2014 Trail Crew Reports

Sep 22 - 25

It's the end of the regular work season for the trail crew, and this will be the last trail crew report for 2014. We finished off brushing the Old Glory trail, improved the drainage on Tamarack, made repairs to Monticola, Miners, and Redtop, and cleared windfall from around the network. We hope you're enjoying the results of our efforts this season.

Monticola has held up remarkably well considering the high level of use it's been getting, but a few sections had turned to dust and fallen apart. Some rain this week enabled us to repair them.

Sep 15 - 18

We completed seasonal maintenance on Spring Cleaning (in anticipation of early spring riding), upgraded the tread on Kootenay Columbia, Technogrind, Redtop and Sunningdale, brushed Old Glory, and continued trail construction on the new Eddie J trail. Lots of trail markers have been replaced, and windfall cleared.

Flume - A tangle of windfall was cleared off Flume, but tackling this hung-up spring-loaded monster suspended above a creek didn't seem wise.

Sep 8 - 11

Cold mornings lately. The crew fixed drainage on parts of Doukobor and lower Redtop, completed tread upgrades on lower Milky Way and lower Whiskey, re-routed a problem section on Larry's, and cleared windfall from Dewdney.

Larry's - Re-routing a short section to address a steeper than necessary climb, eroding tread, and a hazardous pinch-point on an intermediate trail.

Sep 2 - 4

We worked on the tread and added drainage to Milky Way and Miners, and cleared what had become an overgrown section of the Old Glory trail. We also added and replaced signs on Cemetery, Crown Point, Redtop and Drakes, cleared windfall, and made some small tweaks to Crown Point, Redhead, and Redtop.

Miners - Lack of drainage was making the climb rougher with every rainfall. Adding grade-dips and narrowing the tread (reducing the catchment) will keep it useable for years to come.

Aug 25 - 28

In anticipation of this weekend's Seven Summits Poker Ride we repaired the Saddleback peak section and built a bit of new single-track to avoid the new access road on Grey. We also cleared fallen trees from throughout the network, installed a bunch of signs, and added drainage to Larry's.

Signs - Regulars don't even notice them, but new users and visitors tell us their invaluable. Keeping our trails well signed requires constant work.

Aug 18 - 21

The trail crew completed intensive repairs and upgrades on upper Redhead, lower Tamarack, lower Cemetery (above the highway), and on Larch Ridge. Recent rains have made our life easier, as our adjustments now pack down into a firm and stable tread.

Cemetery - from bog to berm.

Aug 11 - 14

Back after a welcome break, the trail crew maintained drainage features on the Lepsoe shoulder section of the Seven Summits trail, COG trail, and upper Redtop. It may seem curious to be obsessing about drainage during the driest month of the year, but it's the drainage features (mostly variations on grade dips) that keep our trails from washing away in this steep and generally wet part of the world. We also rebuilt collapsing rock-walls on Redtop, cleared trees from around the network, and finished brushing the Antenna trail in Montrose. Down in Trail we're extending the Sunningdale trail all the way down to Mariana Ave.

Redtop - We've had to rebuild this problematic section of trail a few times now. This time we overbuilt in the hope that it'll last.

July 28 - 31

We're extending the Sunningdale trail all the way down to Mariana Ave, so cleared out the trail corridor and started digging. The substantial amount windfall on the Plewman trail has finally been cleared, and after the windstorm last week we've been busy clearing trees from around the network. We did some more drainage work on the Seven Summits trail, and did some work on Redhead and Monticola in anticipation of this weekend's Enduro race.The trail crew will be on vacation next week, so the next report won't be until Aug 14th.

Redhead - Rather than addressing this seep with the usual ditching and culverts, we got a bit creative and added some wood-work.

July 21 - 24

We brushed, repaired drainage and removed a rotting log-ride on Milky Way, cleared windfall and repaired a badly eroding section on the Dewdney, repaired and re-surfaced a section of the the Louie Joe urban trail, and brushed the Antenna and Flagpole View trails in Montrose.

New Easy Trail - We're still finishing the new trail above and adjacent to the Centennial trail, but it's getting lots of use.

