Jeff Erickson

There’s more than just blood sweat and tears that have gone into building Jeff Erickson’s new trail. It is a product of the less glamorous endeavours we have to navigate in life, endeavours which are too commonly hidden or brushed off.

Photos by Duncan Hague

How did you get into riding/building?

It all started because of the 80's cult classic bmx movie "Rad." Being an active and introverted kid I was instantly drawn to this sport that you could do on your own. I didn't have any other reference for bmx except this movie so I saved up my paper route money and got a flatland bike and started doing 80's flatland tricks in my parents driveway before and after school. Shortly after we discovered there was a local bmx track that held bmx races. I raced from age 11 to 16, it was a fun time,a great sport for kids but I was never very good and not that competitive, I was more drawn to doing my own thing, building and riding dirt jumps. We built up a dirt jump spot by my parent's house we called "The DP" (dirt pit). We spent more time digging than riding, building the jumps bigger everyday. We built back then because there was nothing else to ride, no skateparks, no city dirt jumps, if we wanted to ride we had to build. At the time it's just what we did, but looking back on it, it was a very special thing. We created a scene, a place for kids to come and ride, kids got involved in the sport because of those jumps, kids from across the island would come and ride those jumps after the bmx races. One of those kids was Stevie Smith, younger than most of the kids that rode there, but just this natural powerful style, it was a treat to watch him ride. That's how I originally started riding and building and I'm still proud of what a bunch of dumbass kids created back then.

Your trail building project commenced around the start of covid, do you mind sharing why exactly you came to be slinging dirt around that time?

Yes, the beginning of 2020 was a rough one for me, I was going through some personal problems and was suffering from depression. Then when covid hit I went to work one day and there was no work. I was now depressed, not working, unable to go anywhere or see anyone, so much uncertainty about the future it was a very overwhelming time. I knew that I needed a project to focus on, something that wasn't going to cost money, something to give me some type of purpose, so building a trail only made sense. I was lacking some serious motivation and ambition but I dragged my sorry ass up to a spot in the woods I have been eyeing for years on a cold rainy day and flagged a trail.

Slinging so much dirt you must have processed a lot in your head, did it directly help you come to terms with some things or help you overcome some demons?

Well in the beginning I would smoke some weed, pop on a good podcast and just zone out and work away. After time I would go up there in silence, alone
with my thoughts. Physically working in the woods I was able to slow down my thoughts and I then started processing everything that had happened. I came to terms
with my situation and planned out what I want for myself and my life in the future. Building gave me a purpose and being out in nature, working with your hands, it
was the perfect scenario to help me overcome my depression and move forward. It was very therapeutic I guess you could say.

Do you see the trail as your sanctuary or does it mean something special to you?

Both actually, it started out as a sanctuary, a place where I felt safe when the world was so uncertain. But as time went on, building season came to an end, life was somewhat back to normal, summer vacations, work had picked up, house projects, I had almost given up on the project, I felt like the trail had served a purpose to get me out of a dark place. But it was my friends who started to reach out and offer to help. Some guys I didn't even know reached out and offered to help. My old buddy Jason Dubyna who I used to ride and build with over 20 years ago at the DP had recently gotten back into riding and was super keen to come build. We were reunited building jumps, like the old days. All these people who reached out to help when I never asked, working on a project for the love of shredding, means something
special to me.

Originally what style did you intend the trail to be? Was there any inspiration you drew from?

For sure, I was super inspired by the english chaps, like the 50 to 1 guys, riding those english muddy ruts in the grass, lots of tight corners back to back. I planned on scratching something very rough in and then just riding it.

What did it eventually develop into?

Just a normal trail with jumps and corners, hahaha. You have to use the landscape to your advantage, and when a nice slope presents itself it only makes sense to put a lip at the top. I like moving around a lot on the bike, so the features are close together, straight aways are short, lots of tight corners, it's a short trail but super physical because you're constantly hitting a jump or smashing a berm.

Was there anything you were surprised to have learnt, developed or taken away from all your time in the woods?

There was something that I already knew but needed to be reminded of. If you are consistent and put in the work, it's going to get done. And that goes for anything. When you're depressed, going through a hard time, can't picture yourself happy in the future, you need to take it one day at a time. Get up, make your bed, get exercise, eat healthy, treat yourself like you would a friend going through a hard time. Each day will get better than the past day. When you are overwhelmed by a big project like a trail, just go up there, anything you do is better than if you did nothing, and you will soon see the progress.

Was there anything that didn't go as planned along the way?

