healthy Communities
mountain bike
Project builds
Confidence in the
Crowsnest Pass
Karey Lee Watanabe has a lifelong
passion for mountain biking, and is
passing that passion along to residents
of the Crowsnest Pass – starting with the
young people she mentors at the local
Boys and Girls Club.
Watanabe has world-championship
aspirations for her students, borne of
her own background as a professional
mountain biking competitor with more
than 20 years of experience – primarily in
Japan, where she lived and worked prior
to returning full time to Alberta.
Originally from Edmonton, Watanabe
said she was captivated by the Crowsnest
Pass area when she first visited nearly
5 years ago – to the point where she
bought a house and started a summer
business offering cycling tours and
coaching, commuting between her home
in Hakuba, Nagano, Japan.
“When I first came upon the Skills Site
and walked the trails (located on the Pass
Powderkeg ski hill overlooking Blairmore)
I knew I wanted to teach on them,” she
said. “They are perfect. For me it will
be a dream come true if I can help kids
experience cycling in this amazing place.”
This year, six kilometres are being
added to 16 km of existing trails near the
community. More than 40 km of trails
have also been developed on public and
private land. The trail systems are built
and maintained to International Mountain
Bicycling Association (IMBA) standards.
Eryn Sawatzky, a Coleman resident
whose son Sawyer spent all summer
flying through the air on his bike
and learning to ride safely, said the
opportunity allowed him to move beyond
what was comfortable and familiar, and
possibly catch the bug that is mountain
biking – for life.
“The confidence boost this gave him
was huge, and expanded his horizons
a lot,” Sawatzky said. “He wouldn’t
have had this chance if not for the Boys
A
and Girls Club, and Karey Lee’s passion
for helping the kids learn in a safe and
encouraging environment.”
She added that Sawyer, age nine,
has been riding a bike since he was five
years old, but understanding how to ride
properly, especially in the mountains,
gives him a huge advantage.
“With these excellent trails literally in
our back yards, it’s really important for
kids to not only learn how to ride properly
but to understand that there’s a huge
group of people in the community who
love this sport and want everyone to
succeed.”
their hometown mountains in a whole
new way.
“We have a beautiful facility, we have
people with passion for the sport, and
we continue to gain momentum through
local organizations like the United Riders
of the Crowsnest Pass Cycling Club
(UROC) — a really enthusiastic group of
people who have put thousands o