No matter the season, team rider Parkin Costain is a hard man to catch up with.
We don’t mean to say he’s too busy for us, we just mean it’s physically, very, very difficult to catch up with the bloke because he’s so damn fast. Whether he’s on skis or a bike, if you don’t have a sizeable head start, you’re not keeping up.
So, when we finally did catch up with him, we picked his brains to see whether we should start calling him a bike ambassador instead of a snow ambassador. Like for much of our team (and product designers) the allure of a narrow trail and a few well-placed berms still beckons, regardless of whether it’s coloured white or brown.
Something to mind ride. A little hero dirt and some well placed berms at Legacy Bike Park. Pic cred: @mitch_montana95
LB: Hey Parkin, good to catch up with you!
What have you been up to this summer? We'd say 'off-season' but it doesn't seem like you've dialled down the adrenaline at all and you've been busy building the trails too?
Hey team! Yeah, you could say summers are still my off-season but I’m definitely not taking a break or backing off the adrenaline, just a few months not strapped into skis!
This summer was super busy! Straight out of AK last April I made my way back to Montana where I started up with my summer gig, building MTB trails for my pops company Terraflow Trail Systems.
A lifelong passion of his which over the last 12 years has blossomed into a healthy career. This summer was something special though. He and a few buddies who are also avid MTN bikers partnered up and focused all their energy on creating a badass public bike park.
Parkin boosting in said badass bike park. He'd call it necessary product testing. Pic cred: @mitch_montana95
Sounds epic. How does biking compare to skiing for you these days? Have you always done both?
I absolutely love biking. It’s pretty close to just as fun as skiing for me, especially with the kind of riding I do. I’ve always been drawn to the bigger mountains.
Recently I went on a trip to Virgin, Utah and put together my first MTB edit with Benshi Creative. That terrain felt so similar to what I ski in the winter that I kept having flashbacks.
HODGEPODGE ft. Parkin Costain from Benshi Creative.
I’ve always done both, I learned to ski at two and took the training wheels off the bike around the same time.
My parents were both ski bums and my pops was the MTN Biker so growing up it’s all my brother and I knew.
Do you think it helps your riding when you have such a hand in building the trails and jumps? I imagine you have a much better understanding for the flow required.
Definitely! Anytime I head to a new park or somewhere I haven’t built it takes a few laps to start feeling comfortable. But at Legacy it’s a totally different experience, especially after building most of the line yourself. You stare at transitions and walk the trail for months on end.
Parkin's definitely not afraid to get his hands (and socks dirty) and take some of the heavier machinery for a spin in the process. Pic cred: @mitch_montana95
You just keep replaying the features you’ve built over and over in head until you’re done... I’ve never had a more satisfying experience than lacing Forty (our biggest jump trail) first lap ever.
Epic, so how did Legacy Bike Park start? How long did the build take you guys?
Legacy Bike Park is Terraflow Trails latest creation. The idea was first sparked last August. A family friend had just visited a few well known bike parks up in Canada. He was high on life as he drove back to the states and ended up giving my dad a call. They talked for a bit and basically said, “if they can do it why can’t we?”
They became business partners and it was full speed ahead from that point on. They found the right piece of property, bought the land and started two trails all before the snow arrived last fall. Then, this Spring the entire crew was all hands-on deck laying down service roads, campsites, pit toilets, a base area and a bunch of new trails before our public opening day July 15th.
It was an absolute mission to get it done but it was worth it in the end. The last week of construction was intense, a couple of our guys worked until 2AM operating with lights on the machine to get it all done in time.
I was focused on our double black jump trail called ‘Forty’ and a pump track in the base area. I’ve been digging for Terraflow since I was 10. What little boys aren’t obsessed with excavators?
It all started with a pump track in my families backyard and has slowly escalated to getting time on some of our biggest machines building whatever my mind can dream up. I’ve had the most fun with Ninja Marmot in Big Sky and Forty at Legacy.
Sounds unreal! How many trails are there in total then and how have they been received by the public up there?
We’ve got 13 trails that were finished for this season. Everything from green flow to double black and tech trails there’s something for everyone.
Also, since passes are capped at 80 per day we’re never too busy - just enough to make a few new friends.
Everyone gets a ride to the top on one of our two 25 capacity shuttles with Huckwagon bike trailers and then it's all downhill from there.
The public has spread the word so quickly! We couldn’t be more stoked for our first season of operation. Really looking forward to watching this place continue to grow.
No doubt. Are you even thinking about skiing if you’re having so much fun in the dirt? When do you think you'll switch gears and turn your attention to snow?
My mind is definitely shifting towards the winter months. I’ve had a few brisk early mornings already and I couldn’t be more stoked. Excited to ride the bike this fall and then will be itching to find some pow turns!
Obviously you started wearing our threads during the winter months and we know you’re a big fan of the Sammy Sock and 200gm crew baselayer, but what’s your go-to for Summer?
For sure. All summer I’ve been loving the Bike Ultra Light Mini Sock. It’s a great fit and comfortable from daily life to the long MTB ride.
I normally pair it with the 200 Logo Tee, never knew how much I needed a breathable merino T-Shirt. I kept a couple of both stashed in my truck this spring for the multi day stints building at Legacy.
Awesome. Yeah, the merino blend in the tees means you can get away without washing them for a heck of a long time. No doubt you’ve pushed the odour suppression to the limits shovelling away all day at Legacy!
All photos courtesy of @mitch_montana95
