Video & Photo Story: The Outlaw Sport - The Legalization of the North Shore's Trails with Geoff Gulevich & the NSMBA
The history and legacy of trail building in Vancouver’s North Shore mountains is incredible, few places on earth have had as much impact on the mountain biking community as this Canadian mecca. With its perfect dirt and dense trees - the trails were built with whatever they could find lying around the woods.
Originally, the North Shore district was against mountain biking for years. Mountain bikers were seen as adrenaline junkies tearing up the forest. It took until 1997 for these trails and cycling to be recognized as a valid user group who have the best interest in the land.
With the North Shore Mountain Bike Association working together alongside land management teams and local government officials, a symbiotic relationship between mountain bikers and land has evolved to be one of the most impressive networks of trails in the world.
With the help of the entire community of builders, riders and government the hopes are to have these trails around for future generations to enjoy.
 | My hope is that I made some fun trails and brought smiles to people’s faces. That’s what I want my legacy to be like. |
MENTIONS: @orbea / @raceface / @foxfactory / @shimano / @Maxxis
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—Todd “Digger” Fiander, trail builder
You sure did!
Is Frog Lady still around? This should brighten her day.
But about the filming, would you not agree that on the way world wide fame, there was a period in the mid to late 90's, perhaps reaching an apotheosis with Flying Circus, of stunt inflation, which was at least in part driven by film making considerations. It was certainly the case that at the time there was some controversy about who got to ride all those features first.
Sorry to take 50 minutes of your time away from work! This is worth the watch.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mB_gOzG7Oc
Not going to write a Shore History. I'm a latecomer and Seb Kemp already has a fine attempt.
For the record.
- the vast majority of the stunts/woodwork/trails existed before media. The most notorious stuff was built in the early to late 90s before Bike Mags seminal article.
- Per capita bikers were way way down the scale of injuries or even fatalities so I really don't know where you're going with this. Source was NS SAR stats from an old NS News article. Bikers were far below hikers, mushroom pickers etc. .Tim Jones (RIP) said we bikers would almost rather "crawl out on their lips" then get rescued. Graham and a rider from OR and a local passed from injuries while biking in the decade of the 90s to 2000s. Three people that I remember in that decade. Not many relative to the participants.
- Stunts got chainsawed in North Van mostly due to complaints. West Van's chainsaw massacre was due to liability concerns (the rescue from Reaper). NV was concerned about liability for sure but mostly the negatives were from stunt trails built lower on the mountain where hikers and kids could access easier (Stump Drop, Canyon Gap, Swollen Uvula, Whatchamacallit). NV didn't care about higher stuff ( GMG, Circus, A Shitload of Nails).
I know because I was the one who had to interface, communicate and CYA with West Van and North Van
Anecdotally I've heard that XC race teams at the JHigh and High School level are stuffed with kids.
Just spent $500 signing up and fitting out my 10 year old for Lacrosse (which I never played). Cheaper than a bike for now but there's costs to every season. Kids on bikes are universal (or were, not as much now its true) and that seems like a more organic feeder than the stick and ball sports and let's not even mention any kind of motorsport. There's always used and hand me down bikes for kids, I worry most about the young adults with a new job affording a bike ha ha. Don't disagree bike prices have gotten a bit aspirational.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=8mB_gOzG7Oc
What we need is more legal asphalt and shopping malls.