“I’d always see this kid at the dirt jumps in Whistler. He would be there on his own practicing his jumping. He was pretty quiet and would keep himself to himself. I was there with my son Ethan who was four years old at the time. Ethan took a fall and Brandon helped him up. He seemed like a real nice kid so I started chatting with him and tried to figure out his deal. I mean, here was a kid who should be in school learning but instead he was learning to ride. I asked if he had any help with bikes and I ended up getting him a frame or two because I saw someone really unique. He was focused, and obviously really good as a rider. But it was his character that impressed me.”

“Jenine from Evolution helped me out the most out of anyone, probably ever. I definitely wouldn’t be where I am and know everything I know if it wasn’t for her. I was six or seven doing the local Whistler grom races and one time I rode in from Emerald (which was 10km away) with my Evolution jersey on, did the race, then after the race it started raining and storming so I saw Jenine and asked if I could get a jacket and pay her back later because I had no money. She said, ‘No it’s cool, you are hooked up now’ and she gave me a jacket. Then after all the races my bike would be thrashed so she would fix my it up every time. Then she started helping me get product and equipment, or hook me up with clothing; all these expenses I couldn’t afford because every year I was saving up to buy a bike. Then because she was a part of the community she would introduce me to all these team managers and stuff. What she did for me was pretty big.”

“I opened Evolution in 1995 and I sponsored Brandon’s older brother at first. Then it became obvious that Brandon was super talented. I remember being told a story about Brandon being sent down Jaws (a wildly, steep and gnarly local trail) when he was just seven years old. When he was 12 he won 14 and under Canadian title and after that he moved to freeride. Even when he went to races he was like a trials rider: doing wheelies, hopping around off tables, jumping ramps off the back of trucks.

I think the reason he got so good was because he was always riding. He was also very thoughtful about his riding. He would consider the move and figure it out first. He would never try anything before he knew he could do it. He was different than a lot of kids his age; he was thinking. I wouldn’t just say he was smart but he certainly thinks more than he talks. He is serious, kind, polite, and won’t talk about himself. He is a listener.

He grew up with his dad while his mum lived on Vancouver Island, so I would do some motherly stuff, like repairing his jeans constantly. I still repair them now. When he got on Troy Lee Designs he wanted narrower legged moto pants so I measured them up and narrowed them up. I was always on him to make sure he kept up with his school work. He didn’t fall behind and he took care of himself. His dad would keep at him too. It was done because he was training. His skills were obvious so he left school so he could concentrate on training.

I think some of his apparent seriousness and self–reliance might be because his parents broke up when he was young and he had to deal with that. His dad is also very intelligent and hard working and some of that must have rubbed off on Brandon.”

“The first time I went to Europe I was fifteen years old I think. Before I went to Europe I had no idea what I was doing. I just told my parents I was going. Luckily I had Gareth Dyer to meet up with me there. I just showed up and Gareth told me what was up, and it began really. One sponsor gave me enough money to go there and pay my ticket. At the time I thought it was crazy because it was the most money I’d ever seen, even if it was just enough to do the trip. I got into an event that is now one of the biggest of the year: 26Trix. I showed up the day before the event and they said I could ride. I just qualified and got eighth place in the finals.>>