Portal Trail photo by dauw.

Last week the Team Fezzari blog posted a list of the 8 most dangerous MTB trails in the world and while they admit it’s not a scientific list, it’s an interesting start. Old favorites like Porcupine Rim in Moab and Yungas Road in Bolivia made the list but so did Bootleg Canyon outside Vegas and Black Mountain in western North Carolina. Then again, most mountain bike trails are only as difficult as you make them anyway…

Here on singletracks we’ve been asking our members to rate trail difficulty on the IMBA scale that closely parallels the standard ski slope rating many of us are familiar with. On that scale, double black diamond is the most difficult rating and so far less than 1% of the 3,100+ trails on singletracks have warranted that mark. Here they are in order of increasing difficulty (only trails with at least 2 reviews are included):

Deer Creek Canyon: Littleton, CO
Tower: San Luis Obispo, CA
Lunatic Fringe: Green River, WY
Ridgeway Loop: Elijay, GA
Moraine State Park: New Castle, PA
Portal Trail: Moab, UT
Dirt Diggler Dh: Fernie, BC, Canada
Wasatch Trail: Telluride, CO
Elizabeth Furnace: Front Royal, VA
5 Miles Of Hell: Green River, UT
Garbanzo At Whistler: Whistler, BC, Canada
Oklahoma “Ankle Express” Hiking Trail: Braggs, OK
Hurricane Creek: Cullman, AL
R.B. Winter State Park: Mifflingburg, PA
Morgan Territory: Livermore, CA
North Star Ski Resort: Truckee, CA
Barr Trail (Pikes Peak): Colorado Springs, CO

Curiously Porcupine Rim is rated just a single black diamond by singletracks members so that tells you something about our list above! What other dangerous MTB trails are we missing?

I recently rode a mountain bike trail that got me thinking: How dense is too dense when it comes to mountain bike trails? Every mountain bike trail planner will inevitably run into this question wherever space is limited - which is pretty much everywhere.

First and foremost, a mountain bike trail should be fun to ride and longer trails are generally preferable to shorter ones. But cramming 10 miles of singletrack into 10 acres will result in sharp turns, boring routes, and zero flow. Instead it’s important to balance length and rideability, though I don’t know if there’s a magic ratio of miles of singletrack to acres of land. I’ve ridden a trail that packs more than 7 miles into under 30 acres and it flows pretty nicely, though the sharp, twisty singletrack isn’t for everyone. (Yep, that’s 170 miles of trail per square mile in case you’re wondering.)

Densely packed trail systems can also feel like riding a gerbil wheel at times. In poorly laid out systems it can seem as if you’re riding back and forth without ever really getting anywhere. With a little extra effort planners can draw up nested loops to give a trail a little more interest and mystery (like the trail pictured below).  Vegetation can help with the illusion as does limiting the number of intersections where the rider needs to make a decision. Dense trails can feel crowded since it’s easy to see other riders on parallel paths so it’s important to control traffic flow to avoid collisions.

The other consideration for trail density revolves around environmental impacts. Dense trails generally necessitate removing more vegetation per acre and exposing more soil to potential erosion. In extreme cases it can also mean intruding into and taking over wildlife habitats which isn’t a good idea.

Trail density may also be impacted by natural features and topography. For example, planners may try to take advantage of a solitary hill by running the trail up and down several times to maximize elevation gain/loss. In other cases, a trail may bunch up in forested areas before running straight across open fields.

As suitable land for bike trails becomes more and more scarce, trail designers will be forced to consider trail density more carefully. The good news is that constraints often yield the most interesting solutions - who’s up for a double- (or triple-) decker trail system!

Durango Mountain Park is poised to be renamed after one of mountain biking’s biggest names: Ned Overend. The Durango, CO resident was the first MTB world champion in 1990 and won the NORBA championships every year but one from 1986 and 1992. Today Overend is a product developer for Specialized and is one of the living legends of our sport. Here’s what he had to say about the prospect of the park being named Overend Mountain Park:

(Trails 2000 founder Bill Manning and others are) the unsung heroes here. It could easily be Manning Park. To me, it’s a real honor.

The park itself features 7 miles of singletrack spread out over 300 acres below Perins Peak. Overend and Ed Zink, owner of Mountain Bike Specialists, sold land to the city at below market values to help expand the park. But Overend and Zink want to share the park with all Durango residents, even non-mountain bikers.

It’s really important that mountain bikers don’t think they own the trails. I’ve run into some who don’t watch their speeds or watch out for others.

