You would be hard pressed to find someone who loves the sport of ATVing more than Stephen Cameron does. Originally a mountain biker, it is clear that Cameron genuinely appreciates the opportunity to get outdoors. After moving to Fort St. John in 2007 he started quadding and got linked in with the Moose ATV Club. He hasn’t looked back since.
“I’ve been a director with the club for two years now,” said Cameron. “I got onto the club through one of the dealers in town and from there it just kinda grew as a passion . . . I started riding that year—and got linked in even more—and really started to like it. I really liked getting into the backcountry—way out there—and really exploring stuff that people don’t get to see a whole lot of.”
That's how they roll
Now, Cameron rides a 2011 800-cc Outlander. Each year he manages to put about 2,000 kilometres on his machine. He rides locally at least a couple of times a month, which generally includes an organized club ride. On top of that, Cameron usually travels around B.C. to discover new riding areas and to meet up with quadders from other clubs. One favourite trip took place when riders from four different locations converged on Valemount after planning the trip through an ATV forum. Cameron said that the 500 kilometres he racked up in three days wasn’t nearly enough to properly explore the area.
Being a club director isn’t all fun and games, though. Cameron plans events and puts in a lot of volunteer time managing communications and expanding the website. The Moose ATV Club holds tenure on about 800 kilometres of trail around Fort St. John. Although the club has strong working relationships with both the local snowmobile and dirt bike clubs, the shared-use trails are free for everybody—which means a lot of work for those involved.
“Getting people actively involved in the club is one of the biggest challenges,” said Cameron. “It’s hard to get people motivated to come out and actively participate or actually volunteer some time. There is a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes that people don’t even take note of or even realize . . . Most of them just go out and ride and don’t pay any mind to much else. Our club usually averages around 100 to 140 members a year, but still it would be nice to have a 500- or 600-member club. You could do unbelievable things with that many people.”
A part of things
Cameron believes that simply having a presence can make a big difference for those who also love the sport.
“So many areas, especially in southern B.C., are being either restricted or being changed or reduced in access,” he said. “Things are going to get affected down the road and the more people that are involved the better the transition will be because there will be more people saying, ‘Hey we want access, we want to be able to ride here.’ The bigger the voice the more influence you have with the government.”
The Moose ATV Club is doing a lot for quadding in northern B.C. The club is particularly well organized. Quadders visiting the area can get in touch to find out about the best trails; local riders might even show them around. Updated maps are also for sale at dealers and visitor centres.
Cameron plans to stay involved simply out of a love for the sport. “The speed at which you can explore (is probably my favourite thing),” he said. “You can go so far and see so many different things in one day, or a few days, that it’s just almost mind-boggling. It’s getting out there and exploring unseen places that people just don’t get to see. I love to ride, I love to go fast, but I also love to see the scenery."
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