Cam's Jam Tour is going be rad! This summer Cam will be hitting up some parks with a BBQ and a boombox and getting the locals psyched. All wheels are welcome!
With Cam’s Jam Tour we have the opportunity to connect with all demographics of riders from family and youth to BMX and freeriders at their local parks and bring it back to whats it really about; riding, chilling, enjoying yourself and celebrating the community's bike park. The idea behind the Jam is based around a non-commercial backyard-BBQ community gathering.
Our first event will be held in Boulder, Colorado at the famed Valmont Bike Park on July 27th. Cam is stoked to get back to Colorado and snag some lines at Valmont the day after the Colorado Freeride Festival. Drop by for some trail dogs and good times.
The second Jam will be at the brand new Powell River Bike & Skate Park in Powell River, British Columbia on August 18th right after Crankworx Whistler. This park is the premier spot on the sunshine coast to roast some FlowForm Ramps and get sideways on the new concrete pumptrack.
More information to come on both stops when we get closer to the dates!
For a few years now, our crew at Alpine Bike Parks has been inspired by Claudio Calouri's concrete pump track work in Europe and finally we got the opportunity to build our own here in North America.
We had our little test rider Eli Shostak take some laps in another torrential storm. It was a beautiful thing to see a kid carving turns in the rain!
Riders in Powell River, BC are the stoked and lucky crew to get a new bike park this winter that includes a concrete pump track, a kids downhill trail and multiple slope style trails. The project was funded by a grant from the Powell River Community Forest with support from the Powell River Cycling Association. When combined with the nearby skate bowl (old school for sure) and new skate plaza by Spectrum Skateparks, it makes a great actions sports facility.
This is the concept plan for the facility:
By the time we got to design development, we changed the pump track design to the design you see below. The layout is symmetrical and allows head-to-head style racing starting from a slanted start gate. This design was inspired by the SRAM/Adam Billinghurst/Kenny Smith creation at this years Whistler Crankworx. Being based in Whistler is awesome because it allows us to garner inspiration from all the incredible builders in town. For those who are not interested in head-to-head racing and are looking to get creative there are tons of alternate lines for cruising. No need to get stuck in a rut!
There is also drainage to install if you want to do it right. Professional grade all day long:
The prep process prior to the final surface of concrete is extensive and more expensive than even the best possible dirt. Multiple lifts of highly compacted road base allowed us to build up the design, even in wet weather. Originally we were going to surface the track with asphalt but we were concerned about whether the shapes would be right. It turns out that your features need to be shaped differently so that they work well once concrete is applied.
Here is the track with drainage installed and the road base fully compacted:
Here's the sub base prepped with wire mesh and rebar with the first truck rolling up:
Once it comes out of the truck it goes into a line pump and then gets spread out before being free formed. Lucas Fulgham of Earth Ramp Bike Parks (Vanier Park in Vancouver/ Kush Trails) has been working with us for two years now and we are proud to have him shaping dirt and here screeding concrete:
Late night finishing work from the boys at Creative Concrete:
Here's the finished pump track. The concrete surface is ever-so-slightly rougher than a skatepark, which maximizes the traction in the berms. By hiring concrete shapers with skatepark experience we were able to get the shapes we wanted. Thanks to Brian from Radius Contracting, Creative Concrete of Comox Valley, BC and Mike and Matt for getting this done in a pinch:
The bike park also includes some pre-released 2015 FlowForm Bike Ramps like the new Up Bank, designed by Cam McCaul. It's modelled after the one the boys put up at Post Office, but it's engineered for 85 psf:
Here's the truck leaving the FlowForm Ramps manufacturer:
All the new FlowForm Bike Ramps have extendable legs, which make angle adjustment and installation a breeze. This allows builders to more easily fine tune the features to fit into the trail and provides adaptability to future bike park upgrades. Feet are also on a hinge so that you don't need to level the foundation blocks as carefully. Each leg is connected to between 1,000 and 4,000 lbs of concrete:
BMX is big in Powell River and the riders were vocal about what they wanted in a dirt park. As such there are some custom BMX features that we engineered into the slope style trails, like this handrail and grind ledge:
There is also a big log cannon. This assembly was literally around 12,000 Lbs:
And some neat landscape elements that reflected part of the cultural landscape of Powell River:
We had some torrential rainstorms over the past couple weeks and so we have decided to let the trails dry out before putting the final surface on the trails in the spring. Alpine Bike Parks will come back for a spring tune up when drier weather allows us to get the trails running. Once we are able to test ride all the trails, we will make any changes to get the flow just right throughout the spring of 2015. Alpine Bike Parks would like to thank the City of Powell River, the Powell River Cycling Association, the Powell River Community Forest and everyone else who has helped to make this project a reality.
