Executive Director's update - July 29th 2020

Rogue building…

There’s been a huge uptick in “unsanctioned”, “rogue” and “unauthorized” trail building of late. WORCA would like to remind everyone that it is illegal to build trails on Crown land without prior authorization.

WORCA does not condone such activities but nor does WORCA have any jurisdiction to police such activities. We would like to remind anyone who is thinking about building a trail without prior consent (typically that means obtaining a Section 57 authorization as required by the Forest and Range Practices Act), that doing so could result in all your hard work being decommissioned and also a penalty of up to $10,000, a remediation order to return the area to its original condition, and/or a jail term of up to six months.

Individuals or groups wishing to build or maintain a trail or other outdoor recreational facility must prepare a written proposal, and obtain provincial approval, before starting any such work. The consultation and referral part of the process ensures that the location of the trail is free of land-use conflicts, and will help build positive relationships with First Nations, user groups and stakeholders.

Recently it’s been brought to the attention of various local land use government agencies, local residents, land owners and recreational tenure holders that a number of trails have been constructed without permission in areas with sensitivities. Some of these trails have been built right in people’s backyards, near to other interests or on land that is tenured to other uses. That means adjacent to residents’ homes in Alpine, Kadenwood and on Whistler Blackcomb CRA (Controlled Recreational Area).

WORCA can not stop anyone from building, it’s not in our mandate or powers, but we ask that anyone considering building anything, at the absolute minimum, understands the laws of the land they are building on and considers the potential outcome of doing so. Rogue building can actually alienate community members from the interests of mountain bikers, making it harder for WORCA and mountain bikers to fundraise or obtain support for our many initiatives - like camps, events and, of course, trail maintenance and construction.

In short, if you don’t know whose land you’re building on or what the legislation is around it, then you can’t really call yourself a real trail builder. Build smart.

If you are considering building something, at the very least contact WORCA first and we’d be happy to help share whatever information we have. Or consider coming out to a Trail Night to help build something that is 100% legit.

Renée

Unfortunately, Renée Lamoureux, one of our senior trail crew members, had an accident while riding home from work last week. She’s going to be recovering for a while but is doing well and keeping her spirits high. Everyone at WORCA wishes her the absolute best recovery. We miss your influence on the trails that WORCA builds and maintains.

Far Out / Flashback construction begins

We’re extremely happy to report that the first Trail Night of 2020 was held on Tuesday night. We finally broke ground on the Far Out / Flashback project, something that has taken several years of planning and negotiation and will, when finished, create a continuous 8.5kms of blue grade singletrack that connects Whistler Interpretive Forest singletrack around Cheakamus river (Farside) to the Cheakamus Lake BC Parks trail and back. We’ve had to implement a lot of extra COVID-19 protocols to be able to safely run the Trail Nights again, including restricting the number of participants (maxed at 20 plus lead builders) and not sharing tools.

This week was sponsored by Santa Cruz Bicycles and next Tuesday’s Trail Night (August 4th) is sponsored by Cascade Environmental. Todd Hellinga from Cascade was WORCA’s Planning Director and President for a number of years and was a big part of making this trail come to life. Sign up and details can be found HERE.

Trail Night volunteers will receive a Whistler Bike Park ticket for every 3 trail nights attended. Many thanks to Whistler Blackcomb and the Vail Resorts EpicPromise program for providing this and supporting WORCA. Please note that these tickets must be used this year before the bike park closes for summer 2020. It is not possible to extend their use to next year.

Chantal and Nat, super volunteers and perennial spirit raisers, break the ceremonial tape on the grand project.

Forever in our hearts, D’Arcy Burke

WORCA would like to send their condolences to the friends and family of Whistler resident D’Arcy Burke, who passed away last week. D’Arcy was so deeply embedded in the riding community that even if you hadn’t met him you still might have known him through the stories that loved ones would share about his exploits, the outstanding temperament he maintained and the trails he built. An incredible spirit and companion to so many people, he was also responsible for building numerous trails around the valley. Trails like Hand Of Doom, Crazy Train, Dairy Of A Milkman, Rainbow-Flank north and even B-Line.

Trail Crew weekly report

The trail crew continue to work away at the Chipmunk Rebellion (part one) construction that will create a continuous exit (descending) from the Sproatt Alpine network. Lead builder Dan Raymond’s latest report can be found HERE. Huge thanks to our crew for battling the flies in the name of the chipmunk uprising.

Trevor Ferrao

WORCA Executive Director