Today I got to ride the Gunbarrel jumps with my kid Ian and some of his buddies. Ian has been riding for one year, and today he was buttering a mellow 8-foot double. Super cool—and about 10 years ahead of my own learning curve.

With Ian rocking the P.3, I dusted off the race-day SX, which felt perfectly braaapable after recently riding the 20, the 24, the P and the Stumpjumper. Stepped up to a bigger set today. Braaap!

Ian will be rocking the same set in like a month. ...

Ian’s first ride: A fresh lump of clay