Last week I had the privilege to embark on a family vacation to Hawaii! Unfortunately Hawaii does not offer much mountain biking, but it does offer tons of surfing. Since I am from Santa Cruz, California I feel like I have a unique perspective on these two cultures.

I have surfed in Santa Cruz for about 5 years now. The water here is cold; really cold. Santa Cruz has spawned numerous professional surfers and is the birthplace of the wet suit. Santa Cruz is also home to numerous bike companies such as Santa Cruz Bicycles, Fox Racing Shox, X-Fusion, and Ibis. Why are all of these companies located here. The answer is simple. Trails. We have a lot of world class trails here in Santa Cruz. Hawaii on the other hand has a huge surf influence. In fact, surfing was invented in Hawaii.

From what I have noticed, surfers in Santa Cruz aren’t the nicest of people. Not always, but sometimes there is this uptight vibe going on in the water. I believe that this comes from the fact that good waves are not infinite. On the other hand, the mountain bike community is one of the most welcoming communities I have been apart of. Mountain bikers are some of the nicest people I have come across. Hawaiians also share this vibe. I got the feeling that Hawaiian surfers, or just Hawaiians in general, are super chill. They don’t care who you are, they are just stoked that you are stoked.

To me this Hawaiian vibe and mountain biking would go hand in hand. So why are there not many trails there? As someone who appreciates the art of trail building, I think it would be totally cool to build trails through the lava rock scattered coastline. Or perhaps some loamy corners and rock slaps in the rain forest? I will leave you with some photos. Let your mind run free!