Beyond the Trail: VAUDE Spotlights Enduro Bikepacking in New Alpine Film ‘The Wild West’

German outdoor equipment and cycling brand VAUDE has expanded its bike segment marketing with the release of The Wild West, a new documentary film following an 11-day self-supported bikepacking expedition across the Western Alps.

Directed by young filmmaker Johannes Karpfhammer, the debut project documents a crew navigating technical alpine singletrack on fully loaded enduro mountain bikes, bridging the gap between heavy-duty trail riding, bikepacking, and high-altitude alpine exploration.

Where Enduro Meets Self-Sufficiency

While traditional bikepacking often prioritizes long-distance gravel tracks and lightweight endurance setups, The Wild West reframes the discipline through an aggressive mountain bike lens. The crew tackled steep climbs, rugged descents, and remote mountain passes while carrying all their camping gear and supplies attached directly to full-suspension bikes.

The film captures both the gritty reality of self-supported alpine travel—demanding logistics, heavy gear management, and grueling ascents—and the fluid downhill riding that makes enduro bikes appealing on technical terrain.

Film Overview & Key Information

Storytelling as a Marketing Strategy

The production forms part of VAUDE’s broader content strategy to engage the growing bikepacking and trail-riding communities through narrative-driven cinema. Rather than relying solely on traditional product advertising, the brand leverages real-world expedition footage to highlight the performance of its mountain bike clothing and bikepacking bag collections in demanding environments.

The Wild West is part of a growing portfolio of adventure films backed by the brand. VAUDE is also promoting Emil & Karl – Kleine Reifen, große Berge ("Little Tires, Big Mountains"), a project documenting an alpine bike crossing with toddlers that was selected for screening at the St. Anton Mountain Film Festival.