Trails Update: June 25, 2026
Hot and Dusty Marmots!
Despite the still deep snowpack at the treeline (on flatter terrain), Marmots are out doing their Marmot thing… Lounging. Sadly, riders won’t be doing their thing in the alpine for a while! It will take several more weeks of hot weather before Lord Of The Squirrels is open from the lake. The alpine rangers told me that the snow patches are a metre deep around the cabin (1640m). Down in the valley, our team of Marmots (trail building volunteers) are far more active! They came out in droves for Father’s day MAYHEM!!! Fanatyco was the trail day sponsor and they brought some great swag and a bunch of their staff to help shape some big turns. From Function Junction, anyone looking up can see how steep the mountainside is… that meant stacking countless rocks to elevate the berms. Our boots quickly filled with dust as we blasted through a pleasantly thin layer of organics. “Don’t dig into that yet… we’ll need some moisture before shaping the tread”. It looks like we're going to get some rain leading up to our next trail day: On July 5th, Helly Hansen Workwear will be kitting out the trail crew and providing goody bags for 30 volunteers so sign up here to help shape the Marmot Mayhem!
Are Schools Out Yet?
Checking my calendar, I realized we needed to get brushing! We rushed out to cut back the vegetation along the Far Out/Flashback loop before summer traffic gets “heavy”. Sightlines are way better, but don’t throw caution to the wind chasing your personal best time… Wildlife use the trails too! We encountered Deer, grouse and a Mamma Bear with 2 tiny cubs on the trail. Please give the bears a wide berth as they gorge on ripe berries.
In another vegetation related story: On July 12, WORCA will team up with the Sea to Sky Invasive Species Council (SSISC) to learn how to manage invasive species and pull some Burdock around the start of Flashback 4. Join us from 10am to noon to help banish those pesky burr factories!
See you on the Trails!
Dan Raymond
WORCA Lead Trail Builder
