The Tumbler Ridge Mountain Bike Trails had their grand opening held on October 2.
Riders came from Dawson Creek, Fort St. John, Pouce Coupe, Grande Prairie and, of course, Tumbler Ridge.
Executive Director Jane Miedzinski opened the day with a speech recognizing the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
The event was held at the Tumbler Ridge Mountain Bike Association’s (TRMBA) first major project, the pump track across from the Legion, which was completed in 2021. Here, riders and others congregated, signing up for memberships, listening to speeches by Miedzinski, EDO Jessie Olson and Mayor Darryl Krakowka, entering draws for prizes and playing around on the pump track for kids and adults alike (but mostly kids).
At 12:30, approximately 35 people rode up to the newly opened downhill trails. The trails are found near the Bald Spot Trail and share its hairstyle nomenclature. There’s Buzzcut, a green up trail, Mullet, a rollicking downhill trail, and Rat Tail, a blue freeride trail.
Returning to the pump track, many of the riders then went over to the jump trails by Mesa Place. This trail was cut a few years back, featuring a single trail and some massive jumps. Over summer, the trail was reworked, and now features four trails: a green, a blue and a black downhill trail and a dedicated up track.
“I was very excited to see such a great turn out from all over the Peace Region,” says TRMBA President Curtis Miedzinski.
He says the club is already hard at work, finding funding for Phase 2 of the Ridge Trails.
“We have plans for three more machine built trails as funding permits,” says Miedzinski. “They are shovel ready meaning once funds are secured, a Request for Proposal will be sent out to all builders on the Rec Sites and Trails builders list.”
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.