Stomach-churning footage shows Scots cyclist Danny MacAskill cycling down Skye mountains

With his overseas filming plans thrown into disarray due to the pandemic, trail biker Danny MacAskill decided to look a little closer to home for his latest film.

The Slabs sees him take on Sgurr Dubh Beag on the Isle of Skye with his bike strapped to his back, before riding down a 900-metre route.

A six-minute clip, filmed using GoPros and a drone, shows the incredible biking pro using all his skills to navigate the steep climb which at times looks almost vertical.

The 35-year-old, who became an overnight superstar in 2009 after launching his first video on Youtube, posted the newest feature online after coronavirus restrictions forced the cancellation of several projects in 2020.

© YouTube
Danny takes on the impressively sheer terrain.

Speaking about the latest stunt, Danny stated that much like everyone else, 2020 had thrown “a big curveball”, he said: “I had a big bunch of projects in the USA which had to be cancelled and I ended up staying in the Spey Valley, near Aviemore.

“For six months I was riding my mountain bike every day.

“I was just trying to make the most of it.”

A big fan of rock climbing, Danny stated that he was inspired by the various men and woman who set new routes and test themselves on some amazing faces around the world.

Looking to follow in their footsteps, he explained that it set him on an adventure to find some challenging Slab Rock routes on his home Island of Skye.

His aim was to then ride them in a continuous line and test “what was possible” on his bike.

He said: “The remote Dubh Slabs rising out of Loch Coruisk in the heart of the Black Cuilin ridge provided some of the steepest terrain I have ever ridden as well as an amazing back drop for the film.”

Danny’s breakthrough video called Inspired Bicycles – April 2009 was released just over a decade ago and saw fans go crazy for the stunts he filmed at well known locations across Edinburgh.

Since then he has racked up well over 300 million views on various YouTube platforms.

The Ridge (October 2014), MacAskill’s last feature video also filmed on Skye, where he tackles the Inaccessible Pinnacle on the Cuillin Ridge, has been watched at least 74.5 million times on YouTube.

His latest production was filmed over a few days in Skye in September and has already racked up nearly 30,000 views.

MacAskill added that it was pretty nerve wracking tackling a lot of the obstacles on the route, he said: “The most challenging part was definitely the final 200-metre slab vertical section, which on the first day was just not possible to ride. It was very exposed and had a very difficult runout.

“This made the grip, braking and balance very difficult.

“You literally feel gravity just pulling you down the rock and when the only thing stopping you is your brakes you really feel how steep it is.

“Luckily it all worked out and I managed to get off the slab onto the grass reasonably controlled.”