Age: 30 | Vitals: 5’10”, 160 lbs. | Years Riding: 20 | Current Residence: Salt Lake City, UT | Instagram: @xanmarshland
For as long as I can remember, I’ve never been very interested in team sports. I wasn’t against competition, but I was a weird kid who enjoyed making up his own rules. Plus, fields were flat and boring. To nobody’s surprise, I quickly gravitated towards outdoor sports.
My exposure to mountain biking started casually, around age 10, when my uncle started taking me on mellow rides around the gravel fire roads of the Bay Area. I don’t know whether it was the first time my tires left the ground or the first time I willed myself not to touch the brakes, but something clicked, and riding bikes quickly became an obsession. What followed was a beautiful few years of poorly executed staircase hucks, trail rides, and prepubescent bike tomfoolery.
High school gave me a chance to do a bit of XC racing, which I credit for getting me fit, but not much else. Racing had its moments, but after a few trips to burlier terrain in Utah, Colorado, and the Sierras, the allure of Lycra faded.
This attitude prevailed throughout my higher education at Colorado College, where trips to the desert, 8,000-vertical-foot shuttle runs, and DH racing became regular activities among my friend group. I somehow managed to graduate with an environmental science degree and no broken bones.
In more recent years, I found myself pulled into the world of biotechnology and sustainable materials, which resulted in cofounding WNDR Alpine in 2019 and scaling the brand over six years. Today, I primarily find myself in the Intermountain West, testing bikes, ski touring, and introducing more athletes to our BLISTER+ Membership.
Riding-wise, I’m still most at home on a big bike in big mountains. I place a lot of value in small bump sensitivity, and tend to enjoy equipment that allows me to skip over obstacles and find sneaky transitions. My ideal ride is a highly curated, proprietary blend of awkward low-speed tech, reckless charging, natural doubles, and steeps, but the exact recipe is confidential.
Some Favorite Equipment:
Continental Kryptotal. Maxxis Minion DHF. Pinion C1.12 gearbox. Straight seat tubes. Trolli Sour Brite Octopus. Avocados.