A year ago the Vancouver Park Board approved plans to create a dirt jump park in a piece of undeveloped land just east of the Vancouver Planetarium. On Saturday, Oct. 2, the new facility officially opened, with local BMX and dirt jump riders quick to take advantage of the sunny weather and brand new facility to show off their high-flying skills.

“Electric. Awesome.” Those were the words 11 year old Eddy Ryan of Kitsilano used to describe the park. He’s stoked to have it within cycling distance in his neighbourhood. “You can practice more because it’s close to your home. It’s not all the way out in Burnaby or Langley.”

Eddy Ryan will be spending plenty of time in Vanier Park's new dirt jump facility. photo: Chris Keam

For the uninitiated, dirt jumps are built from natural materials and feature jumps of various sizes and styles that allow riders to take off, gain enough altitude to perform tricks in mid-air, and then land smoothly. Some of the common features are known as ‘gap jumps’, ‘table tops’, and ‘saddle backs’. The Vanier Park facility consists of three tracks, for beginner, intermediate, and expert riders, with a fourth, smaller ‘pump’ track situated off to one side.

Expect to see plenty of pictures in biking magazines taking advantage of the scenic backdrop afforded by the park's location. Photo: Chris Keam

The Vanier Park jumps aren’t Vancouver’s first. For years there was an unofficial set of dirt jumps near Oak and 37^th Ave, but when that undeveloped piece of land was turned into playing fields, the jumps were taken out. With nowhere to go, riders approached the Park Board looking for help. Park Board Commissioner Sarah Blyth, who has also been instrumental in the creation of a number of local skateboard parks, helped spearhead the project.

“This is one of the biggest and best days of my life… and I’ve had a lot of good days,” said Blyth. “One of the coolest moments of my time on the Park Board was at the meeting to approve the plan. The room was packed with young people. One of the mothers came up to me afterward and commented on how important it was for young people to get involved in the process and be successful. So, to see them learn about the political process, to get involved, to be successful and get things done – it’s why I ran (for Park Board) and it’s what I care about.”

Chris Young of the Vancouver Dirt Jump Coalition and Park Board Commissioner Sarah Blyth speak at the opening of the Vanier Park Dirt Jumps. Photo: Chris Keam

Chris Young is a local BMX rider and a driving force behind the Vancouver Dirt Jump Coalition, which enlisted support from riders, parents, and local bike shops to make the project happen. He is unabashed in his praise for the finished product.

“These are the second best dirt jumps on the planet. The only ones that are better are in a place in New Zealand that’s about five times bigger, but in North America, this is it – the biggest, the best. I’ve been calling it the Hastings Skate Park of dirt jumps. People come from all over the world to ride that place and I think people are going to come from all over to ride this.”

Once they were approved, Young says the construction of the jumps hinged on one important factor.

“One of the things we were worried about was where were we going to find the dirt for this. You need dirt with a high clay content. But, someone came through for us. One of those friend of a friend of a friend situations, so all of this soil came from deep in the earth, from a hole that was being dug for the foundations of one of the downtown high rises. So we got exactly what we were looking for and we got it for free.”

In total, the new park cost $60,000 and took two months to build. Blyth considers it money well-spent.

“For the dollar value this is a wonderful facility.”

The jumps were built using clay-based soil reclaimed during excavation for a downtown high rise. Photo: Chris Keam

Construction of the jumps was handled by Earth Ramp Bike Parks, local riders who have been building unofficial dirt jumps for years in various private and public spaces around Metro Vancouver. Dylan King played a big role in the design and construction.

“We’re pretty stoked on it,” said King. “It’s really good for a public park.”

King is especially proud of the innovative features they’ve created, including an impressive gap to wall jump on the expert track, that sees riders take off from a regular jump and land on a steeply banked wall.

Dylan King shows how it's done with a picture perfect landing on the gap to wall section of the expert line. Photo: Chris Keam

Ted Uhrich, a landscape architect with the Vancouver Park Board who was involved in the project, was all smiles as he watched riders getting their first taste of the park.

“I think it looks fantastic, it looks kind of like a land sculpture,” said Uhrich.

