Cam McCaul on Dirt, Community, and “The Pile”

Words Anthill Films

Date May 19, 2014

For most people, a big, fat, pile of dirt probably doesn’t have much appeal. Instead, it’s likely that a mound of brown pow is thought of as more of a pending chore—an ugly sight that needs to removed.

But remember when you were a kid, without a care in the world? Just you and your best buds taking over the neighbourhood on your bikes? If you came across a big, fat, pile of dirt, what would you have done then? Would you have just stared at it and passed it by? Hell no! You would have looked over to your buddy and asked, “I wonder if we can ride that?” All of the sudden that big, fat, seemingly meaningless pile of dirt became a day of infinite amusement and opportunity. Not too long after, a jump would be introduced into the equation, and then two jumps, and then a few more. All in a day’s work.

For Cam McCaul and his team of builders—Kyle Jameson, Jeff Herbertson, and Alex Reveles—not much has changed. For our latest Dream Capture piece–Cam McCaul’s The Pile–we asked Cam a few questions about how piles of dirt have helped shape his career, and how it all started at the infamous Post Office jumps in Aptos. Check out the interview below and watch the teaser for his upcoming edit: The Pile.

How did it all start for you?

The first feeling of freedom I had as a kid came when my brother and I were set free on our bikes to explore the town. Every little up-slope on the curbs was a jump, driveways were berms, everything was a playground. The fun really started when we ventured through Aptos Village and found a pile of dirt with a couple lips carved into it. That Pile was across the street from the Aptos Post Office and it’s a pretty well-known pile now.

How has Post Office evolved and how has it influenced your progression and the progression of other riders?

It started out as just a couple of lips carved into a face of dirt. Eventually landings were added to make them doubles, then new landings to make them triples, then new lips to make transfers, then new jumps to form rhythms, etc. Next thing you know it was a full-on jump park. In the early days, we evolved with the jumps so the progression was smooth but time consuming. These days it blows me away how good the local young kids are who grew up with the jumps fully evolved and just adapted to them.

How have piles of dirt influenced you over the years?

These days, my favourite thing in the world to do on a bike is to go out to Utah and just search for awesome stuff. It’s the land of endless “piles”. I get that same feeling out there that I had when I was a young kid set free on my little bike looking for challenges. I think I’ll always be chasing that feeling.

What does a pile of dirt mean to you?

At one point during this shoot, I looked around at all the people involved in the project and realized how much fun we were having fooling around with a giant lump of soil. It was a blank canvas for ideas, creativity, adventure, and adrenaline. That’s what a pile of dirt is to us.

Would you said that a pile of dirt creates a community, or do you think a community forms around a pile of dirt?

With the pile that we now know as “Post Office,” the pile created the community. It’s the reason a lot of us started riding. Kids would see the lips while driving by with their parents to mail a letter and next thing you know, they’d show up on a bike. It’s really just the thoughts that a pile provokes when looked at by the right eyes. Bring a bunch of those eyes together and there’s no limits to the fun you can have. Thats what this project was all about. Taking some of the most creative eyes I know and putting them together for a week to see what happens. Big thanks to Sony and Anthill for giving us an excuse to play in the dirt.

Any recommendations on what kind of detergent you use to get your gear looking fresh after a day in the dirt?

Don’t wrestle with a pig… You both get dirty and the pig likes it. In other words, don’t bother with laundry you dirty pig!