Editorial and Poll
To dig or not to dig: is that the question?
I have been involved in creating and maintaining bike related fun since I was 8 years old, making bike jumps in the sleepy streets of Kanata, Ontario. My first mountain bike trail maintenance began as a result of annoyance. Coming down trails with loose rocks, debris and big puddles bothered me enough to stop and clear the problems. My initiation into trail building came after a ride down a trail called 719 in Nelson, B.C. It was the first time I had ridden a jumps-only trail. I decided I wanted a trail like that on my local mountain so, with my buddies Brent and Eamonn, I started building the first jumps-only trail on the North Shore; we called it Air Supply. Since then I have been building and maintaining mountain bike trails on my own, with friends and with our local trail association, the NSMBA. To dig or not to dig has never been a question for me, but I have always been curious about other riders’ thoughts.
The ultimate trail builder: Todd Digger Fiander. Photo - Ethan Reynolds.
Sun, soil and several volunteers making trails better. Photo - Ethan Reynolds.
I have heard many volunteers describe the joy they get from getting dirty and using their bodies for trail work. Photo - Ethan Reynolds.
I know builders who rage about those who ride but don't dig. The saying 'no dig no ride' is tantamount to their ride-dig ethos. Over the years my thoughts on this theme have evolved: at some points I did not care about whether or not others helped on trails, at other times I believed riders all needed to put in some time and effort to keep the trails maintained. I am currently sitting in the I don’t care if people help build trails camp because I know riders will do what riders want to do; however, if people want to help out I am grateful and if they just want to ride and not dig I accept that. I still believe that any sector of a society functions best when volunteering is involved, while accepting that is not the case for most mountain bikers.
Rain or ... Photo - Liam Wallace.
Shine - the vollies show up ready to work. Photo - Gareth Critcher.
I have heard many reasons for why riders do not dig. Some examples include:
- I don’t have time
- I wouldn’t know what to do
- I pay my trail association fees/buy builders beer so I do not have to build
- I have kids
- My partner digs so I don’t have to
- A quote from a professional rider,”Some people dig, some people ride. That’s just the way it is.”
- And the best reason ever: I never knew trails need volunteer help.
Our local association, The nsmba,* received 10K U.S. from Fox. Much of that booty was used on the extensive enhancement of Cypress Mountain trails. One of the Cypress crew, Kever, is seen overlooking a project. Photo - Gareth Critcher.
*not to be confused with nsmb.com - although we have done our fair share of trail work, like the realignment of Expresso
Slapping berms on Cypes. Photo - Gareth Critcher.
Working with wood is a treat for volunteers on trail days. Photo - Gareth Critcher.
One of my building and riding buddies works 12-hour nurse practioner shifts, does all his own bike maintenance, rides a lot and still loves to get out and build his own stuff, help on others’ trails and dig with local trail associations. He (let's call him Gage) figures if every biker helped for a few hours once a year, all the trails on his local North Shore mountains would be well maintained. It makes sense when I look at our local association’s membership numbers. This year they had about 3500 members so if we conservatively estimate* that only one in ten bikers become members that would be 35000 bikers contributing 105,000 hours on the trails. If we say a full day is 7 hours, that is 15,000 trail days per year. That would make for some of the best trails in the world.
*I’m a lover (of trails) not a mathematician…but I think these numbers work.
Sunshine and dirt lollipops. Photo - Gareth Critcher.
I lead several trail days a year for the North Mountain Bike Association. I am continually pleased by the number of volunteers I get out to these dig days. I get kids dropped off by parents, parents with kids, riders who just moved to the Lower Mainland, experts, beginners, trail runners, couples (dig together stay together?), grandparents, employees of the trail sponsors, etc. I have led days for high school groups, tech companies looking to team build, volunteers needing community service hours for school, probation orders and a variety of other reasons. I have heard many stories of people meeting on trail days and riding together post-dig and on future occasions. The trails get love and the vibe from all the helpers is always positive and joyous.
Caleb Holonko boosting over one of the many jumps on Boogie Nights: a massive refurbishment project he and his buds undertook. Photo - Kaz Yamamura.
Caleb's grad photo. Yes, that is a shovel. Best builder photo ever.
Caleb and the crew lugged an 80-pound tamper all the way up to their trail because that's just how hardcore their building is. Photo - Kaz Yamamura.
Caleb and Alan Mandel won the builder award for their work on Reed Bogg's Rampage run.
