Cole Nichol
Intro
A self portrait is defined as a representation of an artist that is drawn, painted, photographed, or sculpted by that artist. Cole’s very own ‘Yard’ is very much a self portrait of himself, utter dedication, creativity and pure passion.
Photos by Duncan Hague
Describe what 'The Yard' is:
It’s a place I’ve spent thousands of hours in, progressed immensely in my riding and building, and through creating it I’ve made so many friends and connections it still blows my mind. When I was 15, my family moved to the property. It felt surreal because it was always my dream to have my own spot and now I could finally start building without the fear of it being torn down. So many hours have been put into creating this spot, and seeing where it is now, it was definitely all worth it. It has shaped who I am today, because without it I don’t even know what I’d be doing. Every day it felt like I needed to be out there creating something, and if I wasn’t I was just wasting my time. It gave me a mission and brought me a lot of fulfillment and satisfaction watching it progress, as well as myself. It’s brought me so many opportunities and continues to do so. I’m forever grateful to my parents who basically let me tear up their yard and do what I want with it – they’re the best.
What did your early riding and digging days resemble and how did you develop a passion for mountain bikes in the first place?
I used to be completely into soccer when I was younger until a friend of mine in middle school introduced me to mountain biking and it slowly started to take over. Seeing videos of the local crew (Wink Grant, Jarrett Moore, Luke Fulton, Aaron Boss and Kyle White) got me so hyped on riding jumps and building my own shit. They all had their own spots, and seeing that sparked the dream of one day building my own. Going to see Jordie’s JumpShip contest he held in downtown Victoria was also a big eye-opener in regards to how unique and interesting mountain biking could be. I started building as soon as I got my first real mountain bike, mainly just sketchy wood ramps in my driveway or on the street. That progressed to building a halfpipe with my Dad, and learning how to cut radiuses and building somewhat proper small jumps. It was hard to build anywhere else as my parents would have to drive me to a forest every time I wanted to dig, and that wasn’t happening. We had a relatively small backyard in town, so there was not much room to build anything else.
What were your parents' reasons and thoughts around moving to where you are now?
My brother and I were very active kids – always outside and taking up way too much space with our creations. My brother was clearly heading down the path of wanting to work on cars and other automotive projects. I just wanted to build as many jumps as possible, haha. I think my parents saw how passionate my brother and I were, and realized we would be better off living further away from town with more land. We got lucky and found the perfect piece of property that we all loved. I was insanely stoked that the move actually happened. Although I don’t think they realized what I would do with the property – nor did I really, but let’s just say I’ve taken up a fair bit of space.
What did you previously do to fund your builds and all the supplies necessary?
Luckily my woodshop teacher in high school let me build ramps, and since I showed a clear passion for building he even funded some of the wood for my projects. I built probably two ramps a year in school, and a couple of them are still here today. After high school I chose to work and got a job in landscaping and irrigation. Almost all of the money I made went into digging and riding. I’m not sure how much money I’ve spent on the entire build, but definitely a good chunk. Wood isn’t cheap, nor is diesel, and a few hundred hours also went into renting our neighbour’s skid steer.
You were doing Landscaping by day and building by night, how did you stay committed with such large amounts of time doing laborious endeavours?
I guess I just wanted my spot to become something special, and didn’t really mind being absolutely wrecked by the end of the day. It definitely kept me in shape, and honestly, I never really minded the long labour-intensive days. I would wake up at 5:30, work, be home by 3:30, probably take a nap for an hour, and then head out to dig. In the winter I’d set up lights and dig in the dark. A few friends would come by here and there and that kept me motivated. On days it wasn’t raining I would try to ride as well, but I definitely spent more time digging then riding for a while. It feels like it’s only been the last couple years I’ve actually been able to fully enjoy my efforts.
The land you've built on doesn't lend itself to being an ideal building spot being quite rocky. How did you get good dirt on the ridge?
There’s very little dirt up here, it’s mainly all bedrock. Some of the dirt was taken from the property, but a lot of it was brought in. I put up wanted ads on our local marketplace website asking for free fill so I’d get a few dump trucks coming by dropping off dirt throughout the year. The problem was they couldn’t drop it off very close to where I needed it, so I had to haul up all of the dirt with the skid steer which made the build take way longer than most machine built jumps. I also really loved the look of steep BMX trails so I put a lot of time into shaping the landings by shovel.
Do you think building is just as important as riding?
For me, absolutely. I honestly don’t think I would get anywhere close to the amount of satisfaction I get out of this sport without digging. Riding something I’ve built or helped build is infinitely more satisfying than just riding public spots or other people’s jumps all the time. I get bored pretty quick if I’m not creating something new to ride. I think every committed mountain biker should lend a hand digging once in a while. If it wasn’t for builders, you’d just be riding down fire roads, haha. It’d be good for them to see how much work goes into creating trails or a set of jumps, just so they appreciate what they ride a little more.
How did the equipment and builds progress for you?
