Big jumps and big wipeouts were all part of the Slope Line Bike Park’s fifth annual T10 Fall Bike Jam.
The jam saw around 30 riders from across B.C. come out to ride the bike park’s jumps and features. Park founder Dalton Anderson said everyone who came out enjoyed the warm weather and the friendly atmosphere of the park.
“This is probably the end of the season and maybe we’ll do a spring jam next year. Those ones are usually pretty big compared to the fall,” Anderson said.
Among the riders experiencing the park for the first time were twin brothers Mason and Sawyer Chamberlist, 12, from Prince George. Mason said he and his brother have been biking together since they were both four and recently got into mountain biking after watching Crankworx videos on social media.
“We have some jumps at our house but not like these ones,” Sawyer said. “These ones are really fun.”
Mason said the accessibility of the sport is what appeals to him. There’s no schedule of when he has to ride and he can go out whenever he and Sawyer want to. Biking as brothers is important, Sawyer added, because they’re able to support and encourage one another on the trails.
The twins said they found out about the jam thanks to Anderson’s Instagram and asked their dad to take them all the way down to 100 Mile House. They both agreed that park was fun to ride and had a “really flowy” feel.
As the youngest riders, Mason said it was cool to receive encouragement and advice from the older riders. Anderson said that is how the sport was passed on to him and he is proud to be passing it on to the next generation.
“It’s awesome to see the younger generation step up. I wish I shredded that hard when I was their age,” Anderson said. “You just got to practice, practice, practice. You’re going to crash but you just get up and it teaches you how to ride better.”
Local rider Ethan Weegar said the day was all about riding and having fun. Weegar added he enjoyed helping Anderson get the jumps ready for people to ride.
“It gets you away from everything and you can do your own thing (out here),” Weegar said. “It’s nice to see people come out all together as a family.”
Even after wiping out once or twice, Mason said his enthusiasm for the sport wasn’t diminished.
“When I fall I just take a break for a little bit and then just go back to do it an hour later. I try and hit that feature again so I don’t feel intimidated,” Mason said.
patrick.davies@100milefreepress.net
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