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Every single movement has s p ee d - i t ’ s u n i v e r s a l . A s h u m a n s , w e a r e d e f i n e d b y t h e s p ee d at w h i c h w e t h i n k , m ov e a n d p r o g r e s s . S p ee d m a y b e d e t e r m i n e d b y f o r c e , s pa c e , t i m e , g r av i t y a n d r e s i s ta n c e - t h i n g s t h at g i v e m ov e m e n t c o n t e x t a n d ta k e i t f r o m t h e m u n da n e to t h e s p e c tac u l a r - b u t i t ’ s p e o p l e w h o d e t e r m i n e s p ee d , p u s h i n g i t t o t h e next level, above and beyond the limits of ‘possible’. I n t h i s i s s u e , w e c e l e b r at e t h e p e o p l e , p l ac e s a n d t e c h n o lo g i e s at t h e c e n t r e o f t h e s p ee d w o r l d - s m a s h i n g w o r l d r e c o r d s and reshaping the world around them. S p ee d i s u n i v e r s a l , b u t o n ly y o u c a n make it unique.
COV E R ARTWORK b y CRAIG R E DMAN
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Blake Jorgenson
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Words ED ANDREWS
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PHOTOGRAPHY RICHIE HOPSON
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M oto rc yc l e r ac e r a n d n i n e -t i m e M oto G P Wo r l d Champ i o n Va l e n t i n o Ro s s i w i l l n e v e r sto p t r y i n g t o b e th e b e s t.
t’s a sunny June afternoon at the Dainese headquarters in Vicenza, Italy, when a black people carrier pulls up outside its futuristic exhibition hall. A tanned, lithe and bright-eyed man steps out in shorts, T-shirt and a rough Mohawk haircut. Everything from his custom luminous yellow Nike High Dunks to his cap, belt and socks have the same VR/46 logo – announcing to the world that Valentino Rossi has arrived. The thirty-two-year-old racer has flown here for the day from his hometown of Tavullia to shoot some photos for his long-time sponsor and meet with fans. He dons his AGV helmet and walks into a meeting room, surprising the crowd inside. The room erupts in a warm applause that quickly escalates to a standing ovation. Soon enough, he’s surrounded by an energetic swarm of fans brandishing cameras and pieces of paper to sign. Obliging and good-natured, he beams for photos and gives hugs and handshakes with a sparkle in his eye. Not many people in the world exude this elusive star-quality, but Rossi has earned his celebrity status. Born in the town of Urbino in 1979, Valentino Rossi embraced speed from a very young age. Inheriting a taste for going fast from his Grand Prix-racing father Graziano Rossi, he was racing karts when he was just five years old. After winning many regional championships in karting, Rossi moved over to get his motorcycle-racing baptism in the 50cc world of minimoto in 1991. With his talent on a bike clearly emerging, he was soon rising up the classes: 100cc then 125cc with his first 125cc Grand Prix in 1996. Just one year later, he was standing on the podium in Sentul, Indonesia having been crowned, in 1997, the 125 cc World Champion. But this wasn’t beginners luck. Every season since that historic victory he’s finished in the top three with a total of nine World Championship titles – claiming titles with three different bike teams; Aprilia, Honda and Yamaha. He currently holds the all-time record for most 500cc MotoGP race victories – a total of seventy-nine. Nowadays, Rossi is very much the renowned face of motorcycle racing. With flamboyant victory celebrations and his passion for unconventional helmets and race suits (look up his risqué ‘WLF’ moto), the man nicknamed ‘The Doctor’ brings life and character to a sport deafened by revving engines and shielded faces. He may fondly cling to the number 46 as his racing number – in tribute to his father – but Rossi is very much number one.
W h i l e t h e m o u n ta i n s o f f e r p l e n t y o f f u n a n d a dv e n t u r e , t h e t h r e at o f a v a l a n c h e s i s v e r y r e a l . THEY a r e n o t rare or random, if a slope has snow on it and it’s steep enough to ski d o w n , t h e n a n ava l a n c h e c a n o c c u r . I t ’ s e s t i m at e d t h at ov e r a m i l l i o n ava l a n c h e s happen g l o b a l ly each y e a r , r e s u lt i n g i n a b o u t 1 5 0 d e a t h s , and a quarter of these occur in the European Alps. Whenever you are out i n t h e m o u n ta i n s , i t ’ s i m p o r ta n t to b e awa r e o f t h e r i s ks . B e s a f e o ut t h e r e .