The first couple years I was digging everything by hand – the jumps were very small and only had dirt take-offs. As my riding progressed, so did my builds, which resulted in me taking down/rebuilding the line quite a few times. I remember being at school and getting a text from my dad confirming that we now owned an excavator. I was beyond excited knowing that I could actually build what I always dreamt of. I immediately started to learn how to use it and became obsessed with the idea of what my yard could be. I would walk around for hours imagining what to build and get so excited when I thought of something that would work. I think the reason I have so many jumps is because I get bored with the same thing quickly and always want the line to be better every year. It’s definitely the most satisfying thing in the world to walk up to my jumps and see how far they’ve come – sometimes it still feels surreal looking at them and knowing that I built them all.
What are your philosophies when building?
Don’t overthink too much on what to build, just start stacking and see what happens. Half the time I only have a rough idea of what I want, and I just see what my mind comes up with as I’m building. I definitely used to spend too much time contemplating what to build instead of just starting and seeing what ideas came up as I went. It’s cool how once you’ve actually started creating something you start seeing new ideas or ways to build that you hadn’t thought of before.
It's an incredible amount of time you've amassed in the yard for you and your thoughts. Anything you think you've been able to tackle and overcome because of the process?
It definitely has helped me get to know myself better. When you’re out in the woods for so long on your own you can’t really ignore what’s going on inside your head. This modern world has made it so easy for us to distract ourselves and have a constant stream of input making us never actually taking much time to just be with ourselves. Not saying I always dig without distractions, I equally love being able to throw on a podcast or music to listen to, but I’ve definitely racked up a fair number of hours of just me, the sound of nature, and a shovel. At least for me personally it’s been super beneficial. When I’m out digging I’m probably my happiest, especially if I’m making solid progress towards something.
Did you have anybody helping with the build or was it all solo?
I had help for sure – my Dad helped with the drop-in tower and a few other things that needed a bit of structural knowledge. I’ve had a lot of friends come out over the years, and can’t thank them all enough. Obviously since it’s in my own backyard I’ve put in the most hours, but my friends have made a big impact as well. A few guys who have put in the most hours are James Davidson, his brother Ben, Alex Volokhov, Tom Beardmore, Dayton Spanier and Danny Jacobsen.
How does it feel for you to connect with people of a similar mindset? Those that really understand what you do.
The whole freeride/dirt jump community is unreal. I’ve made most of my closest friends through it, and continue to meet and ride with super interesting people. It’s the sickest thing meeting someone who has also dedicated hundreds of hours digging and stacking jumps – most of the time you just instantly click and are homies. The dirt jump/freeride community in BC is super dope, and to be able to travel around and ride other people’s spots is the best. It’s so cool to see their creations and style of building. I’m always getting new ideas and drawing inspiration from the new spots I visit.
What was the transition like for you to be paid to build for other projects and it become your profession?
So far it’s been awesome. Currently I’m working for the Claw at JDParks. Getting to wake up every day and actually look forward to work is one the best feelings there is. I’ve noticed I have a lot more energy throughout the day because I’m actually stoked on what I’m doing, haha. I’ve definitely had to shift the way I build a bit though, as I’m on a timeline and it’s gotta be safe enough for the public. I’ve only really dug dirt jumps before so it’s been nice to switch it up and build full length trails.
You held a Jam event at the Yard. How did that play out and where'd you like to go with that in the future?
That was one of the sickest days ever. Having so many people come ride a place I’ve spent so many hours making is super gratifying. I definitely want to host more Jams in the future and hopefully be able to build another spot somewhere and do the same thing. I’d like to see that kind of thing keep growing, and to have a bunch of different Jams all over would be unreal.
Who has moulded you into who you are?
Definitely the local crew (mentioned above), Jordie, the up-island boys and all my riding friends. Videos on Pinkbike from Rupert Walker and Aaron Laroque motivated me a lot and are probably the main reason that I got so addicted to biking. For a young grom to see all these insane riders and spots so close to home was the coolest thing ever to me. Hiking around the woods just to look at some feature one of them built, or a set of jumps that I had seen on video was the best. Seeing them ride in person was always mind blowing, and I feel very lucky to live where I do and to have been able to grow up on the island.
Jordie Lunn must be a character you mentioned there, what impression did he leave on you.
Yeah Jordie had a huge impact on me, and I’m super grateful to have been able to call him a friend. I had always looked up to him, and being able to ride, dig, and travel with him was surreal. Anyone who knew him can tell you this, but whenever he was around you were instantly in a better mood. He made life seem so much less stressful than a lot of other people, and was always cracking jokes and having a good time. We built a couple different features in my yard – all of them are still here today. It was crazy to me to see how fast he would get things done. It was incredibly motivating to see his unique way of building – he inspired me to get more creative with what I was doing. To be around someone who was completely doing their own thing in life, not following anyone else and who worked super hard will undoubtedly have a big impact on you. It’s rare these days to know someone like that, and I’m forever grateful to have the memories of the time spent together with him.
Final words of wisdom?
Im too young to say anything that’s actually wise, but to all the young kids out there:
go build some jumps in the woods with your friends, that’s where its at.
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