Fat Biking trail takes off thanks to STA support

Photo courtesy of Frank Collins of Danger Dynamite Multimedia

Earlier this year, the Fatlanders Fat Tire Brigade received a $1,000 Member Grant from the STA to support their Winter Fat Bike Groomed Trail Network called the St. Barbe Winter Trail Network. A fat bike is an off-road bicycle with oversized tires, typically 3.8 in (97 mm) or larger and rims 2.16 in (55 mm) or wider, designed for low ground pressure to allow riding on soft, unstable terrain, such as snow and sand.

Fatlanders had two goals with the project: 1) To create a well signed and reliably groomed winter trail network in an under-utilized urban forest on the outskirts of Saskatoon; 2) To maintain, prepare, and further develop the trail network for the 2018-19 season.

The grant helped the club create 600m of new single track trail this year, bringing the groomed winter trail network to over 12km.  The amount of use the trail network is getting has demonstrated that winter recreational cycling can be a viable and enjoyable activity in Saskatoon for riders of all abilities.

The club is now better positioned to continue to grow and maintain the trail network. Its membership has grown 50 per cent over this time last year and many new riders are being introduced to winter riding thanks to the success of these trails. The membership has been validating their appreciation by donating over $1,000 since January through the Trailforks mapping mobile app and a further $1,400 at a fundraiser held Dec 2, 2018. These funds will be used to further enhance the clubs’ ability to operate, groom, and sustain the trails for 2018-19 season.

“Thank you to the Saskatchewan Trails Association for the Member Grant of $1,000 that helped us to create 600m of new trail and achieve our 2018 goals of establishing an awesome winter recreational area for the emerging sport of fat biking,” said Jeff Hehn, vice president/trail ambassador for FatLanders Fat Tire Brigade.

To learn more about the trail, visit http://sasktrails.ca/trail-directory-saskatoon.

Check out this video from the Dec.1 group ride in Saskatoon as part of Global Fat Bike Day: a world wide celebration of the emerging sport. There were 98 riders who took part: https://bit.ly/2Eko50o