"I think the very best thing about building your own trail is the process," said Mark Mathews, as he thrusts a shovel into the dark soil beneath him.
The professional mountain biker and trail builder is standing deep in the forests of Cumberland, British Colombia, where, slowly, steadily, a mountain biking trail is taking shape.
Mathews is one of two faces you meet in Blueprint, an 8-minute documentary about trail building. Directed by Scott Bell, it features alongside 11 other films in New Zealand's upcoming film festival, 'Big Bike Film Night'.
The other half of the duo is Chris Snodgrass, a fellow Canadian and professional trail builder who has joined forces with Mathews to create a trail, barehanded, for the local Cumberland community.
Hand-built trails may seem labour intensive but Kiwis may be surprised to learn many trails in New Zealand are proudly built this way.
Cable Bay Adventure Park, The Gorge in Nelson and Mt Hutt Bike Park are all proudly created by a dedicated mix of staff and volunteers.
A spade is not the most efficient tool when it comes to carving out bike trails. However, similar to how some filmmakers are 'auteurs' or baristas are 'connoisseurs', the men in Blueprint believe there is beauty found in setting aside heavy machinery and treating trails like a craft.
"I feel like creativity comes out a little more on handbuilt trails," says Snodgrass, who added that the slowness of the process encourages a deeper kind of creativity.
"Being out and seeing an area and thinking of a way to weave a trail through that, it is an artistic expression.
"There are a million different ways to build a section of trail but everybody has their own and it's kind of nice to put your own artistic touch on it."
Mathews, who has been riding for over two decades, describes it as similar to more classical art forms.
"When you come into a new zone, the dirt is almost like your paint," he said. "It's a certain colour, it's a certain texture."
This method may be 'back-breaking' and slow but the pair say it was worthwhile in the end, not just the track's quality but sustainability too.
"You're not ripping apart the forest so much and it's a slower process," Snodgrass says.
"The whole time you're building them you're thinking about how it's going to ride, how it's going to work.
There's definitely a real joy and treat when it all comes together and you just get that awesome little five seconds "of that was amazing."
Unlike many handbuilt trails, Blueprint served a special purpose; getting the local community into the sport.
Fun jumps and trick spots aside, what sets Blueprint apart from most hand-built trails is the focus on getting the local community involved.
The team collaborated closely with local groups like the United Riders of Cumberland and Mosaic Forest Management.
"We really wanted to build something that was gonna inspire the community," explains Mathews, who sees the trail as more than just a track to ride but a way to help people see the environment with new eyes.
"One of my biggest thoughts on building trails is reconnecting people with nature," he says.
"I start looking at areas that I think are really cool and if I think they're cool then I'm pretty sure other people are gonna enjoy them, and then I try to weave a trail through them."
For Snodgrass, the goal is similar. "That's what really motivates me," he says. "It is so good for the sport, it brings more people into riding, gets more people stoked."
Bringing more people into mountain biking, and on hand-built trails, in particular, is crucial for the survival of these trails, which rely on volunteers.
"Without trail building volunteers who put in hours of their free time to make these
trails happen we simply wouldn't have them," says Mathews. "You just have to get out there with a shovel, put in the hours,"
However, according to the duo, the hours are worth it to create something that lasts for years.
"The more people that are out there throwing dirt and creating trails and lines through the woods, the better," says Snodgrass.
"Get out in nature - enjoy it!"
The Big Bike Film Night is showing in 42 locations across New Zealand from Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington to Reefton, Gore and Thames. Screenings begin on Wednesday 16 February in Taupo and run until late May.
