Joey
Schusler

Adventurer / Photographer

A native of Colorado, award-winning adventure filmmaker Joey Schusler is more comfortable in huge mountains than anywhere-especially when he's on a mountain bike. A veteran of the Yeti Cycles racing program, joining the team 13 years ago at age 17, Schusler is a former World Cup downhill racer with top 10 experience in the Enduro World Series. Schusler continues to ride at a professional level, even appearing in freeride segments alongside the likes of Matt Hunter in the 2019 movie, Return to Earth. Through self-produced films such as Huayhuash, 55 Hours in Mexico, The Trail to Kazbegi, and The Kora, and RJ Ripper, he has helped to bring a hardcore backcountry adventure ethos to the forefront of the mountain bike community. Joey can either be found behind a camera making MTB films, or out on big bike packing adventures in the far-flung corners of the world.

Yeti bike of choice - why?

SB120 has become my favorite bike in the line up. It's the bike I take out for long days and big adventures. It's so incredibly capable in every aspect, and is just a joy to ride. It's by far the bike I put the most amount of time on. When I'm at home riding steep tracks and looking for a quicker thrill, I ride the SB160 and love it just as much.

What is your first memory on a bike?

Building big jumps in the woods with my dog.

Best feeling on a bike?

When you feel like you are flying through a Google Earth simulation crossing pass after pass after pass on a large bikepacking trip. It's so rewarding to cover so much ground under your own power, with the assistance of some incredible technology. There really is no better way to see the world.

What is your biggest source of inspiration outside of mountain biking?Why?

I find almost all my inspiration from wild and natural places. They put me at ease and help me understand the world.

A word of advice to the groms

Do what you love everyday and things will fall into place.

Speed or Style?

Style. And this applies to bike packing adventures as well. For me it's never about the speed, but creating the best possible experience to truly get to know a place you are traveling through.

Top 3 riding destinations?

The backyard enduro track, because of it's ease of access and my deep knowledge of it through countless laps. Republic of Georgia in the Caucasus Mountains. Trails everywhere. Will be back someday to explore. Bolivia. Incredible terrain with unrivaled vert possibilities. We once did 17k descending in one long shuttle run into the Amazon.

Accolades:

Long time retired racer turned award winning filmmaker.
On the bike my true passion is large adventures, which have taken me to dozens of countries.
The only accolade I'm going for these days is most hours on the bike and most fun had!