Tree Falling at Hinton Bike Park

Recent visitors to the Hinton Bike Park would have noticed that several trees have had to be cut down mostly due to mountain pine beetle infestation. Crews have had to carefully navigate some of the main trails with a small motorized vehicle for this work and may have left a second or wider "track". Help us preserve our wonderful park trails by staying on the main trails/paths and avoiding all other disturbances so that they have a chance to grow back to their original states. Thank you!

Second Seacan at Bike Park

A second seacan was installed at the Hinton Bike Park, part of the Hinton Community Grant project granted to HMBA in April 2016.   The extra storage was needed to help store a growing inventory of tools and equipment for builds, maintenance and winter grooming activities.  Thank you to Tyson Boutin and his helper in the delivery and installation!!

Expect to see some work done on the new seacan in the coming weeks, as it will get painted and roofed.   Make sure to thank the volunteers when you visit the Bike Park!

Maureen Harper and Bill Heir, both HMBA Directors, have been instrumental in managing this project.  Got questions?  Email us at info@bikehinton.com

Bill likes the new space!

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Maureen enjoys the awesome community support, with Tyson and helper.

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Tyson working on the installation

HMBA Trails Signed

After two years of inventory and planning, map signage at the Hinton Bike Park and on the Happy Creek System trails have been refreshed!  This important project had many phases, including:

• GPSing existing and new locations (usually major intersections),
• fine tuning our trails database,
• acquiring more recent background imagery (2014),
• putting the maps together (digitally) - over 100hrs volunteer time!
• working with local printer (a1 Signs) to get signs created,
• gluing directional signage onto plywood (Thank you RBC!),
• putting up the signs where they need to go and trying not to forget the "You Are Here" dots! - over 30 hours of volunteer time.

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All our awesome signs!

In total, over 200 volunteers hours and community support via donations made to HMBA have made this project possible. 

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RBC Vollunteers

Six staff members from Hinton's RBC Branch came out on June 8th to volunteer their time.  They helped with staining and gluing at the Hinton Bike Park.

The final phase: getting the signs out there

A special thanks to all the volunteers who have helped getting the signs out on the trails!

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Julie Duval

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Gabrielle Duval

Bill Heir

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Maureen Harper

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Tim Trahan

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Jeff Morris

Thank you Bike Boy!

The handy bike trailer has seen a lot of mileage in June!  A special thank you to Bike Boy who had donated the trailer to HMBA over 5 years ago.   

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The sign caddy!

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Going up!

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An up!

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Great travels under summer sunshine

Sprockids Bring Energy to the Bike Park

The Hinton Sprockids had a bumpy start this spring.  After a very sunny, hot and dry April, the May and June sessions were met with rain, rain and even more rain.  3 of 5 sessions had to be cancelled.  Still, the coaches and kids are having a blast enhancing their riding techniques and general biking know-how. 

The Hinton Sprockids program is backed by many supporters!

Sponsors who directly support Hinton Sprockids:

• Dig That Stitch Embroidery
• DQ Grill & Chill
• Frieson Bros. - Hill
• Frieson Bros. - Valley
• Hinton Wealth Planning - Daniel Duval
• McDonald's (Hinton)
• Ouiprint
• Repsol
• Safeway
• Subway Restaurants
• The Hinton Voice Inc.
• Vicious Cycle
• West Fraser Mills Ltd.

Sponsors who support the Sprockids program via general donations to HMBA:

• Juventus
• RBC Royal Bank
• Steve Sevcik
• Talisman Logging

Vests Donated by Dig That Stitch Embroidery

Thank you Bill at Dig That Stitch Embroidery in Hinton for donating HMBA branded vest to all our Sprockids coaches!!

HMBA Has Full Board

A Full Board

At a recent monthly meeting, HMBA's Board of Directors voted in another member to complete our roster!  It is a sign of a healthy board to have both seasoned and fresh faces on the Board as it helps to minimize volunteer fatigue and ensures board continuity into the future.

