Yo, what up guys! Dylan here. My two best mates Beejo and Benton from the United States of America have just been on amazing Mountainboard journey to one of the most amazing places in the world.. the Utah desert. You may have already watched the film, but I had to hear the story from the legends themselves. Without further ado, this is the story of Cold Cactus!
Words by Benton Jackson, Imagery by Beejo.
Since a camping trip to the area in 2009, I have been looking up this spot near Ticaboo, UT and Lake Powell. After spending a multitude of hours over the years scouting every square foot on Google Earth, dissecting photos to get a hint at the rock texture and pitch, we finally nailed down a spare weekend to travel out there.
Everything looks different online, we had no clue what to expect. The Colorado snowpack was a bit low this year so Beejo and I temporarily overlooked snowboarding and instead searched out a fresh stone zone in early February. Temps were about 50F, (10C) at high and down below freezing at night.
“Temps were about 50F, (10C) at high and down below freezing at night.”
We hiked, camped, drank whiskey and solved global issues overnight to stay warm. After traversing our gear two miles and setting up our camp, we pretty much only had an afternoon to ride and film before it got dark. All of the surfing in the edit happened on one afternoon during the quest. Many of the shots are first descents as we found a balance between exploring and taking the time to set up scenes.
Beejo is so talented behind the camera, we had a great flow that we just kept moving and chased the sun. It got windy and snowed for a bit, but nothing a trench-coat can’t handle! Out of the 400+ acres in total potential, we only scratched the toenail of this animal.
We found so much good terrain that, we couldn’t touch it all; I hope we go back again and again.
Maybe some Aussies will join!?
Follow the boys on Instagram!
Benton: @dietrolo
Beejo: @beejo__
Check out their Mountainboard Media powerhouse: @mtn_stx
Watch - COLD CACTUS- HERE: