What Ian McIntosh Was Thinking When He Fell 1,600 Feet

Ian McIntosh's 1,600-foot fall down a shaded Alaskan spine went viral, landing our favorite bearded Canadian on prime time national TV. Mac managed to get out of this one unscathed, and although he's had far worse bails in his professional career, this one nonetheless earned him international fame.

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Naturally, he was picked to Defend His Line in front of the rest of the TGR athletes at last year's International Pro Riders' Workshop, and as Mac tells it, the unique characteristics of getting this one particular line on film–that it only got 15 minutes of sun all day, and that at the exact moment the helis were supposed to be lifting off from base camp–made for a complicated approach that ultimately resulted in a slipped turn and a massive tumble.