Must Watch: Tor Cameron Keeps Freeride Alive in 'Compulsion'
Words: Liam Morgan
Our short piece, "Compulsion" is a testament to the passion and dedication that Vancouver Island freerider, Tor Cameron puts into his building and riding. Built and shot between October 2021 and May 2023, "Compulsion" features a series of freeride lines built by Tor and friends in the forests of Southern Vancouver Island.
Tor works full time doing tree service, yet is no stranger to spending hundreds of hours of his free time alone in the woods working to make a single idea come to life. In fact, the creative process of turning build ideas into reality is what drives Tor's riding and keeps him motivated to continue progressing.
 | Trail building is a big creative outlet for me. I love to explore the forest and take inspiration from the nature around me. I'm always thinking about new features to build so when I find a spot that would work for one of my ideas it's very difficult to let go. When I'm out building, I feel like I'm releasing that creative energy. Taking an idea that I come up with in my head and making it a reality is an incredibly accomplishing feeling. |
Our project name, "Compulsion" comes from the urgent energy that Tor feels about having to get out into the woods to start building once an idea is brewing in his mind.
| I start to think about how fun it would be to ride and I can't stop thinking about it until I build it. |
Although "Compulsion" may feel like a combination of one-off features scattered throughout the forest, it actually consists of just 2 trails that can be ridden top to bottom.
| It was a different experience for me building longer trails for this video because I'm used to building shorter lines. They both started out as short lines, but the more we explored, the more things we found that lined up. It was also sweet to build longer lines because I like having to learn how to ride different sections of the trails and string them all together in a sequence. It's really good training, and it makes getting to the bottom a lot more satisfying |
photos: August Nesbitt
"Compulsion" turned out to be a long process for Tor and I to complete, but we are stoked on how it turned out, and we hope you will be too!
Video: Liam Morgan
Riding: Tor Cameron
Building: Tor Cameron & Nick Griffiths
Still Photography: Liam Morgan & August Nesbitt
Special Thanks: Sydney Rens, August Nesbitt, Andrew Giesbrecht, Max Field, Sam Eagles, Bradley Wright & Elwyn Thom
Music: Hovvdy/Lomelda - Swing, Knox Brown - The People
Shot on the Unceded Traditional Territories of the Coast Salish First Peoples
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Member since Jun 3, 2011
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At the risk of entering prop Oblivion, I’m going to suggest that hanging this tag line on the video is virtuous, but not helping Tor & Co out when the Salish go for a walk in the woods and find this creation.
Humble apologies if permission was sought and granted.
The riding is amazing, by the way and the refined finishing of the features pleases the old golf course maintenance worker in me.
it reads "We respectfully acknowledge that this video is shot on the unceded territories of the coast Salish first peoples"
Wondering if you bothered to google the meaning of unceded at all?
Most BC towns are built on unceded first nations land, meaning the land was never officially given over to the crown through treaty or agreement.
Loads of mtb trails are on unceded lands, but have the blessing, and approval of the First nations that lay claim to that land.
Theres nothing "virtuous" about noting that in a video, seems fairly respectful.
Stop trying to create an argument or divide where one doesnt exist.
The Salish first peoples are made up of many different groups of people that lay claim to these lands. By acknowledging that we, users of this land, and doing so with the knowledge that not all groups have officially ceded their rights to the land, we acknowledge that we, nor others are the sole "owner" of the land. We are all stewards of the land we use, and should respect it accordingly.
Again, I see no issue with paying respect to a group of people who may have an entitlement to an area, that others might have essentially settled on either by force or coercion.
Theres a lot to unpack on the subject, and smarter people than us have tried to solve the issues surrounding it. I have no interest in adding fuel, misinformation or divisive language where its not warranted