Did you see riders that impressed you that you haven’t heard of before? Or did someone do something that you had not seen before? Chad: I was impressed on Jorge Jovel's spic twister video. I've seen it from him through the whole learning process and he's grown as a rider and learned a lot of new stuff like that crazy spin. It's nice to see some young blood get some attention and show the event organizers that Vert isn't dead and kids still ride it. Jan Valenta always impresses me with his unique European perspectives and flow.
Do you believe FAT VERT WEEK will get more people to try out the halfpipe at the park?
Chad: vert gets portrayed by the regular comps on TV a certain way that doesn't make vert seem attainable or give it the attention it deserves with background. Comps will show guys making a street edit but when they show vert they almost always show the riders "training in foam". This week it's cool to show a fun background of vert in a different way. I hope this week gets more riders to jump up on the vert ramp and flow around like you can on trails without getting dirty, ha ha. After riding a big vert ramp everything else seems so small and less intimidating in comparison. I've ridden and still ride park, trails and street... nothing feels as good as a 10-12 foot air on vert.
With practically no BMX vert contests in Europe this yea
r, what do you think needs to be done to get the event organizers back into it? Chad: there are vert events in the works for the next few years around the world. It's going to be fun having new events like X Games expanding to 4 summer events around the world, ASA coming up with more events and Achim Kujawski is always looking to do his Xtreme Playgrounds vert events in Germany. I think with the new formats we've done to vert comps makes them faster paced and more exciting to watch. The organizers just need to take the chance to run another event and schedule it right to not conflict with the few big events in the States so all of us vert riders can get there.
Vert ramps are big these days. Do you think it would be good to have 10 feet high ramps available so people can get used to riding vert instead of the 14 feet tall ramps with 3 feet of vert?
Chad: A few years ago I organized a vert gathering at Woodward East to have fun and talk about the future. One of things I brought up was ramp size. For the younger guys I think a 10 foot ramp with 6 inches of vert would be rad. That's close dimensions to the 10 foot quarter in Lot 8 before the box jump and everyone loves it. I think it would get more people interested in going high on a half pipe and realizing how fun it can be. It just takes time to
understand what it takes to flow. The big vert ramps are intimidating and a lot of work to ride until you get up to about a 6 foot air. Once you go that high the ramp really becomes fun to flow on. Much much does it hurt to fall from 12 feet in the air to the flat bottom of the ramp? Do you have time to think on the way down?
Chad: As with any crash, you know you're going down as soon as you take off. With the amount of time it takes to crash from 12 feet out of a vert ramp you can go through a few different s to crash and how to asses the best way to get hurt the least. It's not much fun falling that far but it does allow you time to crash the best way possible. My last fall on Mega was about a 35 foot drop and I thought a lot about how much it's going to suck when I hit the floor... it sucks.
What safety gear do you use pretty much every time you step on a vert ramp for a session?
Chad: I don't like to mess with a vert ramp without pads so I go on with a full face, shin, gloves & knee pads. The only thing that is an option is elbow pads on occasion but when I start going high I always put them on.
What’s the highest air you think you’ve done?
Chad: on vert it was during the Huck J
amp on Tony's perfect ramp at 14-15 foot high. On Megas I've gone about 22 feet. What’s the gnarliest trick you’ve pulled on vert?
Chad: Flair double whip
When is your next vert session going to be?
Chad: I've got a while until the next time I ride a vert ramp in a way that I consider "riding" since I'm still healing from a broke femur. I'll ride the ramp next week but I hope my first real session is late November.
After doing a BMX 'zine for ten years (1987 - 1996) FATBMX made it on the internet. The year was 1998. Here to stay.