Since i last read the article on 23.12, there are many more comments, that i would like to address.. Funny, how, somehow, people on mtb-news are mostly complaining, criticizing, whining.. can't they just be happy?
a few remarks for the armchair-experts (sorry if it's in English, i feel too lazy to compose in German. feel free to use an automatic translator):
4x4: Madeira had a very good road infrastructure, we can shuttle almost everywhere on normal roads, with normal cars.
#9, moss/etc: This is shot in a protected area, with centennial trees, Laurisilva-type.
After riding (and building and shooting) there many years, the strict rules were enforced by the new governement, so we stopped going there. I said no to everybody who was asking me to shoot there.
But then, when you see that your colleagues/competitors are indeed still repeatedly going there to ride and shoot, well, you think, fuck it, that's unfair competition, we go anyways. And there is not a single sign forbidding anything, so, ironically, someone without a guide will dare going in more places than with locals who know.
We took the utmost care not to leave any marks in the grass or on the trees, no skidding, slowing down over long distances and not blocked-wheel braking, carrying the bikes, etc.
What you also might not know, is that area is occupied by 800kg cows, trampling the grass and moss, and eating it. And it can be legally traversed by hordes of trail runners yielding pointy sticks.
So, yeah, we weighed the pros and cons, and being reasonable, we managed to get some banging shots!
#12, roost: This is not shot on a trail, but a huge scree slope made of volcanic sandy loose material. Don't worry, it doesn't matter much if some dust was moved 50cm further. The rain and wind do more in one day.
In the very same area, locals are abandoning their rusty car carcasses and broken fridges, there is literally junk around, so if nature protectors want to get on their white horses, they can come here and sensibilize locals about ecology.
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