How It Started
Although there are many people who enjoy using trails there are few who enjoy building and maintaining them. I'm one of the few.
I've been building and maintaining trails for over 35 years but only recently (in the last 10 years) have I been working almost exclusively on mountain bike trails. My passion for building has grown from "It needed to be done" to an obsession "I need to do it".
Building mountain bike trails sprang from a necessity. The Qualicum Beach Middle School was riding on a small system of trails near the school which were destroyed by a severe wind storm. All of a sudden they had no place to ride. Hundreds of trees blocked every trail they had.
A few of the adults who rode with the club got a couple of chainsaws and set to work clearing the trails of downed trees. Gradually we got the trails open again and for most of the adults that was the end of it. A couple of us were enjoying the work and fresh air and we kept finding things that needed improvement.
Some old trails were found and re-opened, a couple of new trails were built, routine maintenence was done. Word of the trails started to get around and we started seeing more and more people out there hiking, riding and walking their dogs.
A few of the people who were using the trails started to come out and help with the maintenance and the system just kept improving.
Since I prefer to build trails and in any system there is such a thing as enough trails, I decided to see if I could find somewhere else to build. The QBMS Bike Club had enough people to look after the system they had and they didn't really need me anymore.
Where It's Going
It took a little hunting around to find another place to build trails but I was lucky enough to stumble upon a spot I can legally build mountain bike trails.
Malcolm Park is a 40 acre community park where I'm currently building a system of mountain bike trails. The land is hilly but not mountainous which makes it perfet for bike trails. Beginner to intermediate riders will enjoy riding in Malcolm Park. The trails are reasonably smooth but the hills will give you a good workout
I'm still looking for paid work building trails. If I was a displaced resource worker with no trail building experience collecting E.I., I wouldn't have any problem finding trail building work. But as an unemployed qualified trail builder not collecting E.I. I guess I'm out of luck.
If you have a trail project and need help or someone to consult with, I am available for hire. You can email me at steve@zapbc.com or phone 250-752-4372.