January 17, 2006 – Did the holiday rush cause you to miss the last eNewsletter? Catch up on all the news with IMBA Canada’s online archives: http://www.imba.com/canada/news/enewsletter.html

1) CANADIAN NEWS

IMBA SUMMIT/WORLD MTB CONFERENCE WEBSITE GOES LIVE

Whistler, Ho! Mountain bike enthusiasts, advocates and industry leaders will gather in British Columbia on June 20-23 for the IMBA Summit and World Mountain Bike Conference. Registration for seminars and lecture tracks begins later this month. Attendees will also frolic on Whistler’s mind-blowing trails and enjoy special parties and events. For registration info and program updates, visit: http://worldmountainbikeconference.com/

TALES FROM THE TRAILS – IMBA CANADA 2005 SLIDESHOW

The end of 2005 marked the first full year of operations for IMBA Canada. View the 2005 Slideshow, and see just a few of the things IMBA Canada and its affiliated groups accomplished this past year.
http://www.imba.com/canada/trails_tales/canada_05_index.html#23

MEC/IMBA TRAILBUILDING TOUR – NEXT STOP: VICTORIA, BC

Mark Schmidt will be teaching an IMBA Trailbuilding School with the South Island Mountain Bike Society February 4 and 5, 2006. The weekend workshop will take place north of Victoria, BC at Mount Work Regional Park, Hartland, and is open to the public. To register, or to find out more information, contact SIMBS president and IMBA Rep, James Brown: james@simbs.com

NEW IMBA RETAILERS NEAR YOU

Thank you to all the following retailers for supporting IMBA Canada with their membership and donations!

– Krusty’s Bicycles – Richmond, BC
– River Valley Cycle and Snowboards – Edmonton, AB
http://www.rvcns.com/index2.html
– East Side Cycle and Sports – Kitchener, ON
http://www.gorba.ca/sponsors/eastside.html
– Full Cycle – Ottawa, ON
http://www.fullcycle.ca/
– Cyclepath London – London, ON
– Cyclesmith – Halifax, NS
http://www.cyclesmith.ca/

To join as an IMBA bicycle club or retailer visit:
http://www.imba.com/canada/membership/

CALL TO INSURANCE EXPERTS

IMBA Canada is looking for insurance experts to answer questions on mountain bike related insurance issues, and to speak on the topic of insurance at the 2006 IMBA Summit/ World Mountain Bike Conference. If interested, please contact: canada@imba.com

NEW TRAIL CARE CREW READIES FOR THE ROAD

Ryan Schutz and Kristin Butcher, the newest members of the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew, are preparing for an epic road trip. The pair will spend a good deal of 2006 touring the United States and Canada in a Subaru Outback, carrying out the highly successful educational and advocacy work for whic the Trail Care Crews are known. Ryan and Kristin hale from Deerfield Beach, Florida. They are co-founders of Club Mud, one of IMBA’s most active clubs. Learn more about the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crews:
http://www.imba.com/tcc/index.html

IMBA SEEKS TRAIL CARE CREW/BIKE PATROL COORDINATOR

IMBA is looking for a fulltime professional to coordinate field programs specifically the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew and National Mountain Bike Patrol program, from IMBA headquarters in Boulder, CO. The successful candidate will have excellent organizational, communications and interpersonal skills. For a complete list of duties and benefits, visit: http://www.imba.com/news/news_releases/01_06/01_04_tcc_nmbp.html

NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION: PROTECT TRAILS BY SUPPORTING IMBA’S ANNUAL FUND

Looking to start 2006 on an positive note? Consider making a resolution to help protect trails. Get involved with a local advocacy movement, volunteer for a trailbuilding day, or help strengthen IMBA Canada’s Annual Fund with a donation. We’re close to hitting our goal of $5,000 CAD, but we’re not there yet. Visit the IMBA Canada Annual Fund web page for more information:
http://stores.yahoo.com/imba/caledefu.html

PATROL NEWS

* Patrol Training Powerpoint Updated and Available Online
IMBA’s official NMBP Patroller Training PowerPoint has been updated and is now available. Version 2.0 parallels the NMBP training manual and features a cleaner, bolder look to help bring a new level of professionalism to any patroller training session. Available for free to current, paid NMBP Patrol Groups.
Download at: http://www.imbatools.com/multimedia/NMPB_Training_2.0.ppt.sit
Or order a copy on CD at: http://stores.yahoo.com/imba/pattrainpow.html

* New Medical Resource For Patrollers: Cold Injuries
This winter as the temperature drops and the snow begins to fly, many trail users will continue to enjoy their favorite areas despite extreme conditions. Winter riding exposes the cyclist to certain threats not encountered during warm seasons. Two of the most common are frostbite and hypothermia. Both are fairly common in the winter months. Read more:
http://www.imba.com/nmbp/resources/cold_weather.html

* New Resource: Sample Patrol Log
Keeping track of patrol activities in a professional, organized manner is a key ingredient of every successful mountain bike patrol. Check out this sample log sheet from the Backcountry Trail Patrol (MN) for ideas on how to keep track of your activities in a simple, clean format.
MS Word Version: http://www.imba.com/nmbp/resources/btpa_log.doc
Acrobat PDF Version: http://www.imba.com/nmbp/resources/btpa_log.pdf


2) INTERNATIONAL NEWS

IMBA U.K. LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE

Get the latest news about advocacy, where to ride and all things related to mountain biking in the United Kingdom at the redesigned IMBA-UK website.
http://www.imba-uk.com/

