The North Shore of Vancouver will be NO MORE!!!

[Techno Destructo]

Something very distressing, frightening and sad is underway in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.

The birthplace and mecca of "north shore" riding, and arguably, freeriding, is under threat of destruction by the political forces that be in North Vancouver.

Mt Fromme, the location of the first "north shore" trails and possibly the epicenter of freeriding worldwide may have it's 41km of refined, sculpted, manicured first-class trails destroyed and riding outlawed within the area!

"But why does this matter to me? It's on the other side of the world!"

If the world's capital of freeriding gets it's trails shut down, councils around the world may feel that if North Vancouver can do it, then it's makes the notion much more plausible for your council to shut down your trails in your own neighbourhood!

As well, this is some of the best riding in the world. Mountain bike videos have countless hours of footage from the North Shore of Vancouver, and a huge portion of that is from Fromme. Everyone should try to get the opportunity to ride these trails, since they are the benchmark by which all other freeriding areas are measured! If you don't believe me, check out www.gutsploder.net and look at the trails. You will be hardpressed to find better.

Read up on the situation on:
http://www.nsmb.com/shore_news/41km_02_05.php

Get the emails of people to write to at:
http://bb.nsmb.com/newforum/showthre...threadid=53764

Here is a sample letter:
http://bb.nsmb.com/newforum/showthre...threadid=53679

Let these people know you are from Australia, and that you are intending to travel to North Vancouver for the sole reason of a mountain biking vacation at the North Shore trails of Fromme, Seymour, Grouse and the surrounding area. You plan to rent accomodation or book hotel rooms, and inject tourist dollars into the local economy so you can ride the best trails on the planet, the North Shore of Vancouver!

But if you are going to write, PLEASE make sure the letter sounds like it's from a mature adult. As in, be calm, think through your arguments, be nice, and TRY to use proper grammar and spelling!

Do NOT sound like a 13 year old idiot (those of you know who the types of members I'm refering to....). Make sure your letter does more good than harm!

Even if it's a short reply, please contribute. If we lose this, the mountain bike world loses something very special indeed.

[Techno Destructo]

My letter to them:

To whom it may concern:

My name is Rob Chisholm. I'm a 32 year old programmer from Sydney, Australia. On March 10th this year, my wife and I will be arriving at Vancouver airport with our mountain bikes, gear, and a lot of money and enthusiasm to ride what's known around the world as some of the best mountain biking trails on the planet... the North Shore of Vancouver!

The North Shore has a legendary status down here in Australia where the mountain bike community is one of the densest in the world, thanks to our warm weather allowing for year-round riding. But as good as the riding is out here, the common consensus of the riders in Australia is to travel to the mecca of "freeriding" and the location of the legendary trails we constantly watch on videos, see on sports TV stations, amazed by the photos in magazines, and savour the images conjured up by the word-of-mouth reputation that the mountains of Fromme, Seymour, Cypress and surrounding areas create.

We know that there's riding in Whistler, and Squamish is putting a lot of money into developing the exploding tourist potential of mountain biking in their area, but these locations all come secondary to what we REALLY want, and that is to ride the birthplace of the world-wide phenomena of freeriding. And to us, that means Mt Fromme!

Our tickets have been booked months ago. So there's no changing our plans if the unthinkable happens (the trails removed from Mt. Fromme). But the repercussions of stripping the area of such a valuable resource of tourism will be felt around the mountain bike community worldwide, and probably none greater than the Australian contingent.

There is a good deal of money in mountain biking. Our equipment is expensive, we're constantly buying new gear, and we have a lot of disposable income. Please preserve our reason for travelling to North Vancouver so we can use our tourist dollars we've saved up for months so we can ride the best trails on the planet, which we consider you so lucky to have in your own backyard.

Sincerely,

Rob Chisholm
Sydney, Australia

[andy73]

I've been following this with a great deal of interest. I think that one of the saddest things is reading all these riders' posts - guys who ride in North Van all the time yet haven't made it to town meetings etc and are now faced with the very daunting reality of losing something they hold so dear.

While whistler is the Mecca of freeride MTB I believe that the North Shore is the spiritual home - it's our Graceland so to speak.

I pray the unthinkable doesn't happen as I plan to go there one day.

[Byatch]

To whom it may concern

My name is Nathan Milburn. I'm a 21 year old student from Melbourne, Australia. Late May this year myself, and a group of 5 friends will be arriving in Vancouver Airport with bikes in tow looking forward to riding some of the world's most popular trails, those of the famous North Shore!

The North Shore has a legendary status world wide, even down here in Australia. The Australian mountain bike community is one of the densest in the world, thanks to our warm weather allowing for year-round riding. But as good as the riding is out here, the common consensus of the riders in Australia is to travel to the mecca of "freeriding" and the location of the legendary trails we constantly watch on videos, see on sports TV stations, amazed by the photos in magazines, and savour the images conjured up by the word-of-mouth reputation that the mountains of Fromme, Seymour, Cypress and surrounding areas create.

We know that there's riding in Whistler, and Squamish is putting a lot of money into developing the exploding tourist potential of mountain biking in their area, but these locations all come secondary to what we REALLY want, and that is to ride the birthplace of the world-wide phenomena of freeriding. And to us, that means Mt Fromme!

Our tickets have been booked months ago. So there's no changing our plans if the unthinkable happens (the trails removed from Mt. Fromme). But the repercussions of stripping the area of such a valuable resource of tourism will be felt around the mountain bike community worldwide, and probably none greater than the Australian contingent.

