Ride Dirt Not Mud
Bike Hinton
Just a reminder to all our bike park and trail users! Please don't ride when conditions are unfavorable.
Thank you!!
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Use the form on the right to contact us or email us: info@bikehinton.com
Hinton, Alberta
Hinton Mountain Bike Association. Our goal is to develop, maintain and promote the best possible mountain biking opportunities around the Hinton area, while ensuring responsible and safe practices in environmental conservation, trail construction, trail maintenance and riding.
Just a reminder to all our bike park and trail users! Please don't ride when conditions are unfavorable.
Thank you!!
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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!
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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!!
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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.
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.
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!"
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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The Repsol sponsored bench at the Hinton Bike Park is now completed! Thank you again Repsol for supporting the Hinton Mountain Bike Association!!
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Lean basic riding skills! Great for beginners or those looking for a skills refresher! Geared to all levels of riders.
WHEN: (3 clinics available)
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:
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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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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.
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!
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.
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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:
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.
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Last November, students and instructors from the NAIT Forest Technology Program began a harvest project around the Jack’s Trail System, specifically Christine’s Cutline Cruise and Dan’s Deadly Downhill. They had contacted HMBA as part of the formal notification process for groups/interests in the area, a process managed by the Province to minimize conflicts on the land base.
Note the harvest block (yellow) indicated on the above map. Even though the project occured over winter, trails were buffered up to 30 meters and caution signage was placed. NAIT will also inspect trails for any unlikely debris.
Did you know that the NAIT Forestry Program performs a “Cache Percott–Give Back”? Upon completion of their field camps, 30 students cleaned-up around the Cache Percott Forest, removing general garbage i.e. dumped couches, washing machines, garden detritus, household garbage etc. AWESOME!!, thanks NAIT!
BIG THANKS! to whoever cut all the downed trees over winter. There's a few new ones down but overall Jack's is riding great and surprisingly dry.
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The Hinton Mountain Bike Association Annual General Meeting will be held Thursday, April 21st at Lakeview Inn & Suites. Doors open at 6:30pm. AGM will start at 7:15pm.
2016 HMBA Memberships will be available for purchase.
Memberships can be purchased ahead of time from our online shop. Pick up your 2016 membership cards and stickers at the AGM! If you are unable to attend our AGM, the membership cards and stickers will be mailed out to you after April 21st.
HMBA Apparel will also be available for purchase at the AGM.
New this year: Smaller-sized 'member' stickers!!
Great door prizes!! Including a Trek run bike donated by Vicious for our youngest members.
Thank you to our sponsors for the great AGM door prizes!
Thank you to Lakeview Inn & Suites for donating the use of their meeting room for our AGM!
Thank you to The Hinton Voice and Ouiprint for designing and printing our AGM posters!
And saving the best for last, a great BIG thank you to all our membership card discount sponsors!!
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Canmore, AB – The Canadian Rockies Mountain Bike Fest, a developing mega event that will bring Alberta’s booming mountain bike industry to Canmore won second place at last night’s Travel Alberta’s 2016 Growing Rural Tourism Conference’s Entrepreneurship Challenge in Camrose.
Owner/Operator Wanda Bogdane explained, “This is an important accomplishment for the Fest. We’ve had amazing support so far, but an event of this magnitude requires seed money to develop. Having mentorship will also be helpful to move the project into execution at the standard we want.”
Rancho Relaxo Resort of Rocky Mountain House took the first place win and Discovery Wildlife Park of Innisfail won third place. Ricardo Miranda, Minister of Culture and Tourism tweeted “Congrats to @TaimiSoil@wandabogdane @DiscoveryWild-winners of the 2016 Entrepreneurship Challenge, presented at GRT.#ABtourism”
The Fest will be a buzz of activities over a multi-day period at the end of June (2017) and will include:
“The Fest will build on the Town of Canmore’s Bike Fest, held in previous years and will add in the regional piece to create an inclusive, for-fun celebration of mountain biking culture for the bike industry and its passion people from around the province,” said Bogdane. “Mountain bike tourists who love to travel to ride will be a big part of the mix too.”
A regional approach to mountain biking is new for Alberta, but common across North America and the world. “The Fest can help fill this gap and will create a new mechanism for our beautiful province to further diversify our tourism economy,” explained Bogdane. “The Canadian Rockies Mountain Bike Fest will bring together mountain bike alliances, destination marketing organizations, coaches, clubs and industry so all of the great mountain bike experiences in the region can be found in one mammoth package.”
The Canadian Rockies Mountain Bike Fest is seeking sponsors and partners for individual components and the festival as a whole. “There are a ton of different ways to be involved, and we’ve had interest from the bike industry and non-industry companies who want to reach the core demographic of a loyal affluent group mostly aged 35-55. However, with something of this scale, we’ll continue to build out our sponsorship program over the next year,” said Bogdane.
For more information contact:
Wanda Bogdane
403-609-7127
The 2016 conference featured the second installment of the Entrepreneurship Challenge, a competition to help operators develop new tourism experiences. Ten finalists presented their business plans to industry experts and received feedback during the conference on Feb 23.
The top three winners were announced and received cash prizes and one year of mentoring to assist in the development of their products. The winners included:
· 1st place: Rancho Relaxo Resort, Rocky Mountain House
· 2nd place: Canadian Rockies Mountain Bike Fest, Canmore
· 3rd place: Discovery Wildlife Park, Innisfail
“Tourism is an important industry in our province—and a key factor in diversifying Alberta’s economy. The Growing Rural Tourism Conference develops and supports tourism experiences that are off the beaten path, bringing economic benefits to rural communities. Innovation and the expansion of travel experiences in Alberta will facilitate the growth of our burgeoning tourism industry.”