I rarely get hardcore bikers, pros, sponsored ams, grassroot hooked up riders, bike industry types or anyone with a stake in the bike game unless they or their company sponsor a trail day. Some of these riders build and maintain trails on their own while, I am guessing, many do little to no trail work.
I spoke with two local pros for their thoughts on digging. I lucked out by getting both ends of the pro spectrum: on the young end, Caleb Holonko on the 'older' end, the Godfather of Freeride, Wade Simmons.
Caleb Holonko is known both for his creative and outstanding riding and also his prolific trail building. He has been building and maintaining trails since high school. Check out his grad photo above.
NSMB - Do you pay trail association fees?
Caleb - No, I get a free pass with my adoption work on Boogie Nights.
Do you contribute to builders with beer or other ways for your free riding?
If I shoot the trail I try to give back in any way I can. I also try to attend as many community build days as I can.
Do you contribute to builders with beer or other ways for your edits/ads/promo?
Yes, always beer, or money or something else. If I benefit, they should too. (He is being modest, I have seen him give a new set of Code brakes to a builder because he appreciated his trails so much.)
Do you work on mountain bike trails?
Yes, More than 10 days per year
Do you think all riders should work on trails? If yes, how often?
Yes, 2 times a year minimum; a little goes a long way. They need maintenance and any one who gets involved has my upmost respect. Doing hard labour in return for good trail isn’t comprehensible for many people but I wish there were more people who’d at least go out for one day a year.
Wade and crew on a trail day. Photos - Rocky Mountain Bikes.
The master of flow knows how a trail should flow.
Wade Simmon's riding needs no introduction. For years Wade has been involved with trail building, constructing features for his film and video segments, and maintaining trails through his sponsors' trail adoption programs.
NSMB - Do you pay trail association fees?
Wade - Currently I have 3 moto trail association memberships.
Do you contribute to builders with beer or other ways for your free riding and any edits/ads/promo you shoot?
I always try to stoke out the builders with product and/or beers.
Do you work on mountain bike trails?
Yes, usually 3 or 4 times a year. Also, anytime I see issues with trails, like trees down or drainage problems I will stop and try to fix them.
Do you think all riders should work on trails? If yes, how often?
Yes, everyone should help in any way they can. My mother always said, "Don't put your ideals on other people." Everyone has different commitments going on in their lives that may get in the way of doing any trail work.
Stephen Matthews styling in the trees. Photo - Margus Riga.
I (and some digging buds) have talked about builder reimbursements from companies that use trails for some kind of gain, usually through edits, advertising and promotion. I recently heard that one large bike company paid two different builders a hundred dollars each for use of their trails for a short bike film. Other stories I have heard involve beers and bike parts going to builders for the use of their trails during shoots. In addition, many in the bike industry support local trail associations with financial and product contributions.
The counter argument to pros and co’s using trails at no charge for advertising is that these trails are open to all at no charge so why should a company have to pay to use them? This gets my grumpy builder buds responding with,”Film and TV pay for location shoots, why shouldn’t bike companies?”
I feel that if there is a photographer, staff and athletes being paid for a shoot, why not throw a bone like beers or gears to the builder or bike association? It doesn’t take much to make a builder a little less grumpy. Who doesn’t like a little something something as thanks for all the hard work? My buddy X builds and maintains over 20 trails (some might call most of them unsanctioned). He has had gifts of beers, cash, Oakleys, money transfers, swag, and recently we were out at a dinner party where the pizza guy recognized him and bought his dinner. These tokens help keep him happy but he would build just as much without them; he just would be way more crusty. The problem with these tokens is that companies may expose themselves and even the builder to possible liability issues.
One major contributor is Santa Cruz, with their 1 million dollar donation to trails. Another prolific contributor to trail maintenance is SRAM. I asked Stephen Matthews, SRAM's content production manager, about the company's trail advocacy program. He said that SRAM is heavily involved in local trail associations around the globe with financial and volunteer contributions. In every SRAM office around the world, they donate to local trail associations in the area and encourage employees to become members of the trail association and volunteer their time. Locally SRAM has contributed thousands of dollars to the trails including our NSMB.com adoption of three different trails and recently to the renovation of an OG trail called Cambodia. SRAM employs a full time director of advocacy who oversees all of these efforts.
In response to my question regarding any and volunteer for payment for use of trails used in films, ads and promotions, Stephen said that SRAM will pay location fees to private land owners. Any shoots on trail association trails are paid for through annual contributions to the local trail advocacy group.
