Alex Chisholme had only one wish regarding Whitehorse's bike park – that it had gotten here sooner.

The 19-year-old entered the pro category of the Goat Style Bike Jam held in Creston, BC, in July, and said that, while he failed to reach the final round, the experience of riding alongside the pros was worth the trip.

Growing up in Whitehorse, Chisholme was just one of the riders looking to reach that next level.

"For me, when I was in a prime age, trying to find jumps, there wasn't that much at that time,” he said.

"I enjoyed the park last year, it was good, I rode these dirt jumps a lot, and it was nice to finally see a rhythm section in town, because most of the jumps that I'd ridden previously were just one-hits, and then you go back and hit one jump and come back again.”

As of Sunday, Chisholme and the rest of the city's biking community finally has a professionally designed and built park to call its own, with famed park designer Jay Hoots signing on to create some magic.

The park's official opening featured the "Name the Park” contest winner – the new name: Dirt ‘n Soul Bike Park – demos, a free barbeque and music.

"I think it'll be so good to develop the sport in Whitehorse and the sport in general,” Chisholme said.

The first phase of building ended last year with the completion of the dirt work – dirt jumps and pump track – and the second phase ended last June with the wood work.

Riders Nigel Sinclair-Eckert, 15, and Calahan Guidolin, 14, agreed with Chisholme about what the park means to the city.

"Making this official here, it'll be more structured, and kids will want to ride more, beg their parents to drive them out here, instead of just going out into the woods,” Sinclair-Eckert said.

"It gets the word out there to kids that there is a park here and it's open and useable, ‘cause I think a lot of kids want to bike but there's nowhere for them to bike, so they go and hack their own jumps or they won't know how to make it and it'll be really sketchy.”

The two young riders visit the park about twice each week.

Guidolin said that prior to its being built he and his buddies would build their own jumps in the backwoods around the city.

"We just had a couple of really bad jumps built up where we live, and once we heard about these it was like, ‘Ugh, now we have something to do on the weekends,' or there's a jump already built and they demolish it because they can't hit it, just not a very good vibe,” Guidolin said, adding that he likes the professionally built step down and drops the best.

"I have a bone to pick with that wall ride, ‘cause I keep crashing on it,” he said, scowling at the lifeless structure.

Kate White, organizer of the park's official opening, said providing a safe, bike-specific environment for young riders has been huge.

"The best thing about the park is that it's free and it's open 24 hours a day, so in the summertime you can come here at 10 o'clock at night and there will be kids here –

it's a good place to hang out,” the Contagious Mountain Bike Club member said.

"The biking community itself is growing, and we've got parents who are really supportive of their smaller kids.”

The Dirt ‘n Soul Bike Park has been six years in the making, she said.

Ninty-four dumptruck loads of dirt worth $59,000 cover the park. In addition, the Lion's Club retrieved $44,000 worth of wood.

Park designer and builder Jay Hoots, owner of Hoots Inc., based in Vancouver, has created more than 30 national projects, each ranging from large-scale complex's to single use features.