Video: Death of the Post Office Jumps - 1986 - 2015

 Growing up a 3 miles up the road from these jumps was a gift. Although I stopped biking 2 years ago. I never stopped taking time to sit and watch. The man who is building the shopping center is that same man who is building a mega-hotel, or trying anyways, in the same town. He is evicting trailer park attendants from the cliffs above capitola. He was kind for letting the jumps stand for that long. Barry Swanson is his name. He is not from Santa Cruz and doesn't understand. The new super store will put local business out. It's sad to see the county sell out like this. It's hard to believe with the water moratorium that they are letting this outsider ruin the culture. #BOYCOTTBARRY. RIP THE POST OFFICE.

 That video hit me right in the feels.

 So sad to see a legendary set of jumps gone.

I think everyone who's ever had a set of jumps leveled can relate to that video. I completely respect wanting to be a part of their destruction, though. I had to tear out the trails I worked on for five years (not QUITE p.o. status, I realize... ) and it was actually a really nice chance to reflect on all the amazing times I spent there.

Post Office will be sorely missed from the entire bike community, and we all feel for your loss. Best of luck finding a new home for the spirit of post office, but he Aptos scene is clearly rad, and much as it may not seem like it right now, one set of jumps does not make a scene.

RIP, and here's to the future.

 This may become one of the most unwatched video's on PB. Who could press play on this? Goddam ninja's cutting onions.

 The fact that the district/county even allowed those jumps to flourish for so long was commendable. Those jumps provided a stomping ground for so many kids to learn about our sport and hone their skills on a bike and with a shovel. It gave many the determination to go and build their own spots. At the end of the day anyone who truly believes that they should have been allowed to stay has no logical sense of the real world and societies needs. Post Office was removed to make way for a new town center which will help the development of the community. The fire was lit and kept burning in the locals' souls for a kick ass riding spot for 15 plus years. This will bring new motivation to go out and do it again BETTER.

 Funny to think that without the dirt there's all these points in the sky that will never have a bike and a person pass through them

 still lives in google maps
Aptos, CA 95003, USA
36.979034, -121.899776

i thought it was called "post office jumps" because the riders always "sent it". had no idea there was actual post office nearby.

on a separate note, are they building something or did they just tear it down to avoid possible lawsuits?

 Jeesus - what a sad vid. The faces of the kids.. the expression of loss was beautifully captured and really hit me somewhere deep inside. Hope they can transform the loss and the anger into something creative and forward looking.

 Best use of "The Funeral" Ive yet seen.

 They had to destroy their own jumps?!? Thats rough.

 That was heavy. Here in San Diego we've had a local spot called Ted Williams that I've been riding for 13 years and it was there long before i started that just got torn down as well for legal reasons. Alot of memories.

 that was sadder than the ending to Into the Wild......

 "video not available in your country" ....this makes the whole thing even sader

 Don't mind me, I'm just gonna go jump in front of the nearest bus.

 I think you mean 30 years

 Please help us get the next spot! Leave a comment of support here:

www.postofficejumps.org/showsupport

Every little bit helps. We've got a lot of support locally. We'll find the next spot. You can't keep #SpiritOfPostOffice down for long.

Follow: @postofficejumps

 My skill may never be that to hit jumps of that size... but still, they brought something to our community here in the 831. The AM line built for the sugar show down, was epic; the jump line at the pump track too was great; and The Spine, the biggest jump I've taken to date. This video showed the emotion behind that. Some people are making Barry Swanson out to be a saint for allowing the track to be there, but lets get some facts strait. He's developing the land for another supper market and homes, New Leaf will be moving in. Just up the road where the Safeway is, is another center, with vacancy's, why? Because Safeway bought the center, and jacked up rent to 1.25-1.5 a sq foot, with plans to expand Safeway, evict others and jack up rent more. 5 minutes away at 41st and Soquel they just built a new center, still with many vacancies, rent is 2-3 a sq foot. Rummer has it, were the jumps "were" rent will be $2-3 a sq foot, this is not inviting for local business to come. The local business just up the road left after Safeway raised the rent. Barry Swanson, like all land developers wants money, copious amounts of money, he doesn't care if the community wants local, he wants money, that means he wants chain business to move in. Here in the 831, we want local. We want local food, we want small business. We are sick of monster sized Safeways, sick of all the chain drug stores, sick of the fast food; we want more places like Bookshop, Horsesnyders, Synergy, Shopper Corner. We as a community need more for the kids, places like this gave kids somewhere to go, to stay out of trouble and drugs; places like this gave parents piece of mind knowing where their children where.

