Ontario - A Whole Country Away

At North Bay, the IMBA crew and volunteers constructed a rolling crown switchback, the most sustainable type of turn on steep slopes. Tips for building this type of turn are on IMBA's website.
Northern Ontario's IMBA Representative, Hendrik Weigeldt, shows us how to ride the rocky stuff at North Bay.
The crew explored some great singletrack in the Village of Paisley and the County of Bruce.
IMBA's booth was a hot attraction at the BTAC show.
This group braved a chilly day to build some killer new singletrack at Hardwood Hills. Thanks to everyone who took part in he effort.
Mark assisted with a bridge-building day at Hilton Falls Conservation Area, a 645-hectare park on the Niagara Escarpment in Milton, Ontario. These wetland bridges were designed to protect an endangered species of salamander.

Just north of the U.S. border, there's a whole country full of incredible mountain biking. In September, IMBA's Canadian-born Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew leaders Mark Schmidt and Lora Woolner headed to their familiar stomping ground of Ontario to lead a series of Trailbuilding Schools and boost awareness of IMBA.

First, Mark and Lora headed to North Bay's Jack Pine Hill, a four-season adventure park managed by the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority. The work day drew an impressive number of volunteers, who joined forces to build a rock switchback to improve access to the main trail system.

The next stop was Paisley, Ontario and a brand new section of trail in Brant Tract County Forest. This 781-acre property is in the early stages of construction on an extensive multi-use trail system. Mark and Lora led a Trailbuilding School for more than 50 local volunteers and land managers. After teaching the basics of sustainable trail layout and construction, the crew left the Paisley locals with the knowledge and skills they need to continue adding to this great trail system.

In Toronto, Lora and Mark had the honor of representing IMBA at the Bicycle Trade Association of Canada's (BTAC) annual retailer's show. The expo was a showcase of all the new bicycle products for 2003, and the crew spent three days spreading the word about IMBA to Canadian retailers.

The last stop in Ontario was Hardwood Hills Nordic Ski and Mountain Bike Center. With nearly 100 miles of trails, Hardwood is known for its tight, technical and extremely fun singletrack. Here the crew got a chance to push the envelope of trail design, working on a new section of one of the most physically demanding trails named the "Radical Trail."

IMBA extends a big thanks to all the folks in Ontario who welcomed the crew and shared some sweat on the trails.