There are many ways to tell a story. Some use words, others use drawings and some use the frame of a bicycle. When I discovered Pat Valade’s work, I immediately felt close to his vision. His photos speak a quiet language. They capture atmosphere, relationships, and time. Many of his stories have been published on platforms like Bikepacking.com, The Radavist, and brands like Patagonia, true points of reference for those who love bicycles, adventure, and authentic photography. In this interview, I wanted to get to know him better. To understand who he is, where he comes from, and what drives him to get in the saddle or pick up his camera.
Hey Pat, it’s a real pleasure to have you here. Can you tell us who you are today and what led you to do what you do? Was there a clear starting point, or did everything evolve naturally?
Hi Emanuele! Thanks so much for having me. My name is Pat Valade, I’m a photographer, writer, and rep working in the outdoor industry based here in Squamish, BC. I’m a lifelong lover of being outside! As is typical with folks around here, trying to spend as much of my spare time biking, running, climbing, and skiing alongside my partner Alycia and our great community here (and of course taking photos along the way)
I think you could say there was a natural progression to get to where I am, and some hard work and some luck. I was lucky to be introduced to the outdoors at a fairly young age, and took some twists and turns along the way to arrive at sitting here writing this.
“You get to smell every smell, see and feel the texture of the landscape. Tired? Make a coffee. Want to take a picture? Just stop. That’s the beauty of bikepacking.”
You’re currently living in Squamish, on the West Coast of British Columbia. How much has that land influenced your path, your sensitivity, and your way of seeing things?
Squamish is an incredible place to be based, and I feel lucky to be here! It’s a place I started visiting to climb in my early teens, usually via a full day of transit (taking the Greyhound bus, which no longer exists, unfortunately). Every single time I visited, and camped in the forest, it seemed ethereal and beautiful, and I couldnt get enough.
I still feel the same way, after being here for a number years.
Having the ocean, the mountains, and the rainforest, all merging together in one place, one with such a deep history and connection to the natural land, is a source of constant awe and inspiration.
Your work combines photography with a deep connection to nature. How did that bond develop over time?
I was very lucky to spend time in nature from a very young age. When I was three years old, my parents made the decision to move from a very small town in Quebec, on the other side of the country, and settle in BC. Early on I was able to spend time in the forest behind our family home, exploring all the time, getting my hands into the dirt. That’s where it mostly started. There were hiking and biking trails close by, so I didn’t spend much time inside. At the time my father was in school, and working as a ski-patroler, and I was able to start skiing from a young age as well. Which has grown into a deep love and respect for mountain environments. My mom is a self taught artist and painter and I really got my artistic streak from her. She was always taking pictures of flowers, and landscapes to paint, so I was exposed to that quite early on, although I didnt appreciate it until later in life. I can’t draw worth a damn, but looking at the world through a camera made sense.
I discovered my love for climbing just before high-school, and I became pretty obsessive with that for the next chunk of my life. Climbing most days, for years, spending a lot of time in a dusty, but amazing little climbing gym. I also started hanging out in climbing shops, eventually working at our local outdoor shop, which I ended up doing for many years. So my career in that industry co-incided with my discovery of a love of photography, as I started going on climbing trips and stealing my parents camera to document what we were up to, and at that time it was purely just to have a record of these trips, and because I couldn’t believe the places that some of the activities can take you.
Over time, I have just been lucky to spend a lot of days, in some pretty awe inspiring places, just getting out with friends, and always bringing the camera, no matter what.
“The most honest and personally meaningful work comes from sharing the things you love, not from chasing what’s trending.”
Bicycles often appear in your photos. What role do they play in your life?
I always rode a bike here and there growing up, there was a lot of mountain biking in Kamloops, so I always dabbled, but it was never a huge passion. When I was going to art school in Vancouver, I was mostly riding a little single speed around town, but that eventually got stolen.
I ended up living with another student, a fellow named Geoff Campbell (now one of my best friends) and he really introduced me to the concept of bike-touring, and then doing the same thing on gravel. Geoff is a talented rider, photographer and designer in his own right, so his stoke on bikes and our friendship, really sparked an interest in me getting into a different form of cycling than I had experienced. Getting off the roads and camping via the bike, seemed very intriguing. To me, it was something new and exciting. A great way to travel and document the experience.
On a photo road trip, I ended up buying a steel gravel bike from someone on the side of the highway in rural BC for a few hundred dollars, I think it was an old Masi. I ordered a set of panniers, found a used front rack and started adventuring with Geoff.