 The parks and rec dept should have done something, but I'm sure theres more to the story, I hope.
They're putting in condos and a "super" Safeway, what's wrong with the Safeway 1/2 mile down the road?

 Amazing video, I was almost in tears. RIP the Post Office.

 They're not tears I swear.. someone squirted water in my eyes..

 And people wonder why their kids stay inside watching tv all day long

 "They paved paradise and put up a parking lot"...

 Never been to these jumps. Much less ridden them. This video had this grown man of 32 years that isn't easily saddened, shed some tears. My sympathies go out to all dirt junkies from this community. What evil politician is responsible for such an atrocity?!

 Santa Cruz has such a strong cycling community, I'm sure that the spirit of post office will come back stronger than ever in its next incarnation!!

 Looks like I'll never tick "Ride the Post Office Jumps" off my bucket list now. I have seen so many badass videos of these jumps that they made it onto my bucket list. Had I known when this was going down I would have made the trip there just to experience them before they disappeared. Tears were shed.

 That is one of the saddest things I have ever seen in the world of mountain biking, It seems to me certainly in the UK at least people are starting to catch on to this whole mountain biking thing, new trail centres pump tracks etc etc the riding scene is improving massively. It is a shame to see such an established riding place demolished like that. Kudos to the builders, I wouldn't have been able to tear down jumps I built like that without more than a tear in my eye. I hope these guys get somewhere new to build and ride,

 wow that was incredibly sad to watch. kids learned how to fly there. signing the petition is the least we can do

 This was hard to watch as a builder. Couldnt imagine standing there watching. Much respect to all the guys who put in the hours it took to get a place like that running. I singed your petition and hope you guys get somthing going somewhere else.

 The tearing down of these jumps is heartbreacking. On the other hand seing so many pople from many different countries empathise with the locals and share their grief gives me hope for the mountain bike comunity as a whole. No matter how far away we live there's always this feeling of a community even through the internet and that's what makes mountain biking great.

 Wow, that was depressing.

I finally made it down to Aptos this Fall and was able to ride the amazing trails up in the mountains thanks to a local bike shop Epicenter. The highlight of the trip (other then the 6 hours of riding) was wandering over behind the shop and seeing the Post Office jumps in all of their glory. It was amazing to see the work, the history, the connection to so many pictures and videos that I had seen over the years.

My sense of Aptos it that it's a small community, in particular where the jumps are, nestled in the mountains that seems to be the polar opposite of the right place to build a mall. Spare me the libertarian ethos. This is the same argument for not tearing down historic properties or burning down forests because you can. There was something special here, that somehow, the community, the society, the government somehow should have recognized it's value.

I get that its a unique situation, but really how different is it from Gorge Road in NZ or even our park in Toronto. The difference is that there is history that has been lost forever.

Either way, it's an absolute shame.

 It might be too late in the process. But, as an architect... I throw this out there. The local bikers should contact the project architect and the big box store. Explain the history, popularity, and importance of this historic location. Get the Big Box store to become a sponsor. Contact their corporate headquarters and speak with their marketing rep. It will be exceptional PR for the BBS to be able to say they saved something historic, as well a something that supports kids athletics. As for the project architect. If he's any good at all, he should easily be able to 'incorporate' the park as a design element. Moving a few parking spots around on the siteplan, and proper landscaping are all easy to do if the desire is there. Once the BBS tells the owner they want the park to stay, and once the architect shows the how great it will look, the Owner (if he's smart) will play the part of 'project hero' for saving this landmark. Worth a try....

 Well, we can't be having them boys hurtin themselves and growin up tough. They're better off learnin how to put condoms on cucumbers in their sensitivity training classes. Thanks lawyers!

 Almost 30 years yo ! do the math : 1986 - 1996 = 10 years , 1986 - 2006 = 20 years and 1986-2015 = 29 years ! and yes sad vid .

 The same happened to our riding spot. Torn down after 10years because of insurance issues. Nobody ever sued anyone... It's shocking that a piece of iconic culture and folklore can be rated below a mall. Like we don't have enough of those. Who leaves their bike gathering dust because they want to take up shopping instead...

 For all intents and purposes ...I am as flat lander as you can get... But this was the saddest thing I have watched in a long time. It is a harsh reality to have to destroy a creation that is a part of you for so long. A big thumbs up to the whole concept of Public Parks on private land, with community stewardship. With Ideals like this... We can build a better sport.

