, such as My Sharona by The Knack – Chic’s influence on that song was so obvious it almost hurt. And exactly a year after Good Times, the US number one was Another One Bites The Dust by Queen. Hello? If that wasn’t influenced by Good Times, I don’t know what was.

One reason I signed a new record contract [in 2015] under the name Chic is that there are very few black bands THE RED BULLETIN

DAVE J HOGAN/GETTY IMAGES

As told to MARCEL ANDERS

“There’s a fresh need for music that gets people to sing, dance and forget any sad reality for a few minutes”

in America with a major deal. To be honest, I can only think of the most of it. I haven’t been stuck in a time capsule, so I had two: The Roots and Unlocking The Truth, who are really still no desire to make a purely retro album using archive material. kids, but make damned fine heavy metal. That’s it.

Instead, it’s a mix of old stuff by the classic Chic line-up and I feel there’s a fresh need for music that makes the listener new stuff with the current band. The catalyst for It’s About feel good; that gets people to sing and dance along and forget Time was a box of demos and outtakes that was found in 2011. any sad reality for a few minutes – something like an escape After I listened to it all, which took months, I realised that I’d be stupid not to use [the material] in some form. It was into an artificial world. Not so much a different reality, but a a starting signal to work more intensely on the album idea. more optimistic world where things are the way we’d like them The studio we recorded at for years changed owners many to be, rather than how they really are. I know all too well that times, and a lot of [recordings] ended up in basements, there’s injustice in the world and people have problems. Our garages and attics. The current owners – a Japanese firm – songs reflect that, but they tend towards the positive. There’s a simple philosophy behind that: when the disco era began, found this box when they were clearing things out, and they it stood for love, trust and fun; it was a wonderful refuge. didn’t want to be responsible for it because they had nothing to do with the recordings. So they returned it to Warner Daft Punk shows that disco is still popular – those robots are great. I first met the guys more than 20 years ago, when Brothers, where someone filed it under Chic, but didn’t check they were releasing their first album [1997’s Homework]. the content; that only happened when they finally digitised I was really interested to hear a band sampling my stuff in the analogue tapes in the archive. There’s enough unreleased a creative, distinct and original way. Those guys were a breath material there to see me to the end of my days. We were of fresh air at a time when people were abusing other people’s incredibly creative and productive back then. We were on fire stuff as the basis for their own material. They were – and still – that wasn’t all we were on – so now I can keep the spiritual are – doing something really distinct. So message of the original Chic line-up going I immediately felt a deep connection with for as long as I want.

“The doctors in the them. We became good friends, and at some Of that line-up, only Luci [Martin] and point we started making music together.

Alfa [Anderson] are left, but they don’t tour emergency room tried The latest Chic album is called It’s About any more and are no longer permanent to resuscitate me eight Time, and that’s just how it is with me: it’s band members. Sadly, the rest have died. times with no success” all about having time, finding it and making I’m shocked how things have ended up, 28

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HELENE PAMBRUN/PARIS MATCH/CONTOUR BY GETTY IMAGES

Cable guy: Nile Rodgers’ career as a guitarist, songwriter and producer spans five decades – he first met future Chic co-founder Bernard Edwards in 1970

Nile Rodgers

because I was the wild one in the band. But I have a feeling I can carry the torch a little further yet.

into a rehab centre. The day after I left, I got a phone call from Keith asking me if I could get him coke. Which just goes to show you should never believe what you read in a magazine.

I had my first experience with drugs at 13. I was with my As a producer, I’ve worked with some amazing artists and parents at one of those events Timothy Leary held all over the strange characters. There’s only one time in my life I’ve States in the late ’60s that were about aiming to expand the knowingly lied to someone: when I tricked Diana Ross into consciousness with LSD, which was wonderful. I mean, at the singing I’m Coming Out [1980]. I’d been in this drag club in time I had no idea what LSD was, but as everyone else was New York and seen how much they adored Diana in the scene, taking it, I tried it, too. What can I say? It was a seismic change and how many of them were imitating her. It was crazy; even in my life, like a portal to another world. After that, I changed though she was ultra-conservative, she was a drag icon without from classical music to jazz and R&B, and then to rock. even realising. Pure irony, man. So Bernard and I wrote a song I’ve been out for the count so often, but I’m still here. One called I’m Coming Out, which would be wonderful for the drag night, when I was out with Mickey Rourke, I was taken to the Dianas – and for Diana herself, of course. And as she had no emergency room and declared dead. They’d made out my idea that it was a term from the LGBT world, she went with it. death certificate, because they had tried to resuscitate me But, when she went on a promotional tour, every interviewer eight times with no success. On the ninth and final attempt, I sprang back to life. At least that’s what the doctor told me. asked her if she was a lesbian. She was beside herself with rage, I have regrets, of course. I had tension with Eric Clapton in but she couldn’t argue with success. So I acted like I didn’t the studio after he had sworn off drugs and alcohol. [At that know what all the fuss was about. It was damned hilarious. time] I might well have been the world’s biggest drug-taker, I dealt with Madonna by being assertive. First, I first talked by some margin. To make things worse, his son had just died. her into recording the songs on Like A Virgin with Chic, instead So he was devastated, while I was partying in the studio every of just using her demos. I said, “If we use this electronic rubbish, day. It wasn’t out of a lack of respect for him, but it probably you’ll sound like every other artist, because it’s nothing special. came across that way. Of course, I really But if my band plays it, it sounds distinct, regretted it later, and we didn’t speak for original.” She had doubts to begin with, “I dealt with Madonna by years. But he was completely relaxed and and she would have been happy with the demo sound. But I put my foot down. cool when I met him at a recent event. being assertive. I told her, I probably only got away with it because He even asked his manager why I’d never ‘If we use your electronic she was right at the start of her career. been to his Crossroads Guitar Festival.

Madonna treated the band so badly and But I’m 100 per cent sure that Eric had rubbish, you’ll sound like acted up so much that at one point I just said, “Nile’s a stupid asshole. Whatever every other artist’” left. She ran after me, caught up with me you do, don’t invite him.” in the parking lot, pouted and said, “Does By the time I got around to working that mean you don’t love me any more?” with David Bowie on the Let’s Dance All I could do was burst out laughing. So my ‘strike’ lasted no album [1983], he was clean and had been off drugs for more than 10 minutes. We remain best friends to this day. months. But, with my druggy background, I was certain that a I love working with people who have cool new ideas; I don’t song called China Girl could only be about heroin and cocaine, care how old they are. I just don’t want to stand still. I want to because ‘China’ is slang for heroin and ‘girl’ means coke. So I assumed he didn’t want to make it obvious and deliberately come up against new challenges all the time. That’s what keeps sang it in code. I had no doubt what it was about. But he was me going. I like EDM: it’s for today’s kids exactly what disco so proud to have given up drugs that I couldn’t find a way to was for me – a sound you can have really great fun to. speak to him about it. He knew I spoke about it in interviews, I was diagnosed with [prostate] cancer in 2011 [he was and what my theory was. But he never called me to say, “You’re given the all-clear in 2013, but underwent surgery on another right,” or, “You idiot – you couldn’t be further from the truth.” growth in 2017], and I think it’s helped me work harder. Being He left it open, and that’s why I’m sticking to my version. this active is my routine now. I threw myself into work, so as Later on, in the mid-’90s, I was invited to a party at not to have to think about the cancer. It was a diversionary Madonna’s house. I’d been out for three days and had snorted manoeuvre. And I deliberately set myself a pretty crazy pace to make the best use out of the time I had left. But eventually as much stuff as I possibly could and started hearing voices in it developed a momentum of its own, and people started my head, which was scary, especially as they were trying to tell booking me and using me accordingly. me the Mafia had put a price on my head. I’d had a crazy night I spent one evening recording with Lady Gaga. We met of wild sex with a couple of ladies, and one of them was the in New York by chance and had one of those magical ‘wow’ girlfriend of a well-known contract killer. I knew that you don’t moments. It was a sort of musical love at first sight. So we mess around with guys like that, so I called a store that sold Far arranged to meet up, and we hung out and had an incredibly Eastern weapons and I ordered a samurai sword, which they good time. Then, totally out of the blue, she said, “Do you promptly delivered. After that, I contacted a couple of tough want to come to the studio with me?” She was working on a guys I knew, and they brought round a .45 revolver. This all movie soundtrack with [legendary songwriter] Diane Warren, came to the party. And then I hid in a closet among Madonna’s and when I went to the studio I met Diane for the very first dresses. And the voices just wouldn’t stop. It was utterly crazy. time. Just like with Gaga, we hit it off straight away. Then I gave up drugs soon after that – the hard stuff at least.

I’d read in a magazine that Keith Richards had stopped, so I just did my standard Nile Rodgers thing and that was that.

I thought to myself, “If he can do it, I can, easily.” So I checked nilerodgers.com THE RED BULLETIN

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JACK NOWELL Rising son Becoming a trawlerman like his father was never an option – now the England rugby star has his eye on a much bigger catch: the World Cup in Tokyo Words OLIVER OWEN Photography DAVID GOLDMAN

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Jack Nowell

Travel southwest from the coastal town of Newlyn, Cornwall, and there’s not much left of the UK – just 14km, to be precise, before you arrive at Land’s End and the Atlantic Ocean beyond.

This far corner of the country is one of those places that entirely shapes those who live here. It can be a hard life – deep-sea fishing was never meant to be easy – but growing up in this community must be a total joy, so strong is the bond between the people, the town and the sea. Few feel this more than Jack Nowell, Newlyn boy and local hero.

One of the most recognisable players in English rugby, Nowell has thrived at every level of the sport. He’s still only 25, but already on his CV are victory in the 2013 Junior World Championship (Nowell scored a try in the final against Wales), a Six Nations Grand Slam with England in 2016, a Premiership final win the following year with Exeter Chiefs (he scored in that game, too), and two Test appearances for the British & Irish Lions in a drawn series in New Zealand. This clearly qualifies as success – but, perhaps surprisingly, the game in which he has made his name was not his first love.

“Being from Newlyn, the sea is everywhere around you,” says Nowell of his Cornish childhood. “We used to live right on the harbour, and we’d go jumping off cliffs and harbour walls, all that stuff you do when you’re a kid. At times, I was in my wetsuit all day, going out into the water, coming back, having food, staying in my wetsuit, and then going back down to the water. The beaches around these parts are phenomenal. My mum used to take us down to the beach at eight in the morning, and we’d still be there at five in the evening. We did that all the time.”

Being the son of a trawlerman, Nowell was always likely to grow up with an affinity with the sea, and this is as strong today as it ever was. “I like to spend a lot of time on the water, even at this time of year,” says the rugby star on a dreary January morning. “I surf quite a bit; I bodyboard and paddleboard, too. This time of year is perfect as it’s calm and there aren’t a lot of people around. [Cornwall] tends to get quite busy in the summer. In the winter, it’s quite cool and quiet, so I can get out on my paddleboard.”

