Chris Van Dine grew up riding in the hills of Carbon County, Pennsylvania, where he would get lost for days at a time once he obtained possession of his first mountain bike. All that time on the bike paid off, too. Today, Van Dine is one of the most accomplished pro riders around, and a standout in numerous mountain biking disciplines. Whether we’re talking urban downhills in South America, World Cup races in Europe, or the Red Bull Rampage in Southern Utah, he’s up for any challenge.
But Van Dine, who now resides in Park City, Utah, still loves getting lost more than anything. “There’s something fun about discovering something new in your own backyard,” he explains. And with the entire Wasatch Mountain range within striking distance, there’s no shortage of places to get lost, and rumors of new trails to chase.
To that end, Van Dine recruited his buddies Ford Robinson, Nathaniel “Pouch” Gauthier, and Jess Pedersen to join his private search party after hearing about a new trail hidden high in the Wasatch range that none of them had ever experienced. “We had a general idea of where we were headed,” he explains. “But there was no map to the trailhead, and definitely no pinpoint to our destination, so we knew going in there might be a goose chase involved.”
Fortunately, he had a very tolerant group of passengers, and a comfy Ford Expedition to do their hill hunting in. Van Dine and his crew put it to good use riding high on the rugged roads of Northern Utah looking for their trailhead.
On two separate occasions they were convinced they’d found it. But after jumping on their bikes to scout things out they quickly realized they were wrong. “It wasn’t a total loss,” Van Dine explains. “The first time we found this beautiful waterfall, which was the perfect place to cool down before climbing back to the car. And the second time we found an old mining shaft that we got to explore. That was mind blowing.”
Eventually, phone reception returned as they drove up and out of a deep canyon to the top of a ridge. That allowed for an impromptu conference call with the source of the rumor, and an internal debate about where they were on the map. Then, moments later, Pouch spotted a ribbon of trail that was conveniently camouflaged on a nearby hillside. The chased it to its source, and were soon celebrating their discovery.
Fortunately, the steep downhill lived up to the hype. “And the riding was great,” says Van Dine. “But that thrill fades pretty fast. But messing with your buddies in the car, getting lost, arguing over which way to go…that’s what sticks with you. There’s a good case to be made for getting lost.”
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