Joey Schusler in Tibet | The Kora

Once again, Joey Schussler has ventured into the far reaches of the world on a mountain bike journey to explore new trails and meet new people. On this excursion, Schussler and crew travel to Tibet on a self-supported bike packing trip over 10 days. With changing weather conditions and unexpected changes in the trail, the group must overcome obstacles to complete the ‘Yading Kora’, a time-honored holy tradition of the nearby people.

“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.”