WORCA - Whistler Off Road Cycling Association

What WORCA - Whistler Off Road Cycling Association does

WORCA (Whistler Off Road Cycling Association) is a non-profit society founded in 1989 and headquartered in Whistler, British Columbia, operating as the primary trail stewardship organization for mountain biking in the Whistler valley. It maintains a paid trail crew of 11 builders, employs an Executive Director (Trevor Ferrao, since 2018), and is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors with a Council Appointee from the Resort Municipality of Whistler. The organization delivers a portfolio of recurring community programs — weekly Toonie Rides (34 events in 2024 combining in-person and virtual formats), Tuesday/Sunday Trail Nights, Phat DH Wednesdays, youth Dirt Camps, and Adult Coaching — alongside three annual race events: The Back Forty (capacity 300), The Witsend (women's enduro, launched 2023), and The Hillman, plus the Lord of the Squirrels enduro and fundraising rides.

The technology stack is intentionally lightweight and third-party: Trailforks provides trail mapping, ride recording, badge challenges (e.g., 35 Trails in 35 Days), and volunteer/event tracking; Amilia handles membership management and event registration with digital membership cards; PayPal processes donations; and Google Calendar distributes event .ics files. WORCA's principal proprietary asset is the physical trail network itself, including the 10km of blue singletrack (Far Out and Flashback trails) completed in 2024, with Flashback 1 being the network's first Adaptive MTB-standard trail built under a US$20K Fox Factory Trail Trust grant.

The business model is diversified non-profit revenue: membership dues (1,895 individual members in 2024), corporate sponsorships and corporate memberships at multi-tier price points (e.g., The Back Forty Title $8K, Witsend Presenting $5K, Trail Night $500 each), Trail Supporter donations ($25), youth camp registration fees, and significant public-sector and foundation grants — most notably the RMOW Fee-for-Service ($282K in 2024) and Whistler Blackcomb Foundation ($27K). The organization also directs charitable proceeds from its events to community partners including Indigenous Life Sport Academy, Whistler Search and Rescue, and PearlSpace.

Name

WORCA - Whistler Off Road Cycling Association

Legal name

Whistler Off Road Cycling Association

Website

https://worca.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

WORCA is a Whistler, BC-based non-profit that has stewarded the region's mountain bike trails since 1989, running weekly community rides, volunteer trail nights, youth Dirt Camps, and signature race events funded by memberships, corporate sponsorships, and government grants.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Trail Stewardship and Community Cycling Services

NAICS

Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers (71394)

SIC

Services-Membership Sports & Recreation Clubs (7997), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Cycling Events (Road Races, Gran Fondos, Sportives) (MPAKAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industry

Off-Road & Overland Adventure Tour Operators (4x4, ATV/UTV) (THAAADAF)

Keywords

• Trail stewardship
• Mountain bike events
• Volunteer trail building
• Youth cycling programs
• Community cycling association

Headquarters

HQ city

Whistler

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Individual and family memberships sold annually through the Amilia platform, providing access to events, trail nights, and member discounts
2. Event Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships for Toonie Rides, Trail Nights, The Back Forty, The Witsend, and other events at various tier levels (Title, Presenting, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Supporter)
3. Trail Night Sponsorships: Businesses sponsor individual trail nights at $500 per event, covering trail crew wages and volunteer food/drinks
4. Youth Dirt Camp Registrations: Fees from youth mountain bike camps operating during summer months
5. Grants and Donations: Funding from RMOW Fee for Service ($282K in 2024), Whistler Blackcomb Foundation ($27K), Fox Factory Trail Trust ($20K), and community donations
6. Corporate Memberships: Bronze level corporate sponsorship at $500 with codes for 9 adult memberships to distribute to staff

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

WORCA is a non-profit mountain biking association that stewards the trail network in Whistler valley through paid trail crews and volunteer trail nights. It delivers community rides (Toonie Rides, Phat DH Wednesdays), competitive race events (The Back Forty, The Witsend, The Hillman, Lord of the Squirrels), youth mountain bike camps (Dirt Camps), adult coaching, and an annual membership program with member discounts at local businesses.

Product overview

WORCA (Whistler Off Road Cycling Association) is a non-profit trail stewardship organization that has led mountain biking trail management in the Whistler valley for over 35 years. The organization operates as a platform of interconnected programs rather than a single product: its core offerings include Toonie Rides (weekly community rides), Trail Nights (volunteer trail work), Dirt Camps (youth coaching), Adult Coaching, and special race events including The Back Forty, The Witsend (women's enduro), The Hillman, and Lord of the Squirrels. These are supported by membership programs, corporate sponsorships, and trail mapping resources via Trailforks integration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• WORCA Toonie Rides: Weekly community mountain bike rides with optional apres gatherings, featuring various sponsorship categories (Course, Apres, Prizing).
• Dirt Camps
• The Back Forty
• The Witsend
• The Hillman

