Kimberley will celebrate the completion of the Electrify The Mountain Trails project, giving e-bikes improved access to local trail networks.
Mayor Don McCormick said a lot of work went into creating this trail.
“They put in several kilometres of purpose-built trail for electric bikes,” said McCormick.
“The trails needed to be a bit wider and constructed differently for them to be maintained over time. It’s for regular two-wheeled bikes and also accessible e-bikes which require a wider trail.”
The new trail also features a spot to take a break and charge your bike.
“We have a trailer that has been brought in to serve as a combination of public washrooms as well as charging stations. This can be located pretty much anywhere along the trail,” explained McCormick.
Electrify the Mountain was spearheaded by Sustainable Kimberley and the Kimberley Trails Society with funds from the B.C. government.
Work on this project began in 2021, and Mayor McCormick said its potential has grown since then.
“When this started three years ago, e-bikes were the domain of those who are a little bit older, but since then, they’ve become almost ubiquitous on the trails for anyone of any age,” said McCormick.
“Having trails modified and built to accommodate these bikes is critical to the tourism opportunities we have to offer.”
A grand opening event will start at 10 a.m. on Sunday at the Kimberley Nordic Lodge.
“With projects like this, we don’t celebrate the finished product enough, so I think it’s going to be a really big opening,” said McCormick.
Sunday’s events are part of a two-day-long celebration of outdoor recreation, with the Round The Mountain (RTM) event taking place throughout the weekend.
The weekend will open up on Saturday with various races.
KORE Outdoors Board Chair Matt Mosteller said participation is sold out, but people can still come to watch.
“It’s going to have an incredible amount of people participating in the hiking, running and mountain biking challenges happening on Saturday,” said Mosteller.
Competitions will include a 20 km trek, 10 km or 20 km run, and 20 km bike for adults and some races just for kids.
A beer garden will be available at 11 a.m. on Saturday movie screenings will happen in Centre 64 at 7 p.m.
Mosteller said money raised will go to the Kimberley Bike Park revitalization project.
“It’s going to be a really exciting weekend and it’ll be a great time to be in Kimberley,” said Mosteller.
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