Johnathan Hanson BMX HELICOPTER DROP: KRISS KYLE IN DUBAI
One Shot, One Opportunity – Kriss Kyle shows off his lack of fear in new video edit, starting with an incredible helicopter jump
28 January 2019 – What’s the best way to conquer a lifelong fear of heights? For Scottish BMX star Kriss Kyle, throwing yourself out of a helicopter is one way of doing it. The unique attempt is the first in riders’ latest edit which sees him turn the unique architecture of Dubai into a giant BMX park.
Opening with a huge cityscape shot, we see Kriss leaning out of a helicopter as he approaches the iconic Burj Al Arab Jumeirah hotel, one of the world’s tallest hotels and most unique buildings. We then see him jumping 14 feet from the helicopter – 720 feet up – and onto a helipad on top of the hotel, before immediately tackling a second equally daring drop and heading into the building itself.
Kriss then makes his way throughout Dubai, which sees him flying down the twisting slides of the Wild Wadi Waterpark, flipping through the grounds of the Burj Khalifa before finally hopping onto a moving boat as he leaves the city behind.
Due to the extreme nature of the stunt, Kriss only had one shot at making the helicopter jump work. Despite practising for months on smaller jumps, factors including wind, thermals and Kriss’ crippling fear of heights meant that it was literally down to one take to make it work.
On completing the jump, Kriss said: “We actually planned to film the jump the day before. But due a rare weather system at the time we planned the jump, we were forced to reschedule the attempt to the following day. Sadly that meant for another sleepless night for me! Working on a Red Bull edit always means you get to challenge what’s possible and this was no different. I can’t thank Dubai Tourism enough for opening their doors and helping us make this film possible.”
Click HERE to watch Kriss’ latest edit.
Bike Setup for Dubai Video (Interview Exerpt)
I think I’ve got nine, nine bikes, but they’re all different bikes. A road bike, three mountain bikes, four mountain bikes actually, and then a few BMX’s. But, my favorite one’s obviously my BMX, and it’s my new second shift frame, the freedom frame. And, it’s called freedom, BSD freedom. But, I think for me the meaning behind that just means you can do anything you want, you can ride anything you want, there’s no rules, there’s no nothing. You can just go where you want, you have the freedom to do it.
I’ve always had no brakes on my bikes since I was maybe 14, because I could never fix them. I would snap the brake cables and I could never put any on it because I didn’t know what I was doing. I was so heavy handed as well, so I just decided to rip them off, and I didn’t have brakes from then right up until the Dubai video. When I put them on it was really weird, I was like this feels so weird on the BMX. I needed it for the heli-jump because if I mucked up the line I could have broken my legs or died. And then, also I needed it for the water park stuff as well because the speed that you get going down those flems is absolutely insane. It doesn’t look steep on the video, but I was shooting down it!
The bikes are just a lot lighter and a lot stronger than what they used to be, I remember especially being a small kid trying to throw a 40 pound bike it was absolutely hellish. But, now the bikes are a lot lighter and a lot stronger. So, everything just keeps developing better and better each time. It’s crazy to think where BMX will be in a couple of years, because it’s mad.
Preperation for Dubai and the Heli Drop
How do you prepare physically for events? Do you split your training between the different riding disciplines?
Not really. I just ride all types of bikes, and do quite a lot of running and stuff, and just make sure I’m pretty fit and healthy, to be honest. But, I don’t have a proper training program or anything like that. I run almost every day, but I only do like 5km or something like that, or whatever. And also start doing a wee bit of weight training, and then I ride long distance road bike sometimes with my friends. But then also a lot of mountain biking. I really love mountain biking actually. And then also ride my BMX, of course, all the time.
How do you prepare mentally for tracks / features you aren’t sure if you’ll be able to land? How do you decide whether you’re ready to attempt a trick?
Before I try anything I’ll always try and visualize it in my head, like picture it in my head. This could be if I’m street riding or something, or if I’m jumping out of a helicopter, or anything, if I can’t picture what I’m going to do in my head, and picture myself doing it, and how it’s all going to go, then I won’t try it because I’ll get hurt. But, if I can picture it and see it that clearly I know for a fact I’ll do it. So, it’s just about getting the balls and then sending it.
In terms of nutrition do you have tightly regulated diet or something far more relaxed?
Pretty relaxed, but I eat pretty good. I’m not that strict on myself. You can take it as serious as you want it. But, I just try and eat a well balanced diet, and try to eat all the right things, really.
What music do you listen to?
Loads of stuff. Absolutely loads of stuff. 80s. Yeah, I like the 80s quite a lot. But yeah, Stone Roses. But I even like Post Malone. Everything. Literally pretty much everything.
Kriss Kyle – From Getting Started in BMX to Today
How did you first get into riding?
I first got into riding through my older brother. My mum and dad used to take me to the skate park and I’d watch my brother ride, him and all his friends. To me it just looked as if they were having so much fun. And then, I wanted to be a part of that. So, for my tenth birthday I begged my mum and dad for a small BMX, a real small one. And then I got it and I couldn’t believe it. And then, I’d go out riding every day with my brother and all his friends, and I was part of his crew. And then, I just loved it, I just got hooked since then. And then, ever since then I just haven’t really lost the feeling that I get from doing it.
Is there anyone who really helped you or inspired you to get where you are today?
Just a lot of riders I look up to from when I first started riding. Like Chase Hawk and Dave Mirra I always looked up to those dudes. And now it’s crazy because I’m riding the same contest with them.
What changes can you see in BMX in the future?
BMX is in the Olympics for 2020, which I think is amazing because that’s going to get shown to a lot more people outside of BMX that don’t know really what we do, and I think when they see it along with millions of other people I think it’s going to blow up. Quite a lot of the public haven’t seen anyone doing a back-flip double tail whip yet, and I feel like when someone does that, or a double back-flip on a bike, I think they’re going to be like oh my God, what is this sport? And I think it’s just going to blow up again. So, I think for the years to come I reckon it’s going to just keep growing stronger and stronger, and I think better and better.
RNT Setup Commentary
With one of the best riders in the world using a 300$ bike frame, it would seem very difficult for anyone to justify getting a frame at over $500. This is a major bonus to us, as the lower the cost entry bar into biking the more people that can join and the bigger and better the community will (hopefully) become. This shift towards more being avaliable for less is something we’ve seen mirrored in mountain biking (though the entry cost is still higher than BMX). For mountain bikers, especially those new to the sport we think riding BMX with no brakes is hugely beneficial – as it forces complete commitment to your choice of line. For more experienced riders the manauoverability and freedom that a BMX bike brings can allow you to practice tricks and techniques you would struggle far more with on a larger, heavier bike – allowing for smaller and more manageable steps towards a goal. It’s unsurprising that many of the most well known Red Bull mountain bike riders (Danny Macaskill, Fabio Wiber, Josh Bryceland) also have roots in and spend a notable amount of time on BMX bikes.
