News
Work Complete on Richard Juryn Trail
Rare Earth Recreational Developments has completed the majority of their work on the Richard Juryn Trail heading up to the Camp Brick Lookout. The trail is now climbable by mere mortals and open for your enjoyment!
This corner used to be a sniper maneuver. Now it's just a physically challenging uphill grind!
North Shore Bike and Gear Swap
The North Shore Bike and Gear Swap is back for 2010 to support the NSMBA and the Richard Juryn Trail!
When: Saturday, May 29th, 2010
Where: Jaycee House, 1251 Lillooet Road, North Vancouver
Buying or selling? Find out all the details at www.northshorebikeswap.com
New XC Line on Seymour: “Sticks & Stones”
The NSMBA is proud to announce the completion of a trail reroute on Seymour Mountain. Thanks to a grant from TD Friends of the Environment Foundation, the NSMBA trail crew has recently completed the first phase of what will be a four phase project ultimately resulting in a five kilometre cross country trail loop on Seymour Mountain. The loop will have sections of varying difficulties, but the main focus will remain on developing XC trails that are fun to ride and will stand the test of time on the North Shore.
North Shore Bike Fest 2010: The Resurgence
Date: June 4-6, 2010
Location: Inter River Park on Lilloet Road, North Vancouver
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED:
June 5th – cross country race June 6th – downhill race
Help is also needed with expo festivities etc. The following positions need to be filled:
- course marshalls,
- first aid – please note if you have any specific training
- registration
- expo marshalls
- course sweeps
- bike watch
- set up/tear down
- parking marshalls
GEAR SWAP – May 27-29th – will take place at the Jaycee House just above Inter-river park
- registration (please note if you have a high level of bike knowledge – not mandatory)
- set-up/tear down
- sales
- cashiers (experience necessary).
- security
To volunteer, email Aimee Dunn @ dunnhiller@gmail.com
Mountainbike racing returns to Vancouver’s North Shore once again in 2010. The North Shore Bikefest is a weekend-long, family-oriented cycling event focusing on youth development; support and promotion of Mountain Biking on the North Shore. Plus some great racing and riding!
Join us March 26 for the Season Opener Party!
We are having a PARTY! Come one, come all, and bring friends and the friends of your friends for awesome time. You will also have the opportunity to win great prizes from our sponsors and meet the Bryson Racing Clan crew.
Come down to the Bridge Between Pub (1970 Spicer Rd, North Vancouver) on the evening of Friday, March 26th for merriment, cheer and well priced refreshments.
Cover is free if you're an Active Member (either join online before or at the door for $50 and get all the benefits of being an NSMBA member) or $10 for non-members.
Women of Dirt Movie Premiere – Hosted by the Muddbunnies
On Thursday, March 11th our friends the Muddbunnies are hosting the movie premiere of "Women of Dirt" and have invited all NSMBA members and supporters to join in the fun! This is a great opportunity to support the ladies that love to get their hands dirty on the trails. Check out the work we did together on Slash last year!
COST: $8 online, $10 at door
Fromme Update
We know that many of you have heard the rumours that the DNV is implementing the Fromme Trail Classification Plan this year. Indeed, we can confirm that the district has has approximately $500K to spend on Fromme. But despite what you may have heard, this is not necessarily the death bell of trails on Fromme. The DNV is planning to complete a broad range of projects that will affect all trail users and they may include: signage, forest management, planting of restorative vegetation, and yes, trail changes.
There is an enormous opportunity for the NSMBA to help determine where, how, and what will be done on Fromme and the association remains dedicated to working with land owners to find solutions that work. Over the past two weeks, members of the Trails and Advocacy teams completed walkthroughs of Jerry Rig, Air Supply, Lower Oilcan, Grannies and Upper Crippler with the DNV and permitted maintainers. The discussion was very positive, and the NSMBA is determined to turn these positive discussions into positive actions. We are working with the maintainers and community leaders to:
- Formalize a vision for the Fromme trail network and each individual trail
- Assess each trail and identify areas of concern and areas of improvement
- Create a work plan that addresses the concerns and delivers improvement
- Partner with the DNV to implement the work plan and realize our vision of a secure trail network on Fromme
The NSMBA continues to work with DNV, but our voice is only as strong as the community that supports us. To be a part of the future of Fromme trails, we encourage you to join the NSMBA. As always, our door is open so please contact us with your questions or concerns.
New Web Site
Welcome to the new NSMBA web site! As you might have noticed, a few things have changed. To get started with 2010 we've made a few modifications to the web site. We'd like to invite you to sit back, grab a beverage of your choice, and take it for a spin.
There are a few big changes for us, so if you notice any issues, or have any ideas, comments, suggestions, or concerns, please feel free to e-mail them to webmaster@nsmba.ca. Hit the read more link for details about the changes.
- Domain Change: We have changed from using nsmba.bc.ca, to using nsmba.ca. This should simplify things a bit, making it easier to remember and find the web site. The nsmba.bc.ca address will still work (it'll forward you here), and any e-mails addressed to addresses@nsmba.bc.ca will automatically get forwarded to the proper address@nsmba.ca (though if you want to be totally proper, you can update your address book as well).