The status of the "North Shore" is not to be underestimated. The Mountain Biking locations that you are so blessed as to have in your backyard are referred to world wide as the "North Shore", or even just the "Shore", and are instantly recognisable. "Shore" is the buzzword of the Mountain Bike industry. Taken from the Norco Web page is the following quote when referring to their "Shore Hardtail Series": "You can take the bike out of the Shore, but you can't take the Shore out of Norco hardtail mountain bikes."

In addition to the fame and the tourist dollar that North Vancouver enjoys due to it's world class trails, countless manufacturers are based in Northern Vancouver and in Canada, most of whom boast that their bikes are "designed for the North Shore, ridden on the North Shore". The North Shore of Vancouver has a reputation undeniable the world over, the loss of which would cripple the industry, and my personal passion. One of my friends Has even gone so far as to undertake student exchange in Canada, so he could ride the North Shore trails on his weekends and holidays.

There is a good deal of money in mountain biking. Our equipment is expensive, we're constantly buying new gear, and we have a lot of disposable income. Please preserve our reason for travelling to North Vancouver so we can use our tourist dollars we've saved up for months so we can ride the best trails on the planet, which we consider you so lucky to have in your own backyard.

Sincerely,

Nathan Milburn
Melbourne, Australia

[Techno Destructo]

Just a note everybody... it is terrific if you can drop these peopleanemail telling them how important the trails on the North Shoreare,butifyou could, please only use previous letters you've readas justinspiration for your own material.

Please don't copy entire sections of other people's content,since it'lllose a lot of it's effect once they realisethat people are just copyingand pasting their emails.

I'm actually in conversation with a few of the councillors of NorthVancouver on the basis of the above email I sent them,and having reallyconstructive discussions about Mt.Fromme.It might affect thingsnegatively if they get several moreemails that have a strikingresemblance to the one I sentthem.

That said, a copied and pasted email is better than none at all, butit'd be really great if everybody wrote originalstuff.Thankseverybody!!!

TD

*edit* What's going on with the text editor stringing my words together after I submit a post?!?

[Techno Destructo]

Just an update everybody... the response by the mountain bike community to the proposed removal of the trails on the North Shore has been good. I know my letter has been published in the Vancouver Province, and there is actually going to be an article about the world-wide response to the situation.

This is definitely the time for us to hit it home that Mt.Fromme (the birthplace and spiritual home of "North Shore" and "freeriding") should be preserved for everyone to enjoy.

If you can write an eloquent email, PLEASE send one mentioning how you are planning (or at least want) to travel to North Vancouver to ride some of the best trails on the planet!

NEWSPAPERS:
editor@nsnews.com
sunletters@png.canwest.com
provletters@png.canwest.com

Political figures of the North Shore of Vancouver:
dnvcouncil@dnv.org
fonvca@fonvca.org - council watchdog
jcuthbert@dnv.org
mmckeonholmes@dnv.org
rwalton@dnv.org
anixon@dnv.org
jharris@dnv.org
lmuri@dnv.org
ecrist@dnv.org

As always, since there is a good chance what you write will be read by a lot of very important and influential people to our situation, and that we as a mountain bike community will be judged on what we say, PLEASE think out your arguments/statements, double check your spelling and grammar, and be courteous, polite and friendly!

We need a world-wide response here, so even if you aren't from Australia, please write! The bigger the spread, the better the effect!

You can follow the story under several threads here:
http://bb.nsmb.com/newforum/forumdis...p?s=&forumid=3

[andy73]

Have sent the following note:

To Whom It May Concern:

It was with great sadness that I recently read about plans to close 41kms of trails on Mt Fromme North Vancouver. I can only assume that the recognition and reputation these trails enjoy globally is not fully understood by all the folks in North Van.

The sport known as freeride Mountain Biking is rooted quite firmly on the very trails that are now proposed to be closed. To many locals, the North Shore may simply be a geographic description of the mountainous area across the water from downtown Vancouver, but to Mountain Bikers the world over, North Shore is a description of the type of trails scattered across those very mountains and the style of riding required to tackle those trails.

My work takes me to Toronto regularly (at least twice a year) and I am planning a trip later in the year, which would include a stopover in Vancouver to ride those very trails. The implications of these proposed closures affect a broader group than just the businesses in North Van – bike shops, cafes etc who stand to lose my patronage, but also include tourism in Vancouver altogether. After all, I’ll have no need to stay in the Cambie Lodge if the trails I so desperately want to visit are no longer there.

Can you place a real dollar value on the losses to North Van should the trails be closed? Probably not, however there’s more than just economics at stake here. While Whistler has become the Mecca of freeride Mountain Biking, the North Shore is its spiritual home. It’s our Graceland if you will.

I believe the key is to work with the MTB Community (I believe the NSMBA has some 800 members), environmentalists and residents to devise a strategy that is environmentally and economically sustainable. Closing the trails would, I believe, only result in more illegal trails being built in the region. I’m sure that all parties would be willing to compromise to ensure that all interests are being met. I know there’s discussion of building 30 space car parks – why not charge riders to park there. I know that this would be a change from the free reign riders have had up until this point however I suspect they’d be happy to pay a fee if it meant the trails could remain open.

Being on the other side of the world I know that I’m not aware of all the issues and challenges in terms of making this work, however it is critical that it is made to work.

I can only hope that by the time my planned trip happens in July there’ll be trails to ride. I look forward to meeting up with local riders and filling my nostrils with the scent of cedar while enjoying the best Mountain Bike trails the world has to offer.

Kind Regards

Andy Gaunt
Melbourne, Australia

[Techno Destructo]

Wow! Andy, that is a superb letter! Well done!

[shirtz]

ooo no. im currently livin up in whistler and am keen as for the summer riding season to begin. lets hope nothing drastic happens..

[Joel smith]

what sort of person would want to take away the north shore?
sick people in our days.