Members of the Crowsnest Pass Quad Squad gather for the annual closer on September 16 at PEAKS Campus west of Coleman. Nicholas L. M. Allen photo.
Nicholas L. M. Allen
Sep 20, 2023
The local group of quad enthusiasts gathered for their year-end closer at the PEAKS Campus west of Coleman.
The Crowsnest Pass Quad Squad held their annual closer on September 16 at PEAKS Campus.
Members enjoyed a 50-kilometre-long trail and took part in the poker run, raffles, games and a meal. The location was the Livingstone Range School Division PEAKS Campus, the old tourist info center west of Coleman.
President of CNP Quad Squad Gary Clark said the trail wasn’t challenging but had a few tricky spots for the 100 plus riders on the trail in roughly 70 machines. About 140 people registered for the supper.
“We always have a poker run which is well received. We have silent auctions and all the money that we raise goes back into the club to build the bridges and maintain the trails,” said Clark.
Dwight Melnyk, a member of the Quad Squad since 2017, travelled down for the closer. He said he comes down to the Crowsnest Pass probably three or four times a year.
“Everything we love to do is down here. We kayak, quad, hike and my wife’s brother and sister-in-law live down here,” said Melnyk.
Melnyk said he put on about 1,500 kilometres on his quad riding with his wife. The people and the outdoors drew him back to this year’s Quad Squad closer.
“It’s just always a good get together. Everyone is just friendly, everyone is happy. It’s nice. It’s a good family outing,” said Melnyk.
He added it is sad to see people trying to shut down trails for ATV’s.
“We’re not there to rip up the back country or anything. We all enjoy a common thing. The back country is beautiful, and we should be enjoying it,” said Melnyk.
Long-time members Greg Shaw and Lori East spoke together at the Quad Squad closer, commenting on the changes they have seen in their time with the club.
“The quads have got bigger. They’re all side-by-side now with twice as much power and they got the two-seater quads now, makes it a bit safer when you’re going two-up,” said Shaw.
There seems to be more people in southern Alberta interested in the club, claimed East.
“It was always big, but it was never this massively big,” said East.
The club did get a grant from the government a number of years ago and bought equipment to repair the trails. Their main goal is to try and bridge all the water on the trails.
The Crowsnest Pass Quad Squad is a non-profit organization that manages over 600 kilometres of trails in the Rocky Mountains of southwest Alberta. Club membership is $50 for a family, with more information on quadsquad.ca.