 Although I never got to ride there I am very gutted to see it go, I know people who have grown up there and it's like a second home to them. Must have been so painful tearing it down but doing as much as you could by hand was such a respectful way of doing it. Keep shredding guys. Don't let the post office family die with the park!

 Why didn't big shot pro riders rally up sponsors and throw fundraisers and buy or lease the lot is beyond me. Sure with corporate sponsorship could affect the vibes of the spot would have changed, but at least it would still exist. Always sad to lose iconic spots. We have lost many good riding spots to urban development in Vancouver and never gets easier..

 that's bad ass to take the pick axe to the jumps before the dozer could..might as well give the final death blow with the same two hands that built the jumps.

 Damn man watching some of the builders/riders take down parts of these jumps is like when you throw dirt on someone's coffin when they're buried... Huge loss and I hope that you can rebuild. Thanks for the great pics/edits of the final days and the life that was the post office.

 My 6 year old daughter just watched this and completely lost it, tears flowing. I've built jumps on my property for 6 years now - she knows how much love goes into this sort of setup and how much it must hurt to watch it go. RIP Post Office Jumps - loved watching you from afar!

 I don't cry often but when I do. It's because of people's life memories being torn apart.

 FÜR ALLE DEUTSCHEN USER: Proxtube downloaden (proxtube.com/?lang=de) und dann den Youtube-Link kopieren/aufrufen www.youtube.com/watch?v=GiUm3Qdy9ZM dann einfach anschauen .

 This is more sad news to see a area that has stood so long to get destroyed down in the name of MONEY!!!!! Property owners in cali will never build a real dirt park in a rural area as the insurance liability is to high and , the bottom line is there is no money to be made. So lets keep letting them tear down home grown dirt parks and let our youth get FAT!!!!! WTF!!!!!!! rip PO jumps OMB!!!!! we just lost around 20 plus DH dirt jumps here in so cal 2 weeks ago.

 Guy´s don´t cry! Crab your shovels and build the track again! Post Office never RIP! Just do it, no more film projekts! It´s your life and its not alwas about being famos or a good rider, its about the cycling passion.

 damn fricking construction!!! I have seen two local dirt jump spots destroyed over this winter one of the spots has been around for more than 10 years! thank you construction. One of the last spots left is only 200 yards away a growing development.

 I'm so depressed! GEMA don't allow you watching this video in your country'' FU** THIS SHIT! It's even sader now, that post office is down

 One chapter of your dirt book has been finished. Now write another one with next generation of dirt jumpers. Hope you find new home soon

 This is terribly sad. All of you guys from Aptos I share this massive loss. Thank you to these jumps for bringing us so many nice riding and great rider. I wished to come arround one day just to look. The post office is as legendary as the repack, moab or whistler...

 That was just heart wrenching to watch. I have never been there so I won't pretend that spot has a place in my heart, but for all the kids, pro's and riders that hit that spot especially the ones who called it home my heart goes out to you all.

 are these the jumps featured in mtb mag more than a decade ago with Cam and Tyler? Sad its gone. Had a nice long run before it got taken out. Perhaps the city will provide for a new place to build. Dirt jump/skills parks are getting popular.

 Thanks to the land owner for allowing the jumps for so long. Thanks to the riding community for putting hand to shovel and building your dreams and realizing it. Thanks for the great memories and the friendships that were build as a result of these trails. Rest In Peace Aptos.

 Its funny how just some piles of dirt have brought so much happiness cultivation a talent of riders beyond our imagination. I hope a new site for this town can be built to keep this passion for DJ flying high! RIP postoffice!

 As Cam Mc Caul said, everyone knew it was on borrowed time. Like when you get an awesome new dog, you know eventually its going to end. So thanks and see ya!

Swenson Co. was pretty damn cool to lease the land to the county for $1/year for all this time.

For every Post Office that goes down, theres a Z's that goes up. Cruz riders find a way, always.

 I'm so damn tired of people who don't mountain bike or understand it. They think it's easy to build dirt jumps.. Couple weeks ago hikers tore down all of the jumps my friends and I made. It sucks to see another place go down like this, especially a legendary place like the post-office. #RIPPostOffice

 Shit man... I was hoping one day to take my family on a biking road trip across the states and post office was right at the top of the list. What am I gonna do now, take the kids to a supermarket !! How shit is that?

 It's sad to see these kind of things get destroyed. On the plus side, having that many people devoted to these jumps is good, because they will return. Maybe not in the same place, but they'll be back. There's a place in Calgary called junkyard, little amateur jumps built by guys from a local bike shop. They are getting taken out this summer so the city can put in some storm water retention ponds. Working at the bike shop and talking to the guys that started building them I know that they will make a comeback, even if they are going to get taken out again. All you need is determination.

