Zander: As Cy will tell you, Tom Van Steenbergen’s unofficial Wild West 3 is the best riding of the bunch. Tom’s creativity on the jumps is unparalleled. The cork 7 is an absolute thing of beauty and I am still trying to comprehend whatever the heck he did on the upramp log. Though I would say begrudgingly that TVS was the best rider in Real MTB, TVS is the second-best video in the competition. More on that later.
Ariel: I know there are a lot of big hits in this, but what I’m loving the most are the small, subtle things like his smooth manuals that prove control and make his lines feel almost poetic. It feels like you could sub out the amped up music track, replace it with something classical and have yourself a timeless masterpiece.
Dylan : Tom went all in for this one and it shows. The tricks were mind melting (still don’t know what he did off that wooden drop for the ender) and the build was insane given the time of year in northern BC. How does the physics work for a nose manual backflip?! It just doesn’t make sense. So, combine all the unreal riding with the legend Calvin Huth and it’s a hard combo to beat.
Cy: I’m pretty convinced this is the mainstream, by the book winner. It hits all the notes: Super tech tricks and combos, huge moves, just enough b-roll to remind us that TVS can make some sweet turns between the bangers. That nose manual to backflip is absurd. So is the ender. Cork 7(?) off a flat drop!? And yes, it’s all filmed on “real mountains.” If (when?) this edit wins, I’ll totally understand.
Remy Morton filmed by Scott Robb
Zander: First things first, let’s pour one out for the builders. All five videos feature beautifully constructed trails, some of which will need to be destroyed once the pros move on, but Remy Morton’s build was on another level. His hip jumps and enormous step down in the New Zealand forest were works of art. Of course, Remdawg’s riding tops the beauty of the build. Remy’s style is unparalleled and he flicks his tiny rear wheel with ease.
Like Ariel, I am a huge proponent of freeing the knee, so I have a soft spot for Remy’s ‘fits. If I were not scared of becoming hamburger meat, I would leave the house riding without kneepads.
Dylan: As a trail builder Remy’s line resonates with me on another level. The sheer time, effort and passion that is shown just through the build itself is unparalleled. I’d say the cherry on top is Remy’s laid back style. He doesn’t have to throw down huge tricks to impress you, it’s how chill he looks when riding these massive features. The drop towards the end into that immediate left hander, which is not a left hander at all. It is a complete vertical wall of a shark fin that Remy somehow just floats off of. Remy may not win, but this build will be remembered for a long time.
Cy: Remy is maybe the king of doing his own thing. 26/24” mullet, no drivetrain, no kneepads, building the things he wants to ride. The vibe of this edit is impeccable, and as a “sick bike edit” not an “X Games Real MTB Video Part” this one does it for me. It makes me want to go ride my bike, and more importantly, go dig. But hidden behind the “about the vibes” facade, the riding is incredible. Remy grinds a rail ten seconds in, and it gets no followup shot, no close-up slomo. It’s just part of the line. That’s kind of the theme of the video - super techy and sendy riding with such good, casual style that it almost decontextualizes the difficulty of what he’s doing on the bike.
That shark fin is disgustingly big, but he makes it look like he’s just flowing his local dirt jumps. And that last whip, ugh, so clean, such good style. I’m usually annoyed by “it’s about the vibes, not the riding” edits, but I love this one. I’ve watched it a bunch of times already, and I’m sure I’ll revisit. I’m so glad that mainstream mountain biking has space for folks like Remy who do their own thing so well.
Ariel: I got chirped by my friend Lily last year for learning to hit the Road and Canyon Gaps on Teton Pass while wearing jorts and no knee pads. I like this kid for being on my side on this one. I also like this kid for reminding us, well, that we were all once (probably still are to some degree if we’re MTBers) a kid and to keep things playful. Of course, you can’t come off as effortlessly playful unless you’re also really good, which, given that the footage of him from growing up features a lot of solid riding and trail building already, proves he’s put in the hours to get where he is.
Kade Edwards filmed by Joe Bowman
Ariel: I love that this feels somehow gritty and smooth at the same time. I love that it makes me think of fall days when the light leaves early but you push it for one more lap anyways and end up needing your clear lenses. I love that the tricks are complicated but the filming simple. The contrasts make this edit what it is.
Zander: Kade Edwards is one of the most exciting riders to watch. The well-rounded Brit started his career racing World Cups but apparently, he can also throw down like one of the best in the world on a slopestyle course? Some people are too talented. To round out the video part, Edwards brings out the BMX style with his stalls and fakies on the log. Edwards’s Real MTB entry leans into the bucolic vibes of the British countryside. He could almost be jumping over Frodo’s backyard at Bag End. Thankfully Kade’s team looks like they’ve outmaneuvered the Sackville Bagginses to get approval to build the slope course. If there were an edit on this list that I would most like to sip tea and watch on a rainy morning it would be Kade Edwards.
