Episode 110. Banff’s Backyard: A Rip with the Norquay Park Crew

What actually goes into building a terrain park?

In this episode of the Overheard Podcast recorded live in Banff, Daniel Ruedl and cohost Matty Rage sit down with the crew behind the features at Mt Norquay. The jumps, rails, and lines riders hit every day do not appear overnight. They are built, shaped, and maintained by people who live and breathe mountain life.

Joining the show are Scott Foxall, LJ Lee, and Billy Farrell, members of the Norquay terrain park crew who spend their winters designing and maintaining one of Banff’s most creative parks.

Scott arrived in Banff on what was supposed to be a one year stay and is now Terrain Park Manager at Mt Norquay and a PSIC park certification evaluator.

LJ came to Banff on a gap year and now splits his seasons between Canada and Australia chasing winter year round.

Billy started in the Norquay kitchen before working his way into lift operations, snowcat driving, and eventually becoming a full time terrain park builder.

In this conversation we go behind the scenes of terrain park design, snowcat work, and mountain life in Banff.

We talk about

• how terrain parks are planned and built from the ground up

• the science behind shaping jumps and features

• why Norquay’s park is known for creative flow

• the pressure park builders feel when riders hit their features

• the reality of building a life in a mountain town

• advice for anyone thinking about spending a winter in Banff

• and whether the freestyle world has become too focused on the spin to win mentality

If you ski, snowboard, ride park, or just love Banff mountain culture, this episode offers a rare look at the people behind the scenes keeping the progression alive.

The episode also features our segment You Didn’t Hear It From Us, presented by our newest partner Defending Awesome, where we take a step back and talk about the current state of media, algorithms, and why fear has become one of the most powerful tools used to capture attention online.

This episode is also brought to you by Drinkshaft, Banff’s favourite non alcoholic energy drink.

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Thanks for tuning in to the Overheard Podcast.

As always, we’ll See you next Tuesday!!