grab a shovel, make a friend.

Volunteers are the heart of our bike community. Fostering relationships between trail builders and volunteers allows members to learn new skills and make new friends. SORCA promotes respectful land usage of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw traditional territory through the development of sustainable trails that will serve future riders. SORCA strives to  develop the highest quality trail experience through symbiotic relationships with land owners, riders, builders and volunteers. You can help us maintain our exceptional bike community with a trail day.

    • Show up at the designated meeting point. We will review safety procedures and plans for the day together, divide into small groups, and then head to the trail to get digging!

    • Beginners welcome - You don’t need to be an experienced trail builder or rider!

    • The focus is on facilitating high quality (rather than quantity) trail work.

    • Each trail day has at least one Lead Builder who will explain what to do and direct the group's efforts (It is also a good time to meet and learn from diverse trail builders in our community!)

    • Trail days last 2-4 hours.

    • All tools provided.

    • Water and a snack! Digging may make you hungry

    • Clothes you aren’t worried about getting dirty.

    • Layers so you are cool while working, and warm while taking a break.

    • Durable, closed toe shoes or boots.

    • Bug spray and rain gear depending on the weather (we work in almost all conditions)

    • Light and a cell phone for emergencies

    • All trail day volunteers must be SORCA members.

    • All minors must be accompanied by an adult.

    • Notify the Lead Builder of any health concerns that they should be aware of (Use of an inhaler, Epi Pen etc)

    • Accessibility questions or issues? Reach out to aj@sorca.ca to see how we can help!

    • Please leave the four-legged’s at home 🐶

our different dig days

  • BEGINNER’S DIG DAYS

    If you want to meet other beginner volunteers, these days are for you. Squamish has a ton of lowkey great beginner trails that we’re going to put some love into. Beginner days will focus on doing a little bit of work and a lot of talking about what we’re doing and why. (Beginners can also attend the normal dig days too!)

    Fear not. Groups and projects will be small, leaving plenty of time for Q&A about aspects of trail maintenance or building you have always wanted to know. You will come away with a good ‘I can do it’ spirit and a better picture of what goes into this network. Also, there will be snacks.

  • WOMEN’S DIG DAYS

    Let’s face it, trail building has been pretty heavily male-dominated up to now. However, we know that this isn’t the way it should be. 41% of SORCA’s membership clicked the ‘ol ‘F’ checkbox when filling out their membership. Maybe that’s due to the strong female leadership on the SORCA board? Way more than half, awesome.

    Nonetheless, structural problems require structural solutions, so with the women's dig days we're carving out space for awesome trail work and an important home for this conversation.

  • YOUTH DIG DAYS

    Kids will be kids, and that’s where we come in. Somewhere between “just kids playing in the woods” and “serious adults building serious trails” is a period of growth and learning (and gray area). We’re big believers in learning by doing, but not everyone needs to learn why pallets are a bad choice for jumps.

    So, humans of Squamish without a fully developed prefrontal cortex, these days are for you (and your family!). Ideally you’re between 8 and 14 years old and want to see why, how, and where to build. Bring your bikes and helmets too, as we’ll test and talk about what we build.

  • WALK AND TALKS

    A lot goes into building and maintaining trails, but what exactly? A small number of days will answer that question. We’ll hike a short loop and discuss what’s happening on the trails and what we can do about it. We’ll discuss trail users, terrain, difficulty, land ownership, and building techniques. If you join us for one of these days, you’ll come away knowing two key things:

    • Riding bikes is much more fun than hiking, and

    • What goes into trail work and how that makes things better.

Interested in sponsoring a dig day? Please contact us at info@sorca.ca . We also love to see your volunteer photos! Please send them to info@sorca.ca or tag @squamishbikes on Instagram.