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MZ: What are your other hobbies?
My big brother races cars so I got into that when I was younger, but as I progressed, I was beating him and he didn't like that (laughs.) He was giving me a hard time about it so I moved on to bikes. I've also got a motocross bike and a snowboard. I'm spending the winter in Chamonix this year to see if I can up my snowboarding level and I'd like to take the snowboard instructor exams too. I wouldn't mind competing in boardercross or freestyle, but I need to get better first.

MZ: Tell me about the training you did recently with the Royal Marines?
We went to the Royal Marines training camp down in the South of England with a few other riders for an interview. We started with climbing. They made us climb in boxing gloves to rely more on our balance and our feet - it was pretty hard. I've never climbed in boxing gloves before.

And then we did a timed run on the Outdoor Assault course which is a bit of common land with a course built on it. You run in between each section, wading through these swamps and underwater tunnels where they push you through and someone drags you out the other end.

Then, during the Rope Regains they made us crawl across the top of a rope, hooking a foot along the way, then dropping right underneath (the rope) and climbing back on top of it using a certain method. I've got bruises everywhere from that one. The best part was that we were 15 or 20 feet above the water and it was only five feet deep. So if you fell, you'd hit the concrete floor, which was a comfort to know.

MZ: Who have been your biggest influences in life?
My parents. They were the first ones to tell me when I was putting too much pressure on myself. Once I was able to realize that, I rode much better and I started having more fun, enjoying it more.

This year, I missed the National Championships because I needed to get a way from the race scene. I hadn't been riding very well. I'd get so angry because I kept doing bad, so I went away to Meribel (France) to ride for fun. I did 10 runs a day and had the best time. That for me was something that I had to do to get back on top of my riding. Sometimes your best runs come when you're totally relaxed and you're riding because that's what you enjoy...

— Lucas Kane, MountainZone.com Correspondent
Lucas Kane, a freelance photo journalist, wandered the world for nearly a year in search of the perfect terrain, but it wasn't until he arrived in Chamonix, France, that he found a new appreciation for the word "steep" and the utmost respect for Mother Nature.