It never really stopped from there! The gear got a bit better, but the same inspiration stuck through. Good adventures, with good people, to interesting places, and a reason to take lots of photos. You dont need much if you just want to get into it (as a self admitted gear nerd I can be guilty of focusing on gear too much, the industry really makes you think you need a lot of fancy stuff to get into bike touring, but you really just need a bike that rolls, and some ski straps and dry bags – its pretty amazing what you can do with just that!)
When you go out on a photo adventure by bike, what do you bring with you? Do you have a go-to setup or any gear you’re especially attached to?
I have definitely refined what I am using out there taking photos on the bike over the years. Simplicity is the key for me. For my own personal adventuring and documenting, I have basically settled on a small full-frame nikon mirroless camera, and a prime lens or two. Most often I am shooting with a cheap plastic 40mm f2. Its light, the quality is great, and I”m not worried about breaking some fancy, expensive lens if I crash or drop it. The approach is a little different if I am out shooting a job.
Outside of camera gear, it really depends on the trip!
We always have a lot of good coffee, some comfy inflatable pillows, and either a mini chess set, or mini bocce for camp when I remember to bring them.
As far as bike gear goes, my prize possessions are our porcelain rocket bags.
I was fortunate to get to know Scott Felter, the founder of Porcelain Rocket (a Canadian bag company) through some mutual friends and he was very kind to me over the years, and he went on some inspiring adventures with some great people – I always looked up to what he was up to, and how he approached his craft.
There are some many neat people, and brands making stuff in the bike industry, I love it!
Let’s get a bit technical: what would you recommend to a traveler who wants to start exploring photography on the road?
You don’t need anything fancy, you just need something you”ll actually use, and take some photos! I think the biggest challenge is having a camera where it is easy to grab, and actually taking the picture. If its buried in some bike bag, zipped away in a case – youll miss a lot and never want to take it out. I like either having a dedicated camera bag on the bars, or just always having the camera on body. These days I often seem to ride with the camera on body, and just wrap it in a piece of fabric when Im sticking it in the the bike bags. I shoot a lot more this way.
My favourite item is a chest strap that Alycia got me as a gift. I can ride with my camera over my shoulder, but it keeps it from spinning around while I ride. Its simple, but I use my camera way more when I ride with it. I think the brand is PS bagworks, but there are other great options out there too.
Bikepacking seems to be an essential part of how you explore. What fascinates you about this slow and immersive way of traveling?
It is just such a great way to be immersed in the landscape you are travelling through.
You get to smell every smell, see and feel the texture of the landscape, and slow down or speed up only dictated by your legs, and it is so easy to stop and look around. Tired? Make a coffee. Want to take a picture? It doesnt matter where you pull over. The days can go as quick or as slow as you want them to. I love running into other cyclists on the road, even after a hard day, people are so kind and enthusiastic about what each other are up to (not all the time of course).
You get to feel a sense of satisfaction at moving through a landscape, under your own power, everything you need on the bike, taking in every ounce of beauty, and reflecting on the hard moments in a way you dont often get to do in other forms of travelling.
What’s your favorite ride close to home, around Squamish, that one route you never get tired of?
One route that we seem to ride on a weekly basis is a loop we call “The Classic North Side”
We don’t have a lot of loops close by, mostly out and backs, so this is a great one when you have a couple of hours, and are in for a good pedal. We do it fast, we do it slow, we have camped on it, its a great ride very close to home. I’ve lost count of how many times we’ve ridden it.
A little further a field, I love getting over to ride on the Sunshine coast whenever we can, its a short ferry ride, with some great riding optins, and a lot of coastal beauty.
Of all the bike journeys you’ve done, is there one that stands out as especially meaningful? What made it so special?
That is a tough one as I feel like every bike trip has its nuances, lessons and specific ingredients that can make it challenging, fulfilling or memorable.
We have done trips that seem like pure vacations, short days, easy riding and perfect camp spots, and we have had trips that are the complete opposite. Sometimes you come away with these big ideas, and thoughts on the experience, and sometimes it can just feel like a bike ride, and I think thats ok, its part of the experience.
I have had just as meaningful experiences on quick overnighters close to home, as I have had on longer multi-day trips. I just feel lucky whenever we get the chance to get out there.
Just as meaningful as some of these trips are, I just feel grateful to have met and worked with so many great people in the cycling world, that I really wouldnt have expected to.
