Harald Philipp

Matching Mountainbiking and Alpinism, my passion doesn't fit into disciplines like Enduro or Freeride. I call it Bike-Mountaineering! It is is all about pioneering summits and alpine trails, redefining what is considered rideable and sharing great adventures with friends.

My favorite runs are steep, exposed and tricky, since nobody thought about the use of bicycles when they were set up centuries ago for hunters, smugglers and soldiers. Riding them on a Mountainbike requires creativity, riding skills and humility - which can't be learned in bikeparks.

As an athlete I don't compete against others - I ride with them instead. I love sharing my adventures in magazine-storys, online films and multimedia lectures.

FLOW

WHY is Mountainbiking fun?

That's the big question behind my latest project. The term flow is well known to every mountainbiker. But do we really know what it stands for? Two years of research with the outdoorsports-scientist Dr. Simon Sirch took us through all scientific perspectives and brought a lot of interesting answers. Flow doesn't just stand for a fluid beginners bike trail: Flow is a powerful state of mind in which we feel our best and perform our best. Flow makes us experience the moment. Flow explains why there is an attraction to risks, why playfullness is the easiest way to peak-performance, why shared fun is double fun and why mountainbiking can become an addiction!
 

Multimedia Lecture and Book

Blending the scientific research with real mountainbike experience made me write a book about the flow-state with Dr. Simon Sirch and produce a multimedia lecture. We filmed and photographed at the most epic bike destinations in Europe: From vulcanic deserts in Iceland to steep rockwalls of the Dolomites. From a remote mountain hut in Austria to the forgotten trails of the Maritime Alps. Featuring some of the best known german riders like Manfred Stromberg and Tom Öhler. Helmet-cameras take us into the mind of a fanatic mountainbiker, super-slomotions capture the moment and drone-takes make us fly.

But my Flow-Project doesn't only adress mountainbikers. The scientist Mihaly Csikszentmihaly researched the flow-phenomenon on climbing athletes, musicians and artists. Flow is ultimaltely democratic, and everybody can experience it who is following any kind of passion!

Whilst the book is currently only available in german language, the lecture comes for international audiences as well in english language.

International References

• Bansko Film Festival 2015 (BUL)
• Slovakia Mountain Film Festival 2014 (SLO)
• Vancouver Mountain Film Festival 2013 (CA)
• San Vito Climbing Festival 2012 (IT)

VIA FERRATA

Mountainbiking on a climbing route?

Via Ferrata is a short film about my first descent of a fixed-rope climbing-route on a Mountainbike. Christoph Thoresen filmed my ride in the amazing Brenta Dolomites with a drone.

Hiking the whole Bocchette Via Ferrata in spring 2015, I couldn't belief my eyes when the last part of it looked like a singletrack to me... So I came back in fall 2015 with my bicycle. At Via Ferrata Benini, Vidi and Sentiero Orsi I rode >90% of all the downhill-sections.

But I honestly don't want to do this ride again. It's stupidly dangerous, feels triple as exposed as it looks like and there is a lot more uphill-climbing and ladders involved than the video shows. You think about doing this tour as well? I really recommend to walk these fantastic route without a bicycle. And only if you then see a trail too...

VIA FERRATA was a finalist at the Banff Mountain Film Festival in 2015 and at the Sheffield Adventure Film Festival 2016. It is screening at the Radical Reels Film Tour worldwide.

HORACE

AND THE ROUGH STUFF FELLOWSHIP

Long before bikes got fat tires, full suspension and carbon fiber frames, the urge to push the pedals off road found its way into the hearts of riders. One group, the UK-based Rough Stuff Fellowship has united such riders for decades, since a time when crossing rugged terrain was truly for the dedicated adventurer.

"Horace and the Rough Stuff Fellowship" tells the story of Horace Dall, an astronomer who—80 years ago—single-handedly crossed Iceland's moonlike central desert in his suit and tie, solo, with just a napkin-sized map and the stars as his guide.

The film tells Dall's story as well as the like-minded adventurers who came after him, only to find it had (sort of) been done before. The film, with its stunning high-definition shots of the landscape, examines the eternal questions: Why do we go off road? Why leave the comforts of home? Are there any new adventures to be had? The answers of course (if there are any) lie in the hearts of individuals. And if you keep looking, you're already there. © coolhunting.com

The Sea of Rock

a first descend and a history lesson

Trial-Worldchampion Tom Öhler, filmer Sebastian Doerk and me reveal a story long lost. A bicycle hanging in a climbing route guards the entrance to a vast mountain range. The story leads us to two guys who almost invented the mountainbike and killed themselves in only one day...

Sea of Rock tells their story and shows how two professional Mountainbikers attempt the same project 40 years later. The different riding styles of Tom and me meet one of the most challenging terrains in the alps.

Sea of Rock was the most sucessfull german bike-movie in 2012 and screened worldwide at several Film Festivals and Film tours in 2013.