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Brayden Langford

At our AGM in April, Brayden Langford stepped up into the role as HMBA's new VP.  Brayden is definitely not new to HMBA.  He has been involved with HMBA in different roles, both as a Youth Coordinator and as a valued volunteer for trail/bike park maintenance and for the Beaver Bike Fest.   Welcome Brayden!!

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Bill Heir

Bill is another long-time HMBA member and avid volunteer.   With 30 years of riding under his belt, Bill enjoys our trails systems and routinely volunteers his time to help maintain them.   At the AGM, Bill had volunteered to help out the Treasurer (Julie Duval) with bookkeeping.   Later, he offered to step up as Treasurer and allow Julie to fill the Secretary position - a role that suits her well.    Please welcome Bill as HMBA's new Treasurer!!

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HMBA Board of Directors

• President:  Shawn Lee
• Vice President: Brayden Langford
• Treasurer: Bill Heir
• Secretary: Julie Duval
• Operations (Trails): Kevin Myles
• Directory at Large:  Maureen Harper

Bill

Brayden

Kevin

Julie

Shawn

Maureen

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The Ones that Got Away

HMBA wouldn't be where it is today without it's committed members.  Two board members had stepped down at our last AGM.   Marie-Soleil Pinet (past Treasurer) and Jenn Hunter (past Secretary) were valued members and their positive energy will be missed!  Thank you Marie-Soleil and Jenn!!

a1 Signs

A BIG thank you to Steve at a1 Signs Design Company in Hinton for giving us a super great deal on directional signage! Expect to see signs refreshed at the Hinton Bike Park and on Happy Creek Trail System in the near future!

Hinton RBC Branch Staff Volunteers at the Bike Park

Six staff members from Hinton's RBC Branch came out on June 8th to volunteer their time.  They came with smiles and ready to work - it was so great to have such wonderful volunteers!  A lot of work got done, despite the dark clouds looming on two sides of the town.  Unfortunately, after an hour, the first lightning was seen in the sky, and was soon followed by more.  These ladies quickly finished up what they were doing, and got out of the park in the nick of time!  The skies opened with heavy rain, more lightning and nearby thunder.  It was quite the storm!

The RBC staff volunteer their time to local groups such as HMBA and in return, their employer grants $1,000 towards that same group.  HMBA has been a recipient of this generous "double" donation in the past and we want to thank these wonderful volunteers for their time and for choosing our association as a worthy group to support!

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The old maps on the main kiosk were taken down and the wood given a fresh coat of varnish.   Unfortunately, because of the incoming lightning storm, there was no time to place the new maps!  10 more minutes was all we needed!

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These ladies glued our new signs to plywood.  Thanks so much for the help!

Upcoming Events

Monday Ladies Rides

• When: Every Monday
• Time: Meet at 6:45pm and be ready to ride for 7:00pm  (Rides start earlier in September - check calendar!)
• Where: Hinton Bike Park, Parking Lot
• Who: Ladies of all skill levels welcome  (sorry NO Boys allowed)
• Why: This is just for the Ladies to go for a ride together and help each other become better riders with No Boys allowed, so go have some fun. (also feel free to also come to out on Wednesday Nights)

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Wednesday Group Rides

• When: Every Wednesday
• Time: Meet at 6:45pm and be ready to ride for 7:00pm  (Rides start earlier in September - check calendar!)
• Where: Hinton Bike Park, Parking Lot
• Who: Everyone of all skill levels welcome 
• Why: To have some FUN by getting out and riding with other people and riding new trails. Our goal for club rides is to get more people out on the trails enjoying mountain biking.

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Hinton Sprockids

• When:  Thursdays from 6:00pm until 7:15pm (until June 30th, then back 4 weeks in September)
• Where: Hinton Bike Park
• What:  2016 marks the fifth season for the Hinton Sprockids program.  We are stoked to continue this program in Hinton and look forward to seeing Hinton's bike culture grow with kids of all ages.
• Who: kids aged 2 to 13, all abilities (sorry, registration is closed!)

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Busy Hinton Bike Park Day

Devon's DBA Bears and Edmonton's Juventus Sprockids are going to be at the bike park all afternoon of Sunday, May 29th.  These two groups have been making the annual trip to Hinton as part part of their programming.

