For most of us mountain bike trails just seem to exist. It’s not that we’re lazy or ungrateful, it’s just that we don’t put much thought into the sacrifices that are often made to build a world-class mountain bike trail. Beyond the physical work that goes into building a great trail system the political, social, and monetary costs to getting a trail project off the ground are often monumental. Fortunately, there are groups like IMBA that help make great trails happen.
IMBA recently put together a book about building great mountain bike trails and it sounds like a must read for land managers and trail builders around the world. The book analyzes why certain trail systems are more popular than others and discusses best practices for designing and managing mountain bike trails.
I’m constantly amazed at the diversity of mountain bike trail conditions around the country and I’m really interested to understand why some trails are just so much better than others. For example, it seems like every mountain bike trail I’ve ridden in a National Forest has been great while my experiences in State Parks have been less positive.
Anyway, a great resource if you’re a trail advocate or designer – support IMBA any way you can.
