In partnership with the Town of Canmore, the Canmore and Area Mountain Bike Association (CAMBA) is thrilled to announce the completion and official opening of the Benchlands Drop Zone at the Benchlands Bike Skills Park, in Canmore. This addition to the skills park includes a multi-stage set of lines, composed of drops and other technical features. The facility emphasizes progression to allow riders to build technical mountain biking skills in a family-friendly environment.
The Benchlands Drop Zone project is three years in the making, made possible due to the hard work of volunteers and CAMBA’s seasonal trail crew. “It’s a real success story that shows what can be achieved by an enthusiastic volunteer community, supported by a core of staff”, said Justin Deoliveira, President of CAMBA. During the three years of construction, CAMBA facilitated 27 public trail nights with a total of 755 volunteer hours.
“It’s been a privilege to be involved in the Benchlands project and see a truly great facility for the community come to fruition. It couldn’t have been done without the hard work of our trail crew, but more importantly without the involvement of our amazing volunteers and supporters! The passion and hard work brought to this project has been overwhelming and speaks to what a passionate and dedicated community we have in Canmore.” said Luke Partridge, Trail Maintenance & Development Manager.
The concept for the Benchlands Drop Zone originated from two long-time CAMBA volunteers: Grant Fox and Wanda Bogdane. “The vision of this project was to give the community easy access to a progressive set of technical trail features that allows riders of all levels to safely build core mountain bike skillsets” said Grant Fox. The project was developed in response to a clear desire from the riding community for more technical mountain biking infrastructure to be developed in Canmore. CAMBA runs a biennial trails survey, in which it asks the community for feedback on what the biggest gaps are in the recreational trail experiences offered in our area. Since the survey was initially launched in 2016, there has been a clear signal that trails with more technical features are among the biggest needs in the area. “Members and the community have been clear about the need, and we’re thrilled to be delivering with the Benchlands Drop Zone”, said Laura Quelch, Executive Director of CAMBA. This project comes in the same year as the opening of the Top Gun trail at the Canmore Nordic Centre Provincial Park, which offers a technical flow experience unique to the area.
The Town of Canmore highlights the launch of the Benchlands Drop Zone as another successful project in partnership with CAMBA to create new opportunities for our residents to enjoy. In alignment with our Open Space and Trails Plan, this addition to the existing Benchlands Bike Skills Park furthers our commitment to developing good quality, sustainable recreation opportunities for a variety of skill levels. The town is grateful for CAMBA’s continued collaboration, stewardship, and remarkable volunteer efforts to help build and maintain mountain bike trails and amenities within our community.
CAMBA is a non-profit trail association, whose mission is to build and maintain trails, and advocate for the trail community. Success of that mission relies on a community of amazing members and volunteers. To find out more, or to support as a member, visit https://camba.ca.