- New Web Site Platform: The new site is based on Drupal, a widely used open-source content management system. The real strength in Drupal over other platforms lies in its ability to be extended. Within a very short timeframe we have already managed to integrate many custom functions into the site.
- New Membership Signup & Management Platform: CiviCRM is a constituent relationship management platform, which will allow us to streamline our membership signup and administration. It also provides a much easier solution for us to send out e-mail updates, and also the potential to manage event signup online.
Cypress Trail Days – September 26&27, 2009
Cypress Mountain Trail Days
Date: September 26 & 27, 2009
Trail: Pre-Reaper / Conservancy Crossing
Start Time: 9:00AM
Meet: Parking Lot #5 on Cypress
Coffee provided in morning. Lunch provided by Different Bikes. Project funded by MEC. Please email trails at nsmba.bc.ca to confirm your availability.
Dirty Diapers Trail Day – July 19, 2009
Words by Mathew Bond Photos by Jenny Lee-Silver
For those of you that are thinking, "Hey! I thought this was supposed to be a Ned's Trail Day! Ned's is my favourite trail! I wanted to build some sick berms!" I guess we owe you a bit of an explanation.
In the middle of winter, when most riders are pulling chunks of mud out from between their teeth after a cold ride through sticky sludge, the NSMBA Trails team sits down over a couple of beers and plans out where our trail days are going to be for the coming year. While some may think that selecting dates and locations is a simple as opening a map, closing your eyes, and placing your finger randomly on a trail, the truth is that a lot of thought and hard work go into this process. Dates are carefully selected to avoid holidays and major community events. Trails are even more carefully selected, based on an evaluation of the trails condition (structures, trail surface, erosion), maintenance activity, level of use, and consultation with the land managers.
Bunnies and Builders work on Slash
On Saturday, May 2nd, members of the NSMBA Trail Team teamed up with the Muddbunnies to revamp a section of Slash. We polished off two sweet sections, including rockwork and woodwork, in only 4 hours!
It was great to have such a dedicated an enthusiastic group giving us a hand on the trails. We're excited to see our newly minted "Bunny Builders" putting their new skills to work at our next trail day. Thanks a lo Bunnies!
Crinkum Crankum Trail Day – May 10, 2009
On Sunday May 10, the NSMBA with sponsors Steed Cycles & Kintec Footlabs hosted the 3rd trail day of the season on Crinkum Crankum, a classic Fromme trail. Rated as an Intermediate to Advanced trail, it sees a lot of riders who continue on from 7th Secret trail, and then carry on to the Griffin trail which was the lucky recipient of our last trail day.
Photo – Graham Archer
Griffen Trail Day – April 26, 2009
On Sunday April 26, NSMBA hosted the second trail day of the season. Originally scheduled for Pink Starfish, lingering snow meant the trail day needed to be moved to one of the lower Fromme trails.
And what better choice than Griffin! As an intermediate trail located below the first switch-back, many new riders have honed their skills on Griffin. It is also the main exit trail for riders coming off of Crinkum Crankum, as well as a popular walking trail used by residents and hikers. Fifty-nine volunteers came out and significanly improved this popular North Shore Trail.
It was clear that Spring has finally sprung, and we were treated to a warm sunny day, perfect for spending time in the forest!
Volunteers met at Upper Lynn Elementary school to be shuttled to the trail head by Dan in the On Top Bikes van. Fresh Coffee from Bean Around The World at Lonsdale Quay got everyone perked up and ready to work!
Trail Karma
Words by Chris Barker Photos by Dieter Bahr
It’s always satisfying to see good things happen to good people. Come to 3 NSMBA trail days and you’re entered in a draw to win big…. REALLY BIG, as Dale Nagata found out. Knolly Bikes stepped up again in 2008 donating one of the sweetest and most drooled over frames out there – the Delirium-T.
Dale wasn’t actually able to make it to the AGM, ironic because he was the only volunteer to show up to every trail day the NSMBA held in 2008! When Dale’s name was randomly drawn, the question was briefly raised – should we draw again to pick someone who’s at the AGM tonight?As much as every person there had been anxiously waiting to hear their name called in the draw only moments before, this notion was quickly stomped to the ground with the feeling only likened to casing a 30 foot gap. A resounding NO! erupted from everyone in the room who knows Dale and how committed he is to keeping the North Shore trails flowing. What a great feeling of community & pride!
Frogs and Freeriders Can Be Friends
There are frogs in the ponds of Mountain View Park, and they don't mind if we ride by!
While not a destination for mountain bikers, those wishing to squeeze as much trail into their ride often find themselves exiting through Mountain View Park. Historically, local youth had built some stunts in the area, and with increasing use by hikers, dog-walkers, and mountain bikers, there were so many braided trails it was hard to take the same path twice.
The issue surrounding whether or not mountain biking was having an negative impact on the parks wildlife didn't surface until 2003 during public consultation for the Residents Only Parking initiative.
The NSMBA was proactive in addressing the lack of a defined trail through the park, and worked with the District of North Vancouver to define a route and enhance the trail through the park.