Ham and Steeze Jump Jam Day - Practice

Posted: Oct 24, 2009

The dirt jumping scene in Aptos California, and more specifically Santa Cruz County as a whole is blowing up. Big name riders like Tyler and Cam McCaul, Greg Watts, Alex Reveles, Jamie Goldman, and many more call this cozy California location home, and the local jumps are some of the best I have seen in my travels. I got invited down to do a film trip for the Ham and Steeze Jump Jam, so after minor thought I packed by bags and hit the skies.

Pics of Day one inside,

Some people may point fingers at the dirt, or the location as to why the scene is so big, and the trails are so good, but the fact of the matter is these kids put in time! My first day here I was inducted into the "Shovel Wielders of Aptos Hall of Fame", meaning I had successfully put in an equal amount of time working, as playing. No, that's not how the scene goes. The best way to describe it is best said by the locals, "No dig, no ride". Simply put, if you don't have the time to work on the jumps then don't come ride them. Some kids think they beat the system, but the watchful eyes of the Aptos' locals are always watching.


Down here in Aptos it's a little different than your average riding scene. Out here the riders are not worried about who can land the trick the fastest, it's more so who can make it look the most fluid, and overall best. This style is usually referred to as Steeze, a term to refer to someones riding characteristics. The term could be used in a sentence such as "That whip on the hip was steezey man". Think zesty, or dialed, same thing.


So now that we have laid down the rules about how the riding scene looks, and goes in this area, take a look at this video I made. Just a quick edit of some shots I got during practice and dig session at the Post Office today. The lines came together awesome, and the jam is going to be insane!

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I can honestly say that California at this time of year is amazing. This morning we went down to the beach front to get some epic morning shots and they turned out awesome. The sun is nice for my BC "rain season" skin tone, and my neck is starting to look more and more like I am from Texas. Cheers!


Overall all the riders that came out today killed it. I am super stoked to be down here in California! See all you riders and spectators tomorrow at the Ham and Steeze Jump Jam!

Thanks to for all the sponsors that helped out with the Ham and Steeze Jam:

Pinkbike.com
Specialized Bikes
Banshee Bikes
Fox Racing Shox
Barry Swenson Builders
Straitline Components
Deity Components
Bicycle Trip
X Fusion Shox
Republik Clothing