Whether we think riders and bike industry types should or should not be contributing to trail maintenance, we all would probably agree that more work on trails makes for a better riding experience. To dig or not to dig is a question that can only be answered individually. I am very curious where our esteemed NSMB readers fit into this discussion. If you are inclined, feel free to fill out the survey below and respond in the comments.
Beyond the poll, we'd be keen to hear your thoughts about this issue in the comments. And thanks to everyone who contributes to the amazing trails on the North Shore, with both labour and the heavy lifting involved in advocacy.
Comments
Jerry Willows
2 weeks, 1 day ago
Help maintain what you ride is good way of giving back. Just clearing rocks and drainage work helps immensely.
”Some people dig, some people ride", you actually can do both.
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Jason Bushey
2 weeks, 1 day ago
Or carrying a hand saw and clearing a tree or two.
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Todd Hellinga
1 week, 5 days ago
it's insane how many people ride in Squamish on a day to day basis, yet so few will stop to clear our needle muck clogged drainage that just create huge ponds everywhere, literally a 5 second stop and go and the water drains away. Or the number of people that won't take a minute to move branches or other debris off the trail. Dislike getting slapped in the face with wet overgrown vegetation? a small set of hand clippers and a walk in the forest for an hour also does wonders for making trails way less annoying during rainy times!
there's so much little stuff people can do that takes so little effort or skill, yet almost no one does it. that's the shit that annoys me, how many people will ride by small things that when dealt with, make the ride so much more pleasant.
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Andy Eunson
1 week, 4 days ago
I counted today. 8 sticks and a mint flavoured chapstick that I dealt with. Did not die. Won’t need hand physio for all that stick hucking.
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Gage Wright
1 week, 3 days ago
Too right Jerry. Everyone contributes to trail degradation through use so everyone should help maintain the thing they love, even in small ways. Build, donate or support the builder.
The analogy I prefer is the common use kitchen in a college dorm. No one wants to do the dishes but through living you make a mess and through the ethos of shared responsibility everyone contributes to the clean up. No one appreciates washing other peoples dishes but some will do it to keep the kitchen in order.
When I hear excuses, and most are weak as Miller light beer, the little "L" libertarian voice in me will say that people will do what they want to do and my locus of control only reaches so far so just let people be people. The other side of me pontificates that most Constanza line, "WE LIVE IN A SOCIETY!".
So go on, make an excuse, only ride and never give back. You're probably the type to leave your dishes in the sink for others to clean up too.
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Jason Bushey
2 weeks, 1 day ago
I have a dog that loves trailwork. It’s the best way to walk her. I usually do 100-150hrs of work a year. She has glaucoma and this might be her last year seeing, so shooting for 200hrs of work. The riders in my town will be happy.
I don’t have kids, my wife is extremely understanding, and I like being outside.
Hi my name is Jason and I have Digaddition.
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Lynx .
2 weeks, 1 day ago
That made me smile and shed a tear, hope you get out lots with her before it's so bad she can't. My Bud, used to love to come out on the trails with me, whether for a ride or to help clear trails, miss him so much, thanks Jason. More pics of my Bud on the trail https://nsmb.com/photos/user/12139/album/trail-clearingbuilding/
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Adrian Bostock
2 weeks, 1 day ago
I am on the board of the local cycling club and run trail nights as an unpaid volunteer. I also work for the local trail association and run trail days which I get paid to do. I don’t really care if you come out and help. If you want to great, happy to have you. If you want to do trail work on your own, also great. If you don’t want to do trail work or pretend not to have time, also fine.
You should be a member of one of the local trail clubs though. even if you do trail work. There is a lot more that goes into trails then just trail work. Between the two organizations we pay $12000 a year for insurance alone. And that is unlikely to get cheaper. the trail association spends another ~$20000+ a year in crew wages maintaining 3 mountain bike primarily trail networks. That excludes volunteer hours. Plus there are material costs, with we often try to scavenge from other paid projects. and we could do more if we had more members. Trails are cheap compared to say a rec center, but they are not free.
The caveat of all of this is that if you don’t do trail work, I don’t give a shit about your opinion of the trails and the work we do.
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Brad Sedola
2 weeks, 1 day ago
I live in a very remote place where the club I ran for 14 years threw the towel in in 2014 due to low membership, so there is no club to pay into within 200kms. I don't contribute to builders with anything since I'm one of very few that does attempt to keep what trails we have open year over year. The brush cutter we bought with club money gets used to this day with brushing out the local trails to keep the few cyclists, dog walkers and hikers happy.
