Meet Ike Bancroft | Dig Deep Tours Owner & Guide

We had the good fortune of connecting with Ike Bancroft and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Ike, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
At the root of everything, my decision to start my own business was my desire to express my own creativity. I’m inherently a person who always thinks (maybe even overthinks…) about every possible way a thing can be done, and if the way it is currently being done is truly the best. I realized a few years ago that starting my own business was the best way to provide myself the flexibility and room for that creativity and ingenuity to flourish. However, I didn’t want to jump into something until I had a strong general premise for a company that I felt would provide something new to an industry I was passionate about.

While working for mountain bike guiding for companies in the Southwest, I had the epiphany that, though many of them offer great, fulfilling experiences, most companies spread themselves far too thin. What is lost is a deeper connection to the region, which guides are unable to cultivate and share with tour guests when they have to travel to so many different regions to guide. This became the formation of my idea for a business – to build a guiding business that incorporates immense depth of regional knowledge, and passionate sense-of-place into its foundational thesis.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
Dig Deep Tours is a mountain bike guiding company based in one of the most special places in the country – Bellingham, WA. Dig Deep focuses on “travel” over “tourism” and finds it our duty to share some of the deepest qualities that make our region unique. While mountain biking is a super fun, exhilarating activity, when all is said and done, it is really about exploring the world, challenging ourselves, and becoming better people. Keeping these core tenets in mind is what sets us apart – we offer tours that go beneath the surface and leave a lasting impression on our guests – based not only on the sport at hand, but also the uniqueness of the region they are temporarily inhabiting.

Dig Deep offers mountain bike-guided tours around the best trails in Bellingham and NW Washington, curated to each group’s skill level and fitness. We offer half-day trips, full-day trips, and mountain bike rentals all in one package and plan to begin offering multi-day trips starting in 2023. Our mountain bike tours are for everyone and anyone to experience – one doesn’t have to be a hardcore cyclist to enjoy a Dig Deep tour!

I don’t think any business owner will ever tell you that the foundational stages were easy. To me, the hardest part was believing that there was demand for the product I was building. No one had built a purely mountain bike guiding business in NW Washington state before. While the strong belief that there was plenty of market for such business to succeed was a driving force behind starting this business, I often found myself stuck on the intrusive thought “maybe there’s a reason no one has done it?” What got me through that doubt was largely friends and acquaintances. For every doubtful thought I had during that process, there were five friends reminding me mountain bike guiding in Bellingham was a long overdue business, and I was the best person they knew to start such a service.

One of the main lessons I’ve learned along the way is that inspiration and motivation comes and goes; it’s who you are and how much you get done at the depths of those waves that sets the stage for a successful endeavor. The saying “10% inspiration, 90% perspiration” may be cheesy, but it one of the most powerful analogies to keep in mind when starting a business.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Start with a mountain bike tour around Galbraith Mountain, of course! To truly enjoy Bellingham you have to first and foremost get out into the mountains – bonus points if it’s on a mountain bike. After your evening paddle around Bellingham Bay; the views of Mt. Baker, the islands, and the town of Bellingham are incredible from the water. Follow that up with a Bellingham favorite – Kulshan Brewery. Kulshan’s new “Trackside” location is the perfect place to grab a casual dinner and beer on a warm summer night – all the while watching people ride the bicycle “pump track” right next to the beer garden. The end of a perfect day in Bellingham would have to involve catching a show at the Wild Buffalo, which attracts unusually big acts for such a small and homey venue.

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Kenny Gorham at Bighorn Mountain Biking. Kenny was the first good friend of mine under 35 who started a company in the mountain bike industry. Bighorn found success quickly, and it has been incredibly inspiring to see Kenny build values into his business that we had both felt were lacking in a lot of the mountain bike industry. Kenny has acted as something of a business incubator for me through Dig Deep Tours’ startup process, which has been invaluable.

Website: digdeeptours.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/digdeeptours

Facebook: www.facebook.com/digdeeptours

Image Credits
Brenda Zeelenberg Lincoln Humphry Sophia Frankenburg