After capturing their first high school mountain bike championship, Valemount residents and mountain bikers are attempting to save its home mountain bike track.

The majority of the trail was built on crown land without regional approval, but there have been no complaints or requests to remove it. A section was also constructed on private land; however that portion has been removed at the request of the landowner. Valemount secured the championship after another BC community couldn’t produce a proper track. The high school took the challenge and carved a track into crown land next to the village. Relying on volunteer work, the crews finished the track less than a day before the provincial championship.

Les Van Der Roest, high school teacher and coach of the provincial winning mountain bike team, said there is a future for the trail.

“I see the trail surviving in the long term,” VanderRoest said. 

More than a hundred volunteer hours went into the trail construction, which linked together several other animal trails on the land. Volunteers estimate about a third of the trail was already in existence 

According to Doug Fleming, CAO of the village of Valemount, the village could assist the local mountain bike club to find grant money to help maintain the project. The village would like the trail to move farther away from the town’s reservoir, Fleming said.

Valemount mayor Bob Smith supports maintaining the trail, however he sees it as the mountain bike club’s responsibility. Noting that he had recently purchased a mountain bike, the mayor said he’d like to help the club keep the trail and will help them secure grant money for it.

“If they want to take this to the regional district, I would support it,” Mayor Smith said. “We’re very supportive of the mountain bike club.”

The mayor noted how hosting the provincial championships was a benefit to the community.

“I talked to some of the parents and kids and they were so impressed with the area,” Smith said.

Donna Belanger, planner with the regional district, said there is little concern with the trail from her standpoint, and the issue has more to do with parks.

The Prince George Regional authority is currently rewriting its parks plan, however officials are pessimistic if the Valemount trail will make it into the plan.

“There’s not a lot of money right now,” said Bryan Boyes, field supervisor with the regional authority. “It could be put into a parks plan, but likely in the next phase.”

Boyes said there are a number of unregistered mountain bike parks around Valemount that aren’t included in the parks official plans. The regional district is currently rewriting its plan for parks, and has hired a consultant to help oversee the process.