The Hinton Mountain Bike Association wrapped up the season on Sept. 25 by raffling off a brand new bike to a lucky winner. 

Jolene Albrecht took home a Kona Shonky Deluxe mountain bike donated by Freewheel Cycle in Jasper. The raffle raised $1,300 for the club’s operation. 

The raffle closes a busy and exciting year of mountain biking adventure for the club that held the first annual Beaver Bike Festival in June. About 300 people came out for the event, with 100 competing in dirt jams, skills competitions and downhill.

“We had really good support from Jasper bike shops and Hinton businesses as well,” said Ashley Kalk, secretary for the Hinton Mountain Bike Association.

The club extended its park by adding two trails and doing maintenance work on others. There are 150 members of the association.

Hinton’s new Happy Creek Bike Park will be officially opened this week, a facility the club hopes to use next year. The park is now operational and will have a grand opening ceremony this week. 

“It’s a great asset for us to have,” said Kalk.

The current bike park is located off of Robb Rd. on the south side of Hinton. It connects to a trail system around the town. 

“It’s pretty accessible,” Kalk said. 

Now that the winter is approaching, Kalk said the association will work on some administrative duties through the winter, and begin creating a signage plan for the trail system. 

Group rides will continue into the fall until the snow falls Kalk said. Monday evenings there are ladies’ rides and Wednesday is the club ride. Both rides leave from the bike park at 6 p.m.