Lost: Winter Freeriding In The Southwest

Former TGR intern Henry Lanman returned to Santa Fe for winter break and threw down some heavy freeride lines. Logan Bonwell photo.

Every school break, it's a pleasure to come home to my hometown, Santa Fe, New Mexico. It's always great to return to friends and family–but of course the mountain biking in a region where you can almost always ride is the highlight. One spot has always stood out to me is a secret zone outside town. I first stumbled upon this place back in 2007 when Nick Simcik and crew were out flipping this step-over jump. I was pretty blown away by the wide array of hits littering the landscape, and two years later and after draining my bank account, I was on a freeride bike of my very own and getting my licks learning how to jump a bike.

Stackin' chesse wedge booters. Photo by Logan Bonwell.

The site is based around an old railroad grade from the 1940's and is the real reason the whole place even exists. Drastic topography change with sandy, caliche-filled dirt makes the area prime for moving massive quantities of dirt.

This guy–Rich–is a total legend. Photo courtesy of Rich Strang.

The idea was realized by Rich, a local freeride legend up there in caliber with the infamous Josh Bender, along with a bunch of old-school senders. When he was in his late 40's, this place was his baby. Around this time, the BLM got wind of this freeride mecca. When they too stumbled upon it, they immediately put a stop to the madness. The place deserted and efforts soon concentrated on other more dirt jump spots. The freeride in the area slowly fell apart. 

The first year I was back from college I hit Rich up, and we went out to the location to see what was left. After some digging, we had a few lines running. The lines there were eroded, and all the lips and landings had shrunk in size. I started to wonder about other lost hits, as I had never gotten a chance to hit them in their prime.

The middle jump on the famous Buckman 6-pack jump line. Photo by Logan Bonwell.

Over the next few years, I continued to head out there to dig and ride. This year, the canyon gap was the one in mind. Armed with a group of good friends and diggers, and my photographer friend, Logan Bonwell, we set out to capture the gap and some of the other famous lines of the area.

Henry SENDING the 45-foot canyon gap. Badass!! Photo by Logan Bonwell.

The crazy thing about The Well in the winter is that everything is wet after a blanket of snow. Mid-afternoon, everything is the most perfect consistency for stacking lips and landings. It's like a gigantic sandbox, with the sharp hills and edges as your base and a consistency of moisture you never get during the rest of the year. 

Henry no-handers a gap outside Santa Fe. Logan Bonwell photo.

As cliche as it may sound, I cannot give the dudes that rode out here in the early 2000's enough props. Some of this stuff is rather large, with sniper, steep trannies. These guys were sending on large, heavy, old freeride machines, seeing how far and high they could go. The balls on those guys…

The step-down drop into the main jump line. Photo by Logan Bonwell.

In all, the session was awesome. We got no wind, perfect dirt, awesome light, and great shots. This zone will continue to be my all-time favorite freeride spot, and I hope to be coming back for years to come.

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stash member Henry Lanman

I am a Santa Fean at heart who loves to ride any sort of two wheeled vehicle.