July 14 - 17

We cleared wind and rock-fall (see below) off a bunch of trails, cut back vigorous summer growth from Cemetery, Rogers, Happy Valley, Rubberhead, and Green Door, and continued finishing off the new trail which runs parallel to the Centennial trail, above the Star Gulch Reservoir. This new trail is mostly the work of our Church of Dirt volunteers, and is intended to provide an additional "easy" trail option in this popular area. We'll be launching a contest of sorts to come up with a suitable name.

Redtop - This massive boulder somehow trundled itself into the middle of the trail? We used rigging equipment to drag it clear.

July 7 - 10

The Seven Summits trail is finally open. Our crew has been putting in huge days, in scorching weather, giving the trail a thorough once-over from end to end. We've a couple of small gaps to get back to, and the last patches of snow haven't quite melted, but it's about as good as it gets up there right now.

Redhead - Those of you that have been riding upper Redhead will appreciate that the awkward stump / collapsing trail has been addressed.

July 1 - 3

It's been all Seven Summits this (short) week, and I know many are wondering if it's open. The short answer is sort of. As of July 3rd all but the section between Mt Elgood and the Plewman trail junction has been covered by the trail crew and is ready to ride. There are still significant areas of snow remaining through this last alpine section, but determined riders could easily push/portage through (several groups pushed through with bikes and skis on Canada Day). With another week of warm weather and attention by the trail crew, I'm confident we'll be able to declare the Seven Summits trail open by July 11th.

Record Ridge - Riding from Granite through to the Old Cascade Hwy, with a chainsaw on my pack, bucking out windfall.

June 23 - 26

We're continuing to work our way through seasonal maintenance on the Seven Summits trail, but with the cool spring we've had, it's still weeks away from melting out to the point of being rideable. We cleared windfall from the Mt Roberts trail in anticipation of the annual community Canada day hike, completed tread-work on the recent re-route on Technogrind, and upgraded/repaired sections of Monticola and Redtop. Observant riders will see newly installed "slow down" signs on several popular multi-use trails, a reminder to respectfully share the trails with all of those who enjoy them.

Pulling stumps - Clearing the corridor for a new section of trail being built by the Church of Dirt volunteers. Come out on Monday nights to get your hands dirty.

June 16 - 19

A rainy week on the trails, but great conditions for trail work. We completed seasonal maintenance on the Upper and Lower Switchbacks (which connect Crown Point to the Railgrade) and the Railgrade, completed drainage work on upper Monticola, cleared out the corridor for a new trail in Montrose, and fixed a bunch of issues on Whiskey. On Whiskey we created drainage on the middle section, and (responding to many requests) we opened up a alternate line around the right-angled rock slab.

Whiskey - Road construction and associated culvert placement altered the natural drainage patterns creating a persistently boggy section of trail. With 3 culverts, and a lot of digging, we hope we've finally dealt with it.

June 9 - 12

We cleared windfall off Larch Ridge, Dewdney and Crown Point trails after the June 4th windstorm, made repairs to technical trail features on Whiskey, and keep widening the lower section of Sunningdale. Seasonal maintenace has been completed on Dewdney, Doukhobor, Miral Heights, Raven's Rock and Elder, and we're following the snow up both ends of the Seven Summits.

Dewdney - As smooth as it's going to be. Ride it now before Seven Summits season.

June 2 - 5

We finished off Upper Redhead, completed maintenance on COG, put another day on Dewdney, started the huge job of opening the Seven Summits (guessing July 1st), fixed some issues on Miners, and re-routed a section of Happy Valley.

Happy Valley - We worked with Rossland Heritage Commission to identify a more appropraite route for the trail as it threads through the historic grave-sites.

June 2

After a great turn-out trails day, and a final day of finishing, the new upper section of Redhead is ready to ride. Access is from Dale's trail, 100m above the intersection with Miners and Redtop.

Upper Redhead

May 26 - 29

This week we cleared and buffed Crown Point, Dewdney, Sheep Creek, Cherry Poppins, Larch Ridge and Monticola. All trails are opn but for those that head up into the alpine. Hope to see you out at Trails Day on the 31st.

Larch Ridge - Tweaking the turns.

May 19 - 22

Apologies for the delay in getting this up, but I gave my head a bit of a knock. Crown Point, Technogrind, North Star, Full Monte, Coffee Run and Flume were all cleared, and we're on Cherry Poppins today.