Dylan: Kade is an anomaly, you could put him on any type of bike and he will blow your mind. This edit almost felt similar to a Semenuk edit, which I’d say is a compliment most would dream to receive. Kade had to battle the harsh Welsh winter conditions, crafting an unreal line. His style and trick selection had me replaying his video the most out of all of these. The tailwhip to stall on the wooden feature was not okay, he should not be allowed to do that again, my jaw is still on the ground.
Cy: To me at least, this feels like another “traditionally good” entry. Big, beautiful features, and technical tricks. I love it as a coherent edit. Kade’s style is so clean, and the line is awesome. Something tells me that the landings and run outs to a few of those jumps are way steeper than they appear in the edit. Kade’s out for the rest of the season with a blown knee , but I can’t wait to see him back on the bike.
Matt MacDuff filmed by Louis Lhomel
Zander: How can you say they live their life wrong when you never ride with the lights on? Matt MacDuff has always been known for constructing ludicrous features to ride, like his famous loop of doom that nearly killed him. Since the accident, MacDuff has been on a mindful redemption arc, dishing out wisdom in his podcast. MacDuff found time in between building his compound to build a huge on-off feature, Breaking out the lights to hit it is a fantastic touch. MacDuff has long been known for his unique street style, which is on full display in his piece.
Ariel: This edit made me feel like I was back in the bike shop where I worked one summer; the owner had a taste for heavy metal, cargo shorts, and a general 90s-era chaotic aesthetic. Not my particular vibe, but if I mute it, I find I can focus on the riding and the built features, which are equally as impressive.
Dylan: MacDuff sure got creative in this one, I’d say the video almost works chronologically with his career. It starts off with some street riding, which is where he got started in his riding career. The rest of the video then transports us to his current exploitation into riding bikes, his Big Air Compound. His edit may not win, but he definitely stuck true to himself and that’s the Matt MacDuff we all love.
Cy: It’s a Matt MacDuff edit. Big, aesthetic street moves, and weird, gnarly one-off features. The tailwhip to 180° redirect makes my knees ache just looking at it, and the half cab tailwhip is absurd. That whole stacked pallets and shipping containers setup is wild, and so quintessentially MacDuff. That said, some of the editing choices were a reminder that I don’t miss the days of frenetic cuts and excessive film burn overlays.
Finally, Matt, please bring back “Review Bazooka” . I feel like this format could kill it in the current reels/shorts/tik tok landscape!
Dylan Stark filmed by Tyson Traner
Ariel: I’m what some might call a Geriatric Millennial. This video reminds me of having to entertain myself on family road trips without a cell phone or in-car video players by running my two fingers along on the window pretending to jump over things passing by outside. Just that, in Dylan’s case, it’s him and his bike jumping over things that even my imagination probably couldn’t land. Kudos.
Zander: In the two editions of the X Games Real MTB contest there has been a trend. One rider has a video part that my rational brain knows is the most impressive riding and filming, but I can’t help but stubbornly pick a different winner who embodies what I feel to be the spirit of riding. In 2024 Dylan Stark is the Brage Vestavik to Tom Van Steenbergen’s Brandon Semenuk. He’s staking a claim for the title of mountain biking’s most creative rider. Stark somehow topped his famous El Toro drop from 2019 by hucking what looked like three stories to a set of stairs. The step up to grind actually blew my mind. As a Neanderthal, I am also deeply sympathetic to seeing people take jumps to their limit. Dylan overshooting the 110-foot gap to end the video was everything my simple mind needed.
Dylan: You never know what you are exactly going to get from Dylan Stark, but one thing is certain, it will be wildly different from everyone else. I think his edit stays pure to his riding style, bringing BMX type tricks into the MTB world. While you could say a lot of his riding was not on dirt, he is still hucking huge gaps that have consequences much higher than they would on dirt
Cy: Dylan Frickin Stark. Something about the way this guy rides, and the way he presents that riding really resonates with me. Maybe someday we’ll get a super high production value, Semenuk-style edit from Stark, but for now, I love the raw, BMX style that he brings to everything he puts out.
No, there’s not much “mountain biking” in this edit. Instead, there’s a bunch of big sends, on a mountain bike. I love all of it. The infamous Rampage Rail (or another similar one) makes an appearance, that fakie flip in the pipe (there’s probably a better name for that trick?) is so sick, and I love the big urban hucks. Sure, I might ride trail bikes and wear a dorky little fanny pack out in the mountains these days, but Stark’s riding always makes me nostalgic for my teenage years spent pedaling a DH bike around town, finding stair sets, loading docks, and outdoor stages to huck off of. And it looks like he’s inspiring a whole new generation of riders to do the same.
Also, what Zander said. Stark is the Brage of this year’s comp. They’ll both forever be winners in my heart
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