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Secret billionaire mountain bike trails in Princess Louisa Inlet?

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Secret billionaire mountain bike trails in Princess Louisa Inlet?
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flag ergg
Posted: Sep 23, 2021 at 10:56 Quote
Some background:
A shadowy group called Global Conservation Mountain Biking Club owns a large parcel of land right beside Princess Louisa Provincial Park and does laps via helicopter on their private world class mountain biking trails. The club is believed to be owned by billionaire Kenneth Dart, an heir to Dart Container, makers of Styrofoam cups among other things. They also have trails in Mexico, Jamaica, Chile, Portugal, and New Zealand in equally as pristine remote areas.

Video:
https://vimeo.com/8827638

Old website:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160811162955/http://www.globalconservationmtbc.com/Canada.html
http://www.globalconservationmtbc.com/~site/Scripts_NewGuest/NewGuest.dll?CMD=CMDGetViewEntriesPage&STYLE=tech/&ENTRYID=&FORWARDFLAG=true&GBID=15759792&DISPLAY=31&TARGETURL=DEFAULT&EMAILADDRESS=ENC__f155d58789a200d1c03afa53e8066fcf2e636f6d&EM=false&CUSTOMVALUE=false&H_H=1755911023

News Stories:
https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/which-billionaire/
https://www.mcchord.af.mil/News/Photos/igphoto/2000944497/
https://www.stuff.co.nz/nelson-mail/news/85464808/lease-deal-grants-access-to-world-class-wairoa-gorge-mountainbike-trails
https://dart.ky/news/press-release/dart-donates-more-than-2-000-acres-of-land-in-new-zealand-as-mountain-bike-park
flag chettjames
O+
Posted: Oct 15, 2022 at 12:52 Quote
Hey my buddy walked up one if these trails recently. Do you have any more information? It's a bit of a boat ride from Powell River here...
flag ergg
Posted: Oct 27, 2022 at 17:08 Quote
chettjames wrote:
Hey my buddy walked up one if these trails recently. Do you have any more information? It's a bit of a boat ride from Powell River here...

The trail network is on OpenStreetMap but who knows what condition the trails are in.

https://www.openstreetmap.org/#map=15/50.1916/-123.8230

If you do go, film it. Would love to see how it compares to WBP.
flag HeyBaumeister
O+
Posted: Oct 28, 2022 at 12:08 Quote
Here's some more info from an article from 2013:

"An organization called Global Conservation Mountain Biking Club, whose actual owners have not been revealed, has bought a waterfront parcel. When the society learned that the mountain bikers would come into the inlet by helicopter there was some concern. Yet in the last year the club along with a team of New Zealand trail builders has sensitively constructed trails that can’t be seen from the inlet. They have one wooden float on the water that blends into the scenery. Their land is, for the most part, conserved in its natural state."

https://www.princesslouisa.bc.ca/history
flag axelerate
O+ FL
Posted: May 14, 2023 at 19:37 Quote
I was just there and also hiked up the trails. The amount of work that went into those trails is insane. The forest has reclaimed some things, but for the most part you'd just need a rake. The rockwork is some of the nicest I've ever seen and the trails seem like proper bike trails. It just blows my mind that these are sitting abandoned.
flag HeyBaumeister
O+
Posted: May 14, 2023 at 20:37 Quote
axelerate wrote:
I was just there and also hiked up the trails. The amount of work that went into those trails is insane. The forest has reclaimed some things, but for the most part you'd just need a rake. The rockwork is some of the nicest I've ever seen and the trails seem like proper bike trails. It just blows my mind that these are sitting abandoned.

Did you get any pics by chance? Can't believe they're abandoned, rich people things I suppose...
flag Deanobruce
O+
Posted: May 18, 2023 at 17:14 Quote
I am going on a 3 days trip to Princess Louisa soon, so will try walk them and get some photos.
flag axelerate
O+ FL
Posted: May 25, 2023 at 6:39 Quote
HeyBaumeister wrote:
Did you get any pics by chance? Can't believe they're abandoned, rich people things I suppose...

I did. Album here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/381gXw3Sj5FwiiFT6
flag Sun2306
Posted: May 26, 2023 at 13:06 Quote
Wow, those are some serious pieces of woodwork. It looks like that's traditional Shishá7lh (Sechelt) territory, I wonder what they know about this. It's so remote, can you even take a boat up there past the Malibu rapids?
flag axelerate
O+ FL
Posted: May 27, 2023 at 6:59 Quote
Sun2306 wrote:
Wow, those are some serious pieces of woodwork. It looks like that's traditional Shishá7lh (Sechelt) territory, I wonder what they know about this. It's so remote, can you even take a boat up there past the Malibu rapids?

Yes. You just need to wait till slack tide. It's so calm in there that once you're in you can paddleboard around easily.
flag Deanobruce
O+
Posted: May 29, 2023 at 14:30 Quote
Sun2306 wrote:
Wow, those are some serious pieces of woodwork. It looks like that's traditional Shishá7lh (Sechelt) territory, I wonder what they know about this. It's so remote, can you even take a boat up there past the Malibu rapids?

From what i can find online, the land the trails sit on are privately owned.
flag ergg
Posted: Jun 9, 2023 at 16:08 Quote
axelerate wrote:
I did. Album here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/381gXw3Sj5FwiiFT6

Cool photos! Thanks for sharing.

From what I heard through the grape vine is that a small army was needed to built the trails, including two dozen of so guys from New Zealand and most of the original Whistler/Squamish rogue builders.

Sun2306 wrote:
Wow, those are some serious pieces of woodwork. It looks like that's traditional Shishá7lh (Sechelt) territory, I wonder what they know about this. It's so remote, can you even take a boat up there past the Malibu rapids?

If you're kayaking/canoeing then you dock at the Malibu Club kids church camp and ask to portage across the rapids.
flag iffy
Posted: Jun 10, 2023 at 5:12 Quote
Global Conservation Mountain Bike Club?

Vulture fund capitalist...makes styrofoam cups for single use, uplifts in a chopper..

Couldn't make this shit up. lol
flag djyosh
O+ FL
Posted: Jul 19, 2023 at 10:39 Quote
axelerate wrote:
HeyBaumeister wrote:
Did you get any pics by chance? Can't believe they're abandoned, rich people things I suppose...

I did. Album here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/381gXw3Sj5FwiiFT6

Awesome - thanks for sharing! Need to prioritize a camping trip out here for some hiking and paddling!
flag jphippsy
Posted: Oct 17, 2023 at 13:45 Quote
Unreal place, spent a year there working…
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