Not for the Faint-Hearted
It started with a few North Van guys asking “What if.…”. Now, only thirty or so years later, mountain biking is an Olympic sport and “The Shore” is known internationally as the mecca for avid, year-round biking enthusiasts. While bikes with bigger than typical tires were first developed in California’s Marin County for use on that area’s rolling trails, riders in North Vancouver discovered the bikes were not equal to our rugged terrain. As local trail riding became more adventurous – with single-log bridges over streams becoming ever narrower and higher off the ground – new, sturdier bikes had to be developed. Over the 1980s and 90s, steep, up-and-down forest trails became dotted with stunts such as ramps, cliff drops, teeter-totters and “skinnies” – fallen trees planed on the top surface and suspended 10 or 15 feet off the ground. Many of the trails were built by Lynn Valley’s Todd “Digger” Fiander, but in recent years trail-building has also become an activity undertaken by various members of the North Shore Mountain Biking Association, who work with the District of North Vancouver to ensure appropriate environmental and safety standards are maintained.
