SUMMER2016
MOUNTAINLIFE
27
Of theCoastMountains’many delights, its tangle
of top-shelfmountainbike trailsmay be themost
revered. From the iconic, bum-clincher downhills and
bridges to the newly-vogue snaking climbs, there
isn’t another regionon the planetwith a better,more
diverse trail system.
Butwhat started35 years agoas ahandful of guys
skiddingdown themountains, tearingholes in their
jeans and inventing crazy-funnewways to takeabike
frompointA toBhas triggereda tsunami of tens of
thousands of riders,withmorepouring into the forest
each year. Fun is still theobject, but trail building is an
evolvinggamewitha freshbreedof players.
“Now that there are thousands of people riding
the same trail, youhave tobuild it differently,” says
MartinNewman, a new-genNorth Shore hand-
builderwhooften arrives at his downtownday
jobwithdirt under his nails from a dig the night
before.“The trails need to cater to awider range
of skills andbe able towithstandmuchheavier
traffic.”Co-builder, PennyDeck adds that although
occasionally vilified, themountainbiking community
and its newgenerationof trail builders are actually a
huge asset tohikers, creating safe, scenic alternative
routes up themountain, and additional choices for
returningback down.
BecauseNewman andDeck’sNorth Shore trail
work is steps away from the urban sprawl, their
effortsmust support evenmore traffic than trail
systems further up theCorridor.“It’s a bit of a
self-perpetuatingmonster,” saysNewman.“As you
improve the trail,more people come to ride andhike
and run, and you see them enjoying it and you feel
like you shoulddo somemorework, and then youdo
morework andmore people come.”
TedTempany, the heroic Squamish-basedbuilderwho
favours heavy equipment and founded the illustrious
DreamWizards trail-building company ten years ago,
agrees sustainability is the necessary bedrock of new-
gen trail building.“The original rake-and-ride trails
weren’tmeant tobe usedby somany people,”he
says.“So yes,we’re creating sustainable alternatives,
but at the same time,wewant toprotect the classics
because it’s those gnarly trails thatmade it popular
to ride here in the first place.”
Anothermodern 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,” saysTempany.“We try to find a
line that exists naturally andwork toenhance that.”
PLAYINGDIRTY
By Jamie Elvidge
BACK
YARD
BUILD ITANDTHEYWILLCOME. INDROVES.
Built by few, enjoyedbymany. BRIANGOLDSTONE
