MTB Movie Night 2025

Let’s keep in person movie nights alive!! The NOCS Trail Ninjas loved showcasing your local short edits last year and are stoked to host another MTB Movie night again!!! Our goal is to create a great night out for the whole family, showcase the people and mountain biking in our area and recognize the hard work and efforts of professional athletes out there risking it all.

To be considered for the big screen, please submit your short mountain bike edit on or before Jan 1st 2025 to trailninjas@nocs.ca. Max 3 minute edit and the quality must be 1080p or 2K and better. Landscape filming fits best on the big screen. If not this year remember for next year. This will be an all ages event so please choose your music with this in mind.

The showing date is Friday Feb 21st 2025 and tickets will be going on sale in the beginning of February. Help us spread the word & pass it on.

Killer King Aid Station Day Oct 12

Hey Riders!  Do you have it in you to do one last big ride in 2024? If you do, try the Killer King for a chance at some great draw prizes.

Thanks to Prestige Resorts, you can win two nights at any of their BC locations. Monashee Optometry has donated your choice of a pair of in-stock sunglasses such as Oakley, Ray-Ban, Maui Jim and more (value up to $300).  Also, Skyride has donated a couple of gift cards for the draw as well. The draw will be done when the snow flies up on the Plateau, usually end of October.  You can also get a t-shirt and sticker!

Also, for all riders and runners, there will be another Thanksgiving self-catered aid station day this year on Saturday, October 12! The aid station will be up on the King Eddy Plateau so you can refill your water and have some snacks. Your refreshments will be shuttled up to the Plateau to be waiting for you at the half-way point and you will pass it twice. 

For more information on how it works, please visit www.killerkingvernon

New Ranchlands Trail

The RDNO announced completion of the newly established Coldstream Ranchlands Trail into the Greater Vernon Trails & Natural Spaces service!

Located on the traditional territory of the Secwepemc First Nations and Sylix Okanagan People, the Coldstream Ranchlands property is a 126 hectare natural space now offering a 6.3km multi-use loop trail around its perimeter.

The west side of this loop doubles as a purpose built mountain bike climbing trail to access crown lands set to the be the future home of the Vernon Trail Network.

These trails were designed to avoid areas of high ecological value, resulting in a user friendly climb trail for hikers, bikers, and trail runners along the western edge of the property. On the east side, a more challenging ascent or descent awaits, which is better suited to hiking than biking.

Parking is available along Ravine Drive.

No Lights, NoProblem! Social Ride Sep 26

Ride suggestions

Worried about running out of light but don't want to miss out on the great BBQ, here are some suggestions that will get you around in plenty of time.

Start from the Cosens Bay Parking Lot

  1. Around the mountain (Coming Round the Mountain, Corral, Sidewinder, Gingerly)

  2. Out to No Boats and back

  3. Stone Free....with lights (as insurance)

When: Thursday, Sep 26
Where: Cosens Bay
Ride: 5PM
BBQ: 6:30 PM

Trail Day & BBQ Sep 21

Help us put the finishing touches on "Blue King Down"!  The trail has already been established but still needs the love to bring it to a finished trail.

It’s a hybrid intermediate trail, machine built within a logging block and hand-built in the forest while utilizing the natural shape of the terrain to make a very fun trail for all levels, including log rides and rock drops!  Finishing this trail will involve smoothing out the initial build phase, packing and putting final shapes to the trail.

Whether you have never built a trail before or are a seasoned veteran, there is always something new to learn. The ultimate goal is to have a fun filled day with a bunch of new and old friends and gain some new trail at the same time.

  • Hiking boots/sturdy shoes

  • Long pants to help keep dirt out of shoes

  • Long sleeve shirt to help keep bugs and sun off

  • Rain gear or cold weather gear depending on weather

  • 1-2L of water

  • Snacks

  • Your favorite trail tool (if you own some) - we will provide tools if you don't

We’ll wrap up the session with beverages and BBQ!

Name the New Trail!