Nowell does realise, however, that life in and on the water is not for everyone – particularly some of his international teammates. “It was funny out in Australia a couple of years ago: a couple of the Big Island boys and a few of the London lads were not fond of the water at all; they actually looked quite scared of it. Us boys who are used to the water were in and out of the waves, but these other lads were trying to bodyboard in a little shallow area.”

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So, with the water being such a number-one source of fun, how did Nowell end up getting into rugby? “My parents kept taking me and trying to get me involved,” he says of his early experiences of mini rugby. “I didn’t like rugby, or meeting new people, so I didn’t want to join in. Then, one day before a game, my dad said to me, ‘If you score a try, I’ll give you a pound.’ Now, I’m not driven by money, but I scored 12 tries that day, so when I came off the field I said to my dad, ‘Where’s that £12 you owe me?’ I’m glad my parents kept taking me along and trying to get me involved. If they hadn’t, I wouldn’t be doing what I am now.”

Nowell’s strong connection to the spirit and traditions of his hometown extends to his famous array of tattoos. “I’ve been brought up with tattoos,” he has explained in the past.

“Everyone’s got a tattoo in my family. That’s what fishermen used to do.” However, all that ink could now create a problem: following this month’s Six Nations tournament is the 2019 Rugby World Cup in Japan in September, and the Land of the Rising Sun is far removed from Cornwall. In Japan, tattoos are associated with the yakuza – Mafia-style syndicates – and are widely frowned upon. Will Nowell be covering up?

“We’re going to be in their country, and you’ve got to respect them and their rules,” he says. “We’ve been told that it’s OK when we’re training and playing; they won’t be offended by that. It’s more in the communal areas, like when we have recovery sessions in the swimming pool, or when we’re in the spa – that’s when you should cover up.

It’s important for us not to disrespect them, but you can’t let it affect what we’re out there to do, which is play rugby.

It could get quite warm, so you don’t want to be wearing a long-sleeve thermal top to cover it up. In the communal areas, though, we have to respect the culture.”

In the event of an England World Cup triumph this autumn, would the Newlyn way of celebrating be one more tattoo on the Nowell torso?

One hundred per cent. If we win the World Cup and I’m involved, I’ll do anything anyone tells me to do. Being involved is one thing, but to win it would be crazy.

Only 31 players have ever won a World Cup for England [the famous win against THE RED BULLETIN

Nowell at Exeter Chiefs' Sandy Park ground in January. After a spell on the sidelines with a hamstring injury at the end of last year, he has returned in blistering form

For someone who didn’t like rugby as a child, Nowell has become pretty good at it. After the Six Nations, his sights will be set on the World Cup in Japan this September

Jack Nowell

Australia in 2003], so to have the chance to do it is massive, and I’m doing everything I can to be a part of that.”

You’ve made your name as a winger, but you can play other positions, too – has this helped you secure a place in the England World Cup squad?

Playing multiple positions is a really good thing, and the coach [Eddie Jones] likes players who can come off the bench and fit into centre, wing or full-back. But I’ve always wanted to nail down one position. I like playing as a wing who can cover 13 [outside centre] or 15 [full-back]. I don’t want utility-back status. I’m happy on the wing at the moment, and maybe in the future I’ll move into the centre. I like getting my hands on the ball as much as I can; I like making tackles, I like hitting rucks. Sometimes at full-back you rarely have to make a tackle because of the way defences are. I’d be a bit lost back there.

I want to be involved. I’ve been told that I’d make a pretty good hooker or back-row. You never know, when I’m older and slower I might find myself creeping in there.

But there’s a lot of competition for places in position.

Does that help you raise your game?

No one has a position nailed down. There are so many good players in the backs, and if we’re all fit and pushing to be in the team, it drives you to get better. It pushes you to return from injury quicker, too. If you’re not playing for your club and not performing well, Eddie [Jones] won’t pick you.

You need to be fit and playing Premiership games. I don’t just want to play for England, I want to do well for Exeter.

I want us to keep winning trophies. Playing for your club is massive. All these people pushing you makes you a better person. More importantly, it makes you a better player.

Have some of your hairstyles been influenced by your Exeter teammates?

I’ve had some bad haircuts. I’m pretty normal at the moment, but I can’t be too normal. There are a few Mohawks down here, a couple of shaven heads, a couple of boys with really long hair, and Luke Cowan-Dickie had a mullet.

We like to be different. We’re the only true West Country club, so we are a bit different. Our barber doesn’t like normal, so we have to do things to keep him happy.

In May last year, you became a father [to Nori, his daughter with partner Zoe] – has that changed you, or the way you play rugby?

I’m a very proud dad. I don’t think it’ll soften me up too much, though Zoe might say different. I’ve always played rugby for fun, because of mates and just enjoying it. Now THE RED BULLETIN

Nowell sees injury as an inevitability in his career. How he handles it is what matters most: “You have to turn it into a positive”

it’s a bit different: I look at it as a job, because everything I do now, I’m doing for [Nori’s] future. The longer I do this, the better it is for her. Every dad wants to look after their daughter for as long as they can. We’ve also got a couple of French bulldogs, Buddy and Boo. I’m a true dog man, and I’m always rolling around on the floor with them. They’re brilliant as Hoovers under high chairs. The floor is spotless.

Injuries are a part of life in rugby, and you’ve had more than your fair share. How do you deal with that?

Every player gets injured, and some more than others.

I’m one of the unlucky ones. But you have to turn any injuries you get into a positive. A career in rugby is so short that you have to try to prolong it for as much as possible, and these little niggles give me the opportunity to rehab other parts of my body. You don’t often get that chance if you’re playing week in, week out. When I can’t train or go out on my paddleboard, I like to do Lego. I’m a bit OCD, so I need to do it perfectly and follow every instruction. I recently completed the whole Simpsons house, and it’s quite big – probably a metre high. So I try to look at injury rehab as a positive. It’s a chance to get a bit stronger and a bit bigger, so that when I’m back playing, I’ll be all the better for it.

Instagram: @jacknowell 35

ROSALÍA Breaking tradition

Dubbed ‘the Rihanna of flamenco’ in The New York Times, Rosalía mixes the centuries-old Spanish art form with trap beats and experimental pop.

With two Latin Grammys already to her name, and a growing fanbase that includes Pharrell Williams, the Catalan singer is set to smash 2019 Last year saw a paradigm shift in pop. Following the global success of Puerto Rican singer Luis Fonsi’s 2017 smash hit Despacito – the song topped the charts in 47 countries – Latin pop and reggaeton have become the predominant trend in mainstream music, with artists including Puerto Rico’s Ozuna and Colombia’s J Balvin outperforming US pop stars such as Katy Perry and Justin Timberlake on streaming services.

One of the most intriguing voices of this new wave of Spanish-language pop is Rosalía. The Catalan singer’s 2018 album, El Mal Querer, has rejuvenated flamenco by blending signature elements of this traditional Spanish art form, such as pitos (finger snapping) and acoustic guitar, with trap beats 36

“Flamenco is my roots, my backbone” THE RED BULLETIN

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Words MARCO PAYÁN

and left-field electronic arrangements. Having studied flamenco at Barcelona’s Catalonia School of Music for many years, bringing together these seemingly contradictory styles feels natural to the 25-year-old.

Success has proven her right: El Mal Querer has already won two Latin Grammy awards and gone platinum in Rosalía’s home country. With a Pharrell Williams collaboration, the leading role in Pedro Almodóvar’s upcoming film Dolor y Gloria and a slot at Coachella on the horizon, the singer spoke to The Red Bulletin about her exciting mix of the old and the new… the red bulletin: To people living outside Spain, the idea of a 25-year-old embracing flamenco might seem rather 38

unusual. How important is this centuries-old art form and its traditions to what you do? rosalía: As I studied flamenco for so many years, it’s my roots, my backbone, so I’ve treated this classical form of music with the importance it deserves. That’s just the way it is: flamenco is who I am; in my own way, admittedly, but flamenco is still who I am. With that as my starting point, and with the freedom that comes with being able to experiment, I also embrace other points of reference and types of music that interest me. That is why my music ends up sounding the way it does. Although there’s a lot of flamenco inspiration in what I do, urban music has increasingly become an important point of reference for me, too.

THE RED BULLETIN

AITOR MATAUCO/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

Madrid, October 2018: fans snap Rosalía at her free outdoor, live-streamed album launch, performed to a crowd of 11,000

Rosalía Have you always had such an open mind when it comes to music?

Ever since I was young, I’ve always had, like, 300 playlists.

I used to wonder whether it was odd that I liked so many different styles of music. But I think it’s something you should cultivate. There’s so much prejudice out there.

When you appreciate that, it allows you to listen to and learn from other types of music. That’s the way I do it.

You can practise that, too; if you have a deep understanding of context, you can absorb and figure out a lot of things.

On the other hand, if you don’t make the effort, those things will remain out of reach and you won’t even get close.

So, creating this hybrid of musical genres happened kind of naturally?

Yes, it has to. It needs to come from an impulse, a need. In my own case, I always do it by thinking freely, by keeping an open mind. If that gives rise to music, and the rhythms work with each other, it’s good to embrace them. It doesn’t have to be a deliberate exercise; I think that would be too rational [a process].

How important is it to your work that you studied flamenco at music school in Barcelona?

Extremely. For me, the base and roots that flamenco has given me are so important. It’s a very complex form of music. I had to be humble; I learnt it from scratch with my maestro [flamenco guitarist]. It’s a process that will last my whole life. If you want to make a contribution [to music], you have to know what came before – the classic forms – very well. If you don’t know the history of music, it’s difficult for you to make much of a contribution yourself.

Some flamenco traditionalists have been suspicious of your unorthodox approach…

Flamenco is very codified, but I refuse to think there’s just one specific way to feel and perform the music. It’s a source I take inspiration from, but the production is in line with my points of reference, age, and the music I like.

THE RED BULLETIN

What do you consider to be your most valuable skills as an artist?

When you’re aware of what you like and what you don’t, it’s easy to choose a palette of colours, a series of sounds, for each project you work on. I think in terms of projects, and I’d like to think that with each new one I undertake, I’m going to try to create something that’s distinct from what has gone before.

Can you pick out a specific example of that on your album El Mal Querer?

One of the songs [De Aquí No Sales (Cap.4: Disputa)] has a melody that’s very aggressive. It’s a tune that was once used by sellers to hawk things on the street, to make a sale. I thought that I would like to de-contextualise that [traditional] tune, so I had the idea of [teaming it with] the sound of a motorcycle being revved. I’m really excited 39

Rosalía Finger-clicking good: Rosalía has revived flamenco for a younger, global audience

How will your music change now that you’ve gained an international audience and are working with producers such as Pharrell Williams?

