Skye Schillhammer
Skye Schillhammer is from Darrington, Washington and is currently residing in Spokane where he is studying at Eastern Washington University.
Check out his most recent video shot by Lush Cinema.
http://www.pinkbike.com/video/273645/
Skye has a killer style and a great attitude, which is why we here at Gravity Components are proud to call him one of our riders. You can find Skye at Wheel Sport East in Spokane, which is a Gravity Components Premier Dealer. After work he is usually out shredding at Beacon Hill. Skye is the type of dude that you will see ripping the jumps, flowing single track, and even layin’ down big 3′s and stylin’ out his DH race runs. Skye rides Gravity Light 7050 Cranks, Gravity Light Pedals, 800mm bars and Gravity Light Stems.
Name, Age, where ya from?
I’m Skye Schillhammer and I’m 21 years old. I grew up in Darrington, WA and currently live in Spokane, WA.
How long have you been riding?
I bought my first real mtb when I was 14, so 7 years. It was a stock 2004 Kona Stinky, and I rode the wheels off of it.
What got ya started?
I was on a trip with my dad and was passing through Hood River, OR. Some guys told us that we should rent bikes and check out the trails. I was so pumped on the ladder bridge drops and jumps that I made my dad cancel other plans so we could stay there another day. While there I met Dakine rider Gary Paasch, and he showed me the ropes and definitely got me hooked on the sport.
What was it like growing up the NW?
Well first of all, you definitely get used to riding in the rain. Washington is privileged with some awesome terrain for biking but the amount of rain is wearing on you for sure. But there is no day better than getting out there with friends and slinging some NW dirt of your tires.
What is your favorite thing to ride there?
Unfortunately one of my favorite places to ride was recently closed. The NF near bham was the NW at it finest. It had steeps, jumps, flow, berms, loam and everything in between. Living on the east side of the state currently, I ride Beacon Hill a ton. It’s a fun place for all types of riding and we have a few really awesome trails packed into a little zone.
Favorite places to compete?
I really like the small comps around the Slope Style scene. Ranchstyle in Grand Junction is a really fun one. Also in Rossland, BC they have the Huck’en Berries Jam which is a great time. It has a home-grown feel and Rossland is a rad town.
Favorite music.
That changes every now and then but right now it’s been all about the Wu-Tang. I love hip-hop but new music for the most part sucks.
What do you do in your off-time?
If I’m not riding, I’m either digging on jumps or out adventuring finding new awesome places to see. I also love taking pictures of anything that catches my eye and I happen to be a ninja with taking the coolest iPhone pics anyone has seen haha.
Funniest moment of my biking career
In 2010 I was at Ranchstyle doing a dirt jump clinic with some other pro riders, one of which was Joe Perrizo. Joe is an amazing rider and can learn new tricks faster than anyone I have ever seen. After doing a few super-flips, a young kid asks Joe “Hey Joe how do you do super-flips?” Joe responds “umm well you do backflip… then a superman…then you land it” It wasn’t exactly what the kid was looking for but it was hilarious and showed everyone just how Joe breaks down learning something as hard as a super-flip. Now when I go for a hard trick, I try and keep that simplicity in mind.
Biggest fear in biking.
Head injury. Its a terrifying thought but I’m a very calculated rider and always make sure I’m ready to commit to a big move before I do it.
Where do you find inspiration
I really enjoy making fun videos of my riding. I know as a rider I get pumped watching guys like Brandon Semenuk throw down in the major films released so I hope that everyone else gets that stoked when they see the videos we post. It’s a great feeling when you practice and push yourself to go bigger, add more style, or stomp more tricks when you see it all linked together in a video. After filming for 3-5 days I’m totally beat, but the next few weeks after I always have more fire and drive then ever. I love that feeling and like to keep it going.
Best/Worst part about MTB
The best part is, no matter what is happening with cameras, competition results, weather, etc, I’m riding a bike and the pure joy I get from that is what got everyone of us into it.
The worst part is pushing through seeing friends leave the sport from bad injuries that nearly took their lives.
Describe a perfect day
I always start a day of riding with building, it builds up your bike karma and will definitely improve my day on my bike. Then with all the homies go flow some trail or jumps. I like pushing myself and learning new tricks, but my whole day cant be that stressful! haha Then maybe go to the trick step-up or to the mega-mulch jump and start hucking some new tricks. After riding as much as possible, head home and make a massive pasta meal. Perfect day success.
Where would you like to travel that you haven’t?
New Zealand hands down. That place looks like heaven for a mtb’er. The pictures and videos I have seen show jump parks with hundreds of jumps and right at the base of huge mountains! It’s one place I need to go before I’m old.
Finishing Note
Thanks for reading through my bio guys! See ya on the trail, cheers.
