New Zealand
This country has always held a special fascination for Hans. That’s why he keeps going back. For his how-to video “Monkey See, Monkey Do”, Hans rode his GT mountain bike off a high bridge with a bungy cord, and plunged completely underwater before being ripped back up into the air still attached to his bike. He also rode the edge of treacherous white water rapids and even herded a few sheep. More recently, he did the unthinkable. As a publicity stunt, Hans rode down the vertical face of an Auckland high-rise. Utilizing a specially designed harness and braking system, Hans descended the 13 stories straight down.
For the making of his new video “Big Five” Hans and adventure riding sidekick, Greg “H-Ball” Herbold went to Africa. Here they rode the cliffs above Capetown, pretended to herd wild lions, rhinos, giraffes etc. in a game park (actually they were herded by the animals!), and hung out with the local bushmen experiencing their culture while letting the locals learn, touch, try to ride, and dance with these two crazy Californians.
For three and a half hours I hiked in a trance-like state with my bike on my back, with every step I cursed its weight and questioned the wisdom of bringing it on this trip. I labored over a steep, switchbacking trail that serpentined up a deep jungled valley toward a 13,500 foot gap in the mountains called Dead Woman Pass. I stumbled over slippery rocks and roots in a section of cloud forest, where moss hung heavily from the white-barked alisos trees, bamboo sprouted toward the sky and giant ferns carpeted the moist ground.
Again, in search to ride the unrideable, Hans' eyes drifted toward Jamaica, where the Dunn River waterfalls waited to test Hans' talents. Taking world renowned sports action cinematographer, Michael Graber, and top extreme sports photographer, Bob Allen, Hans again proved nothing is unconquerable as he bounced, hopped, jumped, and fell his way up and down this natural, cascading, staircase of water and volcanic rock over 1000 meters long. While there, they rode and visited with the locals and brought the experience home to the rest of the world. Most of this is featured in Hans' video "Level Vibes."