W
hat was it like
growing up as a
rider in ‘Cowtown’
(Calgary, Alberta)?
I always felt out of place in Calgary.
Not only is it cold as balls, but it had
a real disconnect from extreme sports
- or any sport which wasn’t hockey at
the time. No one took mountain biking
seriously. Being cold, frozen, and dark
for half the year didn’t help either.
This resulted in almost nowhere to
ride. We had a couple spots, COP,
Millennium and a few local janky
jumps spots my crew and I built. They
were few and between.
A typical day for me would be stealing
my mom’s shovels, taking the train 45
minutes and digging and riding in the
south. It also involved my mom yelling
at me when the jumps were ploughed
and the city removed all her tools.
Sorry mom!
That said, it wasn’t Calgary’s riding
which made it a great place, it was the
people. I had a large group of friends
I met through riding who I still keep
in touch with. I haven’t made any
friends like that since living in BC. In
fact, most of them have moved here
to pursue biking in some regards.
You don’t have a choice where you’re
born, but you can choose how to deal
with it and where you’ll end up.
So how did Calgary’s riding scene
shape you as a rider?
Calgary was its own little bubble.
No one was fighting for sponsors or
trying to make it pro. There were no
external pressures like pushy parents
or contests. People rode because they
wanted to ride. We sent it because we
wanted to send it.
Calgary shaped me in such a way that
I just love mountain biking, and it’s this
mindset which keeps me going today.
Alberta is a love/hate relationship.
42 | FreestyleXtreme.com
And was it an easy choice to leave
home for the Rockies on?
Yeah, it was. I wanted to be in BC to
ride bigger jumps and get amongst
the scene.
After high school, I worked full time
throughout the summer and winter to
save $2500 and moved to Whistler the
following April with my girlfriend.
And when did you realise riding
bikes might be more than just a
hobby for you?
During university. My love for bikes
outweighed most things, and I wasn’t
too keen on doing anything else. I
remember putting lots of time and
effort into studying things I didn’t care
about, and thought, “what the fuck am
I doing?”.
I finished uni and decided to make
riding bikes happen. Little did I know
at the time, my communications
degree has been integral in riding
bikes professionally. Because yes, you
have to know how to write an email
or two.
You’ve ridden for Giant for a few
years now, how did that come
about?
Yup, five years with Giant.
It started when I pulled the classic
grom move and went to Interbike
looking for a sponsor (which FYI kids,
doesn’t work about 99% of the time).
I made the rounds and stopped by
Giant’s booth about five times, but
the Team Manager was never there. I
think on the sixth time, Brad (the Team
Manager at the time) sat me down and
said “hey kid, I like your persistence
and think it speaks to your character.
I’ll help you out with some bikes next
year if you can’t find anything else”.
So that was it. I got bikes from Giant
my first year, and have worked my
way up with them ever since. u