Tensions around rogue trail building on Vancouver’s North Shore have reached a boiling point, with Metro Vancouver in the process of shutting down a slew of unsanctioned trails — most notably, New Normal. Debris, “including rusted nails jutting out of old wood,” was deposited on the sanctioned Corkscrew trail during this time. Deanna Cote, Executive Director for the North Shore Mountain Bike Association (NSMBA), published an open letter addressing the issues.
Following the release of the open letter, more information has emerged about the supposed “retaliation,” and the NSMBA Board of Directors has issued a statement.
NSMBA Board of Directors issues a statement
On January 24th, the NSMBA Board of Directors issued a statement about the communication surrounding the recent trail commissioning, beginning by saying, “we’re sorry.”
“We didn’t communicate this news appropriately, and it’s clear that we’ve left some of you feeling alienated and unsupported by the organization that’s meant to represent you,” wrote the Board. “It was never our intention to disrespect or diminish the efforts of any community members, especially those who have dedicated countless hours of work to the trails on the North Shore. We also acknowledge that the tone of our initial communication does not accurately reflect how we feel about our community and that our further comments made in the media do not accurately reflect the organization’s position.”
In the statement, the NSMBA clarified that they are “disappointed by the loss of these trails and would have preferred to see them incorporated into the sanctioned network. We lobbied the landowner extensively to do so, without success.” At the same time, they stated that they do not support unsanctioned trail building, and that such trail building undermines the work the NSMBA is doing to get sanctioned trails approved.
It’s clear that the NSMBA is trying to walk a very fine line between the land managers and the riders, some of whom build unsanctioned trails and may have felt alienated by the organization’s comments.
Who placed the debris on Corkscrew?
Cam McRae, founder of the Vancouver-based online publication NSMB.com, left us a comment to add additional context on this issue. These comments give a hint about where the NSMBA communication may have gone sideways:
The sabotage was not done in retaliation for rogue building. It was a knee-jerk reaction by a builder who was upset with the closure of New Normal. Here’s a quote from another builder who cleaned up the mess. “Yep, the debris was a hazard, but it was clearly visible on the trail for riders to avoid. Exaggerating and using terms like ‘terrorism’ doesn’t help things at all. The amount of attention that the debris on Corkscrew has been given in some of the articles takes away from more important issues with this whole situation.”
This directly contradicts what NSMBA Executive Director Deanna Cote said in interviews with the media. In the open letter, and further clarified in an interview with North Shore News, Cote seemed to indicate that the debris was placed on Corkscrew by a disgruntled hiker. “There are still plenty of people, she cautioned, who are openly hostile to all mountain bikers and think the sport should be banned outright on wilderness trails,” wrote Brent Richter. “They actually went out and sabotaged one of the authorized trails within the network in retaliation, which put not only other riders and trail users at risk but also created additional work for our volunteers,” he quotes Cote as saying.
However, according to McRae, it appears that the disgruntled party was actually a trail builder. This confusion in the media is likely one of the reasons that the Board felt the need to release a statement.
Are these rogue trails really “unsustainable”?
Furthermore, statements saying that these rogue trails were poorly built and that they are leading to rampant erosion are wildly overblown, according to long-time local rider Ash Kelly on CBC.ca. “To me, it’s important to note that these trails are really well-built, [and] quite sustainable,” she said in an interview. “It behooves the trail builder to build trails that last. They don’t want to be out there maintaining them every day. The general consensus is that they would actually be great additions to the network.”
This aligns with the Board’s statement that they lobbied to add New Normal, in particular, to the network official network, but that Metro Vancouver denied that request.
Moving forward with positivity
While the NSMBA Board was careful not to name Cote in their statement, it’s clear that they’re trying to do damage control. The Board concluded the statement by focusing on moving forward and staying positive:
We understand that the trail approval process can feel slow and overly complex, and we share your frustrations. Advocacy for a more efficient and transparent process remains one of our key priorities. At the same time, we acknowledge and share the disappointment many feel regarding recent trail decommissioning. Our goal is to foster collaboration within the existing framework while pushing for meaningful improvements.
We also hear your calls for more education, greater trail variety, and increased capacity to support our growing mountain biking community. These are critical issues that require collective effort. We are committed to working with our membership, volunteers, and the broader community to channel our shared passion into constructive, sustainable solutions that align with land manager requirements.
We have a number of positive trail projects in the works, and we’ll share more through 2025 as these plans are finalized.
2 Comments
Jan 27, 2025
I’ve had the opportunity to work with BC Parks in the past, and we must adhere to the rules, especially given the increasing popularity of mountain biking. I’d also love to see more trails available for riders.
It’s unfortunate that trail builders don’t always prioritize sustainability. Many trails have been constructed in ways that require ongoing maintenance.
Jan 27, 2025