When we first took the helm of the Stay Wilder brand, we needed a location. The previous iteration of the business failed to launch because the location did not work (it’s a longer story that we’ve detailed a little bit here). We didn’t need just any location, but one that would enable us to share the incredible beauty of the natural world alongside the many collaborators in our community we are gearing up to work with.
Despite our resort experience and creativity, finding our first location proved more difficult than we had anticipated.
When we met Darren Hemstreet of Coast Gravity Park, we soon realized that we were not only looking for a location, but that we were seeking true collaboration, like-hearted individuals who loved nature as much as we did, and whose values were aligned with our own. Darren and his team have been those collaborators. They’ve championed Stay Wilder from the start, they’ve offered their expertise and a part of the forest they steward. They’ve helped us in countless large and small ways. They’ve reminded us of what we are building together when the going gets tough.
For those of you who don’t yet know Coast Gravity, they are Canada’s first low elevation mountain bike park. They’ve been around for almost 15 years and their crew of talented riders designs, creates and maintains an impressive set of trails in a 160 acre rainforest about 15 minutes from the town of Sechelt on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia.
We are honoured to open the first Stay Wilder, and the Stay Wilder Lab, with the Coast Gravity Park team. We owe them a debt of gratitude for hearing the resonance in our ideas, for their generous contribution of time, energy and resources, and for their trust in our relationship. It is a demonstration of what is possible when we work together in community.
P.S.: Stay tuned for the story of a future Stay Wilder on the island of Guanaja off the coast of Honduras. It’s another story of collaboration and contribution that we can’t wait to tell.