Expect a busy afternoon at the park!   Line-ups on Flow Master will be a given!

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Muscular Dystrophy Slope Wars Challenge

A group of local individuals is hosting an 'MD Slope Wars Challenge' at the Hinton Bike Park on June 4th.  This event is in conjunction with the annual MD Walk, BBQ, and Car Wash at the Hinton Fire Hall on Eaton Road. The MD Walk is Saturday, June 4th from 10am - 2pm.

• When:  Saturday, June 4th, 4:00pm.
• Where: Hinton Bike Park, Slope Wars
• Who: Two age categories: 11-15 and 16+. Men's and Women's divisions.
• How:  Registration is by donation with a suggested minimum donation of $5.  Donations of $20 or more will be eligible for a charitable tax reciept.

Registration can be done from 11:00am-1:00pm at the MD Walk (Hinton Fire Hall) on Saturday morning or at the bike park from 4:00-4:30pm.   Come out and take the challenge or just cheer on your favorite rider!

See you there!

If anyone has any questions, please contact Stacey Cherry.

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Check out our Events Calendar and Stay up to Date!

Ride Dirt Not Mud

Just a reminder to all our bike park and trail users!   Please don't ride when conditions are unfavorable. 

Thank you!!

Hinton Bike Park Beautification Cont'd

Continued Support from Sevcik Family

Another big thank you to Steve Sevcik's family for their continued support! This Edmonton family, also HMBA members, have recently donated $500 to the Association. Please view last year's post about this great family!

Talisman Logging Continues to support HMBA with generous annual donations!

Robert Doorenbos, owner of Talisman Logging, likes to keep it simple.  He simply rides - Every. Single. Day.  Chances are you have seen him out on the trails, all winter and summer long, ''logging'' up his hours on the bike, pun intended :) Thank you Robert for giving back to what you enjoy.  HMBA will use your contributions towards the maintenance and expenses of winter grooming!  Thanks to your donations of the past two years, HMBA was able to purchase it's own winter sled!!

HMBA Recipient of Hinton Community Grant Program Funding

The Hinton Mountain Bike Association was one of the successful applicants for the Spring 2016 intake of the Hinton Community Grant Program.    The grant will be used for parking lot upgrades which includes the installation of a light standard at the Hinton Bike Park parking lot to provide a safer area for riders in twilight hours.   During the winter months, HMBA has expanded the use of its trails and purchased grooming equipment that will be stored in a second seacan, which is also part of the funding request. 

Three local Hinton businesses have committed in-kind labour and materials towards this project.  These include Caylor Contracting, Ascendant Renewable Energy and Ever Enterprises.

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Kevin Myles, HMBA's Trail Coordinator, is stoked about the grant and the work being done to make the Hinton Bike Park even more awesome!

Maureen Harper, HMBA's Director at Large, has been very busy preparing the parking lot and Skills Area in preparation of the light standard and the additional seacan.  Her focus is one of of beautification, making the Hinton Bike Park more welcoming and appealing to all visitors.

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Holly and Karyn were very busy painting all the bike racks.

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Gabby and Ellen made good work on clearing Stinger - make sure this relatively new trail is on your to-do list!

On Saturday, April 7th, about a dozen volunteers worked all morning by removing and piling brush, painting, clearing, stone removal and establishing a short foot path behind the parking lot.  Maureen thanks her volunteers' efforts and commented that "one volunteer is worth 3 employees - that is how hard these volunteers worked!"

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Rocks, rocks and more rocks.  Julie and Gabrielle rocked it!

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Workers from the Town of Hinton will be in and out of the park to remove many of the wood piles generated that sunny morning.    HMBA thanks all it`s bike park visitors for their patience as the work is being done.

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Repsol Bench

The Repsol sponsored bench at the Hinton Bike Park is now completed! Thank you again Repsol for supporting the Hinton Mountain Bike Association!! 
 

Phil's Mad Skills Clinics

Lean basic riding skills!  Great for beginners or those looking for a skills refresher!  Geared to all levels of riders.

