The dirt is piling up in Fish Creek Park and volunteers have started work on phase one of the city’s first ever mountain bike skills park.

The Fish Creek Mountain Bike Skills Park is taking shape in the city’s south and will provide a safe place for people to push their pedals to the limits when it’s completed.

Over the years a number of make-shift jumps have popped up in the park, which has posed a problem for visitors and the environment.

“It’s been a problem in recent years with the amount of unauthorized trails as well as jumps being built throughout the park because they’re not built to a particular standard, they can be dangerous. So they have an impact on the environment as well, they pose a safety issue for community members,” said Chris Lalonde, from the Friends of Fish Creek.

Lalonde says his members are pleased there is a solution on the way. “We’re really happy about this and we’re really proud of our relationship with the CMBA on this one.”

The Calgary Mountain Bike Alliance is spearheading the initiative and says they were delayed by the floods last year because they couldn’t get enough clean fill.

That problem was solved when Alex Excavating stepped in and started trucking dirt to the site in July.

“It really is a lot for them because we’re asking them to provide the dirt at no cost and to truck it on site at no cost so when he first started his last job in Calgary, all of that dirt has come to us and he’s getting ready to pump some more in here next week,” said Richard Link, President of the Calgary Mountain Bike Alliance.

The park is being developed in three stages:

  • Beginner area [including small jumps and a pump track] along with site infrastructure [signage, benches and tables, garbage and recycling containers, etc.
  • TTF [Technical Trail Feature] and Intermediate areas
  • Advanced area

The first phase in underway and Link says they couldn’t do it without volunteers.

“Absolutely, we always wanted this park to be volunteer built and we’ve got dozens and dozens of volunteers that want to come out and help but we just didn’t have the material for them so we need some bobcat work done over the next week or so and then by the beginning of September we’ll have volunteers on site,” said Link.

Ryan Kornblum is 15 and lives in the Chaparral area. He has been riding a mountain bike on the trails near his home for the last three years and says the area really needs a skills park.

“It’s so fun and it is exercise and I just love it,” said Ryan. “It’s awesome just being able to bike from my house to here, have fun for a day, go back and it’s just so close and they have beginner, they have everything. They have big dirt jumps, like you name it, they’re going to have it for skills from beginner to intermediate to advanced.”

Ryan is volunteering his time to help build the facility. “It’s part of my community and just giving back and it’s the first park in Calgary so when it’s this close you’ve gotta help out, like there’s no way you couldn’t.”

Link says he is working to coordinate resources but could use some heavy equipment to help out. “We need bobcat work, we do have somebody who’s going to come and do some initial bobcat work but for phase two and phase three, we need a company that’s going to step up and supply us with bobcats and operators for two to three days of work once the dirt is on site.”

The group is also collecting cash donations to fund the project and maintain it when its completed.

  • Click HERE to make a donation

Canmore has three parks like this and Link says the Fish Creek facility is just the beginning for Calgary.

“We want this to be a catalyst for the other parks that are planned for the rest of Calgary because we know that this one is far down south so we want to see them in every quadrant of the city.”

To stay up-to-date on the project, volunteer or donate, visit the CBMA website HERE or email bikepark@cmbalink.com.

(With files from Kevin Fleming)