Between Storms and Sunbreaks with Brett Tippie

A week in British Columbia can cover a lot of ground — especially when the weather refuses to pick a lane.

What started as a shoot quickly turned into a moving target. With Brett Tippie leading the charge — a rider whose approach helped define freeride long before it had a name — each stop came with its own set of conditions and decisions.

Here’s how it played out, in his own words.

Story by Brett Tippie — Photos by Ale Di Lullo

"When I got my new Aventon Current, I couldn’t wait to rip it in my BC backyard—and right away, it blew past expectations. I hit familiar local trails, and it instantly felt dialed, confident, and way more capable than I imagined.

"Then my good buddy—and one of the world’s best MTB photographers, Ale di Lullo, flew in from Italy to ride and shoot. We kicked things off in the Fraser Valley with perfect tacky dirt and bluebird skies to get out there immediately, right after Ale got off the plane.

"We chased snow next with sunny spring laps at Mt. Seymour, before it snowed right down to sea level on the North Shore, and a week of nonstop rain forced us higher into fresh powder because it would’ve been unethical to ride the trails in that much mud. Ale, more at home on a bike than skis, did his first powder turns at Cypress and Whistler, even shooting twilight laps above Howe Sound with Niterider headlamps.

"When things dried out, we got back on the bikes. Mt Seymour was still snowy up high and slick everywhere, but the Current handled everything like greasy roots, steep rock rolls, and heavy compressions like it was built for it. Nimble, precise, and totally at home on tight North Shore tech. I couldn’t believe how comfortable this 140mm trail bike was in my backyard!

"Kamloops was next. Another surprise spring snow storm caked the hills right down to the river city I grew up in, so we had to hit Sun Peaks for a quick 20cm powder fix before finally getting into the fast, flowy terrain the area’s known for, after the snow melted. This made the soil perfect pow-dirt everywhere with velcro amounts of traction. And again, the bike just kept delivering.

"We wrapped it all where it started for me…the old gravel pits I first rode in the 80s and filmed in the 90s. Full circle. And the Current absolutely devoured it all, smiling the whole way, carving turns.

"All in, it was a full-on dirt (and snow) mission and one of those trips you know you will remember forever. The zones might be legendary, but this recent mission is going straight into the “good old days”…with a new bike that exceeded every expectation. "