A big highlight of 2021 was the re-opening of Gold at the Woodlot. Many thanks to all who volunteered to re-imagine this classic trail. Work to refresh Platinum, Blood Donor, Giant Killer, Tsuga, Snakes & Ladders, and other trails is ongoing and we’re stoked to see what builders have in store for 2022.

The FVMBA continues to work with the City of Maple Ridge, the Haney Horsemen, and other stakeholders to formally establish the trails at Thornhill. New signage on the trails is one of the first steps and we hope the new year will bring more progress towards our collective goals, including a formal maintenance agreement to care for the mtb trails.

Over at Golden Ears Provincial Park, the FVMBA has an agreement with BC Parks to do maintenance on the Eric Dunning Trail. Work to improve water management and repair the trail tread began in 2021 and there’s more coming in 2022.

The big news for Mission in 2021 was the construction of 3 new pumptracks! If you haven’t yet checked them out, head over to Griner Park for an asphalt pumptrack built by Velosolutions, Tom Jones Park for a community built dirt track, or the Kearsley Creek Campground, also a dirt track, built by Golden Dirt Trails.

Tree harvesting in 2020 at Bear temporarily disrupted trail access to Moon Rock, Corral Loop & others. Many thanks to Mission Forestry for funding the FVMBA Trail Crew to rebuild  the key connections & re-open access. This work was also supported by dedicated community volunteers.

Trail crew & volunteers also continued maintenance work at Red & Bear, brushing, raking, clearing drains & more; perhaps less glamorous work, but no less essential.

The FVMBA also had a unique opportunity to partner with Recreation Site & Trails to help construct a new hiking trail in the Stave Lake area. Construction is not yet complete, stay tuned for opening.

Center-stage for Sumas was the re-opening of the lower section of Rock Diva. This excellent extension of an already popular trail is truly a star with steeps, drops, jumps, and wall-rides. World Cup also saw a refresh top to bottom and the FVMBA trail crew replaced some hazardous woodwork on Old Saw.

Thank you to all of the volunteers who’ve quietly cleared drains on Squid Line, brushed back bushes on Emma Peel, cleared dead fall on Glen Ryder, refreshed dirt on Noah Fear, and all of the other essential work that keeps the trails safe and fun for all.

The fall storms did some significant damage on several trails and it will take some time for all repairs to be completed. Ledgeview saw some of the worst damage and Soft Taco and Lost Oakleys remain closed due to the the current hazards. You can stay updated on development and planning for McKee Peak through the web portal Lets Talk Abbotsford.

Sometimes the work we do isn’t glamorous, sometimes it’s not even noticed by most trail users. Fallen trees are cleared before you notice, ruts smoothed out and berms reshaped, leaves raked & brambles pruned, drains & culverts cleared, invasive species removed. Trail crew hours complement the hard working volunteers keeping Vedder safe and fun for all. A highlight of the year were all the small groups who helped out at trail days – thank you to all who attended!

A bigger project that picked up momentum this fall is a top to bottom refresh of Dilemma. There’s fresh dirt and fresh cedar and more to come. Thanks to funding by a grant from the Chilliwack Foundation, expect to see additional new work this spring!

Unfortunately some trails were hit hard by the heavy rains in November. The exceptionally high levels of water overwhelmed drains & ditches causing accelerated erosion. Many thanks to the Cultus Lake Park Board & BC Parks for the new bridge at the exit of Dilemma where the water intake structure failed. Work on other trail repairs will continue; if you see any issues, be sure to let us know by reporting on Trailforks.

In Hope, we hosted an IMBA Trail Building clinic and put shovels to work on the new trail network that’s currently under development.