Christmas in Vancouver by Richard Belson

Since I arrived here almost a year ago, I've heard the local media complaining about how boring the town is, and how little there is to do here. Considering how accessible nature and outdoor recreation is for Vancouverites, I find it laughable when I hear people here complaining about the fireworks being cancelled.

Ok, the Grizzlies left…big deal. Why not use that time to go for a ride? How much were season tickets anyway? Surely for that price, you could get yourself a sweet bike and a helmet and do some exploring.

Whether you're riding the North Shore or the Poco trail, there are adventures to be had in the Vancouver area that are truly unique, and are enjoyable year-round. Why would you want to be holed-up in an arena with thousands of others watching when you could be out on the best mountain bike trails on Earth doing?

Almost everywhere else in the world, to find trails that even approach the quality of those we have in the lower mainland, you have to drive for hours because urban sprawl has over-ridden the value placed on greenspace. For some twisted reason, society demands plastic houses built on lots surrounded by a synthetic landscape over naturally-occurring forest and eco-systems.

Fortunately, there seems to be a great deal of value placed on greenspace in the Vancouver area, and most of theses spots allow mountain bikes on their trails. For this, we are extremely fortunate. There aren't very many governments in the world that would look at the trails and stunts we ride and a allow them to remain standing. Ya, we can get mad at some of the local governments that cut up stunts with screaming chainsaws, or Ministry of Forestry officials who tell us not to build trails. But the fact is, I have never seen such as healthy a relationship between riders, builders and decision-makers as I have in the greater Vancouver area (with due credit to Squamish as well).

Perhaps the most indicative example of the rider-municipal relationship is the Port Moody Mountain Bike Skills Park. This Trials Park was created on the City of Port Moody's initiative. Nobody asked for it. No petitions were signed and presented to council. It was created because a city employee saw the need and value for the park, and it happened.

I grew up in a Montreal-area suburb where we had one public greenspace, and that is where I learned how to ride. Until 5 years ago, the park was riddled with hardpack singletrack that BC riders would laugh at, but it was fun enough to get out for an afternoon ride if you had no access to a car. Then The Machines came in and ripped-up the singletrack and replaced it with a combination of sand, burlap and wood chips, creating the slowest, flattest, most self-destructive trails ever. Local riders then started taking cues from their West Coast cousins by building tight challenging trails in hidden areas of the park. The city knee-jerked by disallowing bikes in the park completely.

Also, the City of Montreal completely banned the use of mountain bikes on the trails of Mount Royal, the only semblance of a mountain within 50km of the city. (It actually happens to be right in the middle of the City) And this hasn't been a recent decision. Riders have been receiving tickets and having their bikes impounded for riding the trails of Mount Royal since the mid-eighties. It's no wonder hybrids sell so well in Quebec. Now, every day I get to ride to a trail head from my apartment, or drive just half an hour to the best riding I've ever seen, I wonder how I survived as long as I did around Montreal.

I'm convinced this open-mindedness on the side of local and provincial bureaucrats is due mainly to the efforts of local land access groups like the NSMBA and SORCA, as well as how active the rider scene is here.

So, when you're thinking of what to get yourself or your riding buddy this Christmas, think about the gift of trail access. Do a little searching and find your local land access group and buy yourself a membership, and then buy one for your riding buddy. If you can't find your local group, support the groups that are leading the way to keeping the North Shore scene alive and well. Aren't your trails worth $20?

Trust me, it's a whole lot easier to keep what you have than to get it back once it's been taken away.

Happy Holidays everyone.

- Richard Belson