Trail Network Masterplans // Community Trail Plans // Trail-Crew Training and Workshops // Trail Construction // Crew Supervision // Project Management // Trail Inventory Studies and Evaluations // Environmental Trail Assessment Feasibility Studies // Business Plans // Marketing Plans // Government Liaison // Trail Maintenance Plans // Construction Budget Consultation // Mapping and Signage // Cycling Culture Development Plans //  Non Profit Management Services  

PAST PROJECTS

Past projects include the planning and construction of a number of community signature trails. Highly experienced master trailbuilders on crew. Recent projects include work for: 

• Ministry of Recreation Sites and Trails B.C. 

• District of Wells

• Williams Lake Cycling Club

• Prince George Cycling Club

• Simpcw First Nation

• Xat'sull First Nation

• Skawahlook First Nation

• City of Quesnel

• City of Williams Lake

• Village of Clinton

• Aboriginal Youth Mountain Bike Program

• BCORMA

• Likely Community Forest

• Barkerville Historic Town

• Gold Rush Snowmobile Trail

TRAIL NETWORK MASTERPLANS

Bella Coola MTB Trail Masterplan (Project Example)

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In 2016 FJT was contracted by MFLNRO to develop a comprehensive MTB Trail Masterplan for the Bella Coola Valley, including trail layout, trail mapping and recommendations for future trail development opportunities. The consultant met with a number of stakeholders, including local MTB riders, recreational trail users, the Central Coast Regional District, the Bella Coola Resource Society and the Regional School District. The first project meetings were held with the Nuxalk First Nation Chief & Council, the Nuxalk Development Corporation and other community leaders. Prior to engaging with the Nuxalk Nation, we invited a group of FN youth to a Williams Lake riding clinic and also hosted a MTB trailbuilding workshop at the local school. Community buy-in and project support was tremendous and helped move the project forward quickly. A major challenge was the size and difficult terrain of the proposed network area. Weeks of field work were required to complete trail layout and identify opportunities. Staff cost was much higher than anticipated. The initial project idea of developing one network to start with, was changed after the community consultation process and FJT delivered a more comprehensive plan, including 3 trail networks and 1 stand-alone trail. This unforeseen development resulted in approx. 8 extra work days to complete an inventory study of a non-sanctioned network.

MTB TRAIL PROJECTS

Snakes & ladders - Signature Trail: Williams Lake

(Previous Work Example) 

“Snakes & Ladders” is Williams Lake’s signature trail. FJT was hired to rebuilt sections of the old, existing “Snakes & Ladders” and extend it to the River Valley, to create one top-to-bottom trail experience. Structures include the now legendary “Sky Berms” and a suspension-bridge. 120,000+ board feet of custom milled lumber has been heli-dropped and packed in by the FJT crew. Extremely steep and loose sections called for innovative construction methods. In partnership with MFLNR, we designed armored trail sections using concrete paving blocks and wooden TTF’s to minimize erosion. FJT needed to design a new style of range fence crossings along the trail, that is now the preferred fence crossing style in the Interior Region of BC. The budget did not allow for enough funds to pack in all the lumber. FJT purchased a new, high end DH bike (valued at $5,000). Volunteers packed in lumber for raffle tickets, each trip of approx. 30 minutes equaled 1 ticket. Over a time period of three weeks, we were able to deliver all the material needed to construct the legendary sky-berms and a happy FN youth volunteer won the bike.

2018/19 PROJECTS

• Soda Creek Trail Network Expansion

• Desous Network Phase II Development

• Tabor Mountain Trail Development Masterplan

• Simpcw Trail Network Expansion

• City of Quesnel MTB Trail Masterplanning

• Williams Lake Trail Maintenance Projects

• Skawahlook Adventure Park

• Thompson Rivers University Field School: Trail Building

• First Nations Community Outreach Projects

• Esdilagh FN Trails

• Atlin BC Stakeholder Engagement & Planning 

THOMAS SCHOEN

CEO, Planner & Builder

Thomas is a Director for the Williams Lake Cycling Club, the Aboriginal Youth Mountain Bike Program and is the President of the Cariboo Mountain Bike Consortium. He is a Provincial trail advocate and advisor and teaches trail design/building to First Nations trail crews in BC. Thomas has a 25+ year background as an award winning tourism consultant, business owner and is a skilled craftsman.

MITCH FORBES

Project Manager & Crew Leader

Mitch is a master trailbuilder and trail design specialist. After seeing picture after picture and movie after movie of the west coast riding scene he pulled the pin on Toronto and moved to North Vancouver.  Since then he logged 17 years in the bike industry, mainly as a wrench but the last couple years as a sales rep.  From the beginning he was building jumps out of what ever he could combine to catch air.  Dirt jumps lead to short downhill tracks which lead to scouting connectors between his favorite trails to building whole trails top to bottom.  Living in and riding in North Vancouver gave him a strong appreciation for the power of water and erosion.  He mainly did repairs on existing trails in NV which was a full-time job, time-wise, in the winter months sometimes seeing 100+mm of rain in a days and as many as 300 riders down a trail on a busy day. Since living in the Cariboo he has spent hundreds of volunteer hours each year maintaining our local trails and ensuring we have a safe and enjoyable trail system. Mitch joined FJT in March of 2017 as a full-time crew foreman.

