Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
Subscription Form

Get notified of the best News

Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 25K Likes
Twitter 5K Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn 0
22K Followers
25K Likes
5K Followers
1K Followers
Mountain Life
Mountain Life
  • Daily Content
    • Trips & Expeditions
    • Climbing
    • Mountain Biking
    • Mountain Lifer
    • Multiplicity
    • On The Trail
    • Paddling
    • Photography
    • Skiing
    • Snowboarding
    • Stay & Play
    • Surfing
    • The Great Outdoors
    • The ML Interview
    • Travel
  • GEAR
  • VIDEOS
  • STORE
  • Magazines
    • ML Coast Mountains
    • ML Rocky Mountains
    • Vie En Montagne
    • ML Blue Mountains
    • ML Annual
    • ML Subscriptions
  • ABOUT
    • What is ML?
    • Our Team
    • Newsletter
    • Adventure Grant
    • Distribution
  • Podcast
  • Contests
  • CONTACT
    • ML Agency
    • Advertising
    • Contribute
  • Mountain Biking

Playing Dirty: Build It And They Will Come—In Droves.

  • June 20, 2016
  • Ben Osborne
Total
0
Shares
0
0
0
0
0
0
Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0

Of the Coast Mountains’ many delights, its tangle of top-shelf mountain bike trails may be the most revered. From the iconic, bum-clincher downhills and bridges to the newly-vogue snaking climbs, there isn’t another region on the planet with a better, more diverse trail system.

 

Buldit2
Built by few, enjoyed by many. Photo: Brian Goldstone

Words: Jamie Elvidge

But what started 35 years ago as a handful of guys skidding down the mountains, tearing holes in their jeans and inventing crazy-fun new ways to take a bike from point A to B has triggered a tsunami of tens of thousands of riders, with more pouring into the forest each year. Fun is still the object, but trail building is an evolving game with a fresh breed of players.

“Now that there are thousands of people riding the same trail, you have to build it differently,” says Martin Newman, a new-gen North Shore hand-builder who often arrives at his downtown day job with dirt under his nails from a dig the night before. “The trails need to cater to a wider range of skills and be able to withstand much heavier traffic.” Co-builder Penny Deck, adds that although occasionally vilified, the mountain biking community and its new generation of trail builders are actually a huge asset to hikers, creating safe, scenic alternative routes up the mountain, and additional choices for returning back down.

 

Buildit3
Wood and dirt, together in trail harmony. Photo: Brian Goldstone

 

Because Newman and Deck’s North Shore trail work is steps away from the urban sprawl, their efforts must support even more traffic than trail systems further up the Corridor. “It’s a bit of a self-perpetuating monster,” says Newman. “As you improve the trail, more people come to ride and hike and run, and you see them enjoying it and you feel like you should do some more work, and then you do more work and more people come.”

Ted Tempany, the heroic Squamish-based builder who favours heavy equipment and founded the illustrious Dream Wizards trail-building company ten years ago, agrees sustainability is the necessary bedrock of new-gen trail building. “The original rake-and-ride trails weren’t meant to be used by so many people,” he says. “So yes, we’re creating sustainable alternatives, but at the same time, we want to protect the classics because it’s those gnarly trails that made it popular to ride here in the first place.”

 

BuilditFeature
A good old-fashioned dust up. Paul Stevens (front) and Hailey Elise on Microclimate in Whistler. Photo: Mark Mackay

 

Another modern concern for new trail builders is having as little impact on the surrounding forest as possible. “I always talk about choosing a line you don’t have to force,” says Tempany. “We try to find a line that exists naturally and work to enhance that.”.

“The forest comes first,” agrees Newman who will often relocate displaced ferns when building a trail. “When you spend so much time in it, you become a part of its evolution, which is a huge responsibility.”

“As you improve the trail, more people come to ride and hike and run, and you see them enjoying it and you feel like you should do some more work, and then you do more work and more people come.”

