Ottawa Mountain Bike Association

Please consult government COVID-19 restrictions, guidelines, and advice before hitting the trails. ONTARIO: https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-provincewide-shutdown https://files.ontario.ca/solgen-stay-at-home-order-2021-01-... OTTAWA: https://www.ottawapublichealth.ca//Class-S22-Order-Outdoor QUEBEC: https://www.quebec.ca//2019-coronav/confinement-in-quebec/ GATINEAU PARK: https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/news/covid-19

As many of you have already seen and responded to, this week we sent out a short survey to our active (dues-paid) members to better understand riding habits, preferences and priorities. Please keep an eye on your email inboxes for your invitation and take the time to respond as this will better help us align and plan our efforts and resources to the needs of our members.

New Trail Announcement! OMBA is excited to announce that the City of Ottawa has officially permitted mountain biking in a portion of the Carp Hills Nature Reserve called the Carp Barrens Trail. More information can be found by accessing the links below. OMBA partnered with the City of Ottawa and the Friends of the Carp Hills to make this happen. While some riders have been using this trail for a number of years, it was never clear whether riders might face sanctions as the t...rail was unofficial and located in a sensitive environmental area. Riders can now access the officially recognized portion of the trail. However, there are some important caveats as noted on the City of Ottawa website. Here are some key points: - The only recognized trail is a 3km loop (approximately) located south of Thomas A. Dolan Parkway. All other trails, including a trail on the north side of the parkway, are permanently closed. - The trail is closed to all use between the end of the Victoria Day weekend and August 15 each year to protect endangered species nesting activities. - The trail will also be used by hikers and other users so share the trail. - There will be limited parking on the shoulder of Thomas A. Dolan Parkway. No parking signs will be posted on other parts of the parkway. - The Carp Barrens Trail is fairly rugged and not suitable for beginner or novice riders. - STAY ON THE TRAIL! Sensitive lichens and mosses live on the rock outcroppings that took many years to grow but can be killed in a few seconds. Do not ride on these plants. OMBA volunteers will be working with the Friends of Carp Hills and the City of Ottawa to maintain the Carp Barrens Trail. This is OMBA advocacy in action. Huge thanks to the small group of volunteers that put a lot of time into this project. You know who you are! Links with more information: City of Ottawa Link: https://ottawa.ca//environment-conserv/conservation-areas Friends of Carp Hills Link (includes a map):https://carphills.com/?page_id=1967

Thanks to the collaboration of the NCC and OMBA's volunteers, a trail has been added to the snowshoe and fat bike network for winter 2020-2021. The # 79. Some of you knew her as the Brazilian, others called her La Tropicana. The 79 will be accessible from P5, via the service road on the promenade to the connector # 80.

The National Capital Commission is carrying out public consultation on a proposed new/updated master plan for Gatineau Park. Anybody can submit comments. While OMBA will be submitting some official comments, our members are encouraged to submit comments of their own directly to the NCC. Here is the link: https://ncc-ccn.gc.ca/our-plans/gatineau-park-master-plan

Last scheduled group ride..tomorrow! Charge and Bring lights!! Nic will lead tomorrow since I am injured...sorry to miss it!

Tonight's ride is CANCELLED

Here's a french interview that our Vice-President, Mathieu Albert, gave yesterday on how to start mountain biking. What would you add to the subject?

We have reached a milestone 4000 members on our Facebook group, but only about 1 in 4 is a paid OMBA member. What does a $25 annual individual membership buy? *... Access to 34km of summer trails at Larose Forest, including groomed fatbike trails in winter. An OMBA membership is required to ride at Larose Forest. * Liability insurance for our volunteer trail builders, directors, and land owners. Our agreements with the City of Ottawa, NCC, and Larose Forest require it. It is our largest expense by far. About half of the membership fee pays for insurance. Without it, we would have fewer places to ride. * Shovels, wheelbarrows, dollies, rock bars, sledge hammers, pick axes, pulaskis, rakes, buckets, tampers, saws, come-alongs, leaf blowers, compactors, fuel, lumber, screws, nails, pin flags, flagging ribbon, dirt fill, signage, environmental assessments, tool trailer, storage fees, and other tools, supplies, and expenses required for trail work. * T-shirts, food, and refreshments as small tokens of appreciation for volunteers at some official trail maintenance days. Volunteers from OMBA and other organizations maintain the Carlington Bike Park, 20km of trails at South March Highlands, 34km of trails at Larose Forest, 15km of trails at Camp Fortune, and over 30km of singletrack trails in Gatineau Park. * Website hosting, payment processing and bank fees, and other communications, advocacy, membership, and community engagement expenses, such as popup tents, signage, banners, tables, stationery, printing and copying, stickers, and membership ribbons. * Ride leader training and supplies. * Most important: advocacy. Several years of advocacy went into securing mountain bike access at South March Highlands. Over 20 years of advocacy work by OMBA, other groups and committed individuals have been invested in the mountain bike community's relationship with the NCC. This has paid dividends in the form of fatbike trails and greater access to singletrack trails under the Responsible Trail Management initiative. The Carlington Bike Park was over 8 years, from start to finish. Please consider joining us today. Membership can be purchased online via Paypal or credit card. For less than the cost of a mountain bike tire, you are helping to ensure we continue to have places to ride, now, and in the future. https://ottawamba.org/cms/join/

