Club promotes Bigfork outdoors

Three lone bicyclists convened at Brookies Cookies with their mountain bikes at 9:30 a.m. Saturday morning. An easy ride up the Swan River Trail with spring sun and blue skies in their near future.

It was a small gathering for the Bigfork Bike and Paddle Club’s first ride. But founder Dennis Ketterman is confident it will grow.

Ketterman said long ago he started a ski club in Steamboat Springs, Colo.—for the first two months he was the only one who showed up, but now, decades later, the ski club lives on without him.

In addition to mountain bike rides, Ketterman will lead paddles in Bigfork Bay and on the Swan River, starting May 12.

Ketterman’s goal is to make mountain biking and water sports accessible to everyone, Flathead Valley residents and tourists alike. So every Saturday morning from here on out, Ketterman will lead a similar activity from Brookies Cookies.

“It kind of brings people together,” Ketterman said. “I want everybody to have an opportunity to get outside.”

The idea is to pull people away from cars and computers and to cure what the club slogan names, “nature deficit disorder.” He wants to get people outside.

Ketterman’s lived in Bigfork for three years now and to him Bigfork is more than just an art community. Bigfork has it all—Flathead Lake, the Swan River’s wild mile, and wilderness areas with hiking and biking trails—and he wants to promote it.

“They say 10 million tourists come to Montana each year,” Ketterman said. “They’re coming here because of the mountains, because of the recreation, and they want to be outdoors.”

The club’s goal is to host races like bi-yaking, bike then kayak, and hold time trials for both, in addition to Saturday morning’s bike-rides and paddles.

On Friday nights, the club also hosts a networking mixer at the Swan River Inn from 6-8 p.m. Last Friday was the first meeting, with six in attendance. The group discussed potential events, what direction the club should take and other ways to get more people involved.

Linda Pilote from Whitefish attended both events and thinks the club is a good idea. She has mountain biked for the last couple of years and hopes to increase her skill level.

“A lot of my friends do bike and I’ve been thinking I needed to get out and get some fresh air,” Pilote said. “It’s just a good time to get together and enjoy the beauty of our valley.”

For more information about the club contact Ketterman at 407-2773 or visit the website at www.alternatives-magazine.com/bikeandpaddle.html.