I’ll do my best to hang on to my musical instincts for as long as possible, because my intuition hasn’t failed me thus far.

I’ve always had music within me. All the projects I’ve worked on have been about my growing as a performer, producer and musician, and I want things to carry on that way. That’s when I’m most in tune with myself. I want my music to reach other people, and to share it with the largest audience possible without having to compromise as an artist.

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On El Mal Querer, you worked with Spanish producer El Guincho, who has been lauded for his ‘space-age exotica’.

How do you select the people you work with?

The majority of the people I work with are people who I intuitively felt would help me achieve my vision as an artist.

That’s what it’s all about: having a clear sense of what you want, and being able to instil in the people you work with the same enthusiasm you have for what you do. I’m a true perfectionist and I’m on top of everything, and I don’t just mean when it comes to the music – in the choreography and in the videos, too. When I made the video for Pienso En Tu Mirá [El Mal Querer’s second single], I still didn’t have a record label or a budget. The [Barcelona-based] production company Canada took a gamble on it. It’s important to have a team behind you that has faith in your vision.

Speaking of choreography, you have also received a lot of critical acclaim for the dancing in your music videos.

Are you classically trained?

Before I started singing, I used to dance; my mother took me to dance classes. But I started studying music when I was 13, and I had to focus on that, because I couldn’t do both. From the age of 16, I focused on making music – right up until a year ago when I started studying dance again and put it to use on stage. I feel I still have an awful lot to learn if I’m going to sing and dance on stage. It’s an incredibly complex discipline. But it makes me happy. rosalia.com THE RED BULLETIN

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about the things I learnt from the production of that song; it’s both experimental and electronic, and I love the fact that those electronic parts chime so well [when paired with] the organic sound of my voice.

Legendary surf photographer Brian Bielmann handpicks the highlights of his 40-year career

Please let this photo be in focus!

[Californian surfer] Nathan Fletcher should never have ridden this wave – it was just crazy. I can still remember kneeling in front of my computer and praying for the picture to be in focus. And it was!

I jumped in the air when I saw it. I was endlessly thankful. The picture went down in surfing history.

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THE SOUL OF SURFING

American photographer Brian Bielmann has been riding this wave for four decades. When he began snapping surf pictures in 1978, he wasn’t thinking about becoming a legend who would shoot more than 150 magazine covers and repeatedly redefine his genre – but that’s exactly what happened. And now, as he surveys the highlights of his iconic portfolio, Bielmann admits that he still doesn’t think of himself as a sports photographer. “I don’t look at surfing as a sport, I look at it as an art form,” he says.

“And, likewise, I have always considered myself an artist. I think the difference is visible in my work.”

As he tells the stories of his most memorable images, Bielmann unwittingly shares a first-person history of both a sport and an entire category of photography. “So much has changed since I started in this game,” he says, recalling an era before jet skis, monster waves and memory cards. “You used to paddle out with 36 chances to get a photo, and now you can fire off a thousand shots with autofocus. But it’s still about taking pictures that transport people.”

Although Bielmann was a pioneer – he catalysed the adoption of digital surf-photography and popularised underwater perspectives – he was also a traditionalist who didn’t chase fads (“I rarely shoot with a fish-eye lens; that was never my thing”). Above all, he leveraged his genius to harness light, composition, and the drama of waves, while his decades-long relationships with the sport’s top talents helped him catch moments that reflect the soul of surfing.

As he looks over his greatest hits, Bielmann gets a bit choked up when asked about the meaning of his life’s work. “On one level, this is like looking through a family album that I created,” he says.

“But I also know that the entire surf world was a part of this album. I just started taking pictures so I could spend more time surfing – but the whole thing wound up changing my life.” brianbielmann.com 44

PORTRAIT: TERI ANN LINN

Brian Bielmann reflects on his illustrious life’s work, chasing the perfect wave and redefining an art form

Bielmann today. Looking back, he says, “This whole thing changed my life” THE RED BULLETIN

Between worlds [Hawaiian surfer] Andy Irons and I stayed on site after one competition, because it was his future wife Lyndie’s birthday. We did some underwater shots, just for fun. When I looked at the photos again later, I saw them from a different perspective. In this shot – titled Heaven Knows, after the Robert Plant song – it looks like Andy is moving from one world into another.

When rivals became friends A particularly joyful memory: the day Andy Irons and Kelly Slater (right) finally became friends and put their constant rivalry to bed. I’m sure that Kelly is still thankful for that day in Indonesia, even now. Andy left us for ever just a couple of years later.

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Right in the thick of it This is [Californian surfer] Kolohe Andino on a Red Bull trip to the Mentawai Islands about eight years ago. I was taking photos from a boat, and I only just managed to make it over the wave. My God, how I miss those trips!

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Hard, fast and wild This is a picture from the early ’80s that I took for Surfer magazine. The photo shows [Hawaiian surfer] Tim Fretz, better known as Taz. He was a crazy guy who lived the same way he surfed: hard, fast and wild. Taz blazed a trail for airs. He died young, from a drug overdose. It was really sad to witness him just throwing his huge talent away.

Children who became stars This is [Hawaii’s] Zeke Lau (far left) and the Florence brothers (from left: Nathan, Ivan and John John) protesting against plans to build a mall.

These kids grew up to be top surfers, and John John is rightly considered to be the best in the world. They were successful with their demonstration, too – the mall never got built.

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THE RED BULLETIN

Starting out with Kelly A photo of the young Kelly Slater, then just 14, that I took right at the start of my career. I was working for Quiksilver at the time. Soon after this, other photographers and brands started copying the style.

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One photograph and two riddles This is a picture of [California’s] Nic Lamb that I took from the cliff top at the Jaws festival in Maui in 2015. It’s one of those shots that’s still a mystery – you don’t know where he’s coming from, or where he’ll disappear to.

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Ray of light We were just waiting for the light to be perfect when a horde of Australians torpedoed our plans in a matter of seconds. It was my job to profile Andy Irons for Transworld Surf magazine.

Everything was set up for us to take photographs on the veranda of the Billabong Hawaii House at sunset. But we hadn’t reckoned with that group of Aussies. They sat down right next to us with their beers. I was panicking. I only had 10 minutes, so I had to improvise. And then a miracle occurred: a single ray of sunshine came through one of the windows and bathed Andy in sublime light. I took 10 shots and that was it. This photo adorned the cover of Transworld Surf when Andy left us. [Irons died of a heart attack on November 2, 2010, aged 32.]

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My most emotional shot This is the photo I love more than any other. Andy Irons is looking towards Pipeline [the iconic surfing spot on the north coast of the Hawaiian island of Oahu]. After his death, I titled this shot When Doves Cry, in honour of the Prince song. Magazines all over the world used this picture. It means more to me than any other image in my whole career.

When the wave hits A wipeout shot underwater. I can no longer remember the surfer’s name.

Transworld Surf magazine claimed it was Andy Irons and, ever since then, everyone else has said the same thing. I only got to look him in the eye before the water whisked him away.

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Eventual runner-up AndrĂŠ Jonsson climbs a steep section of Curved Ridge on Stob Dearg during Glen Coe Skyline 2018

HARD TO BEAT

Once a year, in the Scottish Highlands, some of the world’s most daring endurance athletes do battle on a steep, rocky route at high speeds and dizzying altitudes, in weather most of us wouldn’t walk to the shops in. This is skyrunning, and Glen Coe Skyline is its toughest test yet Words TOBIAS MEWS Photography BEN READ

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A

thousand metres above sea level, on a wet Sunday morning in the heart of the Scottish Highlands, the dramatic, austere beauty of the Glen Coe valley is still visible through low-level cloud. The area is famous as the location of the Bond family estate in 2012’s Skyfall, but seeing this vista on-screen doesn’t compare to the experience of placing foot on rock yourself.

And doing so as part of a high-speed chase in testing conditions is a challenge 007 himself might balk at.

The Glen Coe Skyline is one of the world’s toughest mountain races. For the past two hours, those taking part have run and scrambled their way across bogs, moorland and up a near-vertical rock buttress as 100kph gales attempt to knock them off their feet.

At the rocky summit of Stob Dearg, never has the sky seemed so close, so grey or so threatening.

But they continue, racing along a wet and slippery mountain ridge, trying not to pay too much attention to the vertical drop on either side as the wind whips angrily at their backs. Many attempt to block out the heavy breathing of a fellow racer behind them, edging to get past, and focus instead on their footing. One false step here, one little slip, and it’s game over. The event safety team hover like spectres. All know that the only way off majestic and iconic mountain Buachaille Etive Mor – of which Stob Dearg is the highest peak – today is via helicopter, a stretcher, or on your own two feet.

Skyrunning is a cruel and twisted fusion of trail running and alpinism that sees athletes do battle at a devilish pace on some of the world’s toughest terrain. While the sport shares similarities with both trail and ultramarathon running, to be classed as skyrunning a race must traditionally include a mountain location above 2,000m in altitude, with an incredibly steep gradient (30° in some sections).

Other considerations include elevation gain, the severity and grade of the climbing, and the type of terrain – many include snow and glaciers.

Then you have the ‘extreme’ category: races that exceed 50km and border on mountaineering.

These hark back to the origins of skyrunning in the late ’80s/early ’90s, when Marino Giacometti and his climber friends began to scramble up and down the likes of Mont Blanc and Monte Rosa – the highest peaks in the Alps. While traditional climbers would take several days to do this, the Italian’s group would start in the town square at breakfast time, running fast and light over snow and ice to the summit, then make it back down again in time for lunch.

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It’s no surprise that this uniquely testing sport has attracted some of the world’s hardiest and most daring endurance athletes. “Pushing your body to the limit is a pretty amazing feeling,” says 32-year-old American Hillary Gerardi, a rising star of skyrunning.

“Testing where those limits are is an incredible experience that lets you get to know yourself a lot better. In the toughest races, all of the outer layers are stripped away, revealing a raw version of yourself.”

Today, only those with appropriate climbing and mountaineering experience are allowed to take part in extreme skyrunning. The Glen Coe Skyline falls into this race category, having, since its first edition in 2015, become one of the most daunting challenges on the global calendar. When first announced, it was dubbed the ‘Glen Coe Death Race’ in the media, “because the local climbers who hike the route take a long time to do it,” says photojournalist Ian Corless, host of the podcast Talk Ultra and director of Skyrunning UK. “They said, ‘It’s not possible to run that race in one day. Somebody will die.’”

But the naysayers were proven wrong when all 148 people who started that inaugural race lived to tell the tale – including women’s race winner Emelie Forsberg, a multiple skyrunning world champion. The Swede wrote on her blog, “I have been running many races, but this one is special. This is skyrunning.”