An article I read said Overend has even asked other riders to slow down on the trail (and that’s something coming from one of the fastest ever!).  We’re stoked to see this trail named for such a humble and generous mountain biking legend.

photo courtesy Wikipedia.

It’s snowing here in Atlanta today but that’s nothing compared to what a team of adventurers will encounter when they attempt to bike around Lake Baikal in Russia later this month. Five riders hope to be the first to circumnavigate the largest freshwater lake in the world using only human power in winter. Oh, and they’ll also become the first to bike around the 1,300 mile shoreline.

This article has a ton of great detail about the expedition and even includes deets about the bikes the team will be riding: 29er single speeds! Christopher Pike, the guy who came up with the whole idea, says they’re going single speed because “the idea is to keep it simple … no gears to freeze up.” They’re also replacing all the bearing grease with stuff rated down to 60-below zero and installing carbide steel studded tires (natch).

The 1,300 mile trip will take 43 days and the team plans to load “no more than about 70 kilograms (154 pounds)” of supplies on each bike (!). They’re also still considering towing a sled or two behind the bikes if necessary. Fortunately it sounds like there are a few settlements on the lake where they should be able to resupply with food and fuel. The team also plans to bring along video equipment to film a documentary about the expedition.

Judging by the photos of Lake Baikal (in summer) it looks like an amazing place. The lake itself holds 20 percent of the world’s freshwater, is nearly a mile deep in places, and is completely surrounded by mountains.

The team has set up a website at cyclebaikal.com where you can learn more about their preparations and keep track of their progress on this map. Is there anywhere humans can’t go on mountain bikes?

This past weekend I rode at the SORBA CSRA Bike Fest at Clarks Hill Lake in east-central Georgia and the weather was absolutely perfect. This was my first time riding the Bartram Trail / West Dam and at the end of the day I clocked more than 22 miles in the saddle across the fast, flowy singletrack. SORBA CSRA is busy working on extending this section of the Bartram Trail to connect to other area trails and it won’t be long before you can string together 40+ miles of singletrack in a single ride.

Anyway, it turns out it’s hunting season which means mountain bikers need to take extra precautions to stay safe on the trail. Bike Fest organizers did a good job spreading the word so I stopped to buy a $2 hunter safety vest on my way to the trail that day. I learned a few more tips about biking during hunting season that I thought I’d share here.

• Avoid riding during dawn and dusk hours. It turns out this is prime hunting time, especially during deer season, plus the low light conditions make it difficult to make out colors and shapes in the forest. If you think you might be caught on the trail in the early evening, bring a light or two to make yourself more visible. The best time of day to ride during hunting season is mid-day.
• Wear orange and/or bright colors. You can pick up a cheap orange safety vest at most outdoor shops and it’s well worth the investment. Avoid wearing camo patterns on your clothes, Camelbak, etc.
• Don’t be afraid to make a little noise. Hunters may not like to hear this but making noise with a bell or even your voice will let them know you’re not an animal. Several years ago I was riding with some friends and after beating everyone to the top of a climb I started yelling to let them know I was first. Little did I know there was a hunter in a tree stand not 20 yards away and he was pissed I had scared his deer. He fired his gun into the air to scare me and it worked. Hey, at least he knew I wasn’t a deer and he wasn’t aiming the gun at me
• Check for closures with local land managers. Some trails are closed to bikers at certain times to minimize conflicts with hunters. Make sure you know when those times are and observe them.
• Be alert. Sure, hunters need to look out for us but it’s a good idea to look for them as well. Be particularly alert around forest clearings and look for orange hunters’ vests wherever you are. If you see a hunter, give a wave and make eye contact if you can.

This poor guy didn’t survive his encounter with a hunter

Be careful riding this fall, particularly if you ride in areas shared with hunters. And watch out for those leaves on the trail too - those things can be slippery and they usually hide the nastiest rocks and roots

Before the Shovel: First Steps

As a trailbuilder with 4 years experience, I have worked on more than my fair share of mountain bike trails. I believe it’s every mountain biker’s responsibility to get involved with trailbuilding at some level plus it’s great exercise, you’ll meet cool people, and you’ll be giving back to the mountain bike community. Best of all you, and your friends get to ride your new creation! Getting involved with trailbuilding is easy if you look in the right places. I intend to show you the quickest and easiest way to start building the trail of your dreams. This article identifies the steps you need to take before you put a shovel in the ground.