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tmoore
2 weeks, 1 day ago
I like Wade's mom's philosophy of "Don't put your ideals on other people" and agree with the pro biker that said ”Some people dig, some people ride. That’s just the way it is.”
I'm happy that most riders don't dig, it gives me more space. My only issue is with people that build trails and don't follow up with continual maintenance.
While it's great that lots of riders work at organized club trail digs where I live, it's also great that every Tom, Dick and Harry aren't out opening new lines in the woods
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Pete Roggeman
2 weeks, 1 day ago
Yes. But I think dig can mean 'help maintain' and the more that riders understand that many hands make for light work and awesome trails, the better.
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turbulent-paint-68
2 weeks, 1 day ago
After building a few trails on either side of the country, I don't owe anyone maintenance. I don't believe it's fair to make me spend 5k and all my vacation time to fly back to BC to rake and trim for three weeks. It's a labor of love and I'm not doing maintenance for anything I don't want to ride myself.
I started a volunteer night and as soon as people stopped showing up I stopped running it. Recently had an out-of-towner chirp us on the association FB page because none of the black/double black features had seen maintenance yet this year... Most trail networks here weren't even open yet.
I got so tired of volunteering I just decided to work at a bike park... And also buy a bike park.
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Kever
2 weeks, 1 day ago
North shore trails take a special kind of beating with many users, increasingly intense rainfall and rain-on-snow events, and steep topography. It takes a lot of work to keep a trail running. Volunteer at a NSMBA trail day and/or rake and drain a trail to start. BUT try not to change the trail because that is disrespectful to the original builder, unless you talk to them first. Make a goal for yourself on number of trail maintenance days you'd like to attend this year.
I happily give up riding days for building because it's fun, satisfying, and the final product is always worth the effort.
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Ondřej Váňa
1 week, 6 days ago
Some days I feel like my head or body isn't ready for riding, then digging is a very rewarding activity to get you outside and do something nice for yourself and as a byproduct you build/maintain a nice trail for everyone.
I don't think every rider should dig - it's a delicate art to build a good trail like Kever's, and given limited space in the forest that art could be at risk of being ruined by a motivated but inexperienced builder.
I'm not too worried about average Joe skidding down blue trails putting in too much wear. But if you ride 3+ days a week, or you're one of those "I can do 3 laps instead of one after work" sort of e-biker, I think it's fair to contribute in any form.
But in the end people are people, and while you build a trail with a vision, people may love it, you'll always have riders with their own ideas or people trying to ride around every feature causing irreversible damage. It's a good practice for mental resilience to just accept the damage when you see it and get to work. I'm sure the Shore sees much more traffic than Squamish still, nice work keeping it mint!
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silverbansheebike
2 weeks, 1 day ago
Stoked that I made it into a photo on NSMB.com!
I don't pay fees because I build a lot, and that's worth more than enough for me. Every volunteer trail day I can get to and plenty more in my own time, usually between 2 and 5 days per month.
Would love it if more people left beers, especially if they're used for content creation. Not everyone knows how to respect trails, be it viewers or creators, and blowing up new work for content makes my back sore just by watching. Shout-out and thank the builders in your content at the very least, and come to the next trail day!
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Kever
1 week, 6 days ago
C'mon man, pony up and get a membership! :D
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Pete Roggeman
1 week, 5 days ago
Adrian's point below is useful for people to know, and the other thing is that in addition to how critical it is for everyone to put a bit of money into the pot to let your local trail org'n do its thing(s), it's also useful for that organization's advocacy efforts for them to be able to say "we have x number of paid members". That number makes a big difference and helps open doors.
It's less than one day of skiing (a lot less) or the same as a case of beer or a couple sets of brake pads.
A buddy of mine and I were talking about this recently and he told me that he joins every trail org'n whose trails he rides each year - for him that meant NSMBA, CMBTA, PORCA, SORCA, and WORCA. All told that might be $300 including tax. I'm not suggesting everyone should do that, but for those that can afford it or see the benefits of using the trails in many different places in a season, it's as simple as investing a tiny amount in the trails you're enjoying. I belong to two, but I may have to re-evaluate and start taking my buddy's lead on this one. It's a tiny price to pay for the amount of enjoyment I get from riding in different places.
