Ewald Sadie is an action sports and outdoor photographer based in Cape Town, South Africa. This is a recap of his his trip to find some unridden terrain with Matthieu Hamel:

Starting the hike at first light meant we could bust out some shots with the sun still sitting low, with the streaky clouds providing some nice diffusion.
Starting the hike at first light meant we could bust out some shots with the sun still sitting low, with the streaky clouds providing some nice diffusion.

After a very successful shoot at a secret location somewhere in Cape Town, Matthieu and I decided to make another mission to some place that hasn’t been ridden before. Or at least not many times before… We wanted to find something big, different and generally epic – so we headed off to the greater Cederberg area – a place filled with barren, rocky, unforgiving but spectacularly beautiful landscapes.
Wide open plateaus, tall peaks, colorful rock faces, blue skies and a peaceful silence. A blank canvas to explore and create some epic mountain biking imagery.

The raw path cutting through the boulder scattered landscape caters for some extremely technical but fun riding.
The raw path cutting through the boulder scattered landscape caters for some extremely technical but fun riding.

The drive took about 3 hours, with a fair amount of gravel road, before we reached our camp site. From here we could make daily missions into the hills, without really driving anywhere. Daytime temperatures soared as soon as the sun peaked over the cliff tops, so we had to get going at first light to make sure we made some good ground before things got ridiculous. With most of the terrain unrideable, Matthieu had to carry the bike on his shoulders, something the Frenchman seemed comfortable with as he ascended at a remarkable pace all day. I lugged around a fully packed camera bag, including food and drinks – everything I could need for a day of shooting as there was no going back to the campsite before the end of the day.

Natural sandstone rock formations, sculpted by centuries of wind and water erosion.
Natural sandstone rock formations, sculpted by centuries of wind and water erosion.
Untouched playground.
Untouched playground.
Matthieu charging down the super steep natural cracks, with the clouds providing the perfect diffused light to expose the red rock face.
Matthieu charging down the super steep natural cracks, with the clouds providing the perfect diffused light to expose the red rock face.

With no garantee that you’ll find anything worth while, and the scorching sun baking down, you always wonder if this particular path was a good choice. As you stop and look around, you see so many other ‘gems’ that seems a more obvious choice to hike up, but then, so did the one you are currently on a few hours ago. The gamble usually pays off if you keep at it though, and as the saying goes, persistence pays. We stumbled upon some truly amazing spots, good for riding and shooting, and the stoke meter was full.

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Words & Photos: Ewald Sadie


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