Products and services

• Toonie Rides Weekly mountain bike rides held throughout the summer season (May-September) with different sponsors providing courses, apres venues, food/beverages, and prizing. Offers Ride & Apres and Ride Only registration options for community riders.
• Trail Nights Volunteer trail work sessions held on Tuesday evenings (early season) and Sunday mornings (later season), with paid trail crew supervision, food and drinks provided for up to 30 volunteers per session.
• Dirt Camps (Youth Programs) Mountain bike camps for kids and youth taught by experienced coaches, including after-school camps and summer camps teaching cycling skills and building positive cycling ambassadors.
• Adult Coaching Coaching programs for adult riders looking to improve their mountain biking skills.
• The Witsend Women's enduro race event, the first women's enduro race in Whistler, with proceeds donated to local charitable causes.
• The Back Forty Annual mountain bike race event that sold out at 300 racers with capacity increased from 250 to 300. Features multiple sponsorship tiers from Title ($8,000) to Supporter ($500).
• The Hillman Enduro race event scheduled annually as part of WORCA's special events calendar.
• Lord of the Squirrels Enduro race event with associated fundraising campaigns (Everesting Lord of the Squirrels).
• Trail Maps Comprehensive trail maps and resources for the Whistler valley trail network, integrated with the Trailforks platform.
• WORCA Membership Annual membership program providing access to events, trail nights, camps, and member discounts at local businesses. Includes online membership card via the Amilia platform.
• Corporate Membership / Bronze Sponsorship Corporate sponsorship at $500 Bronze level (and higher tiers) including codes for 9 adult WORCA memberships for staff distribution.
• Phat DH Wednesdays Weekly downhill mountain bike rides held on Wednesdays, one of WORCA's regular community events.
• Far Out and Flashback Trail Opening Grand opening of the Far Out and Flashback trail project in the Cheakamus zone, a multi-year project resulting in 10km of blue singletrack suitable for adaptive mountain biking (aMTB), including Flashback 1 built to Adaptive MTB standards.

Quantifiable outcome

• 10km of new blue singletrack trail constructed (Far Out and Flashback)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration4 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• RMOW (Resort Municipality of Whistler)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Primary government funding partner providing Fee for Service funding ($282K in 2024) for trail operations and maintenance; also provides regulatory oversight for events and trail development
• Whistler ShuttleminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Donates $1 CAD to WORCA for every bike transported on their shuttles, supporting trail maintenance through transportation partnership
• Vorsprung SuspensionminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2018Donated $1,000 toward Cultured Climb trail project, demonstrating local business support for trail construction
• TrailforkscoreTechnology or IntegrationPlatform integration for trail tracking, ride recording, event badges, and trail condition reporting; used for volunteer management and event tracking
• Comor SportscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for Toonie Rides providing Apres venue and course sponsorship; promotes WORCA events to their customer base
• Buffalo Bills Bar & GrillcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent venue sponsor for Toonie Rides, hosting Apres events for up to 335 riders
• Forecast CoffeecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent venue sponsor for Toonie Rides, hosting Apres events at their Alpha Lake Road location
• RideWrapcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for Toonie Rides providing Prizing and Course sponsorship
• Smith OpticscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for Toonie Rides providing prize draws
• Spawn CyclescoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent sponsor for Toonie Rides providing prize draws
• The Longhorn SalooncoreGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent venue sponsor for Toonie Rides, hosting Apres events for up to 275 riders
• Cinnamon Bear (The Hilton)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerEvent venue sponsor for Toonie Ride + AGM with capacity of 120 riders
• Gibbons WhistlercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerParent company for Buffalo Bills and Longhorn Saloon venues; provides prizing for events
• PearlSpaceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharitable recipient of $2K donation from The Witsend 2023 event proceeds
• Indigenous Life Sport AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharitable recipient of $2,875 donation from The Back Forty 2024 and $3K in 2023
• Whistler Search and RescueminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharitable recipient of $1,043 donation from The Witsend event
• Indigenous Life Sport AcademyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRecipient of $8K from The Back Forty 2023 for new trail construction and mountain bike programming

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Squamish Off-Road Cycling Association (SORCA): A non-profit mountain bike advocacy and trail stewardship organization based in Squamish, BC. Operates the same membership-based model with volunteer trail nights, races, and youth programs in close geographic proximity to WORCA.
• Duthie Hill / Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance: Washington-state based non-profit that builds and maintains mountain bike trail networks including Duthie Hill. Highly comparable in mission, volunteer-driven model, and trail stewardship focus to WORCA.
• North Shore Mountain Biking Association (NSMBA): A volunteer-driven BC-based non-profit that builds, maintains, and advocates for mountain bike trails on Vancouver's North Shore. Highly comparable to WORCA in mission, volunteer-based operating model, and event programming.
• Pemberton Off-Road Cycling Association (PORCA): A small BC interior non-profit that stewards Pemberton-area mountain bike trails. Closely comparable in scale, membership model, and rural trail-building focus to WORCA.

Regional players

• Whistler Sport Legacies: A Whistler-area non-profit that operates athletic facilities and programs in the same region. While focused on multi-sport programming rather than mountain biking specifically, it shares WORCA's Whistler geography and community-recreation mission.
• Mountain Biking UK (MBUK): A major UK-based mountain biking media and community organization that organizes events and advocacy efforts. While regionally focused on the UK, it offers comparable event and community programming for mountain bikers.

Broad incumbents

• Cycling Canada: The national federation governing competitive cycling in Canada. Overlaps with WORCA's race-sanctioning and youth development work, though it operates at a much broader national scale.
• International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA): The leading mountain bike advocacy and trail stewardship organization in North America. Operates as a broader umbrella and resource provider across many local chapters similar to WORCA, with regional and national program scope.
• Cycling BC: The provincial governing body for competitive cycling in British Columbia. As a broader incumbent, it oversees racing, coaching, and advocacy across disciplines that include mountain biking — overlapping with WORCA's race events and youth development programs.

Others

• Crankworx Whistler: The world's largest mountain bike festival held annually in Whistler. Though commercial rather than non-profit, Crankworx shares WORCA's destination ecosystem and is a complementary event partner rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/worca
• Facebookfacebook.com/worca
• Instagraminstagram.com/worca
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/worca-whistler

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about WORCA - Whistler Off Road Cycling Association