The park’s design offers novices a number of options when tackling the jumps, to allow them to build their skills in a progressive fashion, tackling more challenging lines as they gain confidence.

Multiple lines allow for riders of all abilities to enjoy the park. Photo: Chris Keam

“There’s ride through and bail out options,” notes Uhrich, “so that riders can learn safely. The beginner loop in the middle has a lot of different options for how you go through it.”

This is the site after it had been cleared in preparation for building the jumps. Prior to be chosen for the dirt jump park, the area suffered from problems with unauthorized dumping of waste. Photo: Chris Keam

Lots more great pictures from opening day at the Georgia Straight and on Earth Ramp’s Flickr photostream.

In other news, the proposed Hornby St. separated bike lane proposal goes before Council on Tuesday, Oct. 5th. I’ll be sending regular updates during the meeting via Twitter. Be sure to follow along for up to the minute summaries of who’s saying what as Council contemplates this important potential link in the downtown cycling network.

A public open house to examine the prospect of a BMX track and mountain bike skills park in Vanier Park drew plenty of area residents and proposal supporters to the H.R. MacMillan Planetarium on March 31^st. Kits Points residents are saying ‘enough already’, claiming their part of town is inundated with fun-seekers, while bike park proponents under the Facebook banner of the Vancouver Dirt Jump Coalition have a fearsome PR edge with the ‘eco-friendly, get the kids outside exercising’ aspect of their proposal.

 The project in question is a combination of jumps and berms made from dirt and clay, as well as wooden structures such as log rides and teeter-totters designed to train riders and build the skills necessary for tackling advanced trails on the North Shore. There are a number of other such skills parks in the Metro Vancouver region including five built by the local company of Hoots Inc.

 Although the meeting did clear up some misconceptions regarding the proposed facility (fears of gas-powered motocross events and X-Games sized spectacles were dispelled) residents weren’t necessarily mollified. While having little dispute with the proposal as outlined, Kits Point resident Gloria Sully expressed concern regarding “creeping incrementalism.” She’s worried the small quiet dirt jump park will one day be a much larger, louder venue. Another Kits Point resident, Kelly Johnston pointed out the proposal would mean loss of habitat for the Cooper’s Hawks and rabbits currently living in the unused patch of land. Judging by comments made at the open house, it appears unlikely the Kit’s Point Residents Association will be supporting the dirt jump park idea.

 Also on hand to get a sense of the scale of the proposal were Christopher Gaze and Rob Barr from Bard on the Beach. The annual Shakespeare play series raises its tents near the area where the dirt jump park would be built. Gaze notes that while they deal with the vagaries of outdoor theatre quite well, their concern is with noise levels or bright lights during performances. The Bard on the Beach series has a $3.5 million dollar annual budget.

Homeless people have also been taking advantage of the space as a camp. Where they will go when the area is cleaned up and turned into a bike park is unclear at this time.

Supporters of the proposal however, may have the strength in numbers and weight of public opinion to carry the day. Their Facebook group currently boasts over six hundred members and a dedicated community of riders eager to see a city-approved park in a showcase location. And, it’s hard to argue against a facility that gets kids of all ages and skill levels out biking in the fresh air. Even if the facility does prove to become a haven for drug-dealing, gang recruiting, and general youthful mayhem as critics are warning, its proponents are quick to point out the site can easily be bulldozed, decommissioned as a dirt jump park, and returned to its current state.

 Mark Vulliamy is the Manager of Research and Planning in charge of the proposal for the city. He was happy with both the turnout and the information he gained from the meeting. 

“People want planning to be done in a sensitive way,” he says. “There was strong support but also some strong anxiety.”

Vulliamy says they want to ensure there are no points of friction, especially with Bard on the Beach. He doesn’t want loud events competing with Shakespeare plays and says many people also want to ensure the woodland is protected. A desirable outcome, says Vuiliamy, would having the bikers who use the facility helping with stewardship of the surrounding area.

The open house also drew the attention of at least three Park Board commissioners. Sarah Blyth, Constance Barnes, and Aaron Jasper from the Park Board were seen at the meeting. All seemed supportive of the bike park proposal.

(dirt jump picture courtesy of Vancouver Dirt Jump Coalition)