We care about the future of bike parks and want to design and build the highest quality parks possible. We would love to work with your community to make your bike park dreams a reality. Alpine Bike Parks is a licensed contractor in the USA and Canada and we are insured to work globally. Mountain biking feeds our families so please reach out to us and see what we can bring to the table.
Alpine just finished up the Desert Trail Bike Park Project in Mesa, Arizona. This park has great potential for the all around jump/slopestyle rider with multiple jump lines, pump tracks, and flow lines. Something we wanted to focus on for this project in the design process was to develop a bike park that could cater to 4 generations of riders (push bikes, bmx, 24'/26, and the full suspensions) but also break some good ground on the jumping side of riding.
The plan
includes a 1-mile multi-use walking/hiking trail that is the key
backbone trail designed for most user levels. A 1-mile
long mountain biking trail will meander up and down while
circling the central knoll to create a variety of riding
conditions. The controlled, yet rugged bike trail will provide a
true mountain bike experience.
If you're in the Mesa area, come check out the park at N. Recker Rd. and E Mcdowell in Mesa, AZ.
Below are some photographs from the grand opening this past Saturaday.
Alpine is out in Parker, Colorado finishing up the Bayou Gulch Bike
Park. Things are coming together nicely and Alpine is in the midst of
fastening up some FlowForm Ramps
for some dynamic trail features to add to the sweet design Alpine
sketched up for Douglas County. The bike park is situated on a nice
little hill that gives the park some great flow.
Bayou Gulch's Phase 1 focuses on 3 different MTB fundamental skill tracks, starting off with a new to biking mellow skill track that offers riders an easy introduction to learning rollers and berms. The second skill zone introduces some more dynamic trail zones that incorporate gravity, flow, and a variety of technical features that mimic the famous North Shore style of riding. The third skill zone is a set of fast paced trails that descend down the hill catering to a myriad of different user groups.
Phase 2 at Bayou will consist of more intermediate to advanced trails incorporating larger features that push progression and bring another level of riding to round out the Bayou Gulch Bike Park.
Alpine Bike Parks have signed a five-year contract with the Sea Otter Classic, North America's largest cycling festival. This partnership recognizes Alpine Bike Parks as the Official Sea Otter Bike Park Designer and Consultant.
This last year at Sea Otter 2014 we dialed in features at the Ride Zone, Sea Otter Sender, and The Santa Cruz MTB Festival. Every riding session was a treat to watch, and we're psyched on using FlowForm Ramps on this years courses.
Alpine will be back next year making sure all the Sea Otter riding spots are ready for you to shred. Below is a video from the Sea Otter Sender and some select shots we got from the week.
The Invergarry Bike Park in
Surrey BC is a very impressive place. The park receives support from the SORCE
Bike Club (Surrey Off Road Cycling Enthusiasts) and it’s local
users. In addition to recently working with Alpine Bike Parks and Flowform
Ramps, the Invergarry crew is a solid group of dedicated volunteers. These are
the people behind it all. They provide the input, show up on the trail days,
and keep the place in top shape.
Trail Day Pumprack Time Lapse.