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Todd Hellinga
1 week, 5 days ago
I also ascribed to the join ALL the local club of the areas you frequent philosophy! Cheapest part of our sport and one of the more important aspects at that, imo.
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Duck
1 week, 5 days ago
It's an understandable perspective. I do feel odd having to pay for membership to be able to sign up for volunteer trail days. I do pay without complaining as really the trail network and advocacy alone is worth the investment, and then SORCA actually helps builders out with tools and stuff more than making up for the membership fee.
But the bottom line is contribution, I don't care if it's fees or building trails. Even if it's trails I wouldn't enjoy, it's (hopefully) helping the network and riding community. Us (often unsanctioned) trailbuilders often do contribute more value than the annual fee could possibly cover, but we're also mostly asocial nerds hiding in the forest alone for days. Probably not the first choice character to advocate for keeping those trails going, so I'm happy to pay the organization that's hugely responsible for the fact I can go out and do what I love doing.
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Michael Stormer
2 weeks, 1 day ago
Thanks for writing, and digging Trevor (and all others who throw dirt for the good of the community).
I find people are really surprised at how much they enjoy trail maintenance. If you haven’t been - I can’t encourage you enough to give it a try, you just might love it. It’s more fun, and effective than a gym
I find building also helps me know trails better, and makes me a better rider.
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Andy Eunson
2 weeks, 1 day ago
I pay my trail association membership and added donation through a super supporter deal. But I rarely attend dig nights. I have old bones and find it hard to do heavy work. But that doesn’t stop me from heading out on my own in spring especially with a small hand saw and rake the do cleanup. And I always stop throughout the year to clear off the small sticks and logs that inevitably drop. I may not stop and get every stick but if I get three and someone else gets others, the trail stays clear. I’ve been known to go out with a shovel and take the organic mud off the low spots where rain and snow melt cause deposits to build up and fix drains.
It really doesn’t take too much to contribute and every little bit counts.
I have friends that have other physical issues that prevent them from doing heavy work. But they have super supporter memberships and might contribute in other ways.
It’s the folks that complain about trail conditions but don’t contribute that should be cursed with two flats a week. Or the riders doing skiddy skids because they’re cool or cut corners because Strava.
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Niels van Kampenhout
2 weeks, 1 day ago
I'm in this camp too. I don't do heavy trail work anymore on the strong advice of my physio because of my damaged back. But I try to do my part removing deadfall, clearing blocked drains, picking up trash, reporting issues on Trailforks, etc. And of course I'm a member of the local trail org.
There are also lots of other ways people can contribute directly or indirectly. For example, I bought my last couple of bikes from a brand that sponsors the local trail org with money and volunteer time.
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RigidRodeo
2 weeks, 1 day ago
great article, interview, and survey! I work as a Trail Technician in Pisgah National Forest, North Carolina. drastically different land managers, and hiking trails that bikes were allowed on sometime in the 90s. these trails are famous for being janky, rooty, rocky, and hard to master!
we also get about as much rainfall as the PNW (90+ inches of rain) but the riding season is year-round. the backlog of maintenance is crazy!
money, pro deals, beer, etc etc are great, but what we could really use are more bodies to help with drain clearing, vegetation trimming. this is where the “2 days a year” would go a LONG way if riders chose to commit to helping.
for those that volunteer, you make it all happen, thank you.
for those who don’t- give it a shot, and I hope you’ll find satisfaction in riding trails you’ve helped maintain or improve!
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Kyle Dixon
1 week, 6 days ago
I come down from Ontario to ride in your neck of the woods every winter. Thank you for the work y'all do!
I'll slang ya a pint at The Hub next I'm down
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Glass
2 weeks ago
I am a trail builder who has worked in a bikepark for 7 summers, worked on one of the UCI Enduro rounds in 2023 I live in a famous french ski resort. I put in +500 hours of trail work every year (not paid on my own time). Since 2013 I have built almost 30 trails around here as well as maintaining the local footpaths. Most people around here would rather ride than help out doing any maintenance. It's a shame because isn't it better to ride mint trails than blown out ones?
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Lynx .
2 weeks ago
This seems to be the sad fact the world over, human laziness and entitlement - they expect to have everything given to them without putting in any work. I eased off the trail work stuff the last few years because I was so sick of being one of only a handful out of hundreds of MTBers and who knows how many hikers who did any work and why should I put myself out, especially with my now bad knee for others who don't give a flying fvck.
