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Mountain biker’s dream job – trail busting

By Adam Marsal

When Petr Slavik was a child he started to save money to buy his first mountain bike. More then twenty years later he founded the Trail-Busters site. This page is all about mountain biking passion, joy, and adventures. Much earlier, Petr used to check the map of his native Czechoslovakia to select places, which asked to be discovered. As soon as he got his first bike, he explored all accessible parts of his region.

The real adventure started, when Petr visited United States for the first time. As a student, he was in Colorado for two summer seasons. He stayed in Boulder, right at the foot of Rocky Mountains. Any free minute he found was spent in the saddle of his bike and those moments changed Petr’s life once forever.

Later on, when he returned back home, he found out that mountain biking in Czech Republic is only about racing. „It seemed that almost nobody was interested in adventure, which I find essential to biking,” Petr says. At that time he had began taking pictures and writing short reports from his trips. He was always focused on useful issues that another riders could follow. The feedback was immediate and immense and that was when the Trail-Busters site had been conceived. Very soon the hobby turned into a serious project with thousands of regular followers.

Since the beginning, Petr and his friends went through hundreds of trails in many different countries, including most European regions. Anywhere he goes he always wears his Panasonic GH3 digital camera, which is in compact size and makes a high quality pictures and videos.

The Trail-Busters crew is pretty wide. „We’re a bunch of friends who love bikes, mountains and adventure,” Petr says. But as the most diligent Petr names the Rock Machine ambassador Marek „Ozzi“ Odzgan and a very close friend Jan Saramak.

The best trails of Petr’s life

Sometimes there’s no need to travel across the globe to find a perfect trail. With a smart timing and a right attitude you can experience a ride of your life in your neighbourhood’s backyard. This photo was shot last fall when we made a trip over Malá Fatra Mountain Ridge.

You can hardly find such epic sceneries as in Livigno in the Italian Alps, which is my favorite place where to go.

If you prefer flawless single trails, you should visit the Swiss Alps. This fairytale trail was discovered in the mountains close to Davos.

Croatia isn’t only about the Adriatic see and its beaches. In the maps there are lots of nice places to be explored. As you can see, the sunset at the Severing Velebit ridge was more than amazing.

No winter rest for the bikes. It’s a big mistake to assume that winter season isn’t suitable for mountain biking. Crossing the ridge of Martinske hole Mountain in fifteen degrees below zero was both hard and great experience for us.

France is another country with unbelievable landscapes. The Savoy Alps are larger and wilder than the ones in surrounding countries.

Mountain bike is a great invention when we talk about exploring unknown regions. Without bikes we would hardly discover this fantastic corner close to Klöntaler Lake in Switzerland.

Ligurian Alps belong among my dearest destinations. We passed by old military roads, examined abandoned bunkers and ended up at the beach of Ligurian riviera. Unforgettable!

Adventures hurt sometimes. Night ascent up almost 3000m of the Colle delle Mile pass was painful and exhausting. But what followed after the climb was worth it.

When you sleep outdoors you never miss the greatest moments of the day. It’s a romantic time that hardly looses its attractiveness. What about an overnight stay at the ruins of Hrušov castle in Slovakian Tribeč Mountains?

Garda Lake in the Northern Italy is a unique place. Biking, swimming, windsurfing or mountain climbing count among many activities you can enjoy in this Eden of all outdoor sports.

Do you want to see more photos of the Trail-Busters crew? Visit www.trail-busters.com or go directly to https://www.facebook.com/trailbusters/

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