Invergarry is special because local riders envisioned and implemented it with
years of hurdles and hard work.Having
Alpine Bike Parks and Flowform Ramps involved has allowed it to take a
progressive leap.One of the main guys
responsible for this park, Jordan Proctor, provides some detailed information
on the park below:
Like many municipal
projects, Invergarry sounds like it's been quite the process for you. What's
some background history on it?
It all started with Derek Kost and I
coming home for a ride lamenting that there was no where to ride in Surrey.
This inspired Derek to show me the skeletal remains of what was Invergarry (the
spot had a ridership in the late 90's/early millennium).
Invergarry was once a construction waste dump and gravel pit and has some
unique terrain for riding. Seeing the potential for new riding features we
immediately starting building jumps in the bowl area where there were once
jumps before. This resulted in the city contacting us regarding the development
of a legitimate bike park at Invergarry. This was followed by a 3 or so year
process requiring us to make petitions, hold open houses, and build as much
cool stuff as we could to get people stoked about the idea of a park. We
developed a community of riders around Invergarry and teamed together as the
group Dirtwest (a bike club for Surrey North). During that time we also built
the 604 jumps and pumptrack area and worked with the City of Surrey to revamp
the jumps at Port Kells Park known as "Lucky Trails".
Who will this park be geared towards? Will it cater to all riding levels?
The final goal of the master plan is to
make a park that is accessible and exciting for all levels of rider, from a kid
on a pushbike to a pro level dirt jumper/freerider.
What has been the best part about
working with Alpine Bike Parks and Flowform Ramps?
There are many aspects to working with
Alpine that have been great. One of the most notable is their experience in
translating what the ridership wants into terms the city can easily and
enthusiastically get behind. The master plan that they worked with the City of
Surrey on has opened a lot of doors and opportunities for us. They have also
helped solidify the City's continued interest in future developments for the
park.
As for the quality of product, for the
most part the pictures don't do it justice. It was so cool to see some of the
best builders; Lucas Fulgam from Earth Ramp Bike Parks, Dustin Gilding, and Paddy K (Joyride
builder) were a few involved. The Flowform features are also nice in that I
never have to worry about coming back to spot seeing something has changed
because someone with a shovel decided it needs to be different. Having Flowform
features in the park also means maintenance is going to be a snap.
Who else was involved in making this park come to life?
There has been a ton of people that
have helped us get this park completed.
- Dale Tiessen of Dirtwest at that time, linked us up with SORCE (Surrey Off
Road Cycling Enthusiasts). I have succeeded him as president. Dale was
instrumental in advocating for continued funding into mountain biking in Surrey
by the city of Surrey.
- The park would not be half of what it is without the tireless efforts of the
Davidson family. Jim Davidson and his sons Scott and Will have probably got
more hours digging there than anyone else beside Derek and myself.
- The Parks, Recreation, and Sports Tourism Committee headed by City of Surrey.
Counselor Linda Hepner got behind mountain biking to help us achieve our
vision.
- Jeff Graham with the City of Surrey has been an advocate of bike parks in
Surrey since their inception. Jeff has been instrumental in helping us get
resources and guiding us in our navigation of the city and it's processes.
-Judd de Vall at Alpine. Not only did they build a world-class jump trail in
our park, he and the staff at Alpine also helped us develop a long-term plan
for the park which has now streamlined the process of future development of
Invergarry Bike Park.
Invergarry Bike Park is situated in a
fairly large area for a public bike park, any long-term goals for its
progression?
YES! There is going to be a ton of
upgrades coming to the park over the next couple years. In 2014 the plan is to
construct a beginners jump trail to make the park progressive and give people
the opportunity to build up their skills so they can ride the freshly built
Shovelbuster Jump Trail. Other upgrades on the master plan are a skills area
for the kids (log rides, ladders etc.), revitalize and expand the pumptrack. The
most exciting of all is the rebuild of the "freeride bowl" which is a
jump area with really exciting and unique topography. In the long term I would
like to see a larger single-track network for XC riding, so the park will be
able to accommodate every type of mountain biking.
When is the park expected to be open to public?
The new construction should be open in
the late Spring/early Summer; the official grand opening date is to be determined
as of now.
