The Kora

High in the Himalayan hinterlands of southwest China, three majestic mountains soar above sprawling floodplains that spill into the country’s sweltering lowlands. Over the centuries, various Dalai Lamas have ordained these towering peaks as sacred, and the Tibetan people who inhabit this isolated region revere them as granite gods. A pilgrimage around the base of these 19,000-foot-high giants is considered a holy undertaking, and those lucky enough to finish this arduous circuit—known as the ‘Yading Kora’—hope the effort will purify a lifetime of negative karma. Inspired by this time-honored rite of passage, three adventurers set out to complete this kora on mountain bikes, carrying everything they need to survive the 10-day mission themselves.

Featuring

Brice Minnigh as 'Lǐ Hóngqí'

Sam Seward as 'Xióngmāo Bǎobǎo'

Joey Schusler as ‘Zhǔxí'

A film by Joey Schusler

Written by Brice Minnigh

Cinematography by Joey Schusler and Brice Minnigh

Editing by Aidan Haley

Sound by Ridgeline Sound

Color by Dylan Hageman

Art by Good Fortune Collective

VFX by Shotgun Infinity & Solid Alpha

Media Partner

Bike Magazine

Supported By

Yeti Cycles, Thule, SRAM, RockShox, ENVE, Smith Optics, Outdoor Research, Big Agnes

Tibetan Narration

Dorje Yashi

Mandarin Narration

Brice Minnigh

Language Coordinator

Jessica Dicarlo

Camera Tracking

Chris Jimmo

China Logistics

Alex Tang

Music

Tibetan Singing Bowls

Tibetan Singing Bowls

Another Ballad for Heavy Lids

Starts of the Lid

Scene 1: Prologue in Heaven

Opéra du Sichuan

Mansion Door

Written by Alejandro Rose-Garcia, Rayland Baxter, Christopher Boosahda, Patrick O'Connor, Jonathan Shaw

Performed by Shakey Graves

Courtesy of Dualtone Records and Words & Music, A Division of Big Deal Music, LLC