 That's horrible. If they've been there that long you might as well let them stay there

 That's a bummer and all, but if it's such a big part of that community, why didn't everyone band together and buy the land for themselves. They got a free ride for nearly 30 years from the sounds of it. Plenty of time to save your pennies.

 I'm 15 and live in the united kingdom, I have always wanted to visit post office jumps and never got the chance this is sad, times are changing trails are being knocked down all over and I hate it.

 Odds are I was never gonna go to or even ride the post office jumps. But it breaks my heart that they are gone. Have had this page open in my browser since it was posted, still can't make my self watch it.

 its ok to cry

 I just cried a little bit

#RIPPO

 I had a DH trail witch I spent good 3 years of hard work to build up, the day that I saw they torn it down it was like cut a peace of me! although soon I found another place... in the end the ride never stops!

 Well, after I've seen that video I watched this one back vimeo.com/51547420 ... I shed a tear to the Post Office part

 places like this need to be preserved just as much as any monument, its just the masses dont understand the few and we will never have the following something like football has, sad times

 It's a shitty thing to have happened to a legendary spot ... I just don't understand some of the hypocracy of the people on here shitting on all things corporate while typing on their shiny new iPhone 6+. Maybe rather than using things like this #boycottbarry the locals should be thanking him for the use of and remember this HIS land for so long. JMO

 Bummer these had to go... And it does pose a lot of interesting questions about what does and doesn't benefit a community.

Sad? Yes. Wrong? Absolutely not. There's a whole lot of gray area going on here. It's easy to vilify the "evil, mega-corporate money hungry developer" while ignoring that he ALLOWED these riders to use his land for so many years. But it's also just as easy to criticize the users for not ORGANIZING and doing something about it.

It's funny how you can get 100 local like-minded individuals to spend tens of thousands of dollars on bikes, or get them all to spend thousands of hours digging, but they won't put the same effort into organizing and creating a mature, well-funded, level-headed approach to dealing with municipalities to achieve their goals.

We as a group LOVE to bitch and moan about the evil forces that take away things that were never ours to begin with...

There's two things you can do:

1.) Enjoy it while it lasts and move on when it ends, or...

2.) Spend less money on shiny bikes and carbon parts... A bit less time riding and digging... Even less time fulfilling the hooligan stereotype that beleagurs ALL riders (c'mon guys... open alcohol containers at a public bike park? see video @ 01:52) and spend MORE time putting up an organized front to get and keep what you want.

 Sad...SAD! May the land be haunted with sounds of buzzing hubs and cries of excitement forever! My condolences to all to which this place meant so much.

 i allways wanted to go here one time just to feel the awsomnes of every body but to see that it's gone now leteraly made me cry man hope there wil be a new spot

 Oh man, as a passionate dirt jumper and builder myself, that was really hard to watch... Now off to a new spot with equal/even sicker jumps! Hang in there guys

 I felt I was watching a video at a funeral. very sad to see one of the most famouse jump sites leveled. we need to prevent this from happening in the future though.

 I hope someone stuck some of that dirt in a mason jar and saved it for a momento! It's holy ground!

 After watching this at work I started to tear up a little..Damn it was a dream of mine to visit this jumps now it's crushed.. R.I.P post office..

 That place was on my bucket list, i shet a ter my heart goes out to the post office family.

 thats a shity deal !. why did they have to go ?

 What's the back story on this? The land being developed after 20 years?

 idk where this is but its a shame theyre tearing down a way for kids and adults to be active!!

 It was great while it lasted. So much talent came out of that lot

 this video made me cry. rip

 Damn, who's cutting onions?!?!

 I ain't no backflipping tailwhipper, far from it, but I was genuinely upset by this.

 At the same time that this was a well done video.....it was the most shity and sad one I've watched on Pinkbike yet. Sorry people, I didn't like it one bit.

 I can't believe that someone would build a big box store and partially destroy the local riding..

 What a tear jerker! I could not for the life of me ride those jumps, and I live on the other side of America, but this is still a sad story.

 You could buy bricks from the Hacienda night club for 5quid and 10quid for a dance floor tile when that place was demolished.
How much is an Ounce of PO dirt going for?

 this is the first time I ever felt like weeping during a PB video. I feel for everyone who has ridden there. Pure heart and soul in that place

 RIP Post office jumps... never got to ride there. looked like a legendary place to go and meet new riders and progress your skill.

