Ride Burns Story

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Ride Burns (formerly Burns Lake Mountain Biking Association or BLMBA) was formally established in 2006. Three years prior, a small coalition of mountain bikers and invested citizens had been sent to the International Mountain Biking Conference in Whistler to explore the economic potential of mountain biking for our community. Upon their return, a fragmented community of disparate groups galvanized under what would become Ride Burn’s mission statement: to provide “A world-class network of trails and become a vibrant mountain biking community.”

Over the next decade, Ride Burns partnered with Burns Lake Community Forest, the Nechako-Kitamaat Development Fund, BC Recreation Sites and Trails, and a variety of government funding sources to grow our trail network and become BC’s first mountain biking pilot development area. 

Ride Burns also grew the culture of mountain biking exponentially with the highly anticipated “Big Pig Festival” and the province’s first all-women’s mountain biking camp “Babes in Balance,” each attracting riders from across the province and country. 

More locally, Ride Burns would service our youth by providing a three-to-six-week Bike Camp that is led by one of the highest per-capita community of Professional Mountain Biking Instructors Association (PMBIA) certified coaches in the country. 

Additionally, for older children, Project Trails has been introducing high school students to the many avenues of trail building and Spirit North has been initiating First Nations children into riding bikes on trails for years. 

Both aspects of our mission statement seemed to be assured and the culture of mountain biking in Burns Lake appeared to be unassailable. 

In January of 2012, a large fireball burst through the roof of our community’s lumber mill, killing two, injuring dozens, and threatening the economic stability of our village (captured in the film “Not Another Ghost Town” (2013). 

Our tragically wounded area rallied, and the mountain biking community echoed this spirit of resilience. 

Facing the economic downturn and the increased threat of fires, Ride Burns continued to rely on its 100% volunteer base, perhaps best characterized by its weekly Wednesday Work bees, to ensure the growth of mountain biking trail development and culture.  

Today, it is impossible to think of Burns Lake and not associate this community with mountain biking excellence. Our 100+ kilometers of purpose-build mountain biking trails is recognized worldwide (one Finnish visitor recently exclaimed that he had been “dreaming of coming to Burns Lake since he had been a small boy.”) and features in a large number of films and projects. 

Many of these collaborations are now expanding beyond the sport of mountain biking. 

A recent collaboration spear-headed by Patrick Lucas (featured in the video “Transcendence” (2025)) merges Indigenous art with land acknowledgement and trails. Visitors come from across the province, country, and world to camp at our free facilities, swim or fish in Kager Lake, and ride our world-class trail network or participate in our ground-breaking festivals. 

Not bad for a small band of dirt-bags who excavated a fiery capsule containing tools from the side of mountain that looked pretty good for descending at velocity.