Winter Will Not Stop Us

Having recently moved to Calgary, AB from North Vancouver, BC where I was spoiled by all year riding accessible in my "backyard", I was feeling a bit panicked. I don't own a car, so getting to the mountains was going to be tricky and now that the snow is here, it doesn't really matter how far the mountains are; riding season is officially over in Alberta.

After spending a week, watching too much PinkBike videos and whining about my predicament, feeling sorry for my spoiled self I decided that I needed to make a choice. I could continue to drive my sanity into a sick and twisted downward spiral... or I could find a different way to ride. Excitedly, I went with the latter option.

The next few days I scoured PinkBike's Buy/Sell listings, searching for the bike that was going to help me with my winter blues. It had to be fun; that was my main criteria. Small, tough, with a hint of "whir"ing noise as the wheel spun round; that sound sends delight to the very nerve endings of every part of my body. It also had to be aesthetically pleasing, in a way that hard candy glosses as you pull it out of your mouth. Lastly, it had to be affordable and sadly I didn't have much to work with as I hadn't budgeted a bike this week, month, nor year.

My thought process was this: If I can't ride the mountains, perhaps I can turn the city into my playground. The skatepark can be shovelled and downtown is always clear of snow to accommodate the 9 to 5 grinders of the week. 12 years ago I used to own a freestyle BMX and remembered all the fun I had on it. Affirmative. This is a great plan, I will acquire 26" urban machine, have fun zipping around this winter and learn new skills.

So after much searching I settled on a Specialized P2 from a 16 year old kid. He was growing up and I was regressing. Thankfully this worked out for me.

Having previously given up on the idea of riding in Calgary, I had left my previous mountain bike and all related gear in Vancouver. This meant I needed to acquire a helmet and some appropriate shoes. I got one of those skate style helmets, and bright green mid-top shoes, intentionally leaving the tongue flap hanging about, further reinforcing my regression back to childhood, which was more fun anyways. After the gear was acquired I went to Millennium Skate Park.


The park still has a fair amount of snow coverage. Thankfully there was a shovel that was free to use. Sliding down quarter pipes while riding the shovel was a lot of fun too. It was great to see everyone pitch in and shovel away the snow so that they could ride their favourite lines. There weren't a lot of people there, but everyone was friendly and having a good time.


I was really impressed with a lot of the riders at the park. Seeing as I have recently gotten into photography, I was happy to take my camera out and practice taking some shots. Everyone was stoked to allow me to take their photo. This is Andy, who is sponsored by Mission BMX. He was one of the only other "older" people at the park but had some great skill.


This is Max and I couldn't help but talk to him as he was riding a bike from one of my favourite companies, Transition Bikes. When I approached him and got talking to him, it turned out he was sponsored by Transition. Not only was this kid really amazing on his bike but he was one of the most down to earth talented kids I've ever met.


My bike sat idle for awhile as I took photos and talked to the people at the park. It was a great experience however, to get to know the people who really love to ride. I gather I will see them frequently, because if they're at the park shovelling snow, it means they're just as tenacious as I.

After meeting people and getting some shots, I decided it was time to ride. It was such a great feeling to drop into the various bowls and get re-aquantated with riding in a park. The feeling of pushing my handlebars through the transitions and experiencing that effortless thrill of swinging back and forth brought up nostalgic feelings; remembering that sensation, as a child, of going back and forth, like a pendulum, on a swing.

It was a wonderful day indeed and I look forward to the next weekend when I can ride my bicycle to the skatepark, to the sound of the "whir".