The visit features a Trailbuilding School, social and a group ride. This is your opportunity to rub shoulders with the IMBA Crew while learning all about trailbuilding. Check out the details below and come join in the fun.

Schedule:

Saturday
9:00 AM – Noon: Trailbuilding School classroom session
Lunch
1:00 – 4:00 PM: Trailbuilding School field session
Party and raffle to follow!

Sunday
10:00 AM: Group Ride

For details on how to RSVP for this IMBA Event click here.

Switchback.com

Here’s what Roland had to say about it after downloading and trying it out…

If you use Garmin’s MapSource software along with U.S. Topo to upload maps into your GPS for rides, you have probably noticed that the Topo maps (compiled from old USGS 1:100K scale maps I believe) are notoriously poor when it comes to showing individual trails. But if you add this 3rd party map, suddenly every single trail is right there on your screen. I used it on a ride in Bend yesterday, and just for example, it showed every trail in the Phil’s trail network, as well as everything else in the surrounding area.

If you interested in buying Garmin.. check’em out at REI..

Garmin Edge 605 GPS Bike Computer Garmin Edge 605 brings your cycling to a new level of precision with expanded navigation options. Highly sensitive GPS receiver tracks your position where less sophisticated units will not, providing continuous reliable navigation. Expand unit’s memory and mapping software options with microSD cards (sold separately); unit comes loaded with a basic basemap. Customizable cycle computer shows six different cycling data fields, including speed, distance, time functions, calories burned and altitude gained. Virtual Partner™ brings fun to training by letting you ”race” a virtual competitor. You can also race against a recorded course to match or beat previously set speeds at every point along the way. Auto Pause™ pauses the training timer when you decelerate below a specified speed and resumes once you’ve regained targeted speed. Auto Lap™ triggers a lap every time you pass a specified location or travel a preset distance. Compatible with Garmin Connect™: an online community for workout data sharing and analysis (available January, 2008). The unit measures 4.3 x 2 x 1 in.; display area is 1.37 x 1.71 in., and 176 x 220 pixels; screen is readable in daylight. Waterproof design; unit is submersible to 1m for 30 minutes (do not operate submerged). Rechargeable internal lithium polymer battery lasts 15 hrs. with typical use.

Heres a short list of some of the better know areas.

Oleson Park Trail Near Fort Dodge

Oleson Park was designed and built by Joker Racing. Built on hilly terrain it includes some fast technical downhill sections and more.

Sugar Bottom Recreation Area

Sugar Bottom has mountain bike trails for all levels of mountain bikers. Many trails are marked  are one-way, so watch the signs and get a map. Sugar Bottom has roughly 12 miles of  trails.  This place is a very popular mountain biking area and is often crowded on weekends in peak riding seasons.  The advanced trails some fun technical features like tree roots and double backs.

Decorah Mountain Bike Trail System

Decorah is a 14-mile mountain bike trail system designed for intermediate to expert level  bikers.  Decorah is the home of the first MTB racing event to be held in Iowa. Technical features roots, rocks & drops, steep climbs and super fast downhills.

Council Bluffs at the Lewis and Clark Trail

Seven  miles of some pretty advanced trails-and some with several bailout spots if it gets too intense. Fast technical decents with steep climbs These trails are more popular to hikers than moutain bikes so please share the trail and don’t run anyone over.

If you know about more mountain biking trails in Iowa post up in the comments section or email us mountain.tread AT gmail DOT com.

The illegal trails are laced with stunts and jumps which points the finger at free riders. But casts a very negative shadow on the entire mountain biking community.

Joel Baty, an avid mountain biker and rental manager at Olympic Bike Shop in Tahoe City, Calif., said freeriders want trails like those at Whistler Mountain Bike Park in British Columbia, one of the world’s premier mountain bike parks.

“The existing trails just aren’t challenging enough for more advanced riders,” he said. “So what happens is they go out and build stunts and bigger jumps, and the Forest Service doesn’t tend to like that sort of stuff.”

I’m not much for jumps and stunts and features like those preferred by free riders but I do admire them for pushing the envelope. However this illegal activity needs to stop. Issues like this affect the entire mountain biking community. If you want to build trails, do it right and follow the rules so you don’t ruin it for everyone else.