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Jerry Willows
2 weeks ago
@Glass I hear you on this... I think if the area of riders knows that someone is going to fix the trails, they won't do anything. Once something gets blown out, the people just move to the next "new" trail. Trails fix themselves right (#notdigjustride)? I suggest just leaving your trails to natural wear for 6 months or so and see if anyone steps up or make a plea for trail adoption. 30 trails to maintain by yourself is insane.
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Glass
1 week, 6 days ago
Yeah I am tempted but I don't like riding my trails in bad shape, haha.
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Pete Roggeman
1 week, 5 days ago
This is the under-appreciated trail builder's paradox!
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Kever
1 week, 6 days ago
Coming from Jerry, the irony of the 30 trails comment is palpable ;)
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Duck
1 week, 5 days ago
Sort of depends how busy the area is. In Squamish I'm more worried about people getting creative and ruining the trail by braiding and stuff than it going decrepit.
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Lee Lau
1 week, 6 days ago
Chapeau Glass. Hear me out though, you'll burn yourself out. 30 trails is a lot!
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Glass
1 week, 6 days ago
It's not work if you enjoy it ;)
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kaesy
2 weeks, 1 day ago
I'm in a part of the world with few trails and less trail culture. We've been building a new trail network for a couple of years now and there is a ton of support and enthusiasm from the public. There is also lots of goodwill and can-I-help from the users we see on the trail. Not all of the suggestions or proposals that we hear make sense, from a sustainable/functional trail perspective; so although I think it would be great for everyone to get involved if it means learning and working with somebody who perhaps has more knowledge or experience, I think that a blanket statement that "everyone should work on trails" is a bit scary. Everyone who has the time and the interest and a bit of work ethic should work on trails, preferably through the local trail association. Everybody else should just join the association, use the trails, spread the word, be vocal about trail support, and if they want to keep a tab going for trail builders at the local watering hole, I support that too!
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Lynx .
2 weeks, 1 day ago
Ditto. It's amazing how un-common, common sense really is. I think "everyone should work on trails should be more like volunteer or donate to the ones who do, because it cost them $$ to buy gas, food, tools to do the work, but everyone who uses them, should in some way contribute.
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Jethro
2 weeks, 1 day ago
On the first question - about paying for subscription to a trail association. Where I am, my local trail association does not operate on a subscription model - instead we are currently working on the basis of donations (with various ways of enabling donations to be made into our account - including QR codes on signage and at the trail heads). It means we don't have to administer a membership list. At the moment it seems to work well enough - and it means that both locals and visitors have an easy mechanism to contribute for their day...or week....or year's riding. There is always going to be a proportion of folk that will ride but never contribute anything, whether that is by donation or subscription. But, we're hoping that more folk are going to be willing to pay a small sum periodically by donation than would stump up for an annual subscription. Time will tell.
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Lynx .
2 weeks, 1 day ago
Had this thought myself about trying to setup something similar on our trails so anyone could easily donate, but we don't really have that infrastructure in place down here, well there's a few things like it that have popped up, but haven't had time to research it yet.
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JD
1 week, 6 days ago
"It means we don't have to administer a membership list"
I get what you're saying, but keep in mind sometimes if you're looking for funding or advocating for trail access, it really helps to have that list!
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Pete Roggeman
1 week, 5 days ago
True. But as anyone knows that is lucky enough to live somewhere that has an organized trail group, you first need several people willing to put in the time - and a lot of it - to get that sucker up and running.
Everyone's situation is a bit different. Discussing it helps. If every rider contributes in some way, it's a damn good start.
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Kos
2 weeks, 1 day ago
I worked on darn near every local work party until I hit 60 a few years ago. After that, I decided to use up the rest of my battered carcass's life having fun. Now I'm on the local mtb BOD so I can tell the young guns when and where to dig!
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jdt
2 weeks, 1 day ago
You forgot another reason.
"I am already MAXXED out on volunteer time in other endeavors (e.g. helping workers, helping the environment, helping the needy), and what little time I have left, I try to use for riding. "
Personally, I dig, but not as much as I would like to, with the never-ending demand for volunteer hours in other pursuits constantly biting into the week.
There are a lot of other REALLY important things that also need attention that we all benefit from, but do not directly support. I get the occasional vibe from people from not doing as much trail work as they think I should, and don't say much, but sometimes want to tell them to pound sand (or something stronger) knowing that they dig, ride, and live their happy lives without further complications.
