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In Golden, B.C., where the majestic Golden Skybridge stands as a testament to the province’s natural beauty, local artisans like Derek Melanson embody the spirit of the community. Melanson is a woodworker whose deep connection to the land and passion for his craft, has brought to life two remarkable pieces that adorn this iconic landmark.
“Being a snowboarder on the East Coast is tough,” says Melanson, originally from New Brunswick. “The East Coast is old and everything’s been logged or farmed or there’s towns everywhere. I really desired the infinite freedom of the bush out here and the big, big mountains.”
Melanson may have grown up across the country, but says his personality grew up in Golden. He’s set down roots in the mountain community, starting a family there and becoming deeply entrenched in the outdoor community. An avid snowboarder and hiker, Melanson has spent countless hours exploring the peaks and valleys of the region. He even spent 12 years as an avalanche forecaster and a local fishing guide.
These days Melanson’s focus is on Woodslingers, his custom woodworking business. If you drive through Golden, chances are you’ll spot one of his pieces — he’s created signs for numerous local businesses in town. He was inspired to pursue woodworking by his father, who had a shop in the garage of Melanson’s childhood home.
“He often went in there to tinker on something, and it was very obvious it was his place to escape and find some peace and quiet from us kids and day-to-day life,” says Melanson, who enjoys the “zen” of working on his own projects. “That always attracted me to woodworking, just being able to put your head down and turn your brain off for a while when you dive into a project.”
Melanson eventually found himself working in carpentry, where he honed his skills with various tools of the trade, but he is largely self-taught when it comes to the detailed techniques that bring his creations to life. He opened his own shop 10 years ago under the name Five Island Woodworks — a nod to his home province — and rebranded about a year ago.
“It’s just an endless outlet for the imagination,” he says. “Even signage, every business that comes to us for a sign there’s a new challenge, a new thing you have to imagine to figure out their look and how your sign or your project can elevate their space.”
Two of his recent projects commissioned by Pursuit can now be seen at the Golden Skybridge. The first was Moberly, a formidable bald eagle who greets visitors at the entrance. Melanson was tasked with building an eagle roughly three feet in size, but he delivered one with an expansive 10-foot wingspan that took 50 blocks of wood and 16 days to craft.
“I went way overboard,” he says with a laugh. “I gave them something ridiculous they (Pursuit) didn’t expect, and I think I proved my skill and proved to myself that I was able to do something like that. It gave me a lot of confidence.”
An eagle was chosen due to the numerous birds of prey that frequent Hospital Creek Canyon, and the name Moberly pays homage to the namesake mountain peak visible from the Skybridge entrance.
“I have some history with that mountain,” says Melanson, who has lived in the neighbourhood near the Skybridge for his entire time in Golden.“I’ve climbed it many times; it was the first peak I summited in Golden and gave me a love for climbing mountains.”
Melanson’s second commissioned piece at the Skybridge was a 12-foot panorama of the surrounding mountain ranges. He spent hours studying the mountains and planning the piece to accurately portray the peaks before he began carving.
“I really felt like I had to nail this one because, for one, I have a very close tie to the local ski-touring community and I’ve personally skied most of the peaks in that scape, so I have a personal tie to them,” he explains. “But I also knew I’d get heckled by locals if I didn’t nail it, so I did go deep into that one — way deeper than I expected.”
In total, Melanson spent about 250 hours on the panorama, painstakingly working to maintain accuracy in a way that made sense for the scaled-down perspective of the piece. So far, no one’s heckled him about it. The attention to detail highlights not only the care he has for his work but the affinity he has for his hometown.
“These outdoorsy projects hit really close to home, he says, adding he’s skied or hiked almost every peak in the carving with friends he’s made during his time in Golden. “It feels really good all-around to be part of this and show off what Golden has to offer and what I can offer back to Golden.”
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