I had no idea how much you guys liked this top 10 trails web edits thing until emails started pouring in over the last couple weeks asking if I was going to be doing it this year! Truth be told, I’ve been nibbling away at it since the beginning of the month but all the traveling that I’ve also been doing slowed things down a bit. It’s always a pretty tough job putting this list together, but this year was the toughest yet. After going back through 2015’s videos I ended up with a “short list” of a few dozen videos that needed to be whittled down to just ten. After a lot of back and forth and enough inner dialog to probably be deemed legally insane, here is the list of my ten favorite trails web edits to come out in 2015. As usual, feel free to let me know in the comments whether you agree, disagree, or think I left something out!
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10. Shawn Real – DIG Low Profile
Straight up, the only reason that Shawn’s Low Profile from DIG isn’t in the top five is because of all of the ramp footage that’s mixed in. That said, my jaw not only hit the ground the first time I watched this, but every single time after. There are literally too many WTF moments in here to list. From the first case to the last 450, you’re entertained the whole way through!
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9. The Don’s Jam
Throw a jam at a set of trails that had people from all over the world talking about them, add in some of the Northwest’s heaviest hitters, and set it all to a Judas Priest soundtrack. If that’s not a recipe for a kick ass trails edit, I don’t know what is. I had so many people asking me about these trails after this edit dropped!
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8. Villa Road – The Woodyard Summer 2015
2015 saw a new clothing/lifestyle brand emerge by the name of Villa Road. Headed up by some of the same guys responsible for the Woodyard Trails, it was to be expected that the trails would be an integral part of the brand’s media presence. This Villa Road branded edit from summer sessions at Woodyard set the bar pretty damn high as to what we can expect to see from them moving forward.
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7. Dig – Catty & Posh Halls Of Weenies Jam
With both Catty and Posh now throwing jams, the Lehigh Valley is absolutely the place to be around Halloween! Dolecki did a fantastic job with this DIG edit of capturing not just the weekend’s events, but also the fun times and good vibes that surround them. I’m sure he also managed to put in more laps than anyone else while doing so!
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6. Dan Closser – Solstice 2014
I have to revisit one of my original descriptions here. “Legendary trails and a dude who has reached a legend status of equal proportions.” That really sums up Dan Closser’s Solstice edit! Seeing him effortlessly flow through the place almost makes you forget how god damn big those jumps actually are.
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5. Laguna
This one won me over with its production value. The filming and the sound quality were absolutely amazing, and the trails and Daniel Fleury’s riding were right on par with them. The thing about Laguna is that it isn’t a place that you see a whole lot of. It almost kind of has a mysterious aura around it. This edit not only does a great job of showcasing both the trails and Daniels riding, but also conveying that vibe of mystery.
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4. United TRU Frame Promo
United could have thrown together some riding clips and a few product shots and called it a day with this promo for their TRU frame. Instead the frame took a backseat and this promo for it became more of a look into what drives us trail riders/builders to do what we do. They really would have been hard pressed to have found a more perfect person for this than Tyson Jones-Peni. His passion for building trails is just as strong and powerful as the way he rides them, and that really comes through in here.
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3. Large
There’s not a single trail rider out there who doesn’t get excited when they see footage from New Zealand’s PMP trails, and in my opinion this is the best footage to come out of there yet. No energy drink funded production here, this edit is just the purest representation of the trails and the crew who builds and rides them.
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2. Snakewoods Last Call
I really don’t think there’s a trail crew out there who has more fun than the dudes at Snakewoods… or at least that’s what their edits lead me to believe. A year of solid edits coming from Snakewoods cumulated with this one from what may have unfortunately been their last jam. James Fox did an excellent job of capturing every last bit of the fun that was had that day. If I had one negative thing to say about it, it would be that when you watch this you end hating the fact that you weren’t there.
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1. Deluxe – East Coast Trails Trip
Well that brings us to number one on my list, Ty Stuyvesant’s video from Deluxe’s East Coast Trails Trip. Deluxe has had a long history of producing amazing trails content, and I’m glad to see that has seamlessly carried on through the change of ownership. It would honestly be really hard to take a crew of guys like the ones Deluxe has on their team on a road trip to the land of trails that is the Northeast of the United States and not come back with something amazing! The way Ty put it all together is what really makes this something special. It leans more towards being a documentary than just an edit, and I think that broadens its appeal beyond just us trail riders. A person who has never ridden trails or even BMX could watch this and appreciate not just the riding, but also the sense of comradery that comes along with what we do.
