Recreational Trail Association plans busy summer

After hosting its first successful gathering of the season, Sun Peaks Recreational Trail Association (SPRTA) is looking forward to a busy summer.

On June 4, the second annual B.C. Trails day, SPRTA held Trail Building 101. Attendees were shown how the local pedal-access trails are maintained and given an opportunity to help finish construction.

Sam Loxton, SPRTA president, said it was great to get out on the trails with the community after not being able to gather much over the past couple of years. The gathering drew over 25 people, most of whom had never tried trail building before and were interested in learning more.

“We got tools in everyone’s hands and did a little bit of cleanup,” Loxton said. “We got a little section kind of finished and ready for riding, so that was really good. It’s always satisfying for everyone to see the finished product once they’ve put a little bit of work into it.”

After spending an hour and a half on the trails, participants went to Vertical Cafe for après.

“Hopefully we’ll get those people back out throughout the year to some of our other trail building events,” Loxton said. “It was a really nice afternoon and a super fun way to kick off our events for this summer.”

Kelly Kozevnikov, SPRTA’s events director, said the non-profit is already planning a bustling summer. Some events are still in the works, but she said they are excited for group rides to return.

On June 24, July 8, August 19 and September 9, community members can gather in the village for an evening ride together, followed by drinks and snacks at local businesses.

For a bigger community event, Kozevnikov said SPRTA is planning a Mt. Morrisey trail opening to unveil the work it’s done on the mountain over the past year. This was originally supposed to take place mid-June, but has been postponed due to the weather.

Loxton added the Chainrings and Chakras event, in collaboration with Sun Peaks Yoga, will also be returning this summer. This was held a couple times before the pandemic, but has been on pause since then.

“For people that like mountain biking and yoga, that’ll be a pretty fun way to get a ride and some yoga in and then a fun social drink at the end of that too,” Loxton said.

More information on these events will be posted soon. Loxton said SPRTA will have a booth at the local farmers market as well, for anyone who wants to sign up as a member or show support by purchasing items like stickers and socks.

“We’re really excited to be able to have a bit more focus on events and get people out on the trails having a good time,” Loxton said. “Then we’ve also got a busy summer with trail building too, so it should be a really big year for us.”