Crown Point - Our version of riding in a rainforest.

May 12-15

Maintenance has now been completed on Tamarack, Doukhobor (to the intersection with Tamarack), Drakes, Moe's, Larry's, Redhead, Redtop (below Dales), Miners, and Caldera. There's still a few muddy spots remaining, but years of drainage work is paying off and the trails are generally in great shape.

Moe's - Popular with everyone from riders, to walkers, to baby strollers.

May 5 - 8

The crew covered lots of ground this week, completing seasonal maintenance on Whiskey, Snake, Rubberhead, Cemetery, Rogers, Kootenay Columbia, Antenna, Flagpole View, Old Orchard, Camp Tweedsmuir. We'll be working our way through the snow-free trails as quickly as we're able, and we'd appreciate hearing what you're seeing out there - what's snow free and what isn't, amount and location of windfall etc. E-mail to stewspooner@telus.net.

Whiskey - Buffed and ready to ride.

April 28 - May 1

With a week of sunshine, trails are drying out and the snow is melting. We finished off a new trail in Beaver Valley Family Park, and then completed seasonal maintenance on Green Door, Milky Way, KC Ridge, Sunningdale, Iron Colt and parts of Kootenay Columbia and Cemetery. We also spent most of a day pulling stumps adjacent to the lower section of Sunningdale, in preparation for our volunteer day this coming Sunday, May 4th, at 9am.

Sunningdale - the plan for Sunday is to widen, extend the sight-lines, and maximize the flow of the lower section. Check out this video of the full descent.

April 22 - 24

The trail crew are back at for 2014. It was cold wet week, but we kept busy fixing a few things on Bluffs, and continuing to finish off a new trail that we'd started in Beaver Valley Family Park (East of Fruitvale). Currently all our trails in Trail and Montrose are clear and getting lots of use, while in Rossland things are limited to Spring Cleaning, Cemetrey, Green Door and Rogers. If you're enjoying the new Sunningdale trail and want to help make it better we've a volunteer day scheduled for Sunday May 5th. Meet at the bottom of the trail at 9am, ready to dig.

2013 Trail Crew Reports

Sep 16 - 19

Redtop, Monticola, Kootenay Columbia, and Spring Cleaning all received some love this week, but we're now finished with trail maintenance and upgrades for 2013, so this'll be the last trail crew report for the year. We'll be continuing through until the end of October on trail construction projects in Fruitvale and Trail, but I'll only be posting occasional updates under news. I hope you've enjoyed all our work, until next year ........

Monticola - Local rider Frith Murray on his way to winning the Dreadhead Enduro DH last Saturday.

Kootenay Columbia - We re-routed this section, as part of our long-term plan to make this popular trail accessible to as many users as possible.

Sep 9 - 12

Milky Way, Drakes, Bluffs and Plewman trails all saw intensive maintenance this week. It's been a while since we've been on Bluffs, but as we move into Fall and temperatures cool it'll become an increasingly desirable option, and it's in great shape. We've also started doing the work required to connect up Bluffs through to Sunningdale, and expect to have a fully rideable trail completed by the end of October.

Sep 3 - 5

The trail crew cleaned rubble off Larch Ridge and Monticola trails in anticipation of this weekend's Dreadhead Enduro race. Lots more drainage and tread-work has been completed on Green Door (watch out for wasps!), and we've made more progress on Upper Redhead. The new Old Orchard trail has now been rouged in, and our proud Montrose director Art Benzer completed an inaugural hike of the loop that has been created with the Flagpole and Antenna trails. Watch for signs and a map sometime soon.

Seven Summits - Huckleberry season might be done at lower elevations, but they've never been more plentiful up on the Seven Summits trail.

Upper Centennial - Monday nights Church of Dirt volunteer trail builders are making progress on a new section of trail we're provisionally calling Upper Centennial (cause it's just above the Centennial trail). Get in touch with Scot if you want to help.

Aug 26 - 29

The re-route on Moe's has been completed, and we brushed out and roughed in a new re-route on Techno Grind, which will make it possible to ride counter-clockwise. Miral Height's and Raven's rock received repairs and upgrades, the tight switch-back on Center Star Gulch has been rounded to a more reasonable and ride-able shape, and progress continues on the new Old Orchard trail.