A responsibility shouldered mainly by volunteers. Working trail every weekend and well into the dark most weeknights, Newman is often alone in a tiny bubble of light, with huge intentions and no monetary gain. Even after 35+ years, legendary North Shore trail magician Todd “Digger” Fiander is still out in the forest most days, slinging dirt and planting magic beans. What keeps these trail builders coming back year after year? They are all bike nuts, sure, and love the rush of riding fresh trail and features created by their own hand, but the real payoff turns out to be something much more selfless.

“I love it when people are stoked,” says Tempany. “Especially when I’m out of sight and I hear riders hooting and hollering in the distance, that’s the big victory for me.” A similar sense of selflessness also fuels Newman and Deck. “When I’m digging and I hear bits of conversation and laughter floating through the forest, it’s magic,” Deck says. “It’s what makes all the hard work worthwhile.”

 


You might also like:

RaymondFORMER OLYMPIC COACH DAN RAYMOND FINDS BLISS IN WHISTLER’S TRAILS
Not many people can draw similarities between spinning high above the deck of an Olympic snowboard half pipe and spending countless dirty, sweating hours constructing mountain bike trails but Dan Raymond has done both and claims that although the tasks differ greatly, the process is somewhat indistinguishable… Read more

 

 

northshoreMOUNTAIN BIKING VANCOUVER’S NORTH SHORE
Whilst mountain biking may have originated in 1970s Marin Country (a ‘fact’ that is arguable but widely accepted to be the easiest-to-stomach, historical compromise), it was elsewhere that it matured and left behind its road-riding cousin. Not long after the genesis of balloon-tired mountain bikes on Mount Tam, farther up the West Coast, across the 49th parallel, there was a small cabal of mountain biking dissidents carving an evolutionary precedent for where mountain bikes should be ridden and how trails are built… Read more

Total
0
Shares
Share 0
Tweet 0
Pin it 0
Share 0
Share 0
Share 0
Related Topics
  • COAST MOUNTAINS
  • Mountain Biking
  • Whistler
Ben Osborne

Previous Article
r25IQAEAAAAAAAAAwJEBIzEAAal63gUAAAAASUVORK5CYII=
  • THE GEAR SHED

Merrell Women’s All Out Blaze Aero Sport

  • June 17, 2016
  • Ben Osborne
View Post
Next Article
  • In This Issue

Solo-Cycling Manitoulin Island

  • June 22, 2016
  • Ned Morgan
View Post
You May Also Like
Life-Time-Grand-Prix-gravel-bike
View Post
  • Mountain Biking
  • On The Trail

New Docuseries Profiles the World’s Elite Off-Road Cyclists

  • Editor
  • January 30, 2023
Golden-BC-mountain-biking
View Post
  • Mountain Biking
  • On The Trail

Shifting Gears

  • Mountain Life Media
  • December 18, 2022
Sarah Hornby, Penny Lawless & Katrina Rosen, Icefields Parkway
View Post
  • Mountain Biking
  • Rockies

Friends in High Places

  • Editor
  • November 22, 2022
View Post
  • CLIMBING
  • Mountain Biking
  • Surfing

Friday Flick: Inseparable

  • Mountain Life Media
  • November 11, 2022
Colin-Field_weekender-ride-fall-colours-Ontario-crop
View Post
  • Mountain Biking
  • Ontario

The Weekender Ride

  • Mountain Life Media
  • November 10, 2022
AleTrailsPenticton_TinWhistleBrewing_BenHaggarPhoto
View Post
  • Mountain Biking
  • On The Trail

Ale Trails: Penticton

  • Mountain Life Media
  • October 25, 2022
Brett Rheeder
View Post
  • Mountain Biking

Two Canadians Podium at Red Bull Rampage Freeride Contest in Utah

  • Editor
  • October 24, 2022
Landyachtz-bike-trail-BC-LUCAS GREENHOUGH-crop
View Post
  • Mountain Biking

