Pulling off the resurrection of freeride mountain biking requires more than just skill on the bike. To ride features that redefine the sport requires building them, first. When Brage Vestavik unleashed Trolldom on the world, it was only possible after extensive planning, countless hours building and, crucially, some vital help from the locals.
“It’s through the process of doing these projects that the unplanned magic happens. You have to follow the journey and the outcome will follow one way or another. The period of making Trolldom, our first project in Canada, was truly special,” Vestavik says. “It’s crazy what the vision has now become. Lines like the ender in Trolldom, that we ended up calling Behemoth, is truly a dreamline that I couldn’t even imagine before actually experiencing this terrain in real life.”
Brage Vestavik’s ‘Trolldom’ brings burly freeriding to the Canadian forest
In this case, the local help included Steve Vanderhoeck. It was the North Vancouver firefighting freerider that first opened up the otherworldly landscape used in Trolldom. And, with Vestavik arriving from Norway, it was Vanderhoek and the Canuck crew that helped Vestavik build, shared their insight and technique to working with Squamish’s distinctive slabs, and helped turn Trolldom from Vestaviks’ visions into reality.
“When Steve Vanderhoek showed me his zone, my mind really started going on what could be possible to build out here. So many crazy moments – splitting my first cedar planks, working with massive natural slabs, camping out for days – it was endless, says Vestavik. “Massive shout out to the entire BC crew, this project would never have happened without the friendly, dedicated people out there. I made friends and memories for life, and feel like this is just the beginning of our Canadian journey.”
The Madness of Trolldom: Behind the Sceens with Brage Vestavik