Mike Hopkins: Loam Factory David Peacock and Liam Mullany Date: 2012-09-04 Plans made on paper rarely see themselves realized in exact form. Sometimes, your final product is the result of a complete abandonment of initial expectations. Imagine our surprise when renowned freeride star Mike Hopkins turned out to be a wash on the streets...it was truly a disappointment. With hopes of a groundbreaking urban edit dashed, we made quick plans to redirect our focus into the forests of BC. Hopkins had sculpted a series of loam lines that promised to provide ample film content, so the cameras, cranes, and cables were hauled into the bush for a few days of abuse. We buried cameras, slung them from tree to tree, and let Mike run over them, all because he couldn't manage a simple barspin on the streets. The things we do for visual gold... Our time in Rossland was spent on some of the steepest, fastest forested lines we'd ever seen, hauling cables and waiting for light. We spent a week with Hopkins, a week that included some highlights, some lowlights, some crashes, some perfect moments, some rookie mistakes; we were in constant flux, from stoke to frustration. From the start we knew that the riding was going to be fast. Mike's first run down the main line of loam was a treat to watch; he's definitely at home on his big bike going mach speed. Interestingly enough, one of the scariest moments of the week was the mineshaft berm,