Moe's - Now smoother and less steep.

Old Orchard - Spectacular views over the Beaver Valley.

Aug 19 - 22

We added drainage to Dewdney, trying to keep the old (148 years) trail from washing away. We've opened up and are re-routing small sections of Moe's, so that young kids and beginning riders can better enjoy one of our few easier trails. The Old Orchard above Montrose is getting closer to being useable, and we're making good progress on the new Upper Redhead trail. Trees have been cleared (let us know if you encounter trees across a trail), and signs have been installed.

BS - Observant riders will notice new signs appearing on the approaches to expert level features on our advanced trails. We're just trying to give riders fair warning of what they're getting into, and are moving towards compliance with the new Provincial standards for trails on Crown land.

Aug 12 - 15

Mid-season brushing has opened up some of the more overgrown sections of trail on Green Door,Cemetery and Rogers. We've added grade dips along Green Door, addressing long term drainage issues that have produced a rougher tread than we'd like on this popular moderate trail. We finished off tread work on the new-ish connector from Birch main to Crown Point, put another day of work into the new Upper Redhead trail, continued trail construction on the Old Orchard trail above Montrose, and are fixing precarious switchback on the Centre Star Gulch urban trail.

July 29 - Aug 1

A new crew has started work on the new Old Orchard trail above Montrose. The regular crew has been busy on Cemetery, Louie Joe (Urban trail), Larry's, and Moe's. Although it's dry now, much of our work is focused on upgrading our trails capacity to shed water. We've a few more changes planned for the popular Moes trail, trying to make it as accessible as possible for the many people who enjoy one of our few easier trails.

Old Orchard - This new trail will connect through to the existing Flagpole View trail above Montrose. It should be walk-able by the Fall.

Moe's - The existing wooden bridge was rotting. This stone causeway should last a lot longer.

July 22- 25

A hot week on the trails has had the trail crew looking for shade. Improvements and repairs have been made to Redtop, Kootenay Columbia, Techno Grind and Crown Point trails. The Seven Summits trail is fully clear of snow, and when I rode it last weekend, it was as smooth (it's not a smooth trail) and tacky as it's ever been.

Crown Point - A great choice on a hot day. We brushed out and added some berms to the lower clear-cut section. Keep you eyes open for the raspberries.

July 15 -18

The remaining windfall has been cleared from the Plewman trail,and the Old Glory trail has been maintained to the summit. Improvements and repairs have been been made to Bluffs, COG, Larch Ridge and Milky Way trails, and trail construction continues on the new Upper Redhead trail. A little rain is keeping down the dust, and a Cougar was stalking riders on the Dewdney.

Milky Way - The trail through the field gets covered by this time of year, and brushing helps.

July 8 - 11

Now that mammoth task of opening the Seven Summits trail is complete, we'll be spending the remainder of our summer work season attending to an endless list of repairs and improvements throughout the trail network. This week we finished with the Lepsoe - Plewman section of the Seven Summits trail, better defined Green Door trail through the boggy sections of the lower field, assisting the landowner (Teck) to manage their invasive weeds issues in that area. We dealt with persistent boggy sections on Miners and Larry's, repaired the badly eroded lower section of Iron Colt, and removed windfall from Rubberhead, Tamarack, Whiskey, and Full Monte.

Full Monte - After clearing wind-fall, I had time to place a few rocks. My favorite part of the job.

July 2 - 4

We've now done all we can on the Seven Summits trail. All but the Mt Elgood - Plewman Trail section has been maintained to our usual high standard, and we're just waiting for some more snow to melt to finish off work on this highest section of the trail. With these hot temperatures of late we expect it'll soon be worthwhile to push through the remaining patches of snow and link up the whole trail (let us know if you do). Otherwise we repaired broken features on Redhead, and are moving forward with the huge task of planning for a proposed new moderate trail linking Red Mountain Resort to Nancy Greene Pass.

Redhead - Detail of repaired log-ride. Note that it's a little narrower than the rotten section it replaces, providing a challenge more appropriate to an advanced level trail.

