The Mission

It is our mission to develop and maintain responsible backcountry human-powered trail use for the enjoyment and vitality of our community, with a broad inclusive understanding of our community. The WMBA's job is to secure access for ski and snowboard use of backcountry terrain throughout the region, to maintain existing terrain and develop new zones with the help of membership support, to help build community and life-long social connections, and to provide technical education for safe travel in the backcountry of WMass and beyond.

Creating Access

WMBA is dedicated to increasing recreational access in the wild lands of western Massachusetts. It is our mission to develop and maintain responsible backcountry trail use for the enjoyment of our community. We are committed to environmental stewardship and believe that increased opportunities for close contact with wild lands naturally leads to personal interest in the protection and advocacy of that special resource. WMBA’s concern for issues of social justice and economic equity informs our broader vision of inclusion and diversity in the backcountry, (as well as our interest in creating positive economic impact in our rural communities.)

Building Community

The (re)development, maintenance, and use of backcountry trails in WMass is our primary goal. As national trends in human-powered recreation increase dramatically, the potential exists for this demographic to also benefit the emerging outdoor economy in the region. Our capacity to structure this expanding interest into low-impact use will be a critical factor for managing both enjoyment of use as well as damage from misuse. Organizing new users into WMBA will help to create a unified vision of use and purpose, with shared language, narratives, ethics and etiquette. Veteran users will be deterred from illegal trail cutting and will serve as a valuable resource for backcountry safety and travel in wilderness settings.

Developing Programing

Offering backcountry education and safety (AVI and WFR certification, etc) workshops

Introduction to backcountry gear and touring basics for newbies

Providing gear rental/library to members

Outreach to welcome LGBT, BIPOC communities

Offering guided group tours of WMBA zones

Hosting weekly nighttime ‘Rando Races’

Hosting social events like BC Film Festivals, group discussions presentations, gear exchange (b/s/t)

Provide membership discounts through various sponsor/partnerships

organize ‘Alliance” tours in VT, NH, and Maine, and annual ‘Big Tour’ out West, Chic-chocs, etc

Cultivate affinity alliances with other BC groups

Help to develop local community rope tows throughout the region