Help us name this new trail! The current working title on TrailForks is Blue King Down.

Choices:

  • Blazin’ and Grazin’

  • You Got Me Floating

  • Bovine Buttercup

Becker Park - the long awaited Biking Skills Park

Most of us can remember when we started riding a bike. The first scraped knee. The first time on a two wheeler. And especially the first “sweet” jump we made out of a 2x4 and piece of plywood. I know I do. Becker Park is going to be officially open in a couple of days. This biking skills park is the result of many people’s passion and dedication towards seeing this sport we call biking keep going in a safe and fun way for generations to come. It is a testament to the importance of our city listening to the community and what it wants to see and accomplishing these tasks together.

I am of the age that my first bike was a banana bike. It had sissy bars, a wide tire in the back and skinny one in the front, chopper style, not really made for taking jumps, but that didn’t matter. I still wanted to hit every little bump and see if I could get a little air. With the introduction of mountain bikes in the eighties and the kid like attitude of the pioneers of this sport, bikes and their riders have taken riding and made it a profession. Mountain biking has become a sport with its athletes competing around the world at elite levels.

We are privileged to have some of the best riders with some pretty amazing resumes living right here in our own community! And who, if we ask, are always willing to help.Come and meet them at the Becker Park opening.

Of course most of us bike for the fitness and the fun ....or was it the fun and fitness ....or was it just for the fun! The planning for this park didn’t happen overnight. It took years of persistence by people who just would not let the project go. Road block after road bock would come up but a dedicated group of cyclists were determined to see this through.

They were instrumental in making sure this project wouldn’t be left on the shelf. This was a big part of how our cycling club got its roots.

I have been involved with the bike club in our community called the North Okanagan Cycling Society (NOCS) since it inception and I have seen how having a organized group of like minded folks can get things done. If it wasn’t for this group of bike riders and trail runners we wouldn’t have one of the best trail networks in the province and we wouldn’t have been able to work with the city to build this beautiful park.

As a business owner in the cycling industry, it has been a joy to witness kids coming into the shop, with their allowance saved up, ready to buy a new bike. It is so fun to watch these kids as they roll their new ride out the door, so proud and smiles that are completely contagious. And watching these same kids come back year after year is so satisfying.

Under the umbrella of the NOCS is a program that is close to my heart called the Trail Ninjas. It is focused on the next generation of riders. The program involves coaching and skill building for young riders. It also has produced young coaches that have gone through the program to teach the younger riders. On our weekly rides I always enjoy watching the new skills of the kids emerge. And after Trail Ninjas is over for the year, these kids leave with greater riding skills, confidence and always with a few new friends.

My son and I share the same passion for this sport and when he was getting into mountain biking there weren’t safe places to learn and there weren’t coaches to teach these vital skills.

Many times while I was working in the yard I would hear my son say “Hey dad watch this” as he proceeded to wheelie drop off of the picnic table on his bike, landing perfectly. I would try not to freak out and instead just say “Good job son”.

I have witnessed the results of learning the hard way with a “let’s hit this and see what happens” attitude. I have experienced it myself (many times while trying to keep up to the young guys )and still have the scars to prove it. This is why I am excited to see how this park will bring a whole new progression to riders young and old. It enables the coaches to bring the riders to a safe and controlled environment where they can hone their skills before hitting the trails.

Yes, there will be scrapes and bruises but that is part of the sport we love.

We live in one of the most beautiful places on earth and we get to enjoy the great outdoors right in our back yard. The building of this park and pump track are really a form of art. We are privileged to have artists such as the City Engineers, Jackson and Mark, our Trails Director, Jason, Contour Trails, Velo Solutions, and other contractors who can turn this dirt canvas into a beautiful biking skills park that will bring fun and learning for years to come!

To Quote my granddaughter. ”I Love it”

Michael D Giesbrecht

NOCS Youth Director

Co owner Skyride.

Becker Park Grand Opening

Join us for the grand opening of Becker Bike Park with a thrilling demo and BBQ on Thursday, September 12th! Don’t miss out on the fun—come on out and celebrate with us!