June 24 - 27

It was another big week on the Seven Summits trail. We completed maintenance from the snowline (just below the Lepsoe - Elgood saddle) to Nancy Greene Pass, and on the Unnecessary Ridge section. There's still lots of snow over Elgood and Plewman. Windfall has been cleared from the lower half of the Plewman trail (it's still snowy towards the top), and the observant will also notice improvements to lower Whiskey and lower Redtop.

Redtop - Trail maintenance 101. What to do when a persistent spring opens up under the trail and creates a bog.

1. Dig a trench down on the up-hill side until you cut it off and redirect it.
2. Dig out all the slop.
3. Fill the newly created void with rocks (see above).
4. Cap with mineral soil.

June 17 - 20

Incessant rain has made working on the trails very challenging this week. But we were able to get in another couple of days on the South end of the Seven Summits trail, we replaced the washed out bridge on the Rubberhead, and even made some progress on the new Upper Redhead trail. I'm getting lot's of questions, but don't have any definitive answers regarding when the Seven Summits trail will be rideable. I do know that we've got 6 days of trail maintenance scheduled between now and July 4th, and that there is a possibility that it'll be worth riding at that point. We'll have a much better idea in a week, so check back here.

Rubberhead - A new bridge with a larger span replaces the one that was washed out. The approaches will be boggy until the rain stops.

June 10-13

On Saturday a group of volunteers made a good start on the new Upper Redhead trail. If you're walking you can follow the flagging (above Redtop at the intersection with Redhead) and check it out, though it'll be a while before it's rideable. The trail crew completed seasonal maintenance on Dewdney and Cherry Poppins, and we've started into the nine days scheduled to get the Seven Summits trail open. There's still snow at higher elevations, but it's clear enough for us to work in from the South end as far as The Pass.

Upper Redhead - It's going to be fun when it's done.

Seven Summits - The views never get old.

June 3 - 6

The trail crew completed inspection and maintenance on Flume, Larch Ridge, COG, Snake and Doukhobor trails, and started work on Dewdney. Trail construction work continues on the lower Sunningdale trail, and the corridor has been cleared on the new Upper Redhead trail in preparation for Trails Day on Saturday.

Upper Redhead - This is what a new trail looks like before the digging starts. Come and join us for Volunteer Trails Day on Saturday. We're meeting at 9am at the Centennial Parking lot.

May 27 - 30

The trail crew completed inspections and maintenance on Milky Way, Green Door, Full Monte, Coffee Run, Drakes, Doukhobor (the section down to Patterson remains to be done), and Monticola (though we haven’t worked on Larch Ridge yet). Also, a hard working bunch of volunteers helped us to rough in the new lower section of the Sunningdale trail, and various fallen trees were cleared from around the network.

Monticola - Larch Ridge still has a little snow and trees down, but Monticola is buffed.

May 20 - 23

What a crazy week for weather, with sustained unseasonal snowfalls making for challenging working conditions. Nevertheless the trail crew completed annual maintenance on Redtop, Antenna and the Flagpole View trails. We cleared all the many (over 50 in total) trees from the Dewdney and Sheep Creek (aka Dewdney Backside) trails, though much more attention to the the chronic drainage issues will come in time. A snowy day in Rossland was spent constructing trail above Sunningdale, and we've prepared for the volunteer day scheduled for Sunday. Come and dig with us (details in News) if you can. We also completed tree clearing and trail repairs on Larry's, Lower Redtop, and Whiskey.

May 13 - 16

This week the trail maintenance crew completed seasonal maintenance on Redtop (up to Dale’s trail), Miners, Redhead, KC Ridge, North Star, Crown Point (including the connector from Birch Main), and Whiskey trails. Recent rainfall has made for perfect tacky conditions on most trails.

Redhead - A new culvert, rock-wall, and imported dirt make for a smooth turn, where previously there was a bog.

May 6 - 9

After a couple of weeks making good progress on the new trail connection above Sunningdale, the trail crew has returned to the established trail network for routine inspections and maintenance. Over the coming weeks we’ll be working our way through every part of every trail, clearing trees and accumulated debris, checking the condition of every feature, making repairs where possible, and creating a very long list of issues and improvements that’ll keep us busy for the rest of the summer. This week we’ve been on all or parts of Cemetery,

Rogers, Green Door, KC Ridge, Kootenay Columbia, Rubberhead, Moe’s, Larry’s, Snake, Whiskey, Tamarack, Drakes, and Doukhobor Draw.

