The SNOC/Velomarais Team

Superior North Outdoor Center/VELOMARAIS is owned and operated by Mark and Melinda Spinler. The doors opened to Superior North Outdoor Center almost twenty years ago because the Spinlers wanted to share their love of the outdoors, and especially bicycling, with the residents and visitors to this great place.

Melinda Spinler

Melinda grew up hopping the globe as an Army brat and reveled in learning about backpacking, climbing, and jumping out of planes as a young girl. She majored in Outdoor Education and got a master’s in Experiential Education. All in all a fancy way to say “how to play and learn in the outdoors”. She worked as an instructor for Wilderness Education Association in Wyoming and settled with Mark in northern Minnesota. They still enjoy exploring the back areas of the globe.

Mark Spinler

Mark is a farm boy with a degree in Resource Management and Outdoor Recreation. His unique resourcefulness stems from his farm experiences and a minor in engineering. (You’re bound to see new twists on biking throughout the shop.) Mark’s natural cat-like reflexes serve him well whether scaling the cliffs of the North Shore, mountaineering in some remote part of the globe or biking his favorite routes. A Wilderness Education Association leadership graduate, Mark feels strongly about people exploring the outdoors in a safe and prepared manner. “Have fun but know how to get yourself back.”

In the late 80’s Mark and Melinda were the first to take their mountain tandem to southern Chile to explore an area just opening to outsiders. They continue to explore out of the way areas but their first love now is developing their remote homestead in the north woods. Between building their home, putting up a wind generator, producing their own food and developing a commercial “sugarbush”, they stay busier than they need but still enjoy talking “bike” with folks in the shop.

Jerry Hiniker

Jerry Hiniker, former owner of Blaine Velo Sports in the cities, joined the staff here at Superior North last summer. Jerry retired from shop ownership when he and his wife Diane closed their store after 17 years (at the end of 2004) and decided to build their new home near Grand Marais. Jerry did not retire from the bicycle business but has continued to do occasional “wrenching” and wheelbuilding, which is one of his specialties. He has remained active as a board member of the National Bicycle Dealers Association, currently serving as Treasurer and chair of the Advocacy Committee. Beside his superior mechanical skills Jerry has strong experience in governmental relations, he has held elective office as well as state level appointive offices and has been a lobbyist, counting the National Sports Center and Velodrome among his key accomplishments. An enthusiastic biker and hiker, Jerry plans to move mountain biking ahead of his favored track and road riding, and wants to build a group of “over the hill” riders for weekly excursions.

Adam Harju

Adam is a captain on the Hjørdis, the two-masted schooner of the North House Folk School, plying the saltless seas of the Great Lakes. Adam has years of experience river rafting, kayaking, canoeing, bike guiding. Winterwise, Adam is into all manner of ski - cross and down. Adam is our Resident Beast/Extreme Sportler extraordiare! It was all the photographer could do to get him to pose with a commuter (sic) bike.