The combination of stunning scenery, a supertechnical course and an audacious amount of vertical climb has since attracted the rest of the world’s elite to compete in this far-flung corner of Scotland. In its four-year history, there have been more than 2,000 applications to race the course, of which only two-thirds have been accepted. Many of the 2018 competitors, including US elite runner Brittany

Slovenian Primoz Zupan clings onto Curved Ridge. Left: the UK’s Esmond Tresidder on Devil’s Ridge in the Ring of Steall Skyrace, staged the day before Glen Coe Skyline

One false step here, one little slip, and it’s game over

Sweden’s Johanna Åström feels the strain during the Ring of Steall Skyrace, a 29km route (with 2,500m of ascent) that sees runners scramble across two lofty ridges in the Mamores mountain range

A runner with taped thighs makes his ascent after crossing Devil’s Ridge. Kinesiology tape supports and stabilises injured muscles and joints during and after a race, and is also reputed to delay fatigue and improve runners’ posture

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“Extreme skyrunning is like an adventure playground for adults” Runners in the Ring of Steall Skyrace zigzag their way down one of the route’s steep, rocky inclines

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Peterson, were drawn to Glen Coe Skyline because of its inclusion in the Skyrunner World Series: 18 races across 12 countries and three continents.

Peterson, eventual series winner in the extreme Sky Extra category and second overall, first heard about Glen Coe Skyline from her boyfriend and fellow elite runner Cody Lind, who finished seventh in the 2017 race. “He raved about how good it was, so I knew I had to come,” she says. “Each race I’ve run has been more technical [than the last]. Glen Coe is one of the gnarliest races that you can do in skyrunning, and mountain running itself.”

Historically, as you might expect, the most testing skyrunning races have taken place in the Alps, the Dolomites or the Pyrenees. So, how does a nation like the UK with its more modestly sized mountains, which measure well below the required 2,000m, become the host of such an event?

When, in 2012, the International Skyrunning Federation decided to make certain exceptions to its usual rules, an opportunity emerged. What the 60

Scottish Highlands lack in altitude, they make up for in technicality, and the area boasts two rock stars of the scrambling world, Curved Ridge and Aonach Eagach, the latter of which is the UK’s narrowest ridge. So, when Glen Coe Skyline race director Shane Ohly, with the aid of renowned event designer and course architect Gary Tompsett, came up with a 52km course that included 4,750m of elevation gain, the skyrunning community sat up and paid attention.

“Glen Coe has been on my bucket list ever since it was first announced,” says New Zealand-born Sophie Grant. “I thought, ‘That’s just nuts!’ I understand this is some people’s idea of hell, but it’s the perfect race for those of us who want to explore the edges of our capabilities. It gives you the opportunity to test yourself against not only the other runners and the weather, but also your own ability to manage your fear. You’re truly the master of your own destiny.”

Spain’s Kílian Jornet – boyfriend of 2015 women’s winner Emelie Forsberg – is the most anticipated entrant in the 2018 Glen Coe Skyline. In the running THE RED BULLETIN

“Glen Coe is one of the gnarliest races in skyrunning” world, he needs no introduction: with almost two million followers on social media, several best-selling books, and high-profile sponsorships, he’s something of a superstar. Jornet’s numerous achievements are mind-boggling; they include a double ascent of Mount Everest in a week (without oxygen) and many ‘Fastest Known Times’ across the Pyrenees. Glen Coe Skyline is the first event ever to entice him to the UK to compete, which he did in 2017. And won.

J

ornet is back to defend his title, and yesterday he won the Ring of Steall Skyrace – Glen Coe Skyline’s sister event – as preparation. At 29km, and with 2,500m of vertical gain, the Skyrace is hardly your average warm-up, and the Catalonian is unquestionably the race favourite among the runners who have arrived in Scotland to take on the more demanding Skyline.

Yesterday, on Saturday afternoon, as the athletes completed their registration and kit checks, the race organisers announced that, due to bad weather, the course had been altered. With strong winds predicted, they had no choice but to remove the star of the show, Aonach Eagach, shortening the course to 32km and 2,700m of ascent – though any murmurs of disappointment were surely also tinged with relief.

Above: a lone runner ascends the Grade III scramble of Curved Ridge. Right: battle wounds on display at the finish line of Glen Coe Skyline THE RED BULLETIN

“In a race like Glen Coe, you need the whole resumé to get in,” says Peterson. “I do stuff like this in Idaho, but it doesn’t compare. Scotland’s climate changes things: the bad weather builds up the intensity.”

As the 10am start time approaches, the rain and wind hasn’t abated. On the starting line, the 170 men and 33 women who have made it to this point are getting ready to put their skills and courage to the test. Those who have been warming up along the village streets have jogged back to the starting pen, the real elite jostling to the front.

Crowds of supporters surround the athletes. The predicted rain is falling hard, and the competitors’ waterproofs supply a kaleidoscope of colour against the grey, hoods pulled tightly around watchful faces.

This is a race that’s hard enough on a calm, sunny day; this morning, the unpredictable weather has made it much more daunting. But none are about to head home – they’ve worked too hard to get here.

Even many elite runners with sponsorship have to balance training with a full-time job to compete at this level; travelling the world to race doesn’t come cheap. Hairdresser Sophie Grant used to hold down a 40-hour-a-week position: “I would be up at 5:30 and usually run 10 miles [16km] before work. Then I’d run to the climbing wall after work, two to three times a week. I’d do crazy things to get mountain training, like fly to Tenerife first thing on Saturday and run halfway up a volcano to stay in the refuge, then run up and over the top and back down to catch a flight and be in work on Monday morning.”

Two years ago, Grant changed her life to better manage her running obsession; she now lives in a van with her husband during the week, and at weekends competes in the toughest races on the planet. After today’s race, she’ll catch a sleeper train to London to make a 9am hair appointment. “I clearly didn’t think that through,” she says with a rueful grin.

Even more well-versed in the art of balance is Jasmin Paris, arguably the UK’s finest fell-runner, who finished first at Glen Coe Skyline in 2016 and, more recently, became the first woman to win the 431km Montane Spine Race. The specialist vet from Edinburgh now has to factor her young daughter – the reason she was absent from Glen Coe in 2017 – into her unforgiving schedule. “It isn’t easy to fit in my training,” says the 34-year-old. “But if you want something badly enough, you can usually find a way.

In my case, I run at 5am every day, for one to oneand-a-half hours during the week, and around three hours at weekends. Sometimes I run again after work, but then it’s always with the buggy.”

For Paris, now waving to her 10-month-old from the start line, there’s no question the effort is worth it. “Extreme skyrunning is like an assault course on a grand scale; an adventure playground for adults,” she says. “A technical ridge is as much a mental challenge as a physical one, so it’s impossible to get bored.”

Paris’ biggest competition today is Gerardi. The American, who now lives in the French Alps, shares her love of and ability over technical terrain, having 61

Below: American Hillary Gerardi completes her 2018 winning streak by clinching victory at Glen Coe Skyline

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started rock climbing at university and worked in the Appalachian Mountain Club Huts in New Hampshire.

“I’m not a runner by trade, I guess,” Gerardi says.

“I started only about six years ago. But I climb, I skimountaineer, and when I did my first Skyrace two years ago I just fell in love with it.” This year, she has taken the skyrunning world by storm. In the previous month alone, Gerardi has won the prestigious and highly technical Trofeo Kima in Italy and Hamperokken Skyrace in Tromsø, Norway – the two events most similar to Glen Coe – putting her in a good position to take victory here, too. “But I know this one is going to be tough,” she says, looking to the sky.

At the start line, any concerns about the rain have been replaced by tension. As a distorted voice over the Tannoy announces one minute to go, most of the elite runners begin peeling off their waterproofs and stowing them in their packs. “Three, two, one!”

A klaxon sounds. To a soundtrack of bagpipes, the athletes set off at a blistering pace through the small town of Kinlochleven and onto the West Highland Way, heading towards the aptly named Devil’s Staircase.

Favourite to give the legendary Jornet a run for his money in the men’s race is André Jonsson, a 33-yearold ultrarunner from Sweden. “I grew up on a fairly technical mountain range – not too high or too steep, but rocky to run on,” he says. “So Glen Coe suits me perfectly.” But having come sixth in the 2017 Glen Coe Skyline, Jonsson knows how hard a test this will be – and that Jornet is the one to beat. “He’s amazing.

When he decides to go, you never see him again!”

The pair are quick to set the pace, trading places for first and second as they arrive at the foot of Curved Ridge, hardly breaking step as their hands and feet move in perfect unison, finding hand and footholds with the ease and grace of mountain climbers used to this type of terrain. But this vertical wall of rock

won’t suffer pretenders – to be successful here at speed requires serious skill and a head for heights.

As Jornet and Jonsson go head-to-head, a similar story is taking place further back in the field between Paris and Gerardi, who seem to be playing an endless game of cat and mouse as they battle not only each other but the unforgiving terrain underfoot. Here, the route is pitted, rocky, tricky; the ultimate test of skill under pressure and at speed. Visibility is low – the mist gets thicker as the athletes climb – and the competition fierce. Technical ability must be balanced against the need to stay ahead of the runner gaining ground on you – speed up, but don’t slip; make progress without sacrificing skill. Only the most daring will endure – and these athletes know it.

“Skyrunning is a dangerous sport,” Gerardi said earlier, “but you don’t just get into skyrunning one day after doing a road marathon. You have to train for it and spend a lot of time in the mountains to get efficient and used to moving through technical terrain. That doesn’t mean that accidents can’t happen, though – bad luck can strike anyone.”

It’s hard to imagine Jornet suffering that fate. The superhuman Spaniard crosses the finish line in first place, with a time of just three hours and 37 minutes.

Despite having just endured hours of extreme exertion, Jornet describes the race like most of us would a fairground ride. “I love races like this,” says the 31-year-old. “It was hard and technical, which I like. Although the weather made the course wet and slippery, and the winds high-up were very strong, it was still such a fun race. To win is a bonus.”

A jubilant but weary Jonsson crosses the line just three minutes behind. “I had to let go of trying to compete against Kílian in the second half,” he says, panting. “I knew I didn’t have a chance against him.

I’m secretly relieved we didn’t do the full course today. I don’t think my legs would have cooperated.”

Crowds line the streets to cheer on the finishers.

Suddenly, there’s a commotion as the commentator announces that Gerardi and Paris are only seven seconds apart. A few minutes later, Gerardi bursts down the craggy finishing straight, with Paris in hot pursuit. Spectators bounce with excitement as they watch two of the world’s finest skyrunners – fatigue, pain and effort showing on their faces – battle for first place. At the finish, Gerardi clinches the win.

“I had to give it everything I’ve got,” the American says when she has regained her breath. “If the finish had been 100m further, I’d have blown up. But I get so much out of racing, especially in harsh conditions. It’s exhilarating and incredibly satisfying. Yes, there are risks, but you could slip and fall in the shower. For most of us, the love of the sport trumps any fear.”