Trail Construction - A section of the new trail linking the Bluffs trail through to Sunningdale. We've still got lots of work to do, but it's already getting lots of foot traffic, and other than a few exposed bits it's almost all ridable. Watch for details about a volunteer day focused on building the lower section of this new trail, scheduled for Sunday May 26th.

2012 Trail Crew Reports

Sep 24 - 27

The re-route on Kootenay Columbia has now been finished and opened, and we buffed up parts of Larry’s and Moe’s, but we’re now focused on constructing a new trail above Sunningdale, where some of us will be digging for another month. We’re now done with regular trail maintenance for the season, so this’ll be the last report for 2012. Enjoy Fall and Winter on the trails, and watch for the resumption of trail crew reports in early May 2013.

Until next year.

Sep 17 - 20.

This week we started work on a new trail project in Trail that will eventually link the neighborhood of Sunningdale up to the Bluffs trail. A dedicated crew will be digging through to the end of October.

Sunningdale - Fresh single-track in the forest. Otherwise we replaced one of the large log rides (rotting) on Full Monte, tweaked some sections of Whiskey and Tamarack, added drainage to Drakes, and touched up Spring Cleaning in anticipation of early season use.

Full Monte - Some new challenge.

Sep 10 - 13

This week on Flume we brushed out the lower section, cleared fallen trees, and removed the “ski-jump”, as the landing had become a hazard. We cleared trees from Tamarack, Raven’s Rock, and Bluffs, brushed parts of Antenna, Flagpole, Cemetery, and Drakes, dug duff off the Crown Point connector, installed a new culvert in the creek crossing on Green Door, and cleared out the corridor for what will become a new upper section of Redhead. This was our last week with our full crew. Cam and I are continuing on until the end of the month, Alanna will be working on the new Sunningdale trail project (more details to come), while Nev’s headed to Revelstoke with ambitions to take on their trails. We also retrieved data from our mountain bike trail counters - over the summer Kootenay Columbia averaged 22 riders per day (plus many uncounted hikers), while Monticola averaged an impressive 33 riders per day. For comparison, last summer Redtop averaged 46, and Seven Summits 29.

Sep 04 - 06

It was a short week for the trail crew, but we got plenty of work done on Crown Point, Redtop, and Kootenay Columbia trails. At both the Seven Summits Poker Ride and the Dreadhead mountain biking events these past couple of weekends, people from all over were raving about the quality of our trails. It's encouraging to know our efforts are appreciated.

Kootenay Columbia - We're waiting for the dust to settle (just a little more rain) before connecting up this new section of Kootenay Columbia trail. The re-route eliminates a steep and unnecessary climb along a section of road, addresses some user conflict (high speed) issues, and is the beginning of a new focus to create more beautiful and accessible trails in this close and popular area.

Aug 20 -30

I was on a holiday last week, but the trail crew have kept busy. A re-routed section of KC (that some of you may have noticed) is getting closer to completion, while a re-route on the Seven Summits trail (close to the summit of Mt Grey) is ready for this weekend's Poker Ride.The crew brushed the Antenna and Flagpole View trails (above Montrose), and cleared out a re-route on the Bluffs trail (Trail) that will circumvent the long boggy section in the Spring. We cleared fallen trees off Whiskey and Tamarack, brought in a professional Faller to drop a couple big dead hazard trees adjacent to Whiskey and Louie Joe trails, did some much needed mid-season maintenance on upper Redtop, and widened a unacceptably narrow section of Louie Joe (see pic below). Good news on the planning front, after a long process we're stoked to have received permission from Teck (the landowner) to proceed with plans to construct an exciting new trail connecting the Sunningdale neighborhood to the Bluffs trail. Work will start this Fall.

Louie Joe - removing a stump this size using hand tools is a painstaking and laborious task.

