Alpine freeriding: Bike pro Jérôme Caroli (29): "Biking like deep-snow skiing - totally awesome!"
Dimitri Lehner
· 05.03.2025
BIKE: Your YouTube clip shows breathtaking freeriding on Alpine peaks. It's almost unbelievable that you can bike there at all. Where did you get the skills?
Jérôme Caroli: I have competed in many World Cup races, mainly downhill. I also took part in the Red Bull Hardline three times. So I was quite well prepared for this terrain in terms of my skills. I'm also an experienced freeskier. So this alpine terrain is nothing new to me.
Are you a hardline rider? I follow extreme downhill, but your name seems to have slipped through.
2019 was the last time, but I didn't take part in the final because of a crash. My best result was 12th place at the Red Bull Hardline in Wales - that was in 2018.
How did you come up with the idea for this clip - did your skiing have anything to do with it?
Yes, skiing gave me the idea for this "Get High" project. I wanted to bike where I ski in winter. Way up in the alpine terrain.
You've succeeded. The scenes where you surf down the whole mountain side on your bike look like skiing. The technique is difficult. Where do you practise that?
In Utah, for example. I was at the Red Bull Rampage as a trail builder for Vinny T. It was my first time surfing down mountain flanks in loose gravel. I was able to test out the technique and learn how to manoeuvre my bike through the turns. This worked best at a spot called Big Water. Biking there is like skiing. In Switzerland, on the other hand, it is very difficult to find a suitable spot. The gravel is usually fine enough in the upper part of the slope, but then becomes increasingly coarser until you hit real boulders further down, which is treacherous. And no fun at all. If you come hurtling down at high speed, it can be really dangerous.
But then you have found a good slope.
Yes, in Upper Valais, not far from where I live. I live in Verbier. I had precise ideas about what the shot should look like. I wanted a great panorama and a line like the one I would ski. Wide, flowy, smooth.
Your clip "Get High" lasts less than three minutes. But I bet it was a hell of a lot of work.
The biggest job was scouting. Finding the right terrain in the first place. I put a lot of time into that. It would have taken even longer if I'd had to keep descending into the valley. But I'm a paraglider and flew down into the valley. I also managed to scout out the terrain in flight. I found a lot of terrain that was rideable, but only slowly. I didn't want that. I wanted to go fast. My film crew often pulled me up the mountain on e-bikes. That also saved some time. Nevertheless, the filming dragged on. Weather, light... so much has to go together.
In the film clip you say: Falling is not an option. Did you fall?
No. Thank God not. I don't have a "loose cannon" attitude, not at all. I'm very calculated and think long and hard about what I want to risk. That's why I prefer to hold back a little.
It doesn't look like you've been holding back at all.
Ha ha, that was because I first rode the passage a few times until I had it under control. Only then did I step on the gas. I take my time and only when I'm ready, I'm ready ha ha.
The type of biking is similar to freeskiing. There are also couloirs and slopes where you simply can't fall.
Guys who specialise in scree surfing like Brage Vestavik use a big bike. You, on the other hand, rode the Scor 4060, a light enduro bike. Why?
Scor was my sponsor. They don't have a downhill bike in their programme. The Scor 4060 LT is the largest calibre. That's why I used it. It worked well - the uphills would have been very tedious with a downhill bike.
When you think about your clip, which parts did you enjoy the most?
Oh, every section had its charm. For example, the ridge rides. There's the thrill of maintaining speed, making it look flowy and the satisfaction of being able to ride there at all. Because often you don't even know if it will work. What's more, the ridge is practically at my home and nobody has ever ridden there on a bike before. That made it even more appealing. But of course also the mountain flanks. Especially when I managed to ride a nice line, a ski line.
It seems that Kilan Bron now has competition.
Ha ha, no, I don't want to compete with Kilian Bron, I want to do my own thing.
I say that because I've only ever seen Kilian Bron ride like that in climbing terrain, with that speed and flow. Or Gee Atherton. Do you want to continue there? Do you have any new video projects in mind?
Yes, I'm currently working on a 2-year project. It's going to be an action documentary that not only includes biking, but also freeskiing and paragliding. I love the mountains, so it was a natural progression to bring these sports together.
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Dimitri Lehner
Editor
