Juniper Ridge dirt jumps are no more

These jumps have been the center of attention in Kamloops papers since the summer of 2002, when a dual slalom track was constructed on the privately owned land. We would like to set the record straight, as we have been closely involved in the creation and maintenance of jumps at this world-renowned area.First of all, everyone who has used the jumps, which have been dubbed the Mosters or the Most-Airs, should pay tribute to a guy by the name of Mitch Waters, who, more than four years ago, equiped with only a shovel and enthusiasm, turned the first clump of soil. Since that day, there have been countless other local riders to thank for building and maintaining the jumps. Up until last summer, many well-known videos had been shot on location, and hundreds of riders visited the site with little controversy.

Then, an expertly constructed dual slalom track was built by one very generous and talented Kamloops mountain biker. Unfortunately, poor communication while obtaining permission to build the track on the private land resulted in one very angry land owner. To make matters worse, for some reason a self-styled "naturalist" took great personal offence to the construction of this DS course, and the resulting good times it created for riders. Soon after the the track was done, the land owner, at the urging of this same busy-body, contacted local RCMP and warned those of us who were on the scene that serious consequences would result if there was any further trespassing. Rumors flew that the jumps were going to be torn down. However, close to ten months passed and no action was taken. We figured that if we all kept a low profile, things would cool off and we would be able to keep this area going. Recently though, letters to the editor began to appear in the local paper which rekindled the controversy. Sadly, the end result is that the land owner hired an excavator to flatten the hundreds of hours worth of work in less then two days.

This is a prime example of how Kamloops and other cities are experiencing a rising problem with mountain bikers who just want a place to ride. You can show your support in Kamloops by telling the powers that be at City how much we need a bike park between Juniper Ridge and Vallyview. Hopefully, this article will clear up any rumors or misunderstandings about what was once one of the best rider-built dirt jump "parks" in Kamloops, and, arguably, in British Columbia.