Steve Smith is a down to earth, fast, young racer from Cassidy on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. Determination and competitiveness has taken him from shuttling the local hill as a teenager with his mum at the wheel to winning his first World Cup race at Hafjell, Norway in 2012.

Read on and find out what Stevie thinks of goals, shushi, shaking and farting dogs.

(You’ve probably read Endtroducing in the Dirt Magazine, but it usually features industry folk, so on the web we’ll find out a bit more about the riders and racers.)

PS. Look out for a Stevie Smith feature in the next issue of Dirt #132 out on the 25th Jan.

Who is Steve Smith? A Vancouver Island grown mountain biker with the most common name in existence.

Where do you live? On top of a hill in Nanaimo, British Columbia Canada.

What’s the worst job you’ve ever had? I worked at Tim Hortons, the finest donut establishment known to mankind, at age 16. I had to wear a lame uniform and serve coffee and donuts to angry people.

Where’s your favourite place? This is a very hard question because there are so many different reasons to like each place. I love Brazil, Hawaii and tropical places because I can get my beach on and chill, but nothing tops Vancouver Island in the end because it’s limitless. There are so many things you can do right out your back door.

Where’s your favourite place to ride? Mount Prevost for sure! Prevost is a hill about 25 mins from my house that I have been riding and building on since I was about 15 years old.

When are you happiest? I’m happy every day. Getting shit done makes me happy, no mater how big or small, I like to get the job done. The summer makes things a little easier because the days are longer, unlike winter the sun is only out from 08:30 till 15:30.

What makes you angry? Red lights. I HATE losing flow! I have had one day in my entire Prevost riding life where I drove all the way home without hitting a light. That day was great; I will remember it for quite some time.

What makes you happy? Lots, trail building, riding bikes, riding moto, driving my RZR, fishing, my woman/family/friends. But meeting my goals is right up there. I set goals, whether it’s on my fitness, eating well or finishing well, when I reach and surpass these goals it puts me in a place that I can’t describe.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? Don’t be silly wrap your willy.

What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever given? No Idea. Maybe the person I gave that advice to would be able to say.

What are your extravagances? Sending it!

Who do you admire? I admire anyone that works hard for what they want. It’s easy to set goals and want things but to accomplish these things through hard work and determination is worth admiring.

What’s the most important thing in your life? My health. I enjoy waking up and being able to do what I want. Never take this for granted.

What would you never throw away? My first world cup winning bike from Norway. Oh, and my first chainsaw, it sucks but I’ll keep it around.

What’s your greatest fear? To fade away and not accomplish my goals if I have put all work and effort I possibly can.

What was your luckiest escape? This summer while I was camping. My buddy and I had cut a gate in the road to get to an awesome camping spot. With the camp all set up, a head forestry officer arrived to question our location. We managed to hide the generator and tools and camp where we planned. Forestry guys are scarier then the police in Canada!

What’s the first thing you do in the morning? Make an amazing breakfast.

What’s the last thing you do at night? Close my eyes.

What would be your dream meal? I’m a sucker for sushi. If I knew I was going to die the next day I would have to smash the best sushi meal ever.

What things do you always carry with you? iphone, wallet, keys and a Red Bull hat seem to be the only consistent things.

Do you have any regrets? Yes and anyone who says that they live with no regrets is silly. My driving record. I’m 23 years old and just got my full license now due to losing it so many times during the process. I officially feel like a grown up.

What’s the most important lesson that you have learned? Shake well, especially when traveling. No one wants travel pee pants.

If you could have dinner with three famous people (dead or alive) who would they be?Rick Ross, Will Ferrell and Mila Kunis.

Who is your favourite rider? Brook Macdonald. Always has a smile, always having fun and he gets loose.

What’s your favourite bike product of all time?
This is a tough one but the Rock Shox Reverb could take the cake. I was always too dumb to put my seat down on descents so things would get wild. A close one would be the E-13 chain guide, losing chains was balls back in the day.

What’s your least favourite bike product of all time? Flat DH bars. No explanation needed.

What’s your favourite motto or saying? Just send it.

What saying do you use too much? Not sure this one might be better answered by a friend. Ask Gabe Fox.

What bike are you riding at the moment? Devinci Bikes. Wilson carbon, Dixon Carbon, Atlas Carbon, Leo SL Roadie. I try to ride everything so I make sure to have all the cool Devinci bikes kicking around.

What was the last magazine you read? Dirt! Not joking. On my way up to the ski hill today we stopped for Starbucks at the bookstore. I didn’t even know I’d be answering these questions later on. (Sorry Steve, it’s for the web not the mag!)

What are you listening to at the moment? My dog farting.

What one thing would you change about yourself? I wish I were a natural at golf.

What are your weaknesses? Not getting amped before my race. I need more aggression in the start.

What does the future hold for you? Progression. I want to be better at everything I do. Not just bike racing but life in general and that will contribute to my racing.

What does the future hold for mountain biking? An uprising of new talent and hopefully general growth. There is a spot for any kind of rider these days, whether it’s your every day guy or serious competitor.

How would you like to be remembered? A dedicated well rounded rider that put 100% in to my dream of down hill racing and enjoyed every bit of it.

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