Joyride is known for building everything from the finest slopestyle courses for events like Crankworx, to alpine trails in BC, and family-friendly multi-use trails.
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Joyride is Paddy Kaye.
As a young lad, Paddy dreamed of building trails. Twentry years later, Paddy is doing just that through his company Joyride Bike Parks — Joyride for short. The company employs 18 people, owns 11 machines, and contracts fallers, arbourists, and wilderness foliage consultants. Paddy now has a young family and his story illustrates how dreams can become reality through dogged determination, perseverance, integrity, and focus.
Joyride is best known for its machine-built, hand-finished slopestyle trails. But the company also has extensive experience building hand-tooled trails and in alpine environments. Look around at some of the top MTB destinations, and chances are there is a Joyride build nearby.
Joyride has been contracted to build an alpine trail on Mt Barbour.Alpine singletrack in progress at Mt. Barbour, above Tenquille Lake.Signature Crankworx slopestyle build from Joyride.Joyride working in the Family Cross section at the base of the Whistler Bike Park
Joyride flagged and had a hand in building one of the first bike park trails at Whistler in 1997, giving the company deep roots in the Sea to Sky area. Like many of the top trail building companies, Joyride employees have significant building and riding experience. Every shaper on the recent Creekside build submitted impressive trail building resumes prior to being hired.
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The company’s project portfolio runs the gamut, from competition courses for events like Crankworx and the Red Bull Joyride, to multi-use trails in places like Rossland, BC.
This level of dedication to quality can’t be taught. It can only be learned through hours and hours of painstaking, almost OCD-level dedication to perfection which many rider won’t even notice. But the trailbuilder knows it’s there. The quality shines throughout every Joyride build.
Paddy Kaye is in charge.From left to right: Jessie from Ontario, Will from Australia, and Justin from Whistler. These guys operate the machines, and everyone on the Joyride crew rides.The finished product on the upper half of 2a Insomnia.Corner 1 of Lower Insomnia being crafted. Top left: Paddy in Fall 2017. Top right and bottom: The final product after being hand-shaped by Dawson of Squamish.Corner 2 of Lower Insomnia. From top left: Paddy in fall 2017; berm testing in June 2018; finishing touches by Conner of Mission.Corner 3 is the infamous BFR corner where a massive rock outcrop prompted a re-route and incorporation into the trail. Top left: Fall 2017 with Paddy wearing his “WTF are we going to do with this?” look. Bottom: June 2018 shows testing following work completion.The straightaways following the BFR corner required massive bench-cutting and rock-drilling (top left), plus some creative bedrock moving to shore up the embankments because the terrain is so steep. Top left shows Will working away at the benchcut. The final product will require re-naturalization. For that, Joyride retains a vegetation and grass consultant so that vegetation that doesn’t attract bears is encouraged to grow back.Sharon on the bermed and benched section following BFR Corner. Note the steepness of the terrain where the machine must navigate.Phil from Christchurch, NZ on Corner 3.Peter from Comox/Fernie rakes and shapes corner 4.Jack from Reno on Corner 5 with the tools of the trade.The work site around corners 3, 4 and 5.You’ll likely be going too fast to see this good luck symbol.This will likely be the most Instagrammed corner of Insomnia.Here’s Jessie sorting and compacting.Justin on the 5-ton excavator working at this trail exit. Justin Wyper is typical of the incredibly experienced Joyride crew. As well as being a trail builder, Justin pioneered many of the slopestyle tricks that will be performed when Joyride shapes the Crankworx course. I asked Justin to lend younger riders some thoughts on how to have a career in biking and the industry. He said simply, “Take pride in whatever you do.”