According to the article, the illegal mountain bike trail issue is more of problem in the western states but there have been several incidents across the country.. like one this one…

In North Carolina, four men were arrested in 2003 on suspicion of building an illegal bike trail in the Pisgah National Forest. They agreed to pay a fine, to accept an indefinite ban from the national forest and to take part in supervised trail work to avoid prosecution.

The Forest Service also has worked with bike clubs to close many user-created trails in the Pisgah’s Bent Creek Experimental Forest near Asheville, N.C.

“It’s hard to catch these folks, because they’re out in remote areas,” said Randy Burgess, a Pisgah district ranger.

As I mentioned earlier, the original article is being syndicated with added local spin on the issue. One very weak attempt came from the Registered Guard of Eugene, OR. They started bringing up stuff about pirate trails that actually weren’t pirate at all. A friend of mine makes some good points…

The problem I have with this is it talks about *our* national forests (implying the NFs of the R-G’s readers — local people) plus the story ran under the banner “Oregon Life,” also implying a local connection to the problem. The story was NOT local, and it’s subsequent localization focused on the “problem” of one Bend guy who used to build illegal trails (in Oregon?) but turned good by deciding to work with his local NF through COTA. Where’s the local love? If anything, Oregon is out front of the national problem because its mountain bikers work *with* local NF managers.

I just feel like the story cast mountain bikers — *all* mountain bikers — in a bad light. The common public makes no distinction between freeriders, XC geeks, shuttle monkeys, etc. To the masses, we’re just guys in the woods with bikes.

As a community of mountain bikers we need to work together to combat this problem, but how?

IMBA is raising funds to build more trails. They have 50 major projects slated. There were 90 projects up for recommendation but not enough money to do all 90. In partner ship with major mountain bike brands like Trek, SRAM & otheres they’ll double whatever you donate. Donate $100 and $200 will go to building new trails.

Give what you can… even if its only $10. Think of this way, with $10 you can buy a shovel for use on IMBA trail work projects.

Here’s the full newsletter I received..

Dear Mountain Tread,

IMBA’s 2009 Trailbuilding fund is still going strong. We’ve had a great response so far, but still need your help!

Act now and see your donation doubled. Help IMBA fill in the map below with trails you’d love to ride …

IMBA wants to bring world-class mountain biking opportunities to your area. This year we will build more than 50 projects in dozens of states. That’s good news!

The bad news is that more than 90 projects were considered for 2009, but not enough funds were available to build them all.

We need your support — Donate now and your contribution will double!

That’s right, every $1 you spend immediately becomes $2!

Companies including Trek Bicycle Corporation, SRAM and Quality Bicycle Products will invest at least $250,000 in a dollar-for-dollar match for your donation.

On top of that, IMBA leverages partnerships to turn your donation into miles and miles of new trails!

As part of our mountain biking community, we need your support to help build successful trail systems. You can’t leave it to someone else. We need every land manager and every elected official to embrace the benefits great trails bring to communities like yours.

Donate to the Trailbuilding Fund today!

See you on the trails,

Mike Van Abel
IMBA Executive Director

P.S. If you’ve already donated, thank you so much for the support. See you on the trails!

This fathers day weekend is  opening weekend for Mammoth, North Star at Tahoe, Steamboat Springs and Crested Butte… just name a few.

The following weekend of June 27th marks the opening of other great mountain bike park desitnations like Killington and Keystone.

The world class mountain bike parks of Whistler BC and Snowshoe Moutain WV are already open.

A few weeks I had the opportunity to ride with a couple of folks from IMBA who were in town visiting and doing trail work in Oakridge. Unfortunately there were so many riders that night that and we all split off into several groups I never did get a chance to thank Chris and Inga for their hard work.

We’re all pretty damn lucky to have such a cool organization working to keep trails open and safe. With that in mind… if you want to learn more about IMBA and what they do, visit their site and sign up for their monthly newsletter to stay informed.

And all I have to say is.. it’s easier to obey the rules and stay off the trails we’re not supposed to be on. It makes things easier for groups like IMBA to negotiate access rights if everyone just simply obeys the rules.