We are lucky to call all of the world class riding we have across Canada home. The efforts of trail builders, riders, and volunteers across the nation have help...ed to create amazing, transformative trails and communities. Here's to celebrating not only what we're privileged to enjoy today, but our growth towards a sustainable, representative, and diverse community of trail users. Leslie Kehmeier

AVIS. Le P1 et les sentiers à partir du P1 ainsi que le sentier 16 seront fermés pour la journée le mercredi 10 juin en raison de travaux de construction. La fe...rmeture est seulement pour une journée. Les sentiers du P7 et du P4 à Bourget demeurent ouverts. NOTICE. All the trails from P1 including P1 and trail # 16 will be closed on Wednesday, June 10 because of construction. The closer is only for 1 day. Trails from P7 and the trail network at P4 in Bourget will be open.

As requested at the AGM, here is a link to the updated Gatineau Park summer map. https://ncc-website-2.s3.amazonaws.com//GP_SummerTrailsMap

WE NEED YOUR HELP!!! By this time of year, we’d normally be hosting trail days, sharing the load, and having a great time in the forest with a group of dedicated volunteers. Unfortunately, COVID 19 has meant we’ve had to change our approach to trail maintenance in the Gatineau Park. We can’t hold group work days right now, but you can still help keep trails in great shape all season long, through a few simple actions. Stay on the trail Don’t widen or braid the trail to go... around difficult sections and don’t shortcut corners. Let’s keep the singletrack single-file. Be positive ambassadors for mountain biking be courteous, share the trail, and remember that hikers and pedestrians have the right of way. We all need a way to relax and destress, so be sure that other trail users know that mountain bikers are cool, fun people to be around (from a safe distance). Respect local authorities There’s a few extra rules about trail use right now, and they’re important. Many people have worked for many hours to build the trails and earn the access we enjoy today. Respect the effort that’s made this possible, and we’ll all get to ride a long time into the future. Don’t worry, the trails are going to get maintained. The NCC and OMBA have enlisted experienced trail stewards who have agreed to adopt sections of trail in the park to make sure they stay in good shape through the year. If you see something on a trail that needs some attention, let us know, and we will make sure we check it out. We look forward to the time when we can all get our hands dirty improving the trails in Gatineau Park, and we’ll let you know when that day arrives. Until then, thanks for your co-operation!

Reminder to register for the AGM today or tomorrow. For those that have registered, instructions will be sent out Tuesday on how to participate.

Some love for OMBA from a hiker. :) http://www.adventurereport.ca/the-dogsled-loop-at-south-ma/

Here's some news from our friends at Camp Fortune: Cross country mountain bike trails We are pleased to announce that our cross country mountain bike trails will open on May 22. A season pass/trail membership is mandatory to access the trails we will not be selling day passes for the time being. We have reduced the season trail pass to $60 to hopefully encourage everyone to purchase a pass. We will continue to have a trail crew working this summer to maintain and improve the ...trails so your support is needed. As work on the trails started a little later this year due to COVID-19 restrictions the trails are generally in good shape but please use caution as there may be some obstacles or changes to the trails from last year. Please purchase your pass online and we will mail it to you to avoid contact. A few important notes: Most of our trails are one way and those that are not will be marked as one way to avoid contact. At this time no services are available on site. Please abide all provincial guidelines and only use the trails with one other person. Trails are open from 8 am to 7 pm and parking is available from 8 am to 7 pm in the valley in the designated parking lot. All other parking lots will remain closed and parking on Dunlop and Meech roads is not permitted. We may adjust the hours and reserve the right to closed trails without notice as needed. We ask that all trail users follow all provincial public health guidelines and COVID-19 regulations. We also remind you that it is NOT recommended to travel outside your region to practice sport or other non essential activities. Please do not come to Camp Fortune if you have been in contact with anyone who has COVID-19 or if you are ill or experiencing symptoms. Purchase your trail pass online. You will be asked to present your confirmation of purchase or your pass (once you receive it) to our attendant. PLEASE NOTE: Customer service and all buildings remain closed. If you have questions please email us at [email protected] https://campfortune.com/en/

The Gatineau parc is open for locals! Please respect the NCC guidelines fore safe mountain biking. Enjoy the great weather and trail conditions!