November 29/06 12:20 pm - IMBA Canada News

Posted by Editor on 11/29/06
 

IMBA Canada News

IMBA Welcomes First Canadian Board Member
Online and mail-in votes cast by members of the International Mountain Bicycling Association this fall elected three new members to IMBA's board of directors, including Canadian Janet O'Connell. O'Connell is the executive director of the Bicycle Trade Association of Canada and brings with her a strong background in advertising and publishing.

The three newest members add substantial and diverse leadership skills to IMBA:

* John Bliss is the privacy strategist for Entity Analytic Solutions, a unit within IBM's Software Group. He has worked as a lawyer and lobbyist in Washington, DC. Bliss has served on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and was Chief Counsel for United States Senator Hank Brown. An active mountain biker racer, Bliss resides in Colorado, and competes in regional and national expert-class events.

* Blair Clark is senior vice president of marketing and sales at Smith Optics. He spent 13 years working at a variety of bicycle shops, directed business affairs for Specialized USA, and was president of Giro Sport Design. Clark currently serves on the board of directors for the Outdoor Industry Association. He recently founded the Paul David Clark Fund within Bikes Belong as a means of promoting bicycle safety and awareness. The native Californian now lives in Idaho.

* Janet O'Connell is the executive director of the Bicycle Trade Association of Canada. She previously served as director of strategic initiatives for the Canadian Federation of Independent Grocers, and has substantial experience in the advertising and publishing industries. O'Connell is a current board member for the Canadian Association of Exhibition Managers. The first Canadian to serve on IMBA's board, she enjoys exploring trails with her two children.


Ride Great Trails in 2007 - Donate to the IMBA Canada Annual Fund
IMBA Canada's Annual Fund campaign was launched last week with an unprecedented response from IMBA supporters across the country. In less than a week, we're already one-third of the way to our year-end goal of $5,000. Help us keep this momentum by donating today, and asking your friends to do the same. Your year-end boost will help make 2007 our best year ever - a year of better riding! Annual Fund details.

Contributors of $35 or more will receive a full colour 2007 IMBA Calendar.

Whistler's "Comfortably Numb" Announced as IMBA Epic
IMBA Epic Rides are why we love mountain biking. They create great memories and inspire us to save trails. To fuel this passion, IMBA has selected three new outstanding routes as Epic Rides inductees for 2006, adding to the 37 great rides we've picked since 1999. Read why Comfortably Numb made the cut, and view a video of this Epic trail.

Trailbuilding Goes to College
IMBA Canada's Mark Schmidt and Lora Woolner recently spent a month on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast, teaching the first course in Park and Trail Design offered as part of Capilano College's new Mountain Bike Operations Certificate Program. The program is the first of its kind in North America and around the world, and is preparing the next generation of mountain resort managers, government officials, and non-profit leaders in mountain bike programming and infrastructure.

Norco Riders Raise Money for IMBA Canada
For the last three years, Norco Performance Bikes has been holding customer appreciation days across Canada. Known as VPS-Fests, these events offer Norco riders a day of great riding, free professional tech support, a chance to win cool prizes, and the opportunity to ride with some of the pros. This year, in addition to all the other benefits, Norco sold a selection of Norco-branded products, with all proceeds earmarked directly to IMBA Canada. IMBA Canada would like to thank Norco, and all of Norco's consumers for raising close to $1,000 for trails across Canada!

"It was great to see people so willing to support IMBA," commented Trisha Petrella, Norco's PR/Marketing Coordinator. "Not only do Norco riders say they care about the future of cycling in Canada, they are willing to back it up with their dollars."

Norco sold a wide variety of gear at VPS-Fest, from t-shirts to beer mugs, with all the proceeds going to IMBA Canada, and plans to do so again next summer. Thanks again to everyone who attended VPS-Fest this summer, and especially to those who supported IMBA Canada by purchasing a t-shirt!

IMBA Canada Affiliate ADSVMQ Recognized for Volunteer Efforts in Mont Blanc, QC
L'Association pur le développement des sentiers de Vélo de Montagne (ADSVMQ), an IMBA Canada affiliate, was awarded with a plaque from Ski Mont Blanc this October, recognizing their volunteers as "Trailbuilding Members" of Mont Blanc's mountain bike facilities.

Following the closure of Mont Tremblant a few years ago, the area north of Montreal, QC was left with no downhill mountain bike opportunities. However, in May 2006, Ski Mont Blanc decided to open its doors to mountain biking. Less than two months later, a chairlift was put into action to carry visitors to three new downhill trails that were built by Benoit Prud'Homme, Laurent Goyet, and countless local volunteers.

IMBA Canada affiliate, l'Association pur le développement des sentiers de Vélo de Montagne (ADSVMQ), under the direction of Jerome Pelland, IMBA Québec Rep, helped manage the project and organized a well-attended trailbuilding weekend in June. By summer's end, the mountain boasted seven downhill trails, a small cross-country loop, and the biggest dirt jump park in eastern Canada. To thank the volunteers, Mont Blanc presented a plaque to the ADSVMQ and IMBA during their annual ChromeFest in October.

Congratulations to all the the volunteer trailbuilders and their tremendous success at Mont Blanc!

New Freeride Park Proposed in Southern Ontario
Big news for riders looking for challenging terrain in Southern Ontario: a new freeride park is being proposed in the City of Kitchener. The vision of the Waterloo Cycling Club, the park will be created to challenge all riders, from beginners to most advanced. Proposed features include a skills area, dirt jumps, various levels of downhill runs and a four-cross course. To check out the plans, visit the WCC Freeride website - and while you're there, sign the petition to make this park a reality.

IMBA Canada Legal Fund Raises Over $6K
Contributions to the IMBA Canada Legal Fund have topped the $6,000 mark, enabling us to maintain our work in the increasingly important fields of risk management and bike-related liability issues. Special thanks go to Specialized for donating copies of the hardcover book Stumpjumper: 25 Years of Mountain Biking. Contributions of $35 or more earned copies hand-signed mountain bike legend Ned Overend. Thank you for your donations to this vital fund.

Give the Gift of Trails this Christmas and Get a Free Gift!
Looking for a unique gift for a riding buddy this Christmas? Consider giving the Gift of Trails. Purchase a supporting level gift membership for a friend for only $30, and we'll send you the gift of an IMBA Canada t-shirt or toque for free! That's $10 off the normal membership price of $40, and a great Christmas gift for each of you. Last order date for guaranteed delivery before Christmas is December 13, 2006. Order today.

New Study Examines Mountain Biking Impacts
A newly published study in the summer 2006 Journal of Park and Recreation Administration (Volume 24, Number 12) takes a close look at the environmental impacts of mountain biking. Researchers measured trail erosion and other impacts on 31 trails used for mountain biking in the southwestern U.S. The study concludes that, "certain impacts to mountain bike trails, especially width, are comparable or less than hiking or multiple-use trails, and significantly less than impacts to equestrian or off-highway vehicle trails."