If It Rolls…

  • Mountain Life Media
  • October 14, 2022
Featured Posts
  • Mountain-Life-Coast-Mountains-Winter-2023 1
    ML Coast Mountains Winter-Spring ’23 Issue Out Now
    • February 3, 2023
  • Saint-Lawrence-ice-canoe-Jean-Anderson 2
    Jean Anderson: 40 Years of Ice Canoeing
    • January 31, 2023
  • CHOK-Images-RAB-Avril-2022 3
    Chic-Chocs: True Eastern Alpine
    • February 2, 2023
  • Life-Time-Grand-Prix-gravel-bike 4
    New Docuseries Profiles the World’s Elite Off-Road Cyclists
    • January 30, 2023
  • Fjallraven-Nuuk-Parka-daniel-blom-photo_jacket 5
    Gear Shed: Multisport Winter Roundup
    • January 26, 2023
RECENT POSTS
  • L'Hymne-des-Trembles-Laurentians-Quebec
    L’Hymne des Trembles: Uncompromising Laurentian Skiing
    • January 27, 2023
  • Brian-Hockenstein-surfing-Iceland-water-and-ice-ML
    In the Land of Water & Ice
    • January 24, 2023
  • Marie-Pier-Desharnais-A-Womans-Experience-on-K2-flag-crop
    Marie-Pier Desharnais: A Woman’s Experience on K2
    • January 23, 2023
Social Links
Instagram 22K Followers
Facebook 25K Likes
Twitter 5K Followers
Pinterest 1K Followers
Vimeo 34 Followers
LinkedIn 0
INSTAGRAM
mountainlifemedia
22K Followers
Live It Up EP 22 is OUT NOW!
NEW ML Coast Mountains Winter-Spring ’23 Issue is OUT NOW! 🙌
There are some first times that we will always remember. Like the time I skied off-piste through the alpine highlands of le parc national de la Gaspésie.
@shimizuimg getting those January goods ❄️ #mountainlifer
With four decades of ice canoeing under his belt, Jean Anderson has dominated a sport that's unique to Quebec and that he helped shape.
Featuring three gravel and three MTB events, the series explores the intense competition and love of the sport among 60 of the world’s premier cyclists.
Winter commute with #mountainlifer @michelle_pittam ❄️🚵‍♀️🌲
@lhymnedestrembles.ca is no mirage. Set in the lush Laurentian forest, yet easily accessible (less than an hour and a half from Montreal), this luxurious ski-in ski-out residential resort by @groupebrivia is nestled at the foot of the Versant Soleil side of Mont Tremblant. The Tremblant region is a perennial destination for outdoor enthusiasts from around the world, and within the province, attracting 3.5 million visitors annually.
ML staff and gear partners highlight the latest jackets, boards, crampons, hoodies, insoles and bindings in alpha order. #Linkinbio to learn more!
Adventures like this one require an inspiring team. @timemmett is a longtime friend, adventure partner and extraordinary human; an explorer, pro climber, surfer, freediver—you name it. @luca.freediver is an incredibly talented freediver, fresh off breaking the Canadian national freediving record (85 metres). The fourth man on the team, @brianhockenstein, is a filmmaker and multi-talented snowboarder always ready to jump into the fray and capture the magic. - words Jimmy Martinello. #Linkinbio to learn more!
Follow

Subscribe

Subscribe now to our newsletter

Live It Up EP 22 is OUT NOW!
NEW ML Coast Mountains Winter-Spring ’23 Issue is OUT NOW! 🙌
There are some first times that we will always remember. Like the time I skied off-piste through the alpine highlands of le parc national de la Gaspésie.
@shimizuimg getting those January goods ❄️ #mountainlifer
With four decades of ice canoeing under his belt, Jean Anderson has dominated a sport that's unique to Quebec and that he helped shape.
Featuring three gravel and three MTB events, the series explores the intense competition and love of the sport among 60 of the world’s premier cyclists.
Mountain Life
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Subscribe
  • Advertising

Input your search keywords and press Enter.