 Anyone remember the Horse Trails in West Hills ? After a short revival a few years ago, they have just been bulldozed last week for housing development.

 RIP post office, sad times

 I'm going to need a second after watching that

 sad to see them go RIP post office going miss these edits

 Never been there, but man, I wanna cry right now. Damn. Hope you guys are gonna find a new spot! RIP

 These comments bashing capitalism and corporate America are hilarious. Countless video productions, bike ads, riders, etc have made money off of a piece of land they didn't pay a dime to use and then you want to bash someone for selling it and making money. I hate seeing a riding spot get torn down, but seems to me the community took advantage of what they thought was a never ending free ride and found out there was an ending to it. Should be thankful that the jumps weren't torn down the day they were first built like what is done every day across the world when riders dig on someone else's property.

 Never been there, don't ride Dirt Jumps but still feeling very sad after watching that video.

 Sad vibes

 RIP post office Lest we forget

 That's rough! I'll miss seeing movie segments and stuff of those! Gotta suck ripping down your own jumps.

 That's a harsh one on ya, I gotta say. Good thing spring and summer is coming...

 I remember riding there with my good friend when I was just a young buck, glad I got to put in a memory of my own there.

 This is a really SAD day. RIP

 they could have at least put up another post office not a parking lot

 My dream was to ride there one day, not even once! Rip

 The saddest day.......I wish all of you riders the best!!

 One helluva community.

 THANK YOU SO MUCH EVERYBODY THAT HELPED GET OUR SIGNATURES ABOVE 1000 WOOOO!

 Corporate progress, soon the whole world will be a strip mall run by Apple.

 This video needs to be at the end of an hour long documentary dedicated to the life of the post office jumps.

 Everybody grab a shovel and build a dirt jump wherever you are in the world

 I would understand if they flattened the place for an N and Out Burger but for a shopping area well thats just rubbish! lol

 its like going to Pipeline Hawaii and pot some dynamite on the coral reefs to acept boats near the beach...

 "We finally really did it. [falls to his knees screaming] YOU MANIACS! YOU BLEW IT UP! AH, DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU ALL TO HELL!"

 i cried haha but its sad to see this place go it is where this eras pro rider grew up and now it gone

 How could you drive that dozer with all those sad guys around? Whoever is building there is a poomuncher and ill never buy anything of his

 they shouldn't post this its to hard !

 why did the post office get ripped down ?

 Another way through the world is lost... Now to try for something better!

 and I couldn't even ride

 It's so sad to see this legendary spot destroyed.... The human's cupidity has no limit......

 "The Funeral" fit the video well...RIP Post Office

 why did they tear them down???

 This gets me right in the feels, Crap to see sh*t like this happen

 Well let's just hope Somone burns down his shopping centre ... Selfish people will be the end of this world

 Have those guys at REDBULL HEADQUARTERS RELOCATE THEM JUMPS!!!

 @Metal Polo. BOOOOOO THIS MAN!

 such a bummer

 Damn...

 Society obviously wants us to stay grounded, like them.

 remebered Long live PostOffice

 aw man, only a few months before my first trip to California

 I have a feeling that I'll get neg-propped for saying this but if it wasn't for the involvement of the McCauls, R-dog etc. The Post Office site wouldn't have gotten a world-class reputation as a DJ site so It would have ended up being demolished just like any other DJ site around the world without making it on the news on Pinkbike... So what's the big deal about it anyway? (apart from it being a breeding ground for established riders)

 Such a huge loss to the riding community.

 send me a postcard, darling

 why did they have to be torn down!?

 IN MEMORY OF…

www.youtube.com/watch?v=4aJzYioSDi4

 Laps. The apostrophe is hard.

 bastards!

 f*ck¡¡¡ always is the same in this fkn world

 It give me the feeling of a believer who had lost a temple of pilgrimage!

 RIP Post Office.

 Never been here but this still draws a tear. Rip Post office

 Very sad day in the mountain bike community. #RIPpostoffice

 Thanks Obama...

 Anyone got a link to the news footage?....
Interested in what was said.

 I keep riding the post office jumps. In Bike Mayhem ;(

 Man, that's rough. :-/

 #RIPpostoffice

 RIP

 Dam didn't get to go its to late rip

 AM I THE ONLY ONE THAT DIDN'T CRY?!?!?!?!

 www.barryswensonbuilder.com

 Why were they demolished?

 Why would they remove it if lots of people like It

 Sad day in aptos...

 Think I'm gonna cry.

 This sholud be VOY!!!!!!! (video of the year)

 REVOLUTION \m/

 rip in peace