I think volunteerism as a general value is hugely important, but no recreation group gets to claim any moral high ground on this unless they are also contributing to maintaining the fabric of the opulent society that we benefit as we go about our daily lives.
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Mark
2 weeks ago
While I like the sentiment of "no dig, no ride" it can be exclusionary and doesn't take into account the other ways that people can help out. Whether that's getting a) trail association memberships, b) sending a donation of product, services, tools or cash, c) or helping out with administrative or advocacy work, there are ways for people to help out.
I think a lot of the problem is because the trails tend to be on public lands people think they are "free" because there's no mandatory pay for use situation like at a bike park. People are simply unaware of the cost involved with creating trails. Recreating in the forest also seems to be of one the last free fun things people have access to, so the idea of paying for that seems foreign for those who do not understand how trail networks get built and maintained. A lot of people also seem to have the impression that the government does the work so they are already contributing with their taxes. It can be a challenge to get the message out that the trails are largely built by volunteers with their own time and money and I think it's one area where trail orgs could maybe improve. One thought is doing parking lot open houses with a BBQ to create a captive audience and then let people know who the trail org is, how the trail network operates and how riders can get involved.
My "rule" for giving back has been 10%. For every hour that you ride give back 10% in time or 10% of an avg wage for those hours. So if you ride a 100hrs then you should be doing 10hrs of volunteer work or donating say $250. If everyone did their part the trails would be mint. I'd extend the same to the bike companies and parts manufacturers as well, a minimum of 10% of net profits should be going to trail orgs. The reason I say 10% as a minimum is that without builders and trail orgs, those companies probably wouldn't be existing.
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TristanC
2 weeks, 1 day ago
I donate yearly to two trail associations (one local and one in my favorite non-local place to ride), but I have never been out to a trail work day. I don't know why. Laziness? "Too busy?" These are weak excuses from me and I need to get out there. I like physical labor and I like the smell of dirt, I need to just go out there and do it.
I do little bits of work when I see them (carry a small folding saw for small trees, pick up trash, etc.) but I should do more. I do not have a good reason not to.
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Jerry Willows
2 weeks, 1 day ago
rainy days are a great time to go out.
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Ondřej Váňa
1 week, 6 days ago
Careful, it may be addictive.
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Abies
2 weeks, 1 day ago
I’m currently drinking coffee in my tent and about to head into day two of the Northern California Singletrack summit, which is an amazing weekend of trainings and presentations by trail builders and associations across our region. The biggest thing I’m learning is that many challenges are locality-specific. In the Bay Area there are plenty of volunteers but lots of users, and land managers who have not historically been friendly to bikes. Some groups down there have to turn away volunteers. Up in my more remote area we have at least some willing land managers but funding is our biggest barrier. Yes, we need more volunteers always, but we need money for equipment too.
I’ve volunteered doing trail work at organized build days for many years but in the last year after moving to this area with fewer trails but a lot of opportunity I think I’ve built almost as much as I’ve ridden. Be the change you want to see in the world!
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Squint
2 weeks ago
Paid trail association fees for years, I do incidental efforts like clearing branches or drains, but have yet do to a proper trail day despite years of thinking "I really should..." Thanks for the nudge Trevor, I have just signed up for my first and added a Trail Boost.
Given what one can spend on outdoor activity access, lift fees or what have you, it always has seemed like a blessing that there was no financial requirement for trail access. Seems only right that we contribute somehow to some of the best trails in the world.
I don't personally know any builders, there was a crowdfunding a few years back for Digger that I happily contributed to. I would certainly be part of a fuel or equipment fund if I heard of such a thing.
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hankthespacecowboy
1 week, 6 days ago
It's easy to put a lot of emphasis on the moving dirt aspect of trail building, but that is just the fun / easy part. For every trailbuilder you see moving dirt, there had to be someone putting in years of pushing papers, and going to boring-ass meetings at 10 am on Tuesday so that we could even have a "no dig, no ride" conversation.
A volunteer at a trail building session in Mexico had the best summation - "A trail takes 5 years to approve, 5 months to build, and 5 minutes to ride."
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Henry Chinaski
1 week, 6 days ago
I like the pop-in! I rarely ride by trail work without offering to pitch in. Sometimes it's just a couple of buckets and sometimes more. I saw Pete on the climber today and offered to help. I ended up spending an hour with him.
Some builders like the pop-in more than others. For instance, Digger's never accepted my invitation while working alone. I reckon some builders are out there for solitude, so I'm happy if they tell me to be on my way.
