Yesterday, shortly after starting my workday, I was informed that my role had been eliminated at Rocky Mountain. While this decision wasn’t entirely surprising given the broader trends in the bike industry over recent years—it’s still tough. I loved working with my team and the wonderful people throughout the company.
I will always be a fan of the brand and will continue to root for Rocky Mountain from the sidelines. A couple of things I’ll certainly miss:
Shuttling Seymour with the brilliant minds and athletes behind Rocky Mountain. I discovered a world of loamers and classics on those North Shore mountains. I’ll never forget watching folks like Thomas Vanderham and Wade Simmons casually hit those ‘A’ lines on Cambodia and Log Cabin.
Experiencing the spiritual home of freeride: Virgin, Utah. For the launch of the Slayer, we assembled a talented crew of creatives and athletes to capture the raw riding typically reserved for Red Bull Rampage athletes. Such a special crew. Such a cool place.
I’ve recently shared this one but, still enamored with the office trip to the Chilcotin Range we did this past summer with Tyax Advenutres. What a place to connect, deep in the wilderness on bikes. Read about it here, Penning a Partnership.
I’ll always love the time spent in the development centre watching the testing and designing of our bikes. Soaking up knowledge from everyone that had a moment to spare. But seriously, nothing cooler than watching a frame tested to failure.
And what would a goodbye post be without highlighting some of the cool campaigns we rolled out during my time managing the brand:
The Slayer, shot in Utah by Liam Mullany, Craig Grant, Sebastien Berthiaume and Margus Riga. Featuring Hayden Zablotny, Alex Volokhov and Lucy Van Eesteren.
Although more of a micro campaign, a little bike with big ambitions: the Reaper Powerplay. Shot by Scott Secco and Margus Riga:
Rocky Mountain’s ace trail bike, the Instinct. Shot in Toby Creek Wilderness by Margus Riga and Peter Wojnar feat. Sam Schultz:
The legendary Altitude. Featuring: Rémi Gauvin, Thomas Vanderham, Lily Boucher, Jay Leroux, and Celeste Pomerantz. Shot by Brody Jones Cinematography, New Parallel Studios, Margus Riga:
One of my favourite bikes, the Element. Shot by Niklas Wallner featuring Celeste Pomerantz:
The Instinct Powerplay SL, Rocky Mountain’s first light weight e-bike. Shot by Liam Mullany and Sebastien Berthiaume. Featuring Alex Volokhov:
Of course there are a million more moments and projects to tuck into my pocket of memories. But for today, a special thank you to my team and all the wonderful people I've had the privilege of working with along the way.