New $400K mountain bike trail in Hope, B.C. packs a punch in just seven kilometres
The First Blood descent opens B.C.’s toughest terrain to mountain bikers—and pays tribute to Rambo in the process
There’s a new trail in Hope, B.C., and it doesn’t mess around. Its name? First Blood. It’s tough, gritty and full of drama.
Built on some of the most brutal terrain Thomas Schoen has ever worked on, the 7-kilometre descent is the first official mountain bike trail in the Hope Community Forest. It’s a black diamond, it’s steep, rocky and designed to shuttle — a rarity in new trail networks. And at nearly $400,000, it’s one of the most expensive single trails ever built in the province.
“I’ve been doing this commercially for 17 years,” says Schoen, founder of First Journey Trails and lead on the project. “And out of the hundreds of kilometres we’ve built, this was the hardest. No question.”
Steep, slick and expensive
Despite being surrounded by some of B.C.’s most popular riding destinations, Hope is a gap on the mountain biking map. Until now.
Schoen first helped develop the area’s trail master plan in partnership with the Fraser Valley Mountain Biking Association and Tourism Hope. But making the vision reality meant dealing with steep, wet terrain and sensitive erosion zones.
Construction involved as many as 17 builders at once. Even with that crew, progress slowed to just 60 to 80 metres per week in some sections.
“You couldn’t even consider a climbing trail here,” Schoen adds. “It would be totally cost-prohibitive. This is a shuttle-only zone.”
A Rambo tribute and a community rally
The name “First Blood” isn’t just a clever nod — it’s Hope’s claim to fame. The 1982 movie was shot in the town and Rambo tourism is alive and well.
“There are wooden Rambo statues on street corners,” laughs Schoen. “The local brewery even released a ‘First Blood’ beer.”
That kind of cultural tie-in helped build community support and funding came through Advantage Hope, the town’s tourism agency. The Fraser Valley Mountain Biking Association administered the grant and brought in Schoen’s crew for the build. Key among them was Lindsay Bishop, one of the lead trailbuilders.
More to come
The trail officially opens the weekend of June 27-29 with a three-day celebration: bike movies, brewery parties, a ribbon-cutting, shuttles and group rides. The town’s jump park will host a family day on Sunday.
While it’s too early to call it a full network, Schoen is confident more trails will follow.
“Now that First Blood is in, we can build connectors and spurs. Future trails won’t need this level of investment,” he says. “Once Hope sees the economic impact of mountain biking, it’s going to be a no-brainer.”