But it only takes a moment’s inattention or a move that is out by a millimetre for them to come to a crashing halt, making Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker a better choice of accompaniment.
There were plenty of mountainbikers at the Signal Hill tracks in Dunedin yesterday, preparing for the Mountain Bike New Zealand (MTBNZ) National Series round one event which will be held there this weekend.
Dunedin rider and MTBNZ National Series competitor Jerome Pickford said some of their moves might appear to be life-limiting to some onlookers, but to him, they were simply the best (and most fun) way to get over near-vertical slopes.
He has been riding for most of his life, and it had taken a long time to learn how to traverse steep terrain and do major jumps on his bike.
And it had not been without some reasonably serious injuries along the way, he said.
"The more you do it, the less scared you become. You learn what to do and what not to do to stop you from crashing.
"There’s some stuff, if you don’t focus on it, it can cause some serious damage.
"I’ve broken my wrist, my arm, my collar bone — that was a big one. People I know have broken their pelvis.
"It’s the adrenaline — you just want that excitement — that’s why we do it.
"I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie."
The 17-year-old said his mum had mixed feelings about the sport.
He said he was still young and would keep doing it until his joints started seizing up.
"Maybe when I get married and have kids, I’ll chill off a bit then and switch to road biking."
Ultimately, he said it was his girlfriend who would be the one to convince him to stop.
"But even then, I’ll be like, ‘Just one more go, just one more’."
He said he was feeling in good shape and was looking forward to the national event which begins on the Signal Hill tracks on Friday and finishes on Sunday.