Aug 13 - 16

It's getting pretty dusty on many of the trails, so we've been adjusting our work plans accordingly. We replaced the bridge (that had washed out this Spring) over Gopher Creek on Rubberhead, added a more direct entrance to Birch Main off Malde Creek FSR, finished off an optional re-route on lower Whiskey, started re-routing an unsustainable section of the Seven Summits trail on Mt Grey, cleaned up and tweaked a few things on Larch Ridge, and replaced and/or added a whole bunch of signs throughout the network.

Rubberhead - A new bridge comes together.

Milky Way - Whether because they're worn, faded, vandalized, missing, or just because we want to make it easier for trail users to find their way, there are always plenty of signs to be installed. These mini-posts aren't quite as obvious as the tall posts with arrows, but they do seem to to last a lot longer.

Aug 7 - 9

A short, hot week on the trails. Now that the creeks and bogs have dried up, we were able to install culverts on the Miral Heights and Bluffs trail, which will eliminate boggy sections next Spring. We put some more time into a re-route on Kootenay Columbia trail, and continued shaping the trail surface on the recently re-routed lower section of Whiskey trail (which has become a firm favorite with many riders).

Whiskey - Luke packs down a freshly sculpted section.

Flagpole View - This month's KCTS board meeting took place overlooking Montrose.

Jul 30 - Aug 2

Flume - Check out the size of this monster root-ball! This cluster of 6 trees (up to 24" in diameter) laying across the trail took two tanks of gas to clear.

This week we added drainage to the entire length of the Plewman trail, made repairs to Crown Point, Miners, and Redhead, buffed up Monticola (which is now as close to a high speed luge track as trails get), and started into a re-route on Kootenay Columbia - the first part of a long term project to encircle Monte Christo with high quality trail.

Jul 23-26

The storm last Friday knocked down quite a few trees throughout the trail network, but we've managed to clear most of what we know of. Do let us know if there's any more downed trees out there that we've missed. This week the trail crew concentrated on repairs and improvements to Cog, Whiskey, Cemetery, and Drakes, with some work on Caldera, Monticola and Centennial. Note that the Seven Summits trail is now completely snow free, and as tacky and smooth as it gets.

Monticola - While in the area clearing windfall, I took the time to smooth out what was an awkward "mogul" section, and create this fun little hip. Our priority is always going to be safety and sustainability (drainage etc), but eventually we get to the point where we can focus on the fun factor.

Jul 16-19

It's taken us 12 weeks, but we've finally worked our way through seasonal maintenance on the entire trail network. All 50+ trails in the KCTS network are now open and in great shape. Now we'll be getting back to all the more complicated issues and potential improvements we've identified, and will start ticking them off our very long list.

This week we re-opened Crown Point trail, completing rebuilding the connection between Birch main Rd and Branch 3000 (007) Rd, which had been partially wiped out by logging, and the repair and re-route of the lower parts of the trail that had been heavily impacted by wash-outs during this exceptionally wet Spring.

A New Feature on Crown point.

We were also able to complete our seasonal maintenance and finally declare the Seven Summits trail open. I'm sure many don't realize the scale of the effort we put in every year to maintain this trail to the standard we enjoy. Just to get the trail open, our crew of five spent nine full (10 hour) days, hiking in with tools to remote locations, digging, lifting, raking and sawing, in every type of weather. Apart from a little bit of snow remaining between Mounts Lepsoe and Elgood, it's in beautiful condition.

Hiking to work this morning.

The few that enjoy what is possibly the most challenging bike trail in our network will be pleased to note that Yellow Submarine trail has also been cleared.

Jul 9-12

More long days working on the Seven Summits trail. Most of the trail is now in great shape, but for an extended section of snow over the top of Mt Elgood. We also cleared windfall from the Plewman and Old Glory trails, and started into repairs on Crown Point trail, which had been severely impacted by logging and flooding.

The Seven Summits trail, with Old Glory in the background.

The Crew, retrieving a washed out bridge on Crown Point trail.

Jul 2-5

Seasonal maintenance continues on the Seven Summits trail. An out and back from Nancy Green Pass is worth doing, but you'll encounter continuous snow about 5km from the trail-head (just before the Lepsoe-Elgood saddle). For those that are wondering, trails that have been damaged by high water flows (such as Crown Point and Raven's Rock) will be repaired once the water level in the creeks drops to a more manageable level.