WHEN:  (3 clinics available)

• CLINIC 1: (1 day) A Saturday-only clinic on May 7 (10am - 2pm) for those who want a quick all in one day!
• CLINIC 2: (2 days) Tuesday May 10 and Thursday May 12 (6:30pm - 8:30pm)
• CLINIC 3: (2 days) Monday May 16 and Wednesday May 18 (6:30pm - 8:30pm)

COST: $20 **Must be HMBA Member

WHERE:  St Gregory School, south field and some on trails.

Looking to have at least 4 people for a clinic to run.

Participants can message Philip Mark on facebook or contact him by completing this form:

Click here to register!

New Form

Discounted HMBA Apparel Available at AGM

Great news folks! HMBA apparel will be on sale at the AGM. All apparel will be discounted. Freestyle Jerseys (was $70, now $50), Turbo-T Jerseys (was $45, now $30), Yellow 2015 BBF shirts (was $25, now $10), all other cotton Tshirts (was $10, now $5), and socks (was $15/pr, now $5/pr)

Limited sizes available:
Unisex Sugoi Freestyle Jerseys (3/4 sleeve): XS, S, M and XL
Men's Sugoi Turbo-T Jerseys: XS, S and M (great for youth!!)
Women's Sugoi Turbo-T Jerseys: S, M and L
Sock Guy Socks: still have some in S/M (6) and lots in X/XL (15)
Yellow BBF shirts: Mediums only (fits a bit big)
BBF shirts: mostly larger sizes. 1 cute 2T left.

Help HMBA clear out inventory! All proceeds go back into supporting HMBA's operations and initiatives!

HMBA AGM:  Thursday April 21st.  Doors open at 6:30pm.  Come get your memberships!

Check out the photos and see how our apparel are stylin' all year round!

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Spring Cleaning

Work Bees

With the warm spring weather quickly drying up our biking playgrounds, a few work bees have been put in motion starting this Tuesday April 12th, from 5:30pm until dusk.  The work bee will continue on Wednesday and Thursday as well.   So if you have some time to spare this week, come on out to the Hinton Bike Park, pick up a broom or a rake and lend a hand!  There will be lots of different tasks.

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No matter how small...

Tree Falling

On Tuesday, April 12, Wade Forester will be falling dangerous trees at the Hinton Bike Park. Please either avoid the Park or give a lot of distance for Wade to work. Big thanks in advance to Wade and his skilled labour volunteer hours!

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Flagged tree for falling.

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Photo credit: S.Pelley, HMBA facebook group.   Local member contributing many volly hours on our trails!

Spring Vollies

THANKS!!! to all the volunteers who have worked hard this past week picking garbage off trails, clearing deadfall and getting the other Hinton area trails ready for riding.

HMBA Trails 101

In an effort to manage an inventory of sustainable trails in our area, HMBA has outlined some key steps that are needed before new trails, or re-routes to existing trails, are built.  There is also concern that, although more trails would be super cool to add to our existing trail systems, they do increase the amount of trails HMBA's volunteers have to maintain!!

If enthusiastic trail builders would like to build an authorized trail:

1. The idea needs to be presented at an HMBA board meeting.  Contact us at info@bikehinton.com to find out when the next meeting will occur.   Trail suggestions/ideas are compared against the existing Trail Master Plan and approved by the HMBA Board.
2. If accepted, HMBA will help the builders apply for a TFA (Temporary Field Authorization) with the Alberta Government on the condition that the builders agree to provide maintenance on the trail in the future. 
3. Any trail within the Town of Hinton town boundary also requires approval.
4. For re-routes, previous areas have to be reclaimed, blocked off and returned to it's natural state.
5. HMBA has various tools that can be loaned out to members for approved trail building initiatives.

These steps ensure that renegade building does not become a liability for HMBA and that the responsibility for maintenance does not fall back on HMBA to expend resources and energy on a potentially poorly built trail. We are aware that certain illegal trails have been grandfathered in the HMBA systems but moving forward, there is a process in place that will be followed.  In extreme cases, renegade building may be reported to the ESRD and the Town of Hinton.