josefin Svedberg
Rossland News
With spring in the air, Rosslanders are keen to get out on the bike trails. They are fortunate this year, as the trails are opening earlier than usual with this year’s lack of snow.
Rory Belter at Revolution Cycles says they have been very busy in the shop preparing bikes in the last few weeks.
“Trails at lower elevations and trails on south facing aspects are already open,” says Tourism Rossland’s Deanne Steven.
The Kootenay Columbia Trails Society (KCTS) crew started to work on the trails April 22, starting in the valley and working their way upward with the melting snow. Green Door, Cemetery, Bluffs and Rogers are popular trails that are already open. Trails at lower elevation in Rossland and trails in Trail are open with early season conditions. Visit the Tourism Rossland site at tourismrossland.com/mountain-biking or the KCTS site rosslandtrails.ca for current openings.
Tourism Rossland has produced a new trail map for 2014 and have changed the layout for a more cohesive slick look and added some additional trails. There is a new trail up on Red, in Trail and Montrose.
“Don’t do anything you feel uncomfortable with” is Deanne’s tip. “It is the beginning of the season and neither you nor the trails are in the same shape as in the end of the fall season.”
Kootenay Columbia Trails Society will be hosting volunteer building events through out the season and encourage everyone to come out and help with building. Each Monday evening, beginning May 12, “Church of Dirt” will be held. Volunteers meet at 5:30 pm in the Centennial Trailhead parking lot the first night. Other locations will be announced.
On the first evening, Stewart Spooner, trails manager of the KCTS and trail system architect, will talk about his vision of the trails in the Monte Cristo/Columbia Kootenay area above town. Listen to find out how the trail building is incorporated in this vision of how the trails can be improved. New focus for this season lays on the Upper Redhead and Sunningdale trails. “This is where you will see the most improvements the upcoming months” says Spooner.
Now is the time to get your bike tuned, buy a KCTS membership and consider helping with the KCTS trail system as a volunteer.
