August 2009 update from SMBA
August 25, 2010
15/08/09 --RIDE GUIDE IS COMING TO SMITHERS!-- Canada's premier mountain bike TV series plans to do a tour of the north this September and has Smithers short listed as one of its stops. Ride Guide is aired in 60 million homes in 60 countries world wide. Throughout Canada Ride Guide airs on OLN, Rush HD, Shaw VOD, Rogers VOD and Men TV. Ride Guide can be seen in 20 million homes in the US on the Ski Channel. It broadcasts in 55 countries across Europe and has 1 million viewers in Australia on Fuel TV. It also distributes to top websites such as dose.ca, bikemag.ca and norco.com.
Stay tuned to the SMBA News page for updates on Ride Guide's visit!
01/08/09 -- TRAIL DEVELOPMENT IS TAKING OFF WITH $400,000! -- The mountain biking scene in the Bulkley Valley is about to get a whole lot better as we begin to make huge investments in new and existing mountain bike trails starting right now!
In July 2009, the SMBA was awarded a grant of $196,695 by the provincial Job Opportunities Program for mountain bike trail development on Hudson Bay Mountain this year. On top of that, it was announced on August 11, 2009 that the SMBA was successful in our application for a further $196,695 from the federal Community Adjustment Fund (see press release). This funding will be spent over the next two seasons ($28,000 this year, and the remainder next year) to augment the provincial dollars that are already in the bank. When combined with local cash donations from the Bulkley Valley Foundation, the Bulkley Valley Kinsmen and the Bulkley Valley Credit Union, the SMBA now has over $400,000 earmarked for trail development in Smithers over the next 2 years!
A large portion of the funding will be used to create a new intermediate, shuttle-access, machine-built trail near the ski resort. You'll also see some improvements to both the Piper Down and Piper Cross trails on Upper Hudson Bay Mountain, as well as upgrades and expansions to many of your favourite trails in the Bluff Trail Network. These badly needed upgrades include re-building aging structures to ensure that they meet safety requirements, and re-routing of poorly-designed trail sections to improve flow. The SMBA is also planning to tackle a complete rebuild of the "Boardwalk Trail" (which connects the Duthie Trailhead to the Bluff Trail Network) this fall. As of July 29, 2009 a crew of 6 workers hit the trails to start work on the Piper Trail Network, and we anticipate hiring more over the coming weeks/months.
Next summer, the federal funding will also be used to initiate the development of a cross-country trail network in the Community Forest. There's still a lot of work to do before we break ground on this part of our project, and we'll be looking to our members for help with ideas and plans as we get ready over the winter months.