mombo vipi from across the seaz

Hey nar shredders. Michael here.

First order of biz is to give a hearty congrats to the bear cub for his doings in Russia. Nice work AJ, makin all us proud! Same goes out to all the other competitors, cant wait to see some photos and vids from that event.

So, as the mountainboard season comes to an end, so does the work of the onefive camera department. All that crunk footie we shot this year will now be sent into the editing room to grow and mature into a proper motion picture. This task of course rests largely on the broad shoulders of the esteemed Justin Dersham. You’ll have to ask him how that’s going because, frankly, I don’t really know, I’m in Africa.

That’s right, I’ve been kickin it oldie in Kenya for the last couple months, exploring the terrain, peepin some animals and chillin with the locals. When not climbing Mount Kenya or chasing lions across the Serengeti, I spend most of my days here in a leisurely way; browsing the markets, enjoying frequent tea breaks or conversing with new friends long into the night. The convo’s had here are slightly different as, sadly, few Africans have ever heard of mountainboarding.

Mb’in may not have much of a presence in Africa today (North of JoBurg that is, I know there’s rippers in South Africa) it certainly could in the future. Last week I traveled to a little country called Uganda. If there is anywhere that’s ready for this sport, its here, particularly a small town called Jinja on the shores of Lake Victoria. Jinja has long been known as the adventure capital of Africa offering world class white water rafting (BAUDASS!) bungee jumping and mountain biking.
One day, while taking a mountain ride through the rainforest with my new friend and local Ugandan, Nash, I made the comment, “This is an awesome ride Nash, but sometimes I feel like I should just be shralpin this niz on four wheels, you know?” He had no idea what I was talking about, BUT he was interested. I explained to him that with the short work of some dedicated diggers he could have some fine jumps in the rainforest, and that it might be fun to strap some boards to our feet and go sideways these beautiful hills. I spent the rest of the day in wonder of both the scenery and the endless dirt riding possibilities it held. Apparently there are some dirt jumps set up a ways outside of town, but I never made it out there to check them out. Next time..

Also, I mentioned rafting earlier. If you ever find yourself in Uganda, raft the Nile! Its insane!

Anyway, Africa is awesome, alliteration is awesome, and traveling here is one of the best things I’ve ever done. Mountainboarding, snowboarding, skating, its all about exploration, trying new things. Just like livin’. Keep it fun out there, keep it fresh. Travel to Africa if you ever get the chance.

Until next time onefiver’s
kwa heri
peace peace peace

Michael

PS. pictures are just too much for Africa's internet.. maybe in the next blog..