SKYLAR CAMILLE

Builder & Crew Boss

Sky joined the FJT crew in early 2017 and came from the Sun Peaks trail crew to work for us. He started as a full-time builder in 2016, but has years of experience building trails on the Simpcw FN lands near Barriere, BC.

IAN DAVIDSON

Master Builder

Ian joined the company in April of 2018 and is now working full-time as a trail builder. He grew up in Williams Lake, where at a young age he took up mountain biking. Ian has a strong forestry background and is an experienced crew leader.

PATRICK LUCAS

Planner/Advisor

Patrick is an award-winning registered professional community planner with 12 years of experience. He started out working in remote areas of South East Asia for CUSO-VSO Canada and returned to Canada to help develop communities in BC and Alberta. 

Pat provides comprehensive community planning services focusing on economic development, stakeholder engagement and land use, recreation and tourism planning.

 JAMES DOERFLING - Sub Contractor to FJT

Guest Builder/Advisors

 James is quite simply one of the best big mountain riders in the world. A Red Bull Rampage athlete, James is a legend and takes riding to a new level with his first descents. With over a decade of trailbuilding experience, James is now running his own company and regularly joins forces with Thomas. He feels privileged to be part of our great team and advancing mountain bike development in BC’s Interior and the North.

JANE WELLBURN

Planner/Advisor

 Jane has held contracts with FJT for the past 3 years. Jane Wellburn holds a Master’s degree in Anthropology from the University of Victoria (2012) and has significant experience working with First Nations communities in the Cariboo Chilcotin – the same area where she was born and raised. In 2012, Jane worked with the Carrier Chilcotin Tribal Council on a project to revitalize the Nuxalk-Carrier Grease Trail (Alexander Mackenzie Heritage Trail). As part of a land use planning team that worked extensively with community members from six local First Nations, Jane was the lead author of an updated management plan for the heritage trail that reflects First Nations’ histories, current values, and potential economic development opportunities. Building on the foundation of the updated management plan, in 2013-2014 Jane worked with the Grease Trail Steering Committee, comprised of representatives from member communities, stakeholder organizations and the provincial government, to implement the plans recommendations. An avid mountain biker, Jane has spent several years assisting with the Williams Lake Boys and Girls Club youth mountain bike program and is ever grateful for the expansive mountain bike trail network that surrounds her home in Williams Lake, BC, where she lives with her partner Kurt Williams and her son Angus.

ADVISORS & FRIENDS

Industry Insiders

FJT Key Advisors & Friends/Partners

Too many to mention, our advisors, friends and partners include leading mountain bike industry experts. We call on these individuals for advice and up-to-date industry information. 

• Bill McLane - Master-Builder

• Riley McIntosh - Master Builder

• Doug Detwiller - Founder Sprockkids

• Eric Burgon - Bikeparkitect Owner and Trail Designer

• Curtis Seeger - VARDA

• Ted Morton - BC Enduro Organizer

• MBTA, IMBA, PinkBike

• Liam Baker - Transportation Engineer City of Kamloops

• Martin Littlejohn - MTBA

• Mark “Shreddie” Savard - MTB Trail Advocate

BABY MOOK

Trail Dog

No craft brewery or MTB trail construction company is complete without a four legged staff member.

FJT AND THE ABORIGINAL YOUTH MOUNTAIN BIKE PROGRAM

May 2018

MEET SKYLAR FROM FIRST JOURNEY TRAILS

June 2018

SKAWAHLOOK ADVENTURE PARK

May 2018

XATS'ULL TRAIL NETWORK

Summer 2017

PRE-QUALIFICATION LIST

First Journey Trails has been selected as a preferred contractor for both, trail planning and trail construction by the
Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations.

SKAWAHLOOK ADVENTURE PARK

This is our largest project to date. Trails, pump track, skills park, viewing platforms and more. First Journey Trails is the prime contractor and responsible from the park's concept to construction. Project planning started in summer/fall of 2017.

THE SEPERATOR

In 2017 FJT built the largest wooden structure in BC's Interior. The Seperator stunt is part of the new 35km+ Soda Creek Trail Network, designed by FJT.

DEEP BLUE SODA

After a summer of wildfires in the Interior of BC, it took two crews to complete the 17 kilometre XC trail "Deep Blue Soda". The Xats'ull First Nations trail crew under the leadership of Mitch Forbes and Jeremy Stowards, finished the region's longest XC trail before winter.

STEP IT UP

First Journey's trailbuilders Chris Purdy and Allan Pine helped design and lay-out the new signature trail at ChuChua.

OTHER 2017 PROJECTS

Other projects in 2017 included:

• Bella Coola Valley Trail Masterplan

• Bella Coola Trail Development Project Management

• Desous Mountain Trail Construction Phase 1

• Desous Mountain Trail Masterplan Phase 2

• Thompson Rivers University Field School: Trail Design

• Williams Lake Westsyde trail maintenance

• Workshops, presentations, media trips, trail advocacy

CARIBOO MOUNTAIN BIKE CONSORTIUM

 Ride The Cariboo

ABORIGINAL YOUTH MOUNTAIN BIKE PROGRAM

AYMBP