Gear heads

Labrador West biking community came out in full force at a consultation about making Smokey Mountain Ski Club a year-round facility, June 17.

Nobody was more surprised than Wayne Walsh, Labrador West Bike Association's downhill vice-president, when their Facebook page grew to over 150 members this year.

He said he's happy to put names to faces of 25 youths that showed up to the consultation and thinks they could have gotten even more people out if there was time.

"Overall, it was a positive meeting," he expressed. "I see these guys as the leaders of our community; a lot of kids look up to them."

He said he would like to see Smokey used as an area for the Labrador West community and thinks that it's being under utilized during the summer.

There's a great mountain there with so much potential, he explained, which he would like to see with a downhill bike track.

He also would like to see a dirt jump trail for kids as a controlled environment, he said, where they can do what they do in town anyway.

"It wouldn't take very long at all to build something like that - a bit of wood, a bit of dirt, and a bit of hard work," he expressed.

Walsh informed that right now they're taking care of the insurance and safety part of their plan before they can construct anything.

"Mountain biking and dirt jumping, they all sound like dangerous things, but if they're done with precaution and with the right measures in place, it should cut down on a lot of injuries," he explained.

When time comes, he said, the organization will need a lot of support from volunteers and the community, including parents of bikers and anyone willing to donate materials or their know-how.

Along with the association's president Chris Drake, Walsh said he wants to make sure things are done right and that they build something which will last into the future.

"This is what Lab West's about: getting outside, enjoying life, playing a sport, and doing something you love," he explained. "There's not many things out there that you can do that's so much fun [as biking] and get that much exercise."

"I see them riding the hill by end of the year," said Toby Leon, Smokey Mountain Ski Club president. "I think it's going to be a three or four year process. They're fairly organized, so I think they've got a future."

"We see Smokey as a social club for like-minded people interested in recreation," he added. "We've started with the mountain bikers and we have the skiers. I'm a kayaker and canoer, and I would like to see that happen."

"We want the community to get behind it and decide what they want," explained Leon. "The dog people don't have an off-leash dog park. Whatever anyone wants to do outside, that's the people we want."

He said the facility has the biggest space for a get together in the community and that it is an important recreation area, so he thinks positive things are in store for Smokey.