In July 2016 I finally found an opportunity to visit Kirill Benderoni again. The Russian freerider had been lying low for a while, dating back to what was perceived as a spectacular and quite unfortunate meltdown at Rampage 2013. After going on a Euro road trip with him in the summer of 2014 I hadn’t heard too much from him, but he still seemed to be cooking up some interesting stuff in Moscow – at least that’s what I guessed from his seldom, but regular updates on social media. When he finally announced that he had indeed built a couple of new freeride jumps in the Russian woods, I was instantly excited. It took a couple of months, but this summer we could finally set a date for a shooting session. In july I met up with Freeride Mag editor Laurin Lehner at Munich airport. To get into the right mood for the travel to the east, we downed a couple of Vodkas – the Russian belittlement word for water. Total German cliché for Russians of course. Actually, Kirill and many of his friends don’t drink any alcohol and most are vegetarians, too. Not at all what you’d expect coming from a prejudice-ridden western mindset, but with Kirill, not too much is as you’d expect anyway…

I’ve tried to get a feeling for that guy’s mindset since our first trip through Russia in 2012. Now, on the fifth project together, I feel like I’m beginning to glimpse a bigger picture, but Kirill still surprises – or unsettles – me somehow. He’s a really unique character in the action sports scene. Quiet (VERY quiet at times), introverted, but with a keen mind always open to his surroundings. Very creative, which of course also manifests in his riding style, but even more in his other hobbies. He builds his own instruments, plays them with a melancholy tune – and he plays them very well, be it the harmonica, accordion or various guitars. Of course his musical talent is well known since his freeride edit from 2011 where he played his own soundtrack on a flute (who the fuck would come up with such an idea?).

Kirill lives with his mom in a small house in Chulkovo, a suburb to the 15 million+ megacity of Moscow. His younger brother moved closer to the city center after he had finished his army service. Kirill was never in the army but bought his way around it by paying some decent Rubels. This is a common practice in Russia as lots of young guys seem not to be too keen on getting beaten up regularly in the service. The small house Kirill and his mom live in lies hidden behind an inconspicuous fence at the side of a main road that leads directly to southern Moscow. You can immediately see that his mom spends a lot of time gardening, as there’s a variety of immaculately cared for flowers, vegetables and fruits growing everywhere. It’s a small paradise in stark contrast to the dusty street and neon sign stores surrounding it.

The freeride mtb scene in Russia is pretty much non-existent, as Kirill explains. A couple of guys around Moscow plus the odd buddy from abroad, such as the Ukranian Misha on this trip – those are the riders that usually go out for a shred together. The riding spots are quite limited in number, but they cover all the aspects you need, from dirt jumps to downhill tracks to freeride tracks with wooden drops and big jumps. And then there are the hidden gems of course, the spots Kirill and his hardcore friends find from time to time when travelling around by train or car or truck or bus. Two years ago, they came across a quarry in whateveritscalled, about an hour by car from Moscow. The mining waste provided them with a variety of options for jumps of all kinds and sizes. The location features a spectacular backdrop of the Moscow river and surrounding meadows. Lots of young birches and poplars dip the entire area in a strong, lavish green or, come autumn, a phenomenal orchestra of yellows, reds and oranges. I have always been a fan of the locations Kirill finds, but this one is truly, excuse me for using this overused but fitting word, epic.

During the days Laurin and I spent in Moscow, the weather was changing pretty often, which limited our bigair options a bit, but nevertheless Kirill went for some big moves. He attempted a double flip for the first time, but couldn’t ride out of one successfully. The trick jump saw some very nice action with nothings (Misha), flip nohanders (Dima) and Kirill’s double flip attempts and flip combinations like no foot cancan flips on the big bike.

The number one goal for the trip was the big stepdown however, and n the last day we finally moved in on the spot in rapidly diminishing evening light. Kirill hadn’t flipped the jump before and was quite nervous. After a straight jump we decided that the light was only good for one more go, so Kirill ran up the hill, prepared himself on top of the inrun and then went for it.

He stomped it perfectly thankfully and since he went a little extra big, his airtime was preeeeetty nice 🙂 All in all, a perfect outcome for our trip. Freeride Mag ended up running the photos in a 7 page piece which I’m pretty stoked about! Once again, a session with Kirill turned out to be very efficient and with a super good result!