'It's just really fun': Winter biking picking up traction in Banff

Rise of winter biking in Banff Winter biking is really picking up traction in Banff and CTV's Teri Fikowski went for a spin around town to see for herself.

Banff residents are embracing winter biking thanks to a volunteer-led program encouraging people to trade their steering wheel for handlebars.

Erin Grimsley never considered herself an outdoor person, let alone someone who would bike in the winter, but that all changed when she moved to Banff with her husband and two children from Australia a year and a half ago.

“I honestly can’t be bothered with the car. By the time you get the car warmed up, the kids in the car seat, you could be to school and back,” she said ahead of the family’s morning bike ride to school and then daycare.

“You know for us it’s just about efficiency, enjoyment and it’s just really fun.”

She credits the Community Cruisers’ Bike All Winter program for helping her embrace cold-weather cycling and her bike becoming her main mode of transportation around town.

“Even when it was that horrendous weather of minus 40 or whatever, we were still doing it. I just wore my ski helmet and goggles, I looked like a bit of a dork but it worked really well,” she said.

The volunteer-run program launched in September 2020 and aims to reduce barriers to biking for residents in Banff and Canmore through free or subsidized equipment, including studded tires, lights, and fenders.

“It took away the main cost of it,” Grimsley explains. “I got studded tires, I got lights and bits and pieces. They fit it all for me so I didn’t have to that and they offered support, so like a mentor.”

Now in its fourth season, the program continues to grow in popularity and accepts 100 people every year.

“The first year we had 165 people apply and we were planning on supporting 25 participants, so we looked at a lot of ways to increase the program and we applied for more funding,” Jen Tweddell, Community Cruisers’ board of directors president, said.

“Typically we get some folks that are new to Canada, we get some folks who have been living in the Bow Valley their whole lives, all ages.”

Graymont Carbon Reduction Fund, the Town of Canmore and the Town of Banff all contribute funds to the program.

Banff town council recently approved a longer-term operating grant and increased its contributions to $10,000.

Michael Hay, the environment manager for the town of Banff, said the grant is funded through the visitor parking reserve rather than taxes.

“All the people visiting Banff and parking their cars, they are also contributing financially to supporting locals getting around without cars, which is a great way of helping to improve the quality of service and quality of life in Banff for residents and visitors,” he said.

The Bike All Winter program in Banff and Canmore runs from November to March and accepts new applications annually from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15.

E-bike rebate program

The Bike All Winter program is one of many initiatives helping to increase active transportation, particularly biking, in Banff.

The town’s e-bike rebate program saw a swift uptake after launching two years ago, with the town issuing roughly 300 rebates.

“It has been extremely popular. The first year we restricted the amount of budget that was available for rebates and all that money disappeared within the first couple weeks of opening the program so it was very, very popular,” Hay said.

The town offers a rebate worth a percentage of the purchase price of an e-bike, up to $500 or 25 per cent of the cost of an e-bike.

Hay said it aligns with the town’s environmental, accessibility and affordability priorities.

“We’re really trying to build a community where you don’t need a car to get around,” he said.

“In the summertime, we have millions of visitors that come here every year and a lot of them drive, so for residents it can be tough to get to work or even tough to live in Banff if you’re just constantly working against that tourist traffic so it’s much easier sometimes to get around on a bike.”

The town’s programs supporting cycling year-round have been so popular that it has been a challenge accommodating them downtown with enough bike racks and charging stations.

It’s not just residents partaking, with touring companies like BIKESCAPE busy not just in the summer, but year-round.

Clare McCann, who also heads the Bow Valley Mountain Bike Alliance, said a Parks Canada three-year pilot project launched in 2021 to allow fat biking on mountain trails has also helped grow interest in winter biking.

“I tour almost every day,” McCann said. “I park my truck, I don’t drive my truck. I have a bike that takes me literally anywhere I need to go.”

Bike enthusiast, author and journalist Tom Babin said other communities and urban centres like Calgary would benefit from similar winter biking programs and rebates.

“The perception that it’s really difficult to get out and ride your bike would be overcome by helping people get the right gear, just making it a little easier, just anything to give people a nudge to get out there and use the facilities we have would be a good thing,” he said.

“There are limits in the city because we don’t have a great, robust bike network across the whole city yet but hopefully we’ll get there and we can do what Banff is doing where we’re seeing so many people riding out in the winter time.”

To learn more about the eligibility of Banff’s e-bike rebate program and other rebates, such as for studded tires and cleats, visit the town’s website.