Nationality: USA
Favorite terrain: Off-road, singletrack, chunky gravel
Favorite gadget: Whichever camera I have on me, whether it's my Canon R5, Fujifilm X100F, or my smartphone
Favorite food: Phở dặc biệt or pad see ew
Experience: Silk Road Mountain Race, Oregon Timber Trail, Hellenic Mountain race, Tour Divide, The Adirondack Trail Ride, Vermont Super 8, and all the mountain bike trails within two hours of NYC!
Short bio
I'm Conan Thai, a 38-year-old freelance photo retoucher based in NYC. I'm an ice climber, mountaineer, and a competition drytooler. I've also been getting into aerial arts lately, primarily for Chinese pole, lyra, and straps.
Cycling was how I first explored my neighborhood starting at the age of 13. It allowed me a level of independence that I hadn't experienced before. I've gone through various forms of cycling throughout my life, starting with mountain bikes and track bikes when I lived in southern California, triathlons in my college years, road cycling in my first years living in NYC, and now bikepacking and ultras for the past decade. This recent form of cycling initially began as a way of building a cardio base for mountaineering and climbing adventures, but I've realized that those disciplines have also prepared me for extreme conditions—I absolutely love being in harsh, cold temps.
I'm drawn to big days and I love documenting the process through photos and videos. I feel that it took me such a long time to find my way into this world of adventure and so I want to keep the door open for everyone else.
