Hello America | Part #8 – Getting to know the Shapers of Châtel
On two continents, 6,600 kilometers away from their home countries – we found two guys who literally swapped their lives: one in America, the other in Germany. How does biking feel in each of their new worlds? Who finds the best trails? Who drinks the best beer? Hear their stories and follow their adventures as they hit the trails in their new worlds.
There is one thing we can all do at the bike park to help the trail crew out … SLOW THE FUCK DOWN! I’m not talking about slowing down the train you are running or mellowing out your session, I’m talking about what you should do when you see the shapers on the trail.
Before I point fingers, let me say that I too have been guilty of being the asshole in the bikepark. But when you see the guys raking out a berm or packing a takeoff, ripping past them at full speed is pretty lame. If you spend some time with a trail crew like I did, you will see how sketchy things get when bikes start tearing through a work zone.
I’ve been riding bikes at resorts for twenty years, but I until last year I never got to know the guys who bust their asses to keep the trails tight. Bike parks have evolved a lot in all of those years, but whether we are talking about old school skidder trails or buffed out dirt sidewalks, there is always a guy with a shovel (or a rake, or a pickaxe) working his way through the woods to build a playground. Who are these guys? Why do they do it? I hadn’t really asked myself those questions before, but when I finally got the opportunity to get to know some builders, I was surprised by some of the answers.
During the summer of 2014, I got to know one of the builders at Bikepark Châtel in France. I was finished riding for the day with my friend Alec, so we opened some beers and went out for a walk on the trails to get a closer look at some of the features. We ran into Fred as he was cleaning up the landing on a jump. I’m not sure I can say what exactly a French person looks like, but he didn’t look French. Fred has blonde hair and a fair complexion, but that wasn’t what surprised us most. It was his perfect English (with no accent) that was most startling, and it turns out that he is actually from Portugal. Though he was covered in dust and sweat and doing manual labor in the mountains along the border of France and Switzerland, this guy was no “bike park dirt bag.” For many guys who dedicate themselves to building and maintaining trails, this way of life is a deliberate choice, even though they have other options. They aren’t stuck in a dead-end, meaningless job … these guys just love bikes and mountains!
The Business
Nicolas Gautherot (Nico) is the guy in charge of Bikepark Châtel these days. He and I sat near the top of the mountain watching riders session “The Face” during the Châtel Bike Festival. I asked him why he does this job. He spread his arms wide at the expansive mountain view in front of us and said with a content smile, “This wallpaper is my office.”
Nico has a crew of eight builders and rotates their schedules to cover the park seven days a week. There are local politics to manage, and salaries to pay just like any other job. He could probably use his business skills making more money doing something else, but he loves working at the mountain. Nico is from a town near Strasbourg, France, which is close to the German border. He came to Châtel in 2000 as a ski patroller. He studied at university, did a mandatory ten-month tour with the military, and now speaks French, German, and English. It was during his first years in the valley that Nico and three of his friends started building the bike park. In the beginning, it was hard work and passion that kept them motivated – and he insists that those same qualities are required for the bike park to succeed today.
The Crew
Two trail crew questions: What pisses you off? What gets you stoked? The answers were nearly always the same. The guys don’t like it when people ride closed trails or don’t slow down when going past, but they love it when people stop to chat and talk about the work being done. Bikepark Châtel is big enough that it can close a trail when the shapers are working without impacting the customers too much. It is necessary to do this on the difficult trails to avoid collisions. On mellower terrain, the team will leave the trail open and just try to stay out of the way. The answers to my questions were so universal that I decided to go out on the trail with the builders and see firsthand what they were talking about.
On The Trail
It was a beautiful, bluebird day on the Panorama trail, and the trail was sunbaked after several weeks with minimal rain. It was hot and dusty, and the corners were full of small rocks and gravel, making traction difficult for some riders. We walked until we found a particularly blown-out berm, and the guys got to work. Five rakes and shovels were flying. We could hear the bikes coming before we could see the riders, so the crew stood to the side of the trail as the bikers passed. They passed slowly and said hello. The exchange seemed quite civilized. The same thing happened several more times, and at each instance the crew was able to get back to work quickly. We were making good time working our way down the mountain.
The next bunch of riders never bothered to slow down, however. They saw us and rather than slow down, they pretty much treated the builders as a slalom course. They were skidding, drifting, and carving around people and tools as gravel splashed across our feet and dust swirled through the air. When I looked at the builders I saw that most of them had pulled their shirts up over the nose and mouths so that they could breathe. Remy looked at me and said, “See what I mean?”
I was surprised by how disruptive it was when riders came through at full speed. It happened several times, and each time it pissed me off more. First of all it was just rude, but second, it was dangerous! Of course it is dangerous to ride close to people who are working, but also because there are tools in their hands and lying on the ground. Your day will surely end poorly if you come in contact with a rake on the trail.
Good Mountain Vibes
Though the inconsiderate riders were annoying, the gracious ones were a pleasure. It was really nice to chat with a couple of guys who were having a great day and were appreciative of the hard work being done on the trail. The crew knows that their job is to build and maintain trails for the customers, and they like to hear feedback. The feedback does not always have to be glowing praise, but even thoughtful suggestions or criticisms are welcome … everyone wants to make the trails better. Either way, the least we can all do is slow down and extend a polite greeting since it goes a long way toward keeping people motivated and happy.
Fred speaks four languages, Nico speaks three, and I speak one. I really should work harder at learning German, but I just haven’t. Remy is another shaper, and he speaks French and English. He is from Châtel, and picked up English just from working in and around the resort. Like Nico, Remy is a ski patroller in the winter. He also seemed to be everywhere I turned one day. First he was rebuilding berms on a trail, then I saw him flipping burgers in town at a food tent, and then I found him at the DJ booth at the local bar/nightclub. I wasn’t in town long enough to talk in depth to everyone who worked on the trail crew, but they all seemed like good guys who worked hard and had their own interesting stories. I think that living in the mountains full time requires some resourcefulness and creativity to get by, and I saw that willingness to hustle from everyone.
The Bonus
So why else would someone spend their summer working as a trail builder? Well, I heard no complaints about pay. I’m sure nobody gets rich doing this type of work, but at least at Châtel they get a free Scott 710 Voltage to ride for the season, as well as riding gear and clothes. Access to the entirety of the Portes Du Soleil region extends into Switzerland and ensures that nobody should ever get bored with the terrain. I can’t even begin to comprehend how much lift accessed rideable terrain is there, but I will start to sample it as I find opportunities. If you somehow get bored, there is always Mont Blanc, Lake Geneva, and the Matterhorn in your backyard. I see the allure of the lifestyle and freedom that comes from living in the mountains, and what I find intriguing is how dynamic and interesting these guys are.
So maybe next time you are pedaling along a trail and you come across guys working, slow down and say thanks, and maybe let them know what you think of their efforts. Show these guys some respect and appreciation, because these guys build the trails that put a smile on your face. I think you may be surprised at how down-to-earth they are, and if you are really lucky and get to know them, they might even show you their secret spots some day!
More information about Châtel and its bikepark:
chatelactivities.com
thetalkingsuitcase.com
1861chatelhostel.com
Enjoyed this story? Take a trip to the rest of the series: Introduction | Freiburg | Goodbye Germany | Stromberg | What a Small World it is | My First European Bike Trip | Let the Games Begin!
Words & Pictures: Evan Phillips