Giving Back To the Downhill Scene

How much would you pay to bike a brand new downhill bike trail before the rest of the world? $100? $1000?

Can you part with $25? If so, meet Chad.

Chad Hendren busted himself up a little while back, and his subsequent time spent recovering had him going round the bend. So he decided to launch a Kickstarter campaign – with the goal of starting up a small set of trails in Squamish, BC.  He already has a ton of friends ready to help with the grunt work, but he needs your help to finance it.

“I have a million volunteers!” Hendren laughs.  “I have received a lot of “I don’t have any spare money, but will love to help build”, which is very cool and I’m sure the help will be needed.”

This style of trail zone is unique. “Its kind of a flagship zone really: three totally different style trails all very close to each other, so the plan is to be able to spin quick laps in different builds.  I am still waiting on approval for two of the lines from the provincial government but that should be coming shortly.” 

The bad news is that there are only a couple of days left for his Kickstarter campaign to take root. Chad is just under half of his $11000 goal.

The good news is that for only $25, you can be a part of Bike Park Day, where you and a rad group of riders will be able to session the new area, and refill with a barbecue and live music – essentially, a party saying Thanks to everyone that helped to make the trails a reality. (For more awesome rewards, including something for the world traveller biker in mind, check out the right side of the campaign’s page).

The other consideration is that if this becomes the seed of a park, it opens up a host of opportunities for it to grow into. Chad explains: “There is always the potential for future builds for sure. The key is to do it all by-the-book… which is a pain in the butt, as it can take a long time for approval. Rumours are the Government is really cracking down on illegal builds so we really need to be aware of parameters etc. The money can really help us build something super rad and if all goes as planned I’m pretty sure people will want to see more of the goods. I have had overwhelming positive response so far that I totally did not expect. Good things with good people are happening in our Sea to Sky MTB community!”