Short movie about VERTRIDE - Piz Boe

I'm delighted you opened this blog. You can delve into the creation of this project in collaboration with Rasťo Hatiar, the creator of mountain films, including those featured on Slovak TV RTV screens in the show "Extremely in the Mountains."


Anyone familiar with me knows that I'm an ardent enthusiast of riding in the most challenging terrain a bike and rider can face. You may have observed some of my rides and "movies" on my YouTube channel. Matus, who knows Rasto personally and persuaded me that what I showcase on the bike in my videos deserves to be meticulously documented under his direction, has also witnessed them. I told myself that I had nothing to lose. I reached out to Rasto, sent him a couple of videos to give him a glimpse of what I was up to, and as he hadn't encountered anything like vertride before, he was intrigued by the idea of documenting it in his show "Extreme in the Mountains."

All that remained was to select a location for filming. Since the sites suited for capturing the essence of vertride are in Slovakia's high protection zones, where the bicycle is unfortunately an absolute catastrophe from a conservation perspective, there was no other choice but to venture to foreign countries to explore the mountains, where they may protect nature even better than we do in Slovakia, but they also recognize that the bicycle is not something that would harm nature more than a tourist.Then, the only thing left to do was to contact someone who knows and rides in alpine terrain. No other pair came to mind other than Axel and Sylvia, who I am acquainted with. Anyone who has ever heard of vertride knows who these two are. They proposed a peak in the Italian Dolomites called Piz Boe. Since I was unfamiliar with the location and trusted them wholeheartedly, I agreed and didn't give it another thought.


Rasto had a slot for our project at the beginning of July 2023. So we agreed and hoped to avoid the storms, which are quite common during this period. I was just deciding whether to go alone or invite some riders from my area. First, I asked Tolek, my Polish friend, with whom I had already done a couple of trips to the Alps. Unfortunately, he couldn't go, but on the other hand, he still made it into the film, as Rasto used a few shots from our trips in the Alps together to start the film. I don't know many riders who are still fans of this style of riding. I tried calling Martin, with whom I had already ridden together in Slovak vert. Martin didn't hesitate, called his boss not to wait for him at work (he is a clever mechanic at the bike shop in Dolný Kubin) and arrived in the evening at my home, from where we were already leaving in the morning in the direction of the Dolomites. There we were to meet in the evening at the Passo Pordoi saddle with Rasto, who was to arrive there in his camper van, and also with Axel and Sylvia, who were to arrive in their camper van. Martin and I are big spenders, so we booked a deluxe hotel right in the saddle with breakfast, dinner, sauna, jacuzzi, and a lot of other things that we didn't even have time to use. On the way, Sylvia texted me that they couldn't start the van but that they were just working on it and would see us. Unfortunately, in the evening the news came that the car problem was more serious and they couldn't come. We were left on our own. Sylvia at least texted me how to get up and then when to ride down to the opposite side of the valley, where we were supposed to go through the most difficult sections.

We had tea in Rasto's van and decided that in the morning, depending on the weather, we would start as early as possible and see how things would unfold. We hadn't even laid down in our beds in our luxury hotel and already an incredible thunderstorm had started, with strong winds, lightning and thunder. I fell asleep knowing that we had travelled a long way for nothing. I don't know how long the storm lasted, but in the morning, when I woke up, I could see the sun's rays breaking through the horizon and the clouds, and with the sunrise, hope dawned that we hadn't travelled the long way here for nothing.

Rasto, with the prepared equipment, Martin, and I ascend from the Passo Pordoi saddle to the summit of Piz Boe on our bikes. Everywhere is the peace and quiet of the mountains. Clouds have blanketed the sky, and in the still absence of wind, we don't dare to hope they'll dissipate and reveal the sun. As we climb, we analyze the terrain and assess our options. Reaching the Forcella Pordoi saddle, we gain our first glimpse of Piz Boe's majestic summit, along with the aftermath of a night storm that has blanketed the higher altitudes in a layer of fresh snow.


Drawing on my experience, I'm not overly concerned about the snow. In fact, it adds an atmosphere befitting the title of our show, "Extreme in the Mountains." We continue our ascent, passing through a couple of ferrata sections. Upon reaching the summit, what we didn't dare to hope for unfolds before our eyes. The clouds recede, the sun shines brightly, and the Dolomites are revealed in all their splendor. However, considering the snow and the absence of Axel and Sylvia, we decide against venturing into unfamiliar terrain without their guidance. Instead, we opt to ride on paths we had at least had the chance to observe during our ascent.


How dangerous it could have been, I was convinced right at my first attempt captured with Rasťo's lens, when without much thought, I decided to go down from a high rock, which, as I found out afterwards, I was supposed to drop-down, not to ride down. Since the snow had covered the actual height of the finish, my front wheel dropped much lower than I had  expected. Only my quick reaction and a huge stroke of luck separated this whole project from continuing successfully, or crushing my chin on the rock in front of me and leaving home without any material for the film. Later, when we were home and Rasto had finished editing the film, he confessed to me that at that moment he was thinking in his mind about what kind of amateurs they were and whether he was in the right place. Fortunately, we immediately corrected the bad first impression.


I'm not going to describe any further how it went on. You could see it all in the show Extreme in the Mountains in November, and if you miss it, you can watch it online now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7tDLfmSFSl8