On the very first day of testing on the first jump of the test session, I had a nasty crash, overshoot a jump and got bounced into a berm ending up with some bruised ribs, It was very deflating and I second guessed if anything would work. But I believe you can learn something with every injury/crash and I knew I had to make some adjustments. With the help of my buddy Blaze, we made some tweaks to make things safer and more approachable. I think it was a good thing I crashed that day, better the builder than someone else.

Having never crafted a full trail under your own direction before, what did you learn now that it's complete?

Be open minded and listen to others, everyone helping can offer something. A second set of eyes is always a good idea. I started paying more attention to trails, I rode, what I liked and didn't like. And being mindful of speed which is a hard one. I didn't want braking before any jumps, a small jump with too much speed is more dangerous than a big jump build to the appropriate trail speed, so a lot of thought was put into that.

What made you choose to dig in that particular area?

I had ridden past it for years, always noticing the spaced out dead trees and ferns, I knew the dirt would be good in there, and so it was!

Does the style of trail in its final form act as of a reflection of your own riding style?

Absolutely, a bit of dirt jump style where you have to hit one feature good in order to hit the next one, quick corners, features close together, lots of movement on the bike which I like.

Your trail was soon after opening partially flagged for logging, but you weren't too downbeat about it. What's your thoughts there?

I guess because I have already gotten so much out of it. It got me out of a dark place, it gave me a purpose during a god damn global pandemic, it brought friends together, old and new, it provided some epic shred sessions. If it gets logged just like covid, it is what it is, I'll scratch it back in, or build another one.

What's your trail called?

"Carlos Gets Woke"

Your trail is named after your dog, how did your dog fair whilst you were building?

Pretty sure he hated it, hahahaha. He would be stoked to go, but then after about 20 minutes of sniffing out the area he would find a nice tree to curl up under and sulk, hahaha. I dragged him up there in all kinds of weather, snow and hail storms, once we got caught in a crazy rain storm. I was already as wet as I could possibly be so I decided to keep working, but then a thunder and lightning storm cracked right above us. It was intense, we bolted out of there and by the time we got to the logging road there was about 4 inches of water flowing down it. Eventually I started to bring a blanket and tarp up for him to keep warm and dry. I figured naming the trail after him was the least I could do for spending so many rainy days up there with me, even though he doesn't know any better, ahahaha.

When word started to get around that you were creating something rad, how did it feel to get that feedback?

Oh man, pretty good, I didn't know if it was good, I was coming back from injury so hadn't ridden it yet, had no clue how it was going to ride. I told some friends they were welcome to ride it. I then started getting messages about how much they loved it, messages from people I didn't know thanking me for the work. It was a feeling of I contributed to something that helped spread the stoke to other people's lives which felt really good. We all ride bikes for selfish reasons, exercise, fun, excitement, adventure, personal achievements, for me I think I am addicted to being in a flow state which you can achieve from biking once in a while, but I had forgotten how good it feels to build something for others to enjoy.

Did your trail take a different meaning from when it was perhaps a somewhat personal endeavor before, to becoming something many others were stoked about?

Absolutely, that's exactly how it is, I started it for myself, but it ended up being something for others to ride, something different in the area and get stoked, so I am really happy it turned out that way.

Vancouver island set a record for the longest stretch without rainfall pretty much starting when you opened the trail up, what's your thoughts on how it will fair?

Well not well, it never had time to bed in. But I knew this, after it was complete and I saw the logging flag tape up, I just wanted people to enjoy it while it was there. It's not a big deal at the end of the day, the dirt is so good there once it starts raining it will be easy to repair. We also never made any permanent features, with the thought that we could revisit the trail in a year when it's worn in and move some of the takeoffs back if things are moving too fast.

You have an awesome camper van setup, does that form a similar type of escapism for you?

Thanks! A different type of escapism, just out of pure enjoyment. Exploring new places and towns, riding new trails, meeting new people are on my list of favourite things to do. It's a big world out there and exploring it by van is one of the best ways to do it.

Any words of wisdom?

Every mountain biker should help build trails. It would be helping a local builder for an afternoon, or with a club on a dig day. It's trails that are the heart of our sport, not fancy bikes, gear, tech or matching your kit to your bike. Trails provide for the community, have brought old mining towns back to life, provide for local economies, providing for jobs in bike shops and hospitality. Building the trails that we participate our sport on separates us from every other sport so it should be something all riders do. Also if you know someone who is going through a difficult time, possibly suffering from depression, reach out to them, as they won't reach out to you.