Line up for the event is going to look like this:

  • Ribbon Cutting Ceremony with City of Vernon at 2:30pm

  • Local Pro Dirt Jump and Pump track demo from 3:45-4:45pm

  • BBQ (and prizes!) from 5-6:30pm

Watch pro riders such as Bas Van Steenbergen, Brayden Barrett-Hay, Hayden Zablotny and Tayte Proulx-Royds!

Please register so we can plan for the right number of burgers using the RSVP button below. If you are able to help out with the BBQ please email Erin at trailninjas@nocs.ca

When: Thursday Sept 12
Where: Becker Bike Park

Improvements to Becker Bike Park Complete

Exciting news! Becker Bike Park is once again open for residents and visitors to enjoy as of 4PM August 2. The new bike park includes:

  • World class paved pumptrack, inclusive and suitable for small wheels such as skateboards, wheelchairs, scooters, and rollerblades

  • Dirt jump zone with progression-focused jump lines ranging from beginner to expert

  • Drop zone with three drop lines for intermediate to expert riders

  • Improvements and additions to the trail network.

Read the full media release.

Second Plateau Trail Day This Sunday

Here's another chance to help expand the King Eddy network. 

Join us this Sunday, July 7th for our 2nd Trail Day on the Plateau!

The first trail day was amazing and progress is moving along well on the Super Connected trail. We may even begin work on the other new trail "Blue King Down", an intermediate trail which will connect with Super Connected and onto Pali Gap.  These trails will be great for doing laps on the Plateau, or for shuttlers who want a lap up top before dropping into Kal Park!

Plan on spending the morning and part of the afternoon (more details to follow) as it takes longer to access this zone.   Thanks to Matthew Wanbon for the photos!

Congrats Trail Ninjas

Congratulations to our Trail Ninjas for completing our 8 week spring program! It was awesome to see the progression that comes from consistent biking and coaching. THANK YOU for your trail building and trail maintenance work at Becker and Kal Park, well done! You have made a difference and we hope those trails will connect you to our community and the land here for years to come.

Stay in tune for more NOCS events and bonus Trail Ninja events this year. Reach out:

NOCS Youth Director @mikalg
Trail Ninjas Coordinator @ewhitten2012
Program Head Coach @crystalridesbikes

Thank you to our sponsors as you make this program sustainable and give us the ability to create fun biking opportunities for the youth in our community:

Olympia Cycle & Ski, Sun Country Cycle, Skyride, Silver Star Bike Park, Bannister GM Vernon, Nixon Wenger LLP, Artisan Roofing, Tolko, Dorado Drilling.

Skyride Anniversary Party

You’re invited to celebrate 20 years of Skyride on Saturday Jun 29, 4-8PM. Check out all the fun things happening to celebrate:

  • $5 for a burger & drink and all proceeds go to NOCS

  • Shuttle laps brought to you by NOCS to the newly rebuilt Spanky's trail.

  • Special 20 year anniversary merch up for sale plus lots of in-store specials all weekend long!

  • If you buy anything in store on Friday, June 28 or Saturday, June 29th you get entered to win door prizes plus a grand prize

Ride Don't Hide

Ride Don’t Hide is the largest mental health bike ride in Canada, and is organized by the Canadian Mental Health Association. Over more than a decade, tens of thousands of participants have raised more than 11 million dollars for community mental health.

There are multiple route options, ranging from 1K to 50K. Each registered rider gets a T-Shirt, Tim Horton treats and coffee before the ride, a BBQ lunch, and an afternoon filled with fun activities.

Registration fee is $55, children 12 and under are free.

Where: Polson Park
When: Jun 9

Schedule:

8 - 9AM: In-person registration
9 - 9:15AM: Welcome & warm up with Deem Fitness
9:30 - 10AM: Riders depart
10:30 - 11:30AM: Riders return
11AM - 1PM: Free BBQ & community booths

More info about the event is available here.

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