Identify a Need

Chances are you have trail envy. You’ve seen or ridden trails far from home that you love, and you want to bring the best elements together into one super-trail close to home. Don’t be afraid to dream big when you picture the ideal trail. Grab a pen and paper and list all the features you’re looking for. Start with the genre of trail you want to build and then add more specifics. Here’s an example:

New Downhill Trail
-    Road to shuttle/ride/hike up
-    At least 500ft elevation drop
-    Flowy
-    Rock gardens
-    Lots of jumps: step down, step up and gap
-    Some berms
-    No uphill
-    Some pedalling
-    Some steep sections
-    Within 30 miles of home

These are just some examples of characteristics you might want in a trail. I will expand on definitions in article 2 entitled Choosing Your Line.

Now that you’ve identified the key features of your trail, contact people in your community with extensive knowledge of existing trails.

Contact the Local Experts

In order to find an area to build trails, contact your local mountain bike club. If your town doesn’t have a mountain bike club, go to the local bike shop and find out who knows the trails best. Once you’ve found your local expert, tell him about your riding interests and what your area is lacking. Say that you would like to get involved and build a trail to suit the needs of yourself and other riders like you. This is a good way to find out if there are already trails in your area that meet your needs and can help identify areas that are good for building.

Be open to helping the club meet their existing trailbuilding goals, especially if you are a novice trailbuilder. Often mountain bike associations will host trail build days. Attending these build sessions will help you maintain a good relationship with your local club, meet other people with similar interests, and learn basic trailbuilding skills. If you’re unsure as to whether you are ready to build a whole new trail, sponsored trail build days will help you decide. Mountain bike associations appreciate suggestions for trail improvement. Maybe they will use one of your ideas in their next build day.

Once you’ve attended some build days and improved your trailbuilding skills, ask your local association to give you some projects pertaining to your interests. Many mountain bike associations have long lists of trail maintenance jobs that need to be done as well as volunteer hours to fulfill. For many people, involvement in local build days is all the trailbuilding they want to do. For others, trailbuilding turns into a passion matched only by their enthusiasm for riding. These impassioned builders need a trail to call their own.

The desire to build trails comes from an unfulfilled need. Your local expert might not show any interest in pointing out areas on existing trails suitable for the modifications you have in mind. It is common for mountain bike clubs to hesitate in allowing trail features such as jumps, berms and steep sections, features that many riders enjoy. A good solution to this problem is to ask to build a new trail specific to the needs of riders like you. Now you must find a suitable place to build your dream trail.

Identify a Suitable Area to Build

First, ask your local mountain bike association if they can recommend an area to build in that will suit your needs. If there are trails in your area similar to the one you have envisioned, ask if you could build in the same area. This keeps trails centralized and allows others to more easily enjoy your work. If you don’t get an answer from one person, look for someone else who can help and be persistent. Ask your local mountain bike club, bike shop, riders and perhaps the best resource, other trailbuilders.

It is very important that you don’t build a trail anywhere you don’t have permission to. This includes private land and protected areas. Unless I have permission from the land manager, I only build on crown land. Crown land is a Canadian term meaning “taxpayers land” owned by the government. Crown land is public land with certain laws governing its use. Find out where the government owned land is in your area by going to library or geography department of a university and looking at zoning maps. You will likely find a number crown land areas suitable for your new trail. (note: US laws are often more strict regarding public land uses) It is always a good idea to contact the crown land manager in your area before building. Crownland.org is an excellent resource if you live in Canada. Google maps is another good tool to use to identify forested areas and topography using the satellite and terrain tools. Remember, illegal building hurts our sport and can lead to jail time!

Now that you have identified one or more areas suitable for your new trail, it’s time to brush up on your trailbuilding knowledge.

Review IMBA Trailbuilding Strategies

IMBA has a number of books packed with useful trailbuilding strategies. These books will help you envision your new trail. It’s good to read this before you go scout out the area because you will have a better idea of what natural features to look for.

Now that you have one or more possible places for your new trail, it’s time to lace up the boots!

Stay tuned for my next article: Choosing Your Line.

About the Author
Kevin Johnstone is an avid mountain biker from Ontario, Canada. He has been building trails for 4 years across Canada. He has worked with the worlds #1 bike park builder, Jay Hoots, for a number a build sessions spanning 2 years. He spent 2 seasons improving the trails at Kelso conservation area in Milton. He is currently building downhill specific trails. Kevin can be reached via private message.