VIEW A NEW SLIDESHOW OF IMBA’S AUSTRALIAN EXCURSION

Joey Klein, IMBA’s ambassador to the mountain biking world, recently wrapped up a five-week tour of Australia. Klein racked up some impressive numbers:
– Visited 7 out of 8 territories
– Met more than 500 land managers
– Rode with 20 local bike clubs
– Gave 26 presentations
– Conducted 5 Trailbuilding Schools
– Inspected 28 mountain bike sites
– Built 1.6 kilometers of new trail
– Flagged 4.5 kilometers of trail for future projects
Check out fresh images and read more here:
http://www.imba.com/news/news_releases/01_06/01_03_australia.html

TWELVE MOUNTAIN BIKE PROJECTS IN U.S. NATIONAL PARKS PLANNED FOR 2006

“IMBA couldn’t be more excited to help the National Park Service with
developing appropriate bike opportunities at a dozen parks this year,” says Executive Director Mike Van Abel. In 2006, IMBA will help facilitate mountain bike pilot programs at Big Bend National Park (Texas), Fort Dupont National Park (Washington, DC) and Cuyahoga Valley National Park (Ohio). Additionally, Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew visits have been proposed for as many as nine park units. Read more:
http://www.imba.com/news/news_releases/01_06/01_04_imba_nps_projects.html

FORMER IMBA STAFFER BRANDON DWIGHT DOCUMENTS ‘CROSS ACTION IN EUROPE

Cyclocross is the original venue for off-road bicycling. Lately, former IMBA staffer Brandon Dwight has been mixing it up with the Euros and penning entertaining articles about the Belgian racing (and beer-drinking) scene for VeloNews.com. Read his latest essay here:
http://velonews.com/diaries/rider/articles/9336.0.html

3) RESOURCES

WRITING AN EFFECTIVE LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Whether an access crisis is looming, a land management plan is under review or you just want to keep mountain bicyclists in the news, a letter to the editor of a local newspaper is a great way to accomplish your advocacy goals. For helpful tips, visit:
http://www.imba.com/resources/organizing/letter_hints.html

MTB NEWS WIRE: GET THE LATEST MOUNTAIN BIKE NEWS FROM AROUND THE WORLD

IMBA’S MTB News Wire is a menu of links to online newspaper and magazine articles that cover IMBA and important mountain bike access issues all over the globe.

Visit the News Wire for these top Canadian stories:
– Burnaby Mountain Trailbuilding A Balancing Act
– Ontario government grant brings mountain bike clinics to Grey Bruce region
– Terrace, British Columbia seeks major boost for outdoor recreation
http://www.imba.com/news/mtb_news_wire/index.html

If you’d like to add an article to the News Wire, please e-mail the article title and link to: info@imba.com

PUBLISH IMBA’S NEWS TO YOUR WEBSITE

With the RSS News Feed you can publish IMBA’s news headlines and story descriptions to your website automatically or have them delivered to your browser. Learn more: http://www.imba.com/support/rss_info.html


4) IMBA STORE

* CLASSIC TRAILBUILDING BOOK REVAMPED

First published in 1996, “Lightly on the Land” is widely regarded as one the best trailbuilding books available. Now the classic returns in a highly anticipated 2nd edition fully updated by the original author Bob Birkby and the team at the Student Conservation Association (SCA). Every chapter of the new edition includes fresh approaches, new ideas, and modern applications of traditional skills. IMBA strongly recommends this book to everyone
interested in trails. ($25 USD)
http://stores.yahoo.com/imba/imbabookstore.html

* GET SUPER RADICAL IN AN IMBA FREERIDE JERSEY

Whatever your favourite flavour of technical challenge on the bike is, enjoy the ride with the IMBA freeride jersey. The long-sleeve, baggy style accommodates body armour, and the lightweight fabric offers a relaxed fit for ultimate comfort on any trail. The balanced, simple design features the IMBA logo on the chest and the speak, build, respect and ride icons on the back. This limited edition is highlighted in “ride” brown. ($60 USD)
http://stores.yahoo.com/imba/imredfrje.html

* NEW “RIDE TO LIVE” MUGS AVAILABLE

Our new stainless steel tumbler keeps your pre-ride brew hot. An easy to hold gripper and spill-proof suction lid makes this ergonomic mug a perfect travel accoutrement. ($15 USD)
http://stores.yahoo.com/imba/imrtolitrmug.html

* FREE SMITH SUNGLASSES FOR MEMBERS WHO RENEW AT THE TRAILBUILDER LEVEL

Above-and-Beyond corporate supporter Smith Sport Optics is offering
individual members another good reason to increase their financial support of IMBA. For a limited time, when members at the Basic, Supporting, Big Wheel or Fat Tire Friend levels renew at the Trailbuilder level or higher, IMBA will provide a certificate for a free pair of sunglasses, compliments of Smith Optics. IMBA members can choose from 15 different styles in Smith’s popular Interchangeable Performance riding line. That’s a premium gift valued at up to $135 USD! Many thanks go out to Smith Optics for offering this amazing membership premium.
http://www.imba.com/canada/membership/index.html

** Please note: While ALL Canadian memberships are charged in Canadian dollars, merchandise is only available from the US online store in USD at this time. **

——
Like this IMBA eNewsletter? If so, forward it to a friend. Not a member?
Join IMBA today at http://www.imba.com/canada
——
Canada eNewsletter Archive
http://www.imba.com/canada/news/enewsletter.html