For the Love of Trails: Meet the Makers
For the Love of Trails didn't come from a boardroom. It came from a community that actually rides these trails, builds these trails, and loses sleep over whether the drainage is going to hold through another season.
Here's who made it.
The Riders
Jesse Melamed
Sea to Sky local and one of the most recognisable names in enduro racing. Jesse brought the Trail Intern concept to life and based on what we saw on shoot day, SORCA should probably just hire him.
@jessemelamed
Andréane Lanthier Nadeau
Two-time EWS champion, Squamish local, and someone who has ridden more of Squamish's trails than most people have heard of. ALN knows exactly what's at stake when maintenance funding runs thin, and she showed up for it.
@andreaneln
Behind the Camera
Scott Secco: Creative Direction & Film
The creative force behind the campaign’s video concepts, Scott Secco brought For the Love of Trails to life with humour, honesty and a deep understanding of trail culture. Shot entirely on location throughout Squamish.
Taj Mihelich: Illustrator
Taj Mihelich is a well-known artist and rider whose work has been part of mountain bike culture for decades. For this campaign he created the original illustrations you've been scrolling past, capturing the humour, resourcefulness and occasional absurdity of trail life in Squamish.
Robin Munshaw: Photography
Robin's photography captures what happens between the shots — the in-between moments, the trail features, the personalities. His images extend the campaign beyond video into the stuff that actually makes you feel like you were there.
The Trail Crew
Behind every ride in Squamish is a small crew of people making it possible.
SORCA’s trail crew, led by AJ Strawson, contributes roughly 6,000 hours a year to maintaining and building the community’s trail network. From drainage and erosion repair to rebuilding berms, clearing deadfall and leading community dig days, the crew works year-round to help keep Squamish rideable.
They’re also the inspiration behind much of For the Love of Trails, including the campaign’s playful take on the very real work it takes to keep Squamish’s trails running.
Why Is Tourism Squamish Involved in Trail Maintenance?
Fair question.
Tourism Squamish exists to support a thriving visitor economy in Squamish. Mountain biking isn't a footnote in that story, it is the story for a significant portion of the visitors who come here. Riders travel from across BC, Canada and beyond specifically to ride trails that SORCA and the broader trail community have spent decades building and maintaining.
The logic is straightforward: if trails drive visits, visits should drive trail funding.
For the Love of Trails is Tourism Squamish putting that belief into action, not just with a campaign, but with a matched donation of up to $10,000 directed straight to SORCA for ongoing trail maintenance.
About SORCA
The Squamish Off-Road Cycling Association has been building, maintaining and advocating for Squamish trails since 1992. As a registered non-profit, SORCA manages relationships with land owners and managers, including Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish Nation), hosts weekly events, coordinates volunteer dig days, employs a paid trail crew, and funds local trail-building contractors for the bigger infrastructure work.
Every dollar donated through For the Love of Trails goes directly to SORCA and directly into the maintenance of the existing trail network, the year-round work that keeps Squamish rideable for everyone who shows up.
Your donation goes twice as far this summer.
Tourism Squamish is matching every dollar donated up to $10,000. Once it's matched, it's done.
