The Hinton Mountain Bike Association (HMBA) has been chosen to host an International Mountain Bike Association (IMBA) trail building workshop from May 20 to 22. 

Jasper has been lucky enough to host the workshop a few times, but this will be the first time it will be held in Hinton. 

The workshop will focus on sustainable trail building for non-motorized and multi-use trails. 

“This IMBA visit is really neat,” said Debbie Mucha, a member of HMBA who works on special projects. “It’s not just focused towards mountain bikers.”

Hikers, horseback riders, joggers and more are welcome to attend and learn how to develop trails that will last. Mucha said they will be picking a section of trail along the Jack’s trail system to work on and learn the correct way to build a trail to avoid erosion and the loss of trails over time to make the trails more fun for everyone. IMBA will also discuss how to build wooden structures to protect or avoid sensitive vegetation and wetlands. All the instruction will be based on IMBA’s trail standards.

There will be a classroom portion, on-scene portion and a bike ride to end the workshop and celebrate the work that will be completed. 

Mucha admits that the three-day workshop may be too much of a commitment for some people, but encourages people to come out and lend a hand even if they only have an hour or two. 

“They don’t have to commit to the whole workshop, or the whole day. Even if a person only has an hour, that’s all we need,” she said. Families are also more than welcome to come out and bring their kids. “We can find something for all skills and all abilities.”

Mucha welcomes Jasper residents to come out and not only attend the workshop, but ride the trails Hinton has to offer. 

“It’s very different,” she said, comparing the trails in Jasper National Park to the Jack’s and Happy Creek trail systems. Hinton has a very different soil type and different forests. “It’s a good opportunity to get a feel for how Alberta operates.”

Mucha is happy to see the support and amount of Jasper residents trying out the local Hinton trails, and hopes they will take advantage of the workshop.

“We’d love to see some Jasper folks out there,” she said. 

Anyone interested in signing up for the workshop can do so be checking out the events page on the imbacanada.com website. More information on the workshop can also be found at that address. Anyone interested in stopping by to help, but not able to attend the entire workshop, can contact Tim Trahan at twtrahan@gmail.com