Video: 'This is Home' with Jackson Goldstone in Squamish, BC
Many mountain bike athletes start their careers early, honing skills well before the first signs of adolescence. Then there’s Jackson Goldstone. The Squamish, B.C. youth shot to stardom in 2010 when a homemade video of him riding, jumping, dropping, and spinning his balance bike on the way to kindergarten went viral. Since then, Jackson has risen to the top tiers of the sport, already demonstrating a signature style in mountain bike films and competing on the international stage, shoulder to shoulder with some of the best racers and freeriders in the world.
Talent has played a large part in Jackson’s extraordinary riding ability, but so has his hometown of Squamish. With one of the most densely packed trail networks on the planet right outside his door, Jackson can challenge himself in any mountain biking discipline he chooses, every day of the year. Whether whipping out jump lines with his friends or pinning long, rugged downhill descents to eclipse his personal record, Jackson always rides to have fun. He thinks you should, too.
Photography: Sterling Lorence @eyeroam
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Northwest Arkansas is a great example of a place doing it without true "mountains." My son, and an ever-increasing number of kids in our area, are living this same life. Riding daily, meeting up and digging together, and constantly socializing with an ever-expanding group of young riders while cultivating even younger groms to progress faster than they were able to at an even earlier age. It's pretty damned amazing to get to witness.
Ten years since Jackson rode to school... wild
Parenting (and the support of parents in a relatively expensive sport like MTB) is definitely a major part of it. But you also need to have the opportunities that are more enticing than another round of Fortnite. Kids are social as hell for the most part. A lot of them get online because they can easily access and socialize with their friends, if they can't provide their own mobility. If you have trails and parks as social hubs where groups of friends gather to ride, that becomes a more powerful draw than getting on Fortnite. And with bikes, kids are able to actually independently travel to these gathering spots... if a community has good connectivity for their trail system.
Shuttle laps on leatherwood pack so much riding in.
He and his friends just ride around all day in groups, going from session spot to session spot. He's been doing this since he was 11 years old. Not many kids get that kind of agency and autonomy these days... and it starts with a badass, accessible trail network.
That's said the *only* good thing out of Covid is we're seeing way more of my kids and others just riding/skating/scooting around the neighbourhood for hours; try and be home by dark, guys!
He was in Fernie last week with his family, I didn't meet him but saw him after the local race at the ski hill, he seemed like a really nice kid. I hope he does well racing next year!
How much better has my riding got in that time? Not much.
What's the lesson? If you want to be better on your bike, don't sit on pinkbike or buy the latest wheelsize. Just go ride your f##ki g bike. *Every* day.
How many Kokua Balance Bikes were sold after seeing Jackson's initial video. We bought one for our son & it set him on the path of biking for life.
Jackson ought to be an ambassador for biking in general. Yes, he's surrounded by the right people and the right trails. However, his family have the right spirit. Life is about making more of The Great Outdoors and throttling the gaming consoles consumption.
Every day on the bike is a good day .......
Absolutely Bang on the Money!!
Kidding! (sort of; my 11-yr-old got mugged for my bike while I was inside a 7-11 getting him a slurpee a few weeks ago, so super-aware of these scenarios right now)
This kid has it figured out.
The younger generation has it made if they want to pursue something like this... the bikes of today compared to my first mtb...(think ‘94 rigid KONA fire mountain) are so much more advanced and it just makes ripping off jumps and down rooty gardens so much funner and faster ! “They are lucky” is an understatement.
My jaw dropped in the first couple minutes of the video :-0
We have to thank all the parents and volunteers of lower mainland mountain bike associations for where we are today
Thumbs up
www.pinkbike.com/video/147106
Can't wait to see how far he's gone in another ten years!