Jamie Goldman was stoked to offer some thoughts about this year’s comp on Vancouver Island:
What were the best things about this years’ course?
I really like how the course is all gravity fed and that there is not much braking or pedaling. The course starts out small and tech and moves gradually into the bigger faster lines. I love how it has everything.
How did you like it better — or worse — than last year’s Bearclaw Invitational course?
Last year was a similar course but it had 2 lines. I liked it equally but this year had a bit of mud.
How did the course compare to other comps you’ve ridden this year? Especially in terms of the types of stunts and jumps you like — and ride — the best?
Bearclaw’s always has the sweetest features. He has a few signature course obstacles like the boner logs. Haha. They are real fun to ride and not much like anything on other courses.
How hard is it to transition from really dry dirt to sticky mud in less than one week?
The ruts in the lips and landings are the hardest to deal with. Sometimes you hit a soft part in a lip and come up short, and sometimes you hit a hard part and overshoot. It’s a gamble every jump you hit. I like riding in the mud but not on slopestyle. DH in the mud is sweet!
What about other riders? How was the level of competition? Did you see any surprises?
The level of riding is always sick at Claws. Everyone wants to win it because its such a cool comp. The course was technical to finish this year with the mud so i know a couple of the top riders … Cam McCaul to be specific … got a bad spot of squish on the lip before the last drop and came up short ending his run just barely unfinished.
Did you ride other trails on the island?
Ya for sure. I took my downhill bike up the day after finals. It was so muddy and slick and foggy it was awesome. I had a great time. I love technical downhill.
What are your plans for the rest of the season?
I have a bit of filming to do with Kranked and after that i will probably be getting knee surgery. Right now i am looking at all the options to possibly postpone it. Wish me luck.
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