Of the 203 starters at Glen Coe Skyline, 198 manage to finish the gruelling race. All have pushed their body to the limit, maintained their focus on slippery rock and against violent winds, and many have almost reached breaking point. And these skyrunners would do it all again tomorrow. skylinescotland.com THE RED BULLETIN

Wow! You felt a real peak of adrenaline when you hit the slope and your heart was pumping pure emotion. When you caught up with your friends who were admiring the mountain crests, you burst out laughing because the peaks reminded you of your own pulse rate.

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GIANT LEAPS

Some athletes transform their sport.

TOM PAGÈS has revolutionised freestyle motocross with neverbefore-seen moves and mechanical innovations. And his achievements can be measured in tournament gold Words PIERRE HENNY Photography JEAN-FRANÇOIS MUGUET

Freestyle motocross supremo Pagès works on new aerial stunts on self-crafted ramps at his secret training base in Europe

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FMX – or freestyle motocross – didn’t exist when Thomas Pagès was born in Nantes on March 25, 1985, but the Frenchman has dedicated his life to making the sport ever more creative and remarkable. He wasn’t yet two years old when he first mounted a motorbike; he ended up riding the plastic toy into a door, though luckily he came off none the worse for wear. The youngest of three brothers, Pagès followed in the footsteps of the eldest, Charles, four years his senior, and their lives took similar paths. The two daredevils, who both loved BMX, practised on the trails near their home and then decided to give competing a go. They had the classic BMX background, racing at weekends and spending most of their time in local skate parks. “When we started out in BMX, we preferred jumps to speed,” Pagès recalls.

As soon as Charles was old enough, he bought himself a motocross bike with his first pay packet, arousing the admiration and envy of his youngest brother, who was forced to champ at the bit for a while longer – beg as he might, his parents, Geneviève and Olivier, insisted he finish school. “When I was 15, they finally got me a bike,” Pagès says. The two brothers wore out trails to compete in races, pushing each other to new heights, and the younger soon began competing in the French motocross championships.

This was the start of an adventure that would take both brothers to the very top of the sport. But Pagès’ mind was already elsewhere: on freestyle, on jumps.

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Airborne brothers

In 2005, one of Charles’ friends, motorcyclist Raphaël Beaudouin, invited the pair to perform a few jumps at the supercross event that his club – from La Bosse-de-Bretagne, Brittany – was organising. As fans of the motocross racers who would be in attendance, the brothers eagerly accepted Beaudouin’s invitation, and determined not to make fools of themselves.

“That’s when I started digging around rubbish dumps for mattresses, sofa cushions and the like,” Pagès recalls.

“I sunk four poles into my parents’ garden, put some wire up around them and created our first foam pit. We got out of it by yanking on a rope attached by pulleys to our dad’s Peugeot 205.”

Pagès combined practice with his job wrapping bikes in a factory, while Charles juggled his hours working on building sites, so that he could join him. “There was nowhere to train at the time – there still isn’t today, actually – so we had to invent everything ourselves. We needed a ramp for our La Bosse-de-Bretagne demo, so we called our friend Tony, who was a welder. We had to use online forums to work out how to make a motorbike ramp, then Tony got to work.”

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“The only thing that drives you on is the ride. If you stop, you’ve got nothing”

Pagès in his dream garage, built with dedication – and by pushing everything else in his life into second place

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“You need people to be saying, ‘If Pagès is performing, something’s going to happen’” What other sport can constantly improve its playing surface? Pagès knew that if he wanted to take FMX forward, he would have to initiate future developments himself. The shape of a ramp can make all the difference in the birth of a new trick

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Pagès spins around in a move called a Volt as his bike flies through the air

“To be anyone in FMX, you have to do moves that nobody else is”

“I sunk four poles in my parents’ garden and put up some wiring…

I’d created our first foam pit”

The two brothers trained for six weeks, right up until it was time to perform.

Their efforts paid off. By the time the event came around, they had mastered the Backflip and all the other tricks of the day. The demo was a success and the crowd went wild, even if Pagès’ dodgy knee meant that his elder sibling had to stop between runs to pick him up.

Their names began to become known in the small world of freestyle, and in 2006 they were invited to the showcase French event, the Supercross de Paris.

The pair weren’t listed in the line-up and only performed in the final demo, but it allowed them to rub shoulders with stars of the scene, such as Spain’s Dany Torres and Japan’s Eigo Sato. They also met their idol, fellow Frenchman Manu Troux – then the best FMXer in Europe – and his manager Sébastien Billault, with whom they soon signed.

Still unknown to the public at large, the brothers returned to the French capital a year later, fully intent on making a name for themselves. Pagès did just that with a world-first Double Grab Backflip on dirt. Their family name was now writ large. That same year, Pagès won the Freestyle MX International, held in the Arena of Nîmes, and in 2008 he came second in the best-trick category at the World X Games in Los Angeles.

The competitive spirit that existed between the two riders drove them to be more innovative in their attempts to outdo each other, and their tricks became increasingly insane and risky. “I’ve always thought of Charles as crazy, ever since we were kids back in the BMX days,” says his younger brother. “Even Manu Troux used to say Charles was crazy. Just keeping up with him meant making progress. Plus, it annoyed him that I could hack his rhythm. He wanted to leave me behind.

The way we battled definitely pushed us onwards and upwards.”

Breaking the cycle

Determined to keep progressing, the siblings moved home so they could train with Troux at his specially equipped site in Saint-Vincent-de-Tyrosse in southwestern France. Sponsors emerged, and the duo worked doggedly to perfect THE RED BULLETIN

In the early days, Pagès made crash mats out of old mattresses and sofas found at rubbish dumps.

Now he designs and welds his own ramps, and builds landing areas out of compost

their art, their rivalry fuelling their desire not to lose ground to each other.

“To be anyone in FMX, you have to do moves nobody else is,” Pagès says.

“You need people to be saying, ‘If Pagès is performing, something’s going to happen.’” But on November 20, 2010, Charles took a serious tumble at the Bercy Supercross in Paris while attempting a Front Flip, and was in a coma for a week. (He recovered and returned to form, but retired in 2015.)

Around the time of his brother’s crash, Pagès himself had been suffering from a crisis of self doubt, seeking out the services of a sports psychologist and even briefly taking a break from the circuit.

Charles’ injury hit him hard. “It was tough to perform at Bercy the next day,” recalls Pagès. “But the only thing that drives you on is the ride, so if you stop, you’ve got nothing. As my brother wasn’t there, it was up to me to step up to the plate.

I grew up just like that.” Pagès returned to the sport more determined than ever.

The passion for riding still coursed through his veins, and, paying no heed to the dominance of the Backflip in the

scoring system, Pagès now used pleasure as his guiding principle and decided to stamp his own style on the competition by inventing new moves, to the point of revolutionising the sport. The strategy paid off. In 2012, in Munich, he became the first rider ever to win a Red Bull X-Fighters stage without going head over heels. In 2013, he was crowned world champion after winning the Red Bull X-Fighters World Tour, a feat he repeated in 2016, having narrowly missed out on first place in both 2012 and 2015.

Demonstrating impressive skill and inventiveness, Pagès was able to dominate the competition by coming up with increasingly complex new moves every year, such as the Volt, the Special Flip, the Bike Flip, the 540 Alley-Oop Flair... His arsenal of tricks grew, and after taking two quarterpipe gold medals at the illustrious X Games, in 2015 and 2016, he finally won the top accolade in the blue-ribbon freestyle event in 2018. He went on to repeat the feat a few weeks later, this time in Sydney, Australia. Here was an athlete at the top of his game, defying the limits and laws 71

“I train from morning till night, seven days a week. I only take holidays if I get injured”

After dreaming of it for years, Pagès won freestyle motocross gold at the X Games in 2018

of physics and pulling off ever more breathtaking acrobatic moves.

Building his future

So, what is Pagès’ secret? A fierce training regime, total dedication to the cause, and a dogged will to stay ahead of other riders. “I have less and less time.

The older I get, the more scared I am that it will come to an end, so that makes me even more motivated,” he confides. He’s a workaholic and doesn’t just want to improve his riding skills; he believes the bike, ramps and training site can also be improved, which has sometimes helped him create new tricks. After he stopped riding with Charles, Pagès felt the need to find his own identity. He developed a new quarterpipe ramp, and this helped him revolutionise a trick called the Flair, in which he launches sideways off a ramp and lands on a perpendicular hill.

"There were no instructions for that kind of [quarterpipe] ramp, so I bought some graph paper, a pencil, a compass and an eraser, and then I started designing one to scale. I was living with my mate Tony, and we built the ramp in front of the house. To this day, 72

we still use the same designs that I came up with back then."

Pagès is always on the lookout for ways to improve his play area. One day, while watching a video featuring US FMX star Travis Pastrana, he noticed a soft landing mound covered in black soil. This inspired him to ask the local dump for two lorry-loads of compost, which looked roughly the same size, and suddenly he too had a more forgiving landing area.

“Everyone lands on compost now,” he says, smiling. Not even his bike is spared: Pagès works with his sponsor, Yamaha – along with engineer Guillaume Davion’s company, Drag’on Tek – to lighten his steed and improve its performance. The changes he made, especially the use of carbon-fibre parts, helped him shed more than 10kg from the weight of the bike.

He chose to set up his training camp in an undisclosed location in southern Europe, building the perfect course so that he could ride more often in winter.

Even though the house on the site is a ruin, and Pagès is living in a mobile home parked next to it, he does at least have the garage of his dreams. This is where he designs and welds his spare

parts and builds his ramps. He also regularly invests in new machines, even though he already owns two excavators, a bobcat and a tractor. “It’s to waste as little time as possible, because I don’t like waiting,” Pagès explains. “If someone is going to take months to design a ramp for me, what am I supposed to do while I wait? If I have a new ramp, I can try out a new move that could change my life. I could win a competition or a gold medal with it.”

In a career path that has been all about progress, staying ahead, solving problems and being inventive, Pagès has never compromised, or shown any fear of sacrifice. He leads an almost monastic life with his mechanic in his sanctuary on the Iberian peninsula. “Getting involved with a girlfriend would mean time, and I don’t think I have any to spare,” he admits. “I train from morning until night, seven days a week. I don’t take holidays... only if I get injured.”

Pagès avoids injuries as much as possible by being careful about what he eats and steering clear of too much risk beyond FMX, though he does allow himself the odd parachute jump. Now fully recovered from the shoulder operation he had last year, the rider is still ripped at the age of 33, and he has no intention of calling time on his career or even slowing down. “I’m not putting any limits on my riding,” he insists.

In the months ahead, Pagès will be competing at events in Paris, Mexico City, Costa Rica and the United States, where he will doubtless continue to test the limits of what’s possible in the sport.

Indeed, his latest video project, Follow Me, available to view on YouTube, is the first freestyle motocross sequence filmed by an FPV (First Person View) drone pilot. Shot by racing-drone ace Thomas ‘Tomz’ Panaiva, the video is an example of exceptional technique from both rider and film-maker, due to the proximity of bike and camera. The result, Pagès explains, “is as if I were taking people with me on the bike”.