Rebecca Rusch wins the 2009 Leadville 100

Back in September I got a chance to chat with 2009 Leadville winner and 2-time 24 Hour Solo World Champion Rebecca Rusch about racing, training, and mountain bike trails. Meeting Rusch for the first time I was instantly struck by how friendly she comes across despite being such a fierce competitor on the racecourse. A cool confidence seems to underlie everything she says and her enthusiasm for mountain biking is seriously contagious.

Rusch tells me she got into mountain biking through adventure racing several years ago, though MTB wasn’t exactly her favorite part of racing. After winning a qualifying race for the Australian Eco-challenge in 2001, Rusch quit her job and decided to go pro. In the beginning she says she wasn’t great at mountain biking (hard to believe) but ended up doing well at 24 Hours of Moab so she stuck with it.  At age 40 she’s in top mountain bike racing shape and in her first Leadville 100 appearance she proved it, coming in a full 25 minutes ahead of the second place woman. For those who got a chance to watch “Race Across the Sky” last month, you’ll remember Rusch saying she had no idea how she was doing during the race so she just pretended every rider in front of her was a woman she needed to catch. Talk about determination.

As a 24 Hour Solo champion, 100-mile race winner, and MTB stage racer I asked Rusch if she thought the trend toward longer, more extreme mountain bike races would continue.

“Limits are where we put them,” she replied, as naturally as if I’d asked her favorite color. Races like Leadville and stage racing are becoming more accessible to amateur competitors, allowing anyone to push their limits and Rusch sees that trend continuing for the next several years.

Of course to be competitive in mountain biking it’s super important to use the most effective training tools available. I asked Rusch how she was using technology to boost performance and she surprised me by saying she only recently started tracking cycling power data this year. More important than geeking out with measurements and computers, she says training is all about listening to your body and enjoying the ride. If only it were that easy for the rest of us…

I asked Rebecca to tell me about her favorite mountain bike trails and she says her favorites are the ones that combine plenty of pedaling with interesting terrain. The McKenzie River Trail in Oregon tops her list along with the Alpine Trail, also in Oregon. Rusch lives in Ketchum, Idaho so many of her training rides take her through Sun Valley, ID where the singletrack is scenic and never ending.

As a Specialized Team rider, Rebecca has access to the latest and greatest mountain bikes and she tells me her primary rig is an Era FSR Marathon with 4” of rear travel. Rusch has been experimenting recently with a 29er hardtail for competition and after alternating between her FS and 29er bikes during a 24 Hour race she decided to rock the 29er HT at Leadville. Apparently the decision paid off for her, despite the fact that none of the top 5 male finishers rode 29ers at Leadville this year.

Last month Rusch competed in the women’s duo class at 24 Hours of Moab and took first with teammate Gretchen Reeves. She was also on hand at the premier of Race Across the Sky in NYC on October 22 and even hung out with fans at the after party. This month she’ll be competing in Vuelta al Cotopaxi, a 2-day MTB stage race in Ecuador.

Rebecca Rusch is truly an amazing competitor and an inspiration to anyone who likes to ride fast and long. Keep up with her (if you can!) on her blog @ rebeccarusch.wordpress.com.

Singletracks member Outdoornut clued me in to the latest issue of IMBA Trail News where they talk about the 5 newest IMBA Epic trails added this year. Here’s a summary from east to west.

photo posted by rodrodriguez2003

Pinhoti Trail (North Georgia). The Pinhoti Trail is sorta like Kokopelli’s younger, forested brother with 100 miles of point-to-point singletrack linking some of the best riding spots in north Georgia. If you like technical riding with a decent amount of climbing, Pinhoti is your man.

photo posted by Outdoornut

Spruce Knob (Seneca, WV). Outdoornut gives Spruce Knob 5-stars and it’s easy to see why from the photos. The main 15-mile loop is comprised of technically demanding rocky and rooty singletrack set amid pristine scenery. IMBA helped get this area removed from the 2009 Wild Monongahela Act which would have prohibited mountain bikes in the area so ride it now and enjoy!

photo posted by copperhippie

Copper Harbor Trails (Copper Harbor, MI). This is actually the second trail in Michigan to receive IMBA Epic status and from what we’ve read here on singletracks the trail is “Totally AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”. Extensive wood bridges make this trail both sustainable AND fun to ride.

photo posted by dauw

Curt Gowdy State Park (Cheyenne, WY). We’re pretty stoked to see Rowdy Gowdy got the Epic nod after just a few years on the scene. The trails at Curt Gowdy have something for everyone and feature scenery that’s tough to beat.

photo posted by bstill30

Plains of Abraham (Mt. St. Helens, WA). Singletracks members may know this one as Smith Creek Epic but now that it’s an IMBA Epic I suppose it’s time to get prim and proper with the trail description. This is rugged, beautiful terrain and if you plan to tackle this one you may want to consider bstill30’s advice and pack “energy bars, warm clothes, and a flashlight for good measure.” Awesome.

photo courtesy cyclewise.co.uk.

