Programming & Services

It’s not just about mountain biking!


Everyone knows us as the Indigenous Youth Mountain Bike Program, or even more simply, the Trail Guys! But the trails we build with our Indigenous partners and friends have become about so much more.


We assist communities to develop outdoor adventure spaces that create opportunities for cultural and language revitalization, education, cultural practises and ceremonies and healthy active living.

The trails we help build are used by thousands of Indigenous Peoples for walking, dog walking, hiking, trail running cycling as well as winter sports. Educators and cultural workers use the trails for teaching language and culture, and raising awareness and respect for Indigenous Rights and Title.

The trails we have helped build have become a source of community pride.

Our services include:

Decolonizing Trails & Engaging with First Nations
Are you a mountain bike club looking for ideas and help to more effectively engage with the First Nations on whose lands you ride and build trails? Our team has provided assistance for mountain bike, trail and recreation clubs and organizations to develop and implement strategies for engaging with First Nations and fostering authentic reconciliation.
Fundraising & Proposal Writing
Our team has extensive experience and expertise in fundraising and proposal writing and can assist your community in soliciting and securing the necessary funding to make your vision for trails and recreation reality.
Project Management
Our team can work with your community to provide support and ongoing assistance with the development of trail networks, adventure parks, and recreation related infrastructures and amenities.
Demonstration Trail Construction
Our team will work with your community to construct demonstration trails to gauge community interest levels and to assess opportunities and challenges prior to investing in trail network development. Note that our Core Team members also have extensive experience designing and constructing large trail networks and you can learn more.
Bike Repair & Maintenance
We partner with local bike shops and mechanics to provide introductory level repair and maintenance for up to 12 youth and/or community members.
Riding Clinics
3-hour introductory, beginner level riding clinics for up to 12 youth and/or community members. Participants learn the basics of trail riding and safety, riding trail features. Our instructors all have Level 1 Mountain Bike Instructor Training through the Professional Mountain Bike Instructors Association.
Advanced Trail Building Workshops
Once a trail crew is operating in the community, we will often return and provide additional workshops and training to support trail development.
Trail Building Workshops
Typically 5-day intensive workshops providing training and capacity building for youth and adults to plan, design, build and maintain high quality and environmentally sustainable single-track nature trails that are suitable for hiking, running and mountain biking.  The trail crews we have trained have gone on to build significant trail networks for their community.
Community Site Visit, Terrain Evaluation & Trail Plan Development
A great starting point is to have our team visit the community, survey the local terrain and help create a plan for trails in and around the community. We recommend a 3 to 4-day trip. For these purposes. During this visit, we can also facilitate a community meeting and share stories of our work in other First Nation communities.

Allies – Digging Our Way Through

Some of the groups we have
worked with include:

  • Outdoor Recreation Council of BC
  • Trails Society of BC
  • Recreation Sites and Trails BC
  • International Mountain Bike Association
  • South Island Mountain Bike Association
  • Fraser Valley Mountain Bike Association
  • Ride Burns Mountain Biking Association
  • Western Canada Mountain Bike Tourism Association
  • Northshore Mountain Bike Association
  • Norco Bikes
  • Arc’teryx
  • TransCanada Trail Association
  • BC Cycling Association
  • Nanaimo Inclusive Trails Project
I first heard Patrick speak at the International Indigenous Tourism Conference in Whistler, BC. His ability to connect meaningfully with the audience through humour and engaging storytelling is truly impressive. I have had the pleasure to hear Patrick speak many times since that initial conference and each time he has proven to be the hit of the show.
Mike Bellegarde, Saskatoon Tribal Council All testimonials →