Rest assured, just like the career of freestyle motorsport’s great innovator itself, it’s a breathtaking ride.

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FASTPACKING is a hybrid of ultralight backpacking and trail running. Where once the earth’s wild frontiers were hostile places to be feared, avoided and – for only a crazy, brave few – conquered, today they’re ripe for hiking and even running through. Adventure technology has boosted human capability and streamlined the equipment. Here’s what you need to conquer the elements at speed…

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Clockwise from top left: KEEN Targhee Lace waterproof boot, keenfootwear.com; MERRELL MQM Flex Mid Gore-Tex boot, merrell.com; SALOMON X Ultra 3 Mid GTX boot, salomon.com

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Mountain When you’re running up a mountain, weight is everything. “It’s always a compromise: you don’t want to carry too much, but you need fluids,” said Spaniard Kílian Jornet, six-time Skyrunning World Series champion (and winner of last year’s Glen Coe Skyline – see our feature on page 54) when, in 2017, he ascended Everest in 26 hours without oxygen. “I took two litres of water, but one froze.” The pack Jornet was carrying weighed no more than 23kg.

Left to right, from top: MARMOT Hydrogen sleeping bag, marmot.com; BLACK DIAMOND Storm headlamp, blackdiamond equipment.com; HYDROFLASK 21oz Standard Mouth bottle, hydroflask.com; LIFEVENTURE Titanium mug, lifeventure.com; LIFESYSTEMS Light and Dry Nano first-aid kit, lifesystems. co.uk; FULL WINDSOR The Muncher multi-utensil, full-windsor. com; OSPREY Exos 48 pack, ospreyeurope.com; BLACK DIAMOND Distance Carbon FLZ poles, blackdiamond equipment.com; GARMIN eTrex Touch 25 GPS navigator, garmin.com; MAMMUT Tweak beanie, uk.mammut.com; SALOMON Drifter Mid hoodie, salomon.com; THE NORTH FACE Speedlight trousers, thenorthface.co.uk; STANCE Wind Range socks, stance.eu.com; MONTANE Dart top, montane.co.uk; PRIMUS OmniLite Ti stove, primus.eu; CÉBÉ Summit sunglasses, cebe.com; MAMMUT Astro gloves, uk.mammut. com; HELLY HANSEN Lifa Merino pant, hellyhansen.com; ICEBREAKER MerinoLOFT Hyperia Lite vest, uk.icebreaker.com; HEIMPLANET Fistral tent, heimplanet.com THE RED BULLETIN

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Forest “Jungle Ultra in the Amazon was more challenging than the Sahara.�

So said Malaysian ultrarunner Jeff Lau of the infamous 230km Peruvian race in 2017. Jungles throw everything at you: steep trails, soft terrain, uneven rocks and tree roots, deep rivers, and lots of insects.

And when it rains, everything turns to mud. Waterproofing your kit is essential, otherwise its weight will increase with moisture.

Opposite, clockwise from top left: COLUMBIA Caldorado III shoe, columbia.com; SALOMON Outpath GTX hiking shoe, salomon.com; KEEN Venture Low WP hiking shoe, keenfootwear.com This page, left to right, from top: MONTANE Fleet jacket, montane.co.uk; PEAK PERFORMANCE Light Softshell Carbon outdoor shorts, peakperformance. com; MARMOT Bantamweight jacket, marmot.com; STANCE Thunder Valley Trek socks, stance.eu.com; SMITH OPTICS Tempo Max sunglasses, smithoptics.com; MATADOR NanoDry shower towel, matadorup.com; ICEBREAKER Bodyfitzone 150 Zone leggings, uk.icebreaker.com; PEAK PERFORMANCE Iconic cargo pants, peakperformance.com; LIFESYSTEMS Intensity 230 LED head torch, lifesystems.co.uk; MARMOT Kompressor Meteor 16 pack, marmot.com; HELLY HANSEN Winter Lifa beanie, hellyhansen.com; ICEBREAKER Bodyfitzone 260 Zone Half-zip hoodie, icebreaker.com

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Snow Fastpacking in the snow comes with pros and cons: it’s not necessary to carry water – just melt snow to drink – but you do need to bring strategical layers. The organisers of the North Pole Marathon, where temperatures average -25 to -30°C, recommend only two layers on the legs, to prevent the risk of overheating. “If you get sweaty, you get cold, then it freezes and you can get hypothermia,” says American Michael Wardian, winner of the marathon in 2014.

Above, clockwise from top left: COLUMBIA Canuk Titanium Omni-Heat 3D Outdry Ex boot, columbia.com; THE NORTH FACE Verto S3K II GTX boot, thenorthface.co.uk; MERRELL Thermos Rogue Mid GTX boot, merrell.com Opposite, left to right, from top: ARC’TERYX Thorium AR hoodie, arcteryx.com; STANCE Calamajue All-mountain snowboard socks, stance.eu.com; HELLY HANSEN Lifa Merino Windblock boxers and Mountain beanie, hellyhansen.com; ODLO Futureskin warm long-sleeve crew-neck top, odlo.com; THE NORTH FACE Summit L5 GTX Pro trousers, thenorthface.co.uk; INSTA360 One X action camera, insta360.com; LIFESYSTEMS Mountain Sun Protection SPF50+ sun cream stick, lifesystems.co.uk; ADIDAS Tycane Pro Outdoor sunglasses, adidassporteyewear.com; BIOLITE 330 lumen rechargeable LED headlamp, uk.bioliteenergy.com; SPOT X GPS satellite messenger, findmespot.eu; BLACK DIAMOND Fuel ice tool, eu.blackdiamondequipment.com; ODLO Futureskin pants, odlo. com; LEKI Micro Vario Carbon trekking poles, leki.com/uk; MAMMUT First Aid Kit Pro, uk.mammut.com; BLACK DIAMOND Spark gloves, eu.blackdiamondequipment.com; RAB Microlight vest, rab.equipment/uk; OSPREY Levity 60 pack, ospreyeurope.com

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Desert In 1984, Frenchman Patrick Bauer entered the Sahara desert alone and on foot. Twelve days and 350km later, he emerged, so inspired by his journey that the following year he founded the Marathon des Sables – undoubtedly one of the world’s toughest foot races. “Successful competitors bring food and gear they’ve tested and retested at home,” said American Meghan Hicks after her 2013 win.

“Their pack has an omnipotence in the Sahara – they literally survive and race with what’s in it.”

From top: NEW BALANCE Summit KOM shoe, newbalance.co.uk; ON Cloudventure trail-running shoe, on-running.com

Left to right, from top: PEAK PERFORMANCE Raywind J jacket, peakperformance.com; BIOLITE SolarPanel 5+, uk.bioliteenergy.com; NEW BALANCE Performance visor, newbalance.co.uk; HELLY HANSEN Lifa Active Crew top, hellyhansen.com; GOAL ZERO Lighthouse micro USB rechargeable lantern, goalzero.com; ADIDAS Zonyk Aero Midcut PR sunglasses, adidassporteyewear.com; PATAGONIA Peak Mission running tights, patagonia. com; MATADOR Pocket Blanket 2.0, matadorup.com; STANCE Thunder Valley Trek socks, stance.eu.com; HYDROFLASK 32oz Wide Mouth bottle, uk.hydroflask.com; ARC’TERYX Beta SL Hybrid jacket, arcteryx.com; PEAK PERFORMANCE Max shorts, peakperformance.com; THE NORTH FACE Shadow 30+10 backpack, thenorthface.co.uk

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#REDBULLPLAYSTREETS

15/02/2019 LIVE AT 8.00 P.M. WWW.REDBULL.TV

guide Get it. Do it. See it.

TEAM TITAN

MIND GAMES

FORWARD MARCH

PAGE 90

PAGE 92

PAGE 95

Inside the world of Anthem, this year’s online multiplayer video-game sensation

Ultrarunner Tom Evans on gaining the mental strength to succeed at endurance sports

Block out your diary with our edit of the month’s most unmissable events

H+I ADVENTURES

CHASE THE SUN

MTB pro Euan Wilson rises to the challenge of Morocco’s High Atlas Mountains, tackling 5,000m of rocky ascent on Berber trails PAGE 86

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Do it

Wilson escapes from the clouds: “If the weather turns here, you must seek shelter quickly”

MOUNTAIN BIKING IN MOROCCO

ROCKING THE KASBAH Six days, 250km, more than 5,000m of ascent: pro MTB rider Euan Wilson takes on the majestic High Atlas Mountains and explores Morocco’s remote villages

T

he call to prayer reverberates around the mountains.

The sun has painted the peaks orange, and puffs of smoke rise into the sharp morning air from huts in the village below.

As enthralling and enchanting as Marrakech is, with its hustle and

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bustle, this is the remote side of Morocco I’ve come to see.

I’ve travelled here with pro mountain-biker Eric Porter on a world-first, cross-Atlas MTB ride. Last winter, during a dark, wet night in Scotland, we sat discussing our next adventure,

High tea: a brew of mint leaves, water and “a kilo of sugar”

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Morocco

TRAVEL TIPS

DO MOROCCO LIKE A PRO

Strike the best deal in the souks, banish any Maghrebi munchies and see poppies bloom into life

Mules carry bikes and kit up a precarious path to an altitude of 2,280m

The best time to visit is in spring and autumn, when it’s not too hot for mountain biking but the skies are clear. Spring is particularly beautiful as the Atlas mountains’ wildflowers – from poppies to orchids – are in full bloom

Rabat

Morocco

Marrakesh Essaouira 1 Oukaimeden 2 Imlil 3 Ouirgane 4 Amizmiz

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1

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EAT LOCAL Moroccan delicacies for a bold stomach SHEEP'S HEAD (LAHEM RAS) Steamed for five hours. The brains are sold separately

H+I ADVENTURES, GETTY IMAGES

EUAN WILSON

The Maghrebi dish of tajine provides much-needed sustenance for the cyclists in Imlil

and the challenge of conquering Morocco’s inaccessible mountains drew us in. We created a route covering 250km and more than 5,000m of ascent in just six days, taking us across the High Atlas Mountains – an adventure we imagined would be like no other.

As early as day one, reality proves us right. Dodging chickens and cats, we hit the dirt roads of Imlil, a village 1,800m up in the High Atlas, where the locals go about their morning commute and grocery shopping. The pass we plan to cross is at an altitude of 2,280m, and is reachable only by a steep, sandy path that no one on two wheels could manage, so we have arranged to meet two local

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We cling to a narrow slit in the mountain, trying to ignore the drop into oblivion men and their unperturbed mules – a centuries-old Berber method of transporting goods. Once loaded, the animals and their owners begin their stern march upwards, leaving me and Eric in their dust and hoof-prints.