Words ED ANDREWS
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PHOTOGRAPHY Y A N N G R O S S
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Cause The size and type of an avalanche is influenced by slope steepness, snow fall, temperature and wind. They are triggered by either movement or loud noise. Ninety percent of people caught in avalanches have triggered them themselves.
Debris Avalanches regularly pick up and carry ice, rocks, trees and other debris, dramatically increasing the risk of injury for those caught up in them.
Speed Avalanches can exceed speeds of 300kph and reach 10,000,000 tonnes in mass. Because of this, they can travel long distances along flat valley floors and even up the sides of mountains for short distances.
Flow A powder cloud forms above the avalanche as it accelerates over obstacles on the slope surface, such as cliffs and rocks. The snow mixes with the air but the density and turbulence of the mix means that the powder cloud flows down the mountain, pulled by the force of gravity like a liquid.
PATH The avalanche track is the path that an avalanche follows as it goes downhill. Gullies and chutes act like natural funnels for this path. Missing trees are a sign of a regular avalanche track, as well as large pile-ups of snow and debris at the bottom of a slope, known as the ‘runout zone’.
TreEs Forested mountainsides are generally at lower risk of avalanches than open slopes as the trees can help trap and stabilise the snow. Lone trees or large rocks can weaken the stability of the snowpack by providing a point of fracture across the slope.
Safety Be Safe: Ski resorts monitor the risk of avalanches and provide information on the scale of the danger at any time. Always check the avalanche status before you venture out into the mountains. For those heading into the backcountry, a transceiver, shovel – and training in how to use them is essential
H E M AY B E A D O R E D F O R P U S H I N G H I M S E L F A N D H I S M OTO R B I K E TO T H E L I M I T O N T H E WO R L D’S M O ST P E R I LOUS TRACKS, BUT FULL-TIME MECHANIC-TURNED-HOBBY R A C E R G U Y M A R T I N I S T O O F A S T F O R T H E L I M E L I G H T. WORDS GARY INMAN
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PHOTOGRAPHY SAM CHRISTMAS
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BLAke jorgenson
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S e t i n th e sh a d o w o f th e l e g e n d a r y M a tt e r h o r n , th e t o w n OF Z e r m a tt i n S w i tz e r l a n d i s th e e p i t o m e o f e v e r y th i n g th a t i s b e a u t i f u l a b o u t th e m o u n t a i n s . Its l u sh f o r e sts , r u sh i n g r i v e r s , c l e a n a i r a n d s n o w y p e a k s m a k e f o r o n e st u n n i n g p l a c e . O n o n e f i n e d a y, f o u r f r i e n d s h e a d o u t t o e n j o y a l l th a t th i s a l p i n e p a r a d i s e h a s t o o f f e r .
P h o t o g r a ph y G r e g F u N n e l l
Marco wears GT Helmet, GT Goggles.
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Top left: Kara wears Waistcoat Soft Lady. Bottom left: Kara wears Calgary Evo D-Dry速 Jacket and Pants. Marco wears Second Skin D-Dry速 Jacket and Pants. Main image: Luca wears Carbon Tech New Gloves D-Dry速.
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Karen Desjardin
The End.
Thanks to Zermatt Tourist Board (www.zermatt.ch) and Hotel Post (www.hotelpost.ch).
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S e t i n t h e r u gg e d p e a k s h i g h a b o v e t h e m o u n t a i n resort of Les Deux Alpes in the French Alps, the M o u n ta i n o f H e l l b i k e r a c e i s a s to u g h a s i t g e t s . T a k i n g p l a c e i n J u ly 2 0 1 1 , t h i s t h r e e - d a y e v e n t s a w a r o u n d 4 5 0 r i d e r s b at t l e i t o u t d o w n t h e s u b - l u n a r a l p i n e t e r r a i n . W i t h p e r i lo u s r o c k y pat h s , h a r s h w e at h e r a n d l o a d s o f f i e r c e c o m p e t i t o r s , r i d e r s n e e d ED b o t h s k i l l a n d b r a v e r y t o g o f a s t e r t h a n t h e r e s t. . .
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Photography Greg Funnell
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dainese.com
Aksel lund svindAl — Winter Olympics Medallist
Product: action wave back Protector Since 1972, Dainese has designed human body protection to push dynamic sport to the limits. That means 40 years dedicated to professional exploration and technological innovation, to provide maximum safety and total freedom. Dainese apply their expertise to the exhilarating world of Winter Sports that demands freedom of movement and safety assurance to achieve individual expression on the edge. The Dainese Mission: Ultimate human body protection for all dynamic sport.