Big Air, Little Riders

When you think of Slopestyle Mountain Biking, you probably imagine pro athletes hucking huge tricks off of massive jumps. But at Bike Big White’s Slopestyle Centre, the only slopestyle centre in Canada open to the public, you’ll see aspiring boys and girls as young as seven years old attempting the same tricks as the pros riding alongside them.

Groms – riders under the age of 15 – from right here in the Okanagan, to Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver and everywhere in between have been visiting Big White all summer to progress their skills at the Friday Night Freeride Sessions. Not only do they get introduced to this style of course, they also meet, get tips from, and ride with their idols – professional riders from Kelowna and beyond, like Bike Big White’s Brayden Barrett-Hay, a slopestyle athlete originally from Ontario.

“It’s really unique of Big White to have a set-up like this open to the public,” Barrett-Hay says. “There’s really nothing like it right now for kids who are trying to get into slopestyle. This is the first spot they think of where they can go and practice slopestyle – which is really sick to see that Big White has done that.”

Built from the base of the Freeride Mountain Biking Bronze event course, the features at the Slopestyle Centre are designed in a way that allow for safe progression for those new to sport. Like the mulch jumps – an alternative to the standard hard-packed dirt that most slopestyle courses favour.

“It’s a great way to keep the jump feeling pretty real, but just feeling a little safer,” Barrett-Hay says.

Kelowna local Tom van Steenbergen – host of Bike Big White’s Freeride Days in previous years, and 2020’s Slopestyle Event on September long weekend – is another Bike Big White pro rider you can find throwing tricks and teaching groms at the Slopestyle Centre. Van Steenbergen was integral in the actual design of the centre, and is now integral in helping young riders get stoked about the sport.

“The goal was pretty much to have the big course and then the smaller course right next to each other so the up-and-coming riders could ride right next to their heroes – riding the same practice sessions with the pros – which is really cool,” he says.

Bike Big White’s marketing manager Kat Bensler says upwards of 20 riders of all ages and skill levels come out to practice at the Friday Night Freeride Sessions – and three-quarters of the time, there’s a pro rider there to show them the ropes.

“In another five to 10 years, these kids are going to be the ones throwing down the big tricks,” Bensler says. “These are going to be the pro athletes riding the Gold Course in the future. It’s so cool to see them developing and riding the Bronze Course and having the pros there to help them on their journey.”

Many of the groms that visit Big White already have experience in indoor bike parks or with BMX biking, but the Slopestyle Centre is really the only place in Canada they can practice, safely progress, and maybe one day, compete on the Gold Course.

“The future definitely looks bright for slopestyle,” Barrett-Hay says, “and I would say this place is a big part of that.”