By the time we reach the top, the mules have dumped our bikes and are already scrambling back towards Imlil. Following in the

PIGEON PIE (PASTILLA) A flaky pie made from filo pastry filled with squab pigeon and served as an appetiser SNAIL STEW (GHOULAL) Order this peppery broth or have them served on a plate in their shells (you pluck them out with a toothpick) CAMEL’S SPLEEN (TEHAL) This is stuffed with beef, lamb or camel meat, then baked in a bread oven

HOW TO HAGGLE Bargain with the best in the medina 1. Find out the average price of your desired object by checking at other stalls 2. Aim for at least 50 per cent off the stated price.

Don’t act too interested in the object 3. Start with a price that’s lower than what you’re willing to pay. Useful phrase: rally biseff (“too expensive”) 4. During the haggle, always smile politely and don’t be fazed by the vendor’s theatrics 5. Be prepared to walk away. Usually the vendor will follow and agree to a price reduction

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Morocco

SADDLE UP

RIDING THE BERBER TRAILS

The Berbers are one of the indigenous peoples of North Africa. For thousands of years, this ethnic group have stayed connected by the network of trails they have knitted through even the most hostile of landscapes, from the High Atlas to the arid edges of the Sahara.

Exploring these routes by mountain bike requires thorough preparation PIMP YOUR BIKE

Full suspension is a must, as are guts and a can-do attitude. Here are the key bike features to get you out safe on the other side of the mountain: Forks: Fox 36 (160mm) Brakes: Shimano Saint

PACK WISELY

The perfect kit to see you through a Moroccan adventure KEFFIYEH A traditional scarf-like headdress that will protect you from sun, sand and dust WATER FILTER A regular intake of clean, drinkable water is vital to your journey NAUSEA MEDICATION Altitude sickness typically occurs at altitudes above 2,500m, so come prepared

Wilson (right) and Porter leave the mountain village of Imlil early in the morning

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Wilson bought a headscarf from this trader – but not before some serious haggling

tracks of Berber caravans, we cling to the narrow slit cut into the mountain by feet and hooves, trying to ignore the drop into oblivion to our right. The advice ‘look where you want to go’ rings in my ears. When I do dare to shift my gaze, the landscape as far as the eye can see is austere, lunar.

As the gradient decreases, our surroundings become more lush, the trail less exposed, allowing us to switch focus from survival to satisfaction. Watched by a trio of local youngsters, we pick our way down a rocky staircase before stopping at a mountain refuge and chatting to the owner. He expertly pours mint tea into glasses from a great height. This stuff is like rocket fuel, with a sugar content so high you can almost feel the enamel being stripped off your teeth. But it’s just what we need.

After two days spent trying to tame the mountains on new-age bikes, we’ve found ourselves our very own oasis in the Atlas – the chance to rest aching muscles and recharge our batteries for the next day’s adventure into the unknown.

We’re glad for the roof over our heads at night as the temperature plummets from a red-hot 32C° to a brisk -3C°. This remarkable

environment requires a kit list as diverse as factor-50 sunblock, flipflops, a down jacket and a hat, and challenges both body and equipment throughout the ride.

On the third day, we pass through terraced farmland and a mountain village, then on to urban singletrack, which proves to be as technical as it gets: aged log steps, rock ledges, piles of construction materials, and rampant livestock that has us screaming and wincing along mud-hut-lined paths. We soon attract a procession of kids, who chase us like we’re the lead riders in the Tour de France.

After eight hours in the saddle for six long days, cresting passes at almost 2,000m, I can feel every imperfection on the rugged trail surface in the core of my hands; every rock leaves its mark. By the time we reach the final stop of our trip, in the rural town of Ouirgane, we feel like we’ve been dragged over hot coals and rubbed raw.

Morocco is beautiful but harsh, and it will bite back if you’re not switched on from the moment you land. But ultimately the pain is well worth it.

Explore Morocco by MTB with Euan Wilson’s company, H+I Adventures; mountainbikeworldwide.com

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EUAN WILSON

Tyres: ­Maxxis Minion

H+I ADVENTURES

Frame: Yeti SB5

TYRONE BRADLEY/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

BEYOND THE ORDINARY

THE ACTIVE LIFESTYLE MAGAZINE The next issue is out on Tuesday 12th March with London Evening Standard.

Also available across the UK at airports, gyms, hotels, universities and selected retail stores.

Read more at theredbulletin.com

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Gaming

5

Mix it up!

“All the [four available] exosuits have primer-detonator attacks – for instance, freezing your enemy and shattering them. It’s how the whole system is set up” The Ranger suit in action

“Think of combos as primers and detonators. When you stun an enemy with the shock mace, it primes them for a detonating attack like a seeker missile”

MASTER THE GAME

PILOT A JAVELIN EXOSUIT The fresh style for 2019? Powered armour. Dress for success in the first essential game of the year, Anthem

A

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3

Deliver a combo

“The great thing about stunlocking the enemy is that you’ve set them up for a combo – a multiplicative damage attack that is key to defeating the most powerful opponents”

EXPERT PROFILE

JON WARNER

Game director of Anthem

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1

Get a fix on your target

FLYING LESSON

SUITED AND BOOTED Combat 101 in the Ranger Javelin suit

“Draw fire from the enemy so they’re a sitting target.

Use your shock mace, which delivers an electrified attack that stun-locks them in place”

BIOGRAPHY Before joining Bioware in 2012 to work on Mass Effect 3, Warner honed his craft at Disney, Microsoft, and as an intelligence analyst for the US military. “That seeps into the game – the value of taking the high ground, of artillery strikes – as do my experiences at Disney and Pixar, watching masterful storytellers at their craft,” he says.

PLAY THE GAME Anthem is out on February 22 on PS4, Xbox One and PC. anthemthegame.com

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CHRISTINA LOCK

“Leap over the head of your enemy and go into a hover so you’re more controlled.

Manoeuvre behind them, ready to deliver massive damage”

TOM GUISE

Gain the higher ground

BIOWARE

nthem is being hailed as the ‘Destiny killer’, and as anyone who has played that smash-hit multiplayer lootershooter since its launch in 2014 will know, this is high praise – especially considering the new game isn’t even out yet. But seeing as Anthem comes from Bioware, the team behind the culture-defining Mass Effect series, it’s no mere hype.

One of the most interesting aspects of the game, which is set on a planet populated by humans and monsters, is that you don’t shoot your friends. “It’s cooperative. Exploring a deep, rich world together,” says game director Jon Warner. But really it’s all about the Iron-Man-style suits: “The Javelin exosuit is a power-fantasy – it allows you to do super-heroic things.”

Warner suggests mastering the art of high-mobility combat: “People have a tendency to run about, find cover or fight. But embrace how mobile you are – leap over enemies and target their vulnerabilities.” Here, he tells us how to do it…

4

Prime and detonate

THE NEW HOME OF GAMING AND ESPORTS IN THE UK

REDBULL.C O.U K/GAMINGSPHERE

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Do it to slow down in a race when tired, and if you hunch up and your form is poor, your stride changes, too. That’s when injuries occur.

4. Don’t over-stride

TRAIN LIKE A PRO

People think you get faster by just taking longer strides, but that adds pressure on your joints, and you may strike heels and jar your hips. Take shorter strides and land on your midfoot to forefoot.

Ultrarunning phenomenon Tom Evans knows that a fit body only gets you 50 per cent there.

Exercise your mind and success will follow…

5. Get goal-specific

GET YOUR MIND RACING

T

om Evans is the UK’s rising star in ultrarunning. The British Army officer was a complete unknown in the sport in 2017 when he entered the 254km Marathon des Sables and came third; he stunned the endurance sports world again the following year when he won the 101km Courmayeur Champex Chamonix race at the Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc in France.

According to the 27-year-old from Lewes, East Sussex, his sudden success is down to a combination of hard work and mental training.

Here are Evans’ 10 tips on how anyone can improve their running and achieve faster times…

TRAIN YOUR BODY 1. Increase your mileage slowly I only ever increase my mileage by 10 per cent per week. But I also add some extra cross-training to build my overall training time.

2. Cross-train People say they don’t have time to cross-train, but you just have to be prepared to make it. I always aim for a session on the bike or in the pool between runs. Don’t limit yourself to one sport – mix it up.

3. Do core work in the gym A lot of runners avoid the gym because they say it’ll bulk them up.

But your core is crucial: you tend

In the last weeks before the race, get more specific in your training.

Look at the course profile: if it’s hilly, you can replicate that on a treadmill. If there’s a 4km hill at 10 per cent, see how that feels.

TRAIN YOUR MIND 1. Project into the future Sometimes, on a cold morning, I don’t want to go out and train.

But I motivate myself by focusing on what the run will achieve: how will this session lead to my best performance at the next race?

2. Draw from the past When I’m in the race, I think back to all the hard work that’s got me there – not just my own, but also the help of friends and family. It puts my current discomfort into perspective and pushes me on.

3. Visualise Visualisation exercises help if done right. I used to visualise running a perfect race, but that didn’t work.

Now, I picture all the things I know could go wrong, mentally preparing for every eventuality.

Evans entered the Marathon des Sables after a bet with three Army friends that he could beat their times

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5. Back yourself with hard work Being aware of how hard you’re working is no bad thing. If I know I’ve put myself through the worst possible circumstances in training, the race can be the fun bit.

ADIDAS TERREX

It’s good to have a little phrase in your head for when things get tough. Mine is: ‘How much do you want it?’ It helps me to focus on my goals, both short and long term.

LOU BOYD

4. Have a mantra

Instagram: @tomevansultra

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Fitness

“When things get really tough, I ask myself, ‘How much do you want it?’”

Ultrarunner Tom Evans

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See it

Slopestyle specialists, the rising star of Indian rap, and mudcaked motoring in the mountains of Mexico – just some of this month’s highlights

Hear handpicked music and interviews with influential artists.

This month’s pick is . . .

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Ben Ferguson pulls off an air-tofakie in last year’s halfpipe qualifiers

February to 2 March LIVE

BURTON US OPEN

The elite of snowboarding will be descending on Vail, Colorado, for the highlight of the sport’s calendar: the 37th Burton US Open Snowboarding Championships. There’s not only the main event – progressive riding from the best slopestyle and halfpipe athletes on the planet – to enjoy, but also the celebrated Halfpipe Junior Jam, which features the world’s top riders aged 14 and under.

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March ON

Red Bull TV is a global digital entertainment destination featuring programming that is beyond the ordinary and is available anytime, anywhere.

Go online at redbull.tv, download the app, or connect via your Smart TV.

DEMAND

To find out more, visit redbull.tv

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India’s burgeoning hip-hop scene is set to explode on the global stage in 2019.

Watch the untold story of one of its biggest stars: Mumbai rapper Vivian Fernandes, better known as Divine.