Ricardo Miranda, Minister of Culture and Tourism
The Ministry of Culture and Tourism is committed to expanding the tourism industry and maximizing the opportunities tourism creates in every region of the province. Working with industry partners the goal is to grow tourism in Alberta to a $10.3 billion industry by 2020.
Links:
http://www.alberta.ca/release.cfm?xID=4025464652ABC-A253-BECE-AAD346EB3BA41FDB#.Vst9HEACA1A.twitter
Photos for the winners can be found at: https://www.flickr.com/photos/albertaculture/sets/72157664276965799
Media inquiries:
· Beryl Cullum 780-644-5588Communications Director, Culture and Tourism
· Chuck Erman 780-672-3640General Manager, Camrose Regional Exhibition
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Repsol Oil & Gas Canada Inc., formerly Talisman Energy Inc., has contributed $5,000 towards the sponsorship of a bench at the Hinton Bike Park! THANK YOUR REPSOL!!
During the summer of 2014, benches were built, stained and varnished and otherwise prepped for sponsorship branding – a creative way for the HMBA to raise funds for future projects.
Cash contributions of $5,000 can mean a unique sponsorship opportunity and be showcased within the Hinton Bike Park on one of these benches. More details...
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Wondering what all the fat bike excitement is about? Join HMBA at Maxwell and take one out for a spin. Try your skills at an obstacle course and earn fat biking bragging rights.
This event is part of the Hinton Winter Magic Festival. There will be a fire pit & music also!
Event run by Hinton Mountain Bike Association
Where: Maxwell Lake
Time: Sunday, February 7th, 1-4pm
A post-demo ride is planned after the event (after 4pm) as well.
Join us for an evening skate around Maxwell Lake where student decorated Lantern Bags will light your way.
Event run by YRAF & Maxwell Lake Skating Society
Where: Maxwell Lake
Time: 5-8pm
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Talisman Energy, one of HMBA's Double-Black Diamond Supporters, and their employees, continue to support and invest in our community. Their ongoing support have helped towards initiatives such as building and maintaining the Hinton Bike Park, and supporting HMBA's Sprockids programming.
Through their "Investing in Our Communities (IOC) program", Talisman Energy recognizes their employees/retirees actively engaged with community organizations in which they live and work.
Two Hinton residents, Colin Hanington and Cody Begon, have recently selected the Hinton Mountain Associations for their generous contributions.
Colin and Cody - THANK YOU for your continued support!!! And thank you Talsiman Energy for Investing in Our Community!
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Glad you asked! Members of the Hinton Mountain Bike Association, or HMBA (we like to pronounce it has 'him-bah'), have had a busy year! Below are some of the highlights for 2015.
In August, the IMBA Canada Trail Care Crew (aka Justin Truelove) came out to teach us trail building techniques on how to build and maintain our trails.
At the end of August, the Hinton Participatory Budget Grant (2014) was used to revitalize Hinton's amazing signature trail, Happy Creek, which needed some major work done on two large sections of boardwalks. This project not only benefited mountain bikers, but runners, walkers, hikers, and visitors alike!
Another fantastic fun-filled weekend led by the yellow brigade of volunteers! So great to see kids of all ages having fun!
Shawn brings a ton of experience from other clubs, racing, hardcore bmx'er and all around exposure to the scene.
It was very hard for HMBA to lose Stacey when she stepped down from her position as Director at Large. Her energy, enthusiasm and love of all things mountain biking have helped HMBA soar to new heights and adventures!
Daniel Duval of Assante Wealth Management generously donated a Dero Fixit Bike Repair Station to the Hinton Mountain Bike Association, now installed at the Hinton Bike Park. The Fixit repair station is Hinton's second - the first one was installed earlier this year by the Town of Hinton and is located at the Dr. Duncan Murray Recreation Centre.
Dubbed Cripps' Canyon during the Beaver Bike Fest, but named 'Baja Canyon' by it's builder, Shawn Cripps, this new feature has added some fun challenges to the Skills Area! Shawn has also helped build the shed for storing our fuel and a tool shed that is accessible to our youth.
For several years in a row, Oxburger Studios has created awesome videos of our signature event. Many treasured moments are captured!
Sprockids had an amazing but busy year! Close to 100, YES, ONE HUNDRED, kids were registered for the 10-week program.
Group rides continue to be a great way to meet other riders. There were so many new faces this year - we can't wait to see you all again next summer!!
Summer, Fall, Winter, Spring - there is always some kind of trail maintenance that needs to be done. HMBA relies on member volunteers to help keep our trails in tip top shape!
Small changes, big impact! A re-route on Halloween Connector improved flow on this great trail. Another re-route occured on Gulley Trail in the Bike Park - part of the IMBA Trail Care Course in August.
You can't imagine how happy our Trails Coordinator was to receive such an awesome and handy pack! This pack was donated by EVOC and is built to carry various large tools while riding a bike. HMBA was very lucky to receive such a generous gift!
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The Hinton Mountain Bike Association would like to welcome Maureen Harper to the Board as the new Director at Large!
Maureen has always been, and continues to be, a great advocate for HMBA! She is quick to volunteer and you will often find her leading a ladies' group on our Monday nights or doing trail maintenance when riding our trails.
Welcome aboard, Maureen!
-HMBA Board Members
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Posted by Greg Heil from Singletracks on December 7th.
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The groomed winter trails continue to be in great riding condition! Get out and get active!
Winter signage has been posted up on our winter trails. There are even a few extra trails that have been broken-in with fat bikes to create fun alternatives until the next big snowfall! Vigilante and Happy Creek can be included in your fun winter adventures.
Check out our Winter Trails page for more information about winter trail grooming and a winter trail map.
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