Jun 25-28

Seasonal maintenance continued on Dewdney and the Seven Summits trail (all this rain is rapidly washing away the remaining snow). We've almost finished dealing with bogs on Monticola, trees were cleared from Doukhobor and Mt Roberts (ready for the annual Canada Day community hike), and washouts were repaired on the Little Nugget trail.

Jun 18-21

We've hired Luke Reimer through the Canada Summer Jobs program to join the crew for the summer, and welcome another keen set of hands on the tools. More work has been completed on the new lower section of the Whiskey trail and the re-establishment Crown Royal. A couple of the big persistent bogs on upper Monticola are getting turnpikes to keep you out of the slop, fallen trees were cleared throughout the network (please do let us know what you see), and the huge task of opening the Seven Summits trail has begun. We're starting from the Record Ridge end of the trail, which is clear, but the highest and snowiest areas to the North still look to be well covered.

Jun 11-14

The new lower section of the Whiskey trail has received more attention, and is starting to deliver on its' promise of flowy fun. After lots of work clearing logging debris, Crown Royal is close to being fully rideable. Expect to get wet feet crossing one of the several washed out bridges across Tiger Creek on Crown Point trail. We've re-opened Doukobor (Draw) trail, though now that that a logging road has been established on what was the high speed lower section of the trail, it's a shorter trail than it was. We've started work on the Larch Ridge area trails, but they're still very wet and boggy in places, so it's probably worth waiting before you head out that way.

Jun 4-8

The June Monsoon is in full swing, making trail work a little challenging at times, but Flume and Stunted Growth have been cleared and are ready to ride, the re-route of the lower section of Whiskey has been brought up to the point (though far from finished) that we've closed off the old line, and we've roughed in a line re-establishing Crown Royal (aka the Crown Point Connector) through the logging slash, that will be big improvement (eliminating most of the climb on 007) when completed. You can currently make it down Crown Point, but walk all the lower the bridges, and watch for a washed-out section at the bottom. We also replaced the bridge at the base of Redtop with a more user friendly culvert.

May 15 - Jun 3.

It was a busy week on the trails, with seasonal maintenance completed on Full Monte, Coffee Run, Drakes, Dewdney, and Redtop trails. We also prepared for and helped with Trails Day (June 2^nd), during which approximately 50 keen volunteers constructed the significant part of a re-route (at the request of and in cooperation with the private landowner) of the lower section of the Whiskey trail.

May 21-25

The snow is melting fast, the mud is drying up, and trails are in great shape. Techno Grind, Back of KC, Miners, Lower Redtop, Snake, and Cherry Poppins all received thorough seasonal maintenance this week.

May 14 to 18

With unseasonably warm temperatures we’ve lots of new trails opening up. This week we worked on Tamarack, Larry’s, Moe’s, Drake’s, Redhead, Red-top, Antenna and Flagpole View, and all the other lower elevation trails are virtually snow free, just watch for occasional windfall until we get to them with a saw. We’ve cleared the exceptional amount of windfall on the Dewdney, but unfortunately major wash-outs have closed Crown Point until we get a chance to complete some significant repairs.

May 7 to 11

With the snowline rapidly melting up the mountainsides we’ve been able to start work on the bottom sections of a bunch of trails, but not quite enough to declare them open. I expect with a warm weekend ahead the status of many snowbound trails is about to change, and the trail crew will then be busy trying to keep up. Neville and Alanna are now back for another year, joining Cam and I, and making for a very experienced and capable crew. A reminder that volunteer trails day is fast approaching, scheduled for Saturday June 2nd, when we’re going to re-route the lower section of the Whiskey trail. Put the day aside and watch for further details.

April 30 to May 4

The KCTS trail maintenance crew is in the process of getting up to capacity, and have started seasonal inspections and maintenance on the open trails, such as: Miral Heights, Bluffs, Camp Tweedsmuir, Cemetery, Green Door, Rogers, Milky Way, Kootenay Columbia, KC Ridge, and Whiskey. This past March was the wettest on record, and April wasn’t exactly dry, so as a consequence there’s more standing water, mud, and eroded tread than usual on the trails. We’ll continue to do what we can to address these issues, but until things dry out, exercise a little extra caution. A note of thanks to the many volunteers that have helped to open up the trails this Spring.