8

14 March ON AIR

DIVINE

WATCH RED BULL TV ANYWHERE

OMAR S PRESENTS WFXHE

to 10 March

LIVE

WRC MEXICO

Rally Guanajuato México – the third stop on this year’s WRC calendar – is a highaltitude challenge, with drivers ripping through the Sierra de Lobos and Sierra de Guanajuato mountains. Watch it live.

Omar S would be the first to admit that the raw-and-dirty house tracks he releases as white labels on FXHE Records are primarily made as tools for DJs. But this Detroit manof-mystery has an output ranging from deep and emotional to harsh and minimalistic, paying tribute to jackin’ Chicago house and beatific Motor City techno. In his monthly show (11PM GMT), the drag-racing enthusiast serves up tunes from his vast collection.

LISTEN AT REDBULLRADIO.COM

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AARON BLATT/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, ALI BHARMAL/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, @WORLD/RED BULL CONTENT POOL

HITTING THE HIGH SPOTS

February/March

Do it

February/March

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March

RED BULL NEPTUNE STEPS

Fancy a swim in a freezing Scottish canal? No? Then this open-water swimming race – one of the world’s hardest – is not for you. But you can still spectate. The ‘uphill’ course forces competitors to swim 420m and climb 18m over seven lock gates in water as chilly as 3°C. And 2018 winners Dan Jones and Jennifer Davis will face tough competition this year – not least from Ross Edgley, fresh from his record-breaking circuit of Britain.

Mayhill Locks, Glasgow; redbull.com

LEO FRANCIS/RED BULL CONTENT POOL, HERBERT SCHULZE

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13

February onwards The Grand Expedition Gingerline does for supper clubs what Secret Cinema delivers for movies, and this is its greatest immersive-dining experience yet: five courses of gastronomy, served up in a living story. Tickets for April and May are now on sale, so act fast. Secret location, London; thegrandexpedition.co.uk

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February to 9 March Mushroom Rally If you’re hoping for an event that celebrates the portobello or the shiitake, sorry to burst your bubble: this is live-action Mario Kart, touring the UK. For your gold coins, you get 30 minutes at the wheel, and the Super Mario costume of your choice. Projectile red shells not included. Various locations, UK; mushroomrally.com

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to 31 March Re-Textured Festival The warehouse rave isn’t what it used to be: it has ascended to a higher art-form, performed in London’s most iconic Brutalist buildings. These are the perfect venues for a session of hard drone or techno, and even some old-school ambient from The Orb – who remember when raves really were raves. Across London; re-textured.com

to 28 March Blue Planet II: Live Could wildlife documentary-making get any better than David Attenborough’s incredible body of work, which began 67 years ago with a search for prehistoric fish? The answer is yes. Blue Planet II: Live In Concert presents scenes from one of the legendary naturalist’s greatest-ever series, on the big screen, with a live orchestra performing its Hans Zimmer-composed soundtrack. The show, which sadly doesn’t include live Attenborough, will tour the UK and Ireland across 14 dates.

Various locations, UK and Ireland; blueplanet2live.co.uk

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GLOBAL TEAM

THE RED BULLETIN WORLDWIDE

The Red Bulletin is published in seven countries. This is the cover of March’s French edition, which features eSports crew Team Vitality For more stories beyond the ordinary, go to: redbulletin.com

The Red Bulletin UK. ABC certified distribution 152,770 (Jan-June 2018)

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Editor-in-Chief Alexander Macheck Deputy Editors-in-Chief Waltraud Hable, Andreas Rottenschlager Creative Director Erik Turek Art Directors Kasimir Reimann (deputy CD), Miles English, Tara Thompson Head of Photo Fritz Schuster Deputy Head of Photo Marion Batty Photo Director Rudi Übelhör Production Editor Marion Lukas-Wildmann Managing Editor Ulrich Corazza Editors Christian Eberle-Abasolo, Jakob Hübner, Arek Piatek, Stefan Wagner Design Marion Bernert-Thomann, Martina de CarvalhoHutter, Kevin Goll, Carita Najewitz Photo Editors Susie Forman, Ellen Haas, Eva Kerschbaum, Tahira Mirza Global Head of Media Sales Gerhard Riedler Head of Media Sales International Peter Strutz Head of Commercial & Publishing Management Stefan Ebner Publishing Management Sara Varming (manager), Magdalena Bonecker, Manuela Gesslbauer, Melissa Stutz, Mia Wienerberger Communication Christoph Rietner Head of Creative Markus Kietreiber Creative Solutions Eva Locker (manager), Verena Schörkhuber, Edith Zöchling-Marchart Commercial Design Peter Knehtl (manager), Sasha Bunch, Simone Fischer, Martina Maier Advertising Placement Manuela Brandstätter, Monika Spitaler Head of Production Veronika Felder Production Wolfgang Stecher (manager), Walter O. Sádaba, Friedrich Indich, Sabine Wessig Repro Clemens Ragotzky (manager), Claudia Heis, Nenad Isailovi c,̀ Maximilian Kment, Josef Mühlbacher Office Management Yvonne Tremmel IT Systems Engineer Michael Thaler Subscriptions and Distribution Peter Schiffer (manager), Klaus Pleninger (distribution), Nicole Glaser (distribution), Yoldaş Yarar (subscriptions) Global Editorial Office Heinrich-Collin-Straße 1, A-1140 Vienna Tel: +43 1 90221 28800, Fax: +43 1 90221 28809 Web: redbulletin.com Red Bull Media House GmbH Oberst-Lepperdinger-Straße 11-15, A-5071 Wals bei Salzburg, FN 297115i, Landesgericht Salzburg, ATU63611700 General Manager and Publisher Andreas Kornhofer Directors Dietrich Mateschitz, Gerrit Meier, Dietmar Otti, Christopher Reindl

THE RED BULLETIN United Kingdom, ISSN 2308-5894 Acting Editor Tom Guise Associate Editor Lou Boyd Music Editor Florian Obkircher Chief Sub-Editor Davydd Chong Sub-Editor Nick Mee Publishing Manager Ollie Stretton Editor (on leave) Ruth Morgan Advertising Sales Mark Bishop, mark.bishop@redbull.com Printed by Prinovis GmbH & Co KG, Printing Company Nuremberg, 90471 Nuremberg, Germany UK Office Seven Dials Warehouse, 42-56 Earlham Street, London WC2H 9LA Tel: +44 (0) 20 3117 2000 Subscribe getredbulletin.com Enquiries or orders to: subs@uk. redbulletin.com. Back issues available to purchase at: getredbulletin.com.

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THE RED BULLETIN Austria, ISSN 1995-8838 Editor Christian Eberle-Abasolo Proofreaders Hans Fleißner (Ltg.), Petra Hannert, Monika Hasleder, Billy Kirnbauer-Walek Country Project Management Manuela Gesslbauer Media Sales Management Alfred Vrej Minassian Sales Promotion & Project Management Stefanie Krallinger

THE RED BULLETIN France, ISSN 2225-4722 Editor Pierre-Henri Camy Country Coordinator Christine Vitel Country Project M ­ anagement Alessandra Ballabeni Contributors, Translators and Proofreaders Étienne Bonamy, Frédéric & Susanne Fortas, Suzanne ­Kříženecký, Claire ­Schieffer, Jean-Pascal Vachon, Gwendolyn de Vries

THE RED BULLETIN Germany, ISSN 2079-4258 Editor David Mayer Proofreaders Hans Fleißner (Ltg.), Petra Hannert, Monika Hasleder, Billy Kirnbauer-Walek Country Project Management Natascha Djodat Advertising Sales Matej Anusic, matej.anusic@redbull.com Thomas Keihl, thomas.keihl@redbull.com

THE RED BULLETIN Mexico, ISSN 2308-5924 Editor Luis Alejandro Serrano Associate Editor Inmaculada Sánchez Trejo Managing Editor Marco Payán Proofreader Alma Rosa Guerrero Country Project Management Giovana Mollona Advertising Sales Humberto Amaya Bernard, humberto.amayabernard@redbull.com

THE RED BULLETIN Switzerland, ISSN 2308-5886 Editor Arek Piatek Proofreaders Hans Fleißner (Ltg.), Petra Hannert, Monika Hasleder, Billy Kirnbauer-Walek Country Project Management Meike Koch Advertising Sales Marcel Bannwart, marcel.bannwart@redbull.com

THE RED BULLETIN USA, ISSN 2308-586X Editor-in-Chief Peter Flax Deputy Editor Nora O’Donnell Copy Chief David Caplan Director of Publishing Cheryl Angelheart Country Project Management Melissa Thompson Advertising Sales Todd Peters, todd.peters@redbull.com Dave Szych, dave.szych@redbull.com Tanya Foster, tanya.foster@redbull.com

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Söderström stays warm with smart use of functional clothing layers

The adidas Terrex Climaheat Down Jacket has Climaheat technology to eliminate cold spots, and seals at the cuffs and collar to trap warm air inside and help prevent heat loss

Wear the right gear “As a mountain bike rider, I’m constantly on the search for altitude and descents. We have a saying in Sweden: ‘There’s never bad weather if you have the right clothes.’ Choose a base layer, a mid layer and a lightweight jacket. I’m currently riding in the Terrex Climaheat jacket, and I’m very impressed with how it breathes and manages moisture.

If you overheat and have to carry it with you, it’s no problem as the jacket only weighs 400g.”

HOT TIPS FOR COLD RIDES

Professional mountain biker and MTB slopestyle champion Martin Söderström doesn’t let winter get in the way of his training

M

ountain biking isn’t a sport that’s usually associated with cold weather. For Swedish MTB athlete Martin Söderström, however, riding in rain and freezing temperatures is part of his daily routine. Here, the 28-year-old shares his best cold-weather training tactics and tells us about his personal rituals when hitting winter trails…

Warm up “It’s harder to ride in slippery conditions, but the big challenge is to stay warm. The body performs more effectively when it’s warmed up; it’s also better equipped to take a crash or two. If you carry lightweight equipment, you can start with layers and then take them off as you heat up.”

Embrace the challenge “When it’s cold and dark, the biggest challenge is the mental effort of leaving a warm house.

But as soon as you get out and get warm, you never regret it.

During a photoshoot last winter, we had to ride on the frozen lakes around Stockholm. The tricky part was staying warm during the long breaks. That’s when you need clothing that releases the moisture, but traps in the heat.”

Focus on your performance “I’ve realised that my training during the winter is a lot more focused. With the preparations that go into every session, I’m going to make every second that I’m on the bike count.”

Hitting the roof In his video Good Morning, freeskier Richard Permin thinks outside the box (slide), jumping from sloped roof to sloped roof in the French mountain resort of Avoriaz. But the production was no smooth ride: filming was delayed after the Parisian broke both his heels on the very first day of the shoot in 2016. Watch the video at redbull.com

The next issue of THE RED BULLETIN is out on March 12 98  

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