So this is a cool concept: a mountain bike trail built explicitly for mountain bike coaching. The Cyclewise Coaching Trail provides a place for mountain bike coaches to work with students without having to worry about other trail users bombing down and interrupting lessons. The grand opening is set for October 17.

Judging by the (overly stylized) photo above you might think this is just a wide, soft mulch-strewn trail for teaching newbs to ride off road but apparently there’s more to it than that. Cyclewise says this trail includes “3 berms, 3 table tops, a rythmn section, drop offs and step ups as well as a technical climb and descent” which should be challenging for even advanced riders. Seems like a good alternative to teaching yourself to land 10 foot drops by trial and error

Here in the US it’s not unusual for new trails to include skills areas that offer progressively larger and more difficult technical trail features but most are open to the general public. I imagine this idea might be tough to implement here due to liability concerns plus there isn’t really a culture of mountain bike coaching in the US (yet). As more and more high school mountain bike leagues start up this might change though…

via SingletrackWorld.

For those who have purchased or are thinking about purchasing a singletracks premium subscription, just wanted to let you know about some recent improvements.

High resolution trail maps in PDF

We’re rolling out high resolution versions of all our mountain bike trail maps (780 and counting!) that subscribers can download in PDF format. That’s in addition to the printer-friendly and interactive versions that are currently available (not to mention the raw trail data in GPX, KML, and TCX) . So far more than 125 PDF trail maps have been posted - look for the rest to come on line this fall!

Training app updates

Ahead of a major overhaul of the premium ride log, we’re spiffing up the charts and graphs to make it even easier to visualize your training progress.

More cool stuff to come in the next two months, stay tuned!

A few mountain bike items to take a look at today:

Mountain biking 101: How to get women into the sport. Diane Ursu posted a good article over on Examiner.com with tips for introducing women to the sport of mountain biking. Aside from the obvious stuff (get a comfortable bike, the right clothes, etc.) Ursu also says “don’t give her pointers unless she asks, at least for the first ride” and “let her lead.” Most articles I read about getting women into mountain biking are written by men so they usually skip these points Give the article a skim if you’re thinking of introducing your significant other to mountain biking this fall.

3 cool MTB events in Atlanta this weekend. I already posted about this in the forums but here’s a quick recap: SORBA Atlanta ride @ Panola Mtn. State Park Saturday; GA Tech sponsored collegiate MTB race at GA Int’l Horse Park Saturday & Sunday; and ribbon cutting / grand opening for new bike trails at Burruss Park in Marietta on Sunday. I’ll definitely attend at least one of these events - that is, if it doesn’t rain!

Mountain Hardwear giving away a pack-a-day through September 17. Man, August and September must be the months of free outdoor gear! Not only can you score a VHoldR HD helmet cam or Specialized Stumpjumper FSR, you can also register to win a sweet pack from Mountain Hardwear (giveaway pack changes every day). The cool thing about this promo is that you’ll find out if you’re today’s winner as soon as you submit the entry form and you can enter every day the contest runs (I didn’t win today so that means you still have a chance!). Most of the giveaway packs are hydration bladder compatible and should be great choices for epic slogs through remote terrain.

Buffalo Creek is probably my favorite mountain bike trail system in the world and the IMBA Trail Crew will be hitting the trails this weekend, August 13-16, to work and ride. The trails at Buffalo Creek are already some of the best XC trails in the country but they’re about to get some new “black diamond” level terrain. That’s right - steep rollers, drops, and wall rides inside the Pike National Forest!

Things kick off on Thursday, August 13 with a free Trailbuilding School session where participants will be trained as volunteer crew leaders. Trailbuilding school will take place at the American Mountaineering Center in Golden from 6:30-9:30pm.

On Saturday and Sunday work crews will start out at the Miller Gulch trailhead from 8:30-2:00. Word is that beer and food will be provided Saturday evening and camping at the trails is encouraged. And don’t forget to bring your bike for the group ride(s). More details at IMBA.com.