Mountain bikers seem to have an unwavering desire to challenge how far they can push their limits. For some it means jumping farther. For others it means riding a line that terrifies them. For Whistler legend Adam Billinghurst, it meant attempting to ride way more than he ever had in a single season.

The mission: to descend one million vertical feet as quickly as humanly possible in one bike park season.By the numbers, completing a million vertical foot descent is equivalent to walking down the Empire State building 750 times, or down Mt. Everest 48 times. A mountain high enough to complete the descent in one run would rise past the atmosphere, stratosphere, mesosphere, and past the Aurora Borealis - all the way up to the orbit of the International Space Station.

"I turned what I love to do most into something I had to do. It became the best first world problem I've ever had. I had to ride my downhill bike too much. Sometimes it wasn't as fun as I wanted it to be, most of the time it was. Even after 15 years of riding here like a fiend, every October I felt like I didn't ride the park enough that season. This is the year though. I rode enough. I say that now, knowing I'll be dying for an A-Line hot lap as soon as it closes for the season. Thanks to everybody that helped me accomplish this goal and good luck to anybody else who wants to go for it." -Adam Billinghurs