With 2013 comes a new year and new projects, and for Jeremy "Twitch" Stenberg this means the start of making his second freeride film. Stenberg wants to help make freeriding an officially recognized discipline in FMX, and it's fitting because his passion and his roots are out in the hills.

In my opinion, it takes more skill to be a hill rider than it does to be an FMX rider. And let me credit those still riding FMX with great bravery to continue pushing the extreme boundaries of insanity because I definitely am not interested in taking my mind to those levels. So it only seems natural that things come back full circle to where they all started, the hills.

Why is it in motocross we can't get paid to be just a freerider? In snowboarding, the backcountry riders are some of the most sought-after riders. Same goes for street skateboarding. While I continue on a quest I started in 2004, my comrades and I will push on and set our sights on being pioneers of this goal of becoming full-time freeriders.

Stenberg, while representing his Dirt Bike Kidz [DBK] brand, loaded up a motorhome with me, Deft Family team manager Andy Bakken, Hart & Huntington team rider Lance Coury, mechanic Eric Mazzetti and filmers John Sanders, Dave Dawes and Chad Dodd to cruise the open coastal highways of Southern California. The course was set: We'd hit Wyvern on the way to Jackpot Ranch [outside Santa Barbara], then head up to the Oakland Supercross races before doubling back down to Bakersfield on the way home.

Plans are ever-changing and on our way out the weather called for rain on the first night into the next day. Perfect, we'll hit the road trip only to come home and ride out the south end of the storm. Well, here's where it went sideways. After getting into Santa Barbara we checked the weather again only to find out we drove straight into the storm. The forecast for the next five days was a 60-70 percent chance of rain. How did we just do that?

Nevertheless we trucked on into the green rolling hills of Jackpot Ranch and salvaged an epic day in and out of rain showers Jan. 24. Oakland SX got cut off the list to head to Bakersfield a day early. The shots from Jackpot Ranch and Bakersfield proved why we do what we do and have the passion to make freeriding a recognized official part of moto. After all, more people are just riders opposed to being an FMX rider or racer.

Till next time, I say follow your dreams no matter what the naysayers might say.