Flashes of the Altai

Three childhood friends set out for the far western corner of Mongolia to combine
mountain biking and packrafting in a self-supported adventure into the unknown. Never
having attempted a mountain bike to packraft link-up, they decided it was a great idea to
travel to one of the most remote and sparsely populated places in the world to try it out.

The goal was to traverse the Mongolian Altai, a remote range of high glaciated peaks
with silt-laden rivers draining from their heights. The only inhabitants of the region are
Kazakh nomads, the last people on earth who continue the tradition of hunting with
golden eagles. Ancient standing stones carved over the millennia stand guard over the
landscape.

Twelve days in the wilderness, riding over high passes loaded with gear, surviving
raging whitewater, drinking fermented mare’s milk, and battling the elements, this was
not an adventure these young lads would soon forget.


A Film By: Joey Schusler
Featuring: Mason Lacy, Sam Seward, & Joey Schusler
Editor: Joey Schusler & Thomas Woodson
Motion Design & VFX: Paul Harrison (Shotgun Infinity)
Art Direction: Drew Pautler (Good Fortune Collective)
Post Production Sound: Keith White (Keith White Audio)
Expedition Logistics: Mason Lacy, Sam Seward, & Canat Chiryazdan
Supported by: Yeti Cycles, Smith Optics, Outdoor Research, ENVE Composites,
SRAM, RockShox, Skratch Labs, Big Agnes, Revelate Designs
Media Partners: Bike Magazine, 5 Point Film Festival
Run Time: 5 mins
Date of Completion: April 2016
Language: English