I also feel like hauling dirt and the massive rocks of the shore is a good metric for my fitness. It doesn't matter if you can lap the climber on your Enduro bike, if you can't fill a wheel barrel with dirt or deadlift a big stone, you're in trouble!
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Michael Klein
1 week, 6 days ago
I don't pay $ (or beers) to builders because I am part of a build crew. I believe in "trail karma". When I build trails for others to ride, I can ride their trails without us having to pay each other.
I too believe in volunteer karma. The guy riding our trails without digging, might be the guy who is training my (or other) kids at a different sport, and just need a break from his volunteering.
And as someone else indicated; if everyone wants to build, it would be hard for me to build the trails I like.
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trumpstinyhands
2 weeks, 1 day ago
During the winter / spring I sometimes 'entertain' myself by doing countless hours of trail work BUT leaving all the deadfall on the access trails to / from my trails in-situ. I do this as a social experiment to see how long it takes for people to clear it. It will often take weeks, yet loads of evidence of people out riding. Maybe everyone else is just doing the same as me though :D
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AbbyRM
1 week, 6 days ago
5 Days a week during the summer. Since last fall my buddies and I have replaced a dozen bridges in our area.
Specialized is also very involved in supporting trail work with their Soil Searching Program.
Lifetime member of FVMBA so no payments needed.
My favorite comment from hikers and the bikers who stop to talk is "Do you work for the city?"
Any participation in trail maintenance is important as it give people a sense of ownership.
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Kyle Dixon
1 week, 6 days ago
Kind of down for all of it, I volunteer my time, I belong to 2 local trail org, and when I'm travelling I'll toss a donation to the local trail association If I cop lap for a day or two. Bike kept me out of some pretty dark places over the pandemic, so I like to help ensure it never goes away.
I'm a volunteer builder at my local bike park, Wilderness Tours Have discovered since last spring that I really enjoy Digging and Maintaining Trail. Legit enjoyment, I'm out in the forest, I am working with my body, and the tremendous boon to my mental health has paid serious dividends.
So Yea, I try to go out and give back to help the local ridership and help craft some seriously rad lines in the Ottawa Valley. (Makin the Best of 87m of Elevation change Baybyyy!) Apparently "Acts of Service" is my love language or something... But damn if it doesnt feel good when a group ride from the local college rolls over the hand hewn bridge you just finished 8 hrs of Milling and fabbing at the bottom of a new flow trail and they are ALL SMILES raving about the project you just spent 6 days banging in.
Like Glass said in one of his replies, It aint work if you love it. And it aligns with the path I want my life to take once I retire from the Forces.
But I also accept that Helping out isnt some peoples bag, and while I think folk should give where they can, some wont ever, and thats fine
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Bagheera
2 weeks, 1 day ago
This is very much written from a North Shore perspective (which is okay, this being NSMB).
Around here, during the last 30 years, there have been 4 new trails and one "trail center" (a place with a few training jumps etc). Every single one of these trails is an excavator-built, gravel surface jump/berm thing. Rocks, roots, steeps, tech, actual singletrack? Nope. So I don't feel like our trail association does anything for me. What they actually do is put signage with "This is not a bike trail" at the entrance of decent trails (mostly old hiking trails). So no, I'm not going to pay them. Maintenance is mostly done by a paid crew (often gardeners who have little idea what they're doing, though the last revamp has been better). Solo maintenance is discouraged.
There are a few illegal trails, but with a deciduous forest and a lot of logging/hunters, they're hard to hide and usually result in trouble with the rangers.
Some trails I ride farther from home are illegal as well, although mostly tolerated. When I happen upon the builders, beers and snacks are in order, but in some cases I have no idea who builds/maintains those trails. Also, that's kind of the idea, if nobody knows who the builders are, they can't get into trouble. I actually had a guy flinch and react with a rather displeased "Who wants to know?" when I greeted him with "Oh, you must be XYZ."
I do clear the trails I ride regularly, or inform one of my buddies who has a chainsaw if there's a larger tree down. Cutting back branches etc. is explicitly forbidden by law and the rangers don't like it.
So, discussing whether or not you should build trails and pay your trail association seem like a luxury from where I'm riding.
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Pete Roggeman
1 week, 5 days ago
It's important for everyone to hear about the experiences of others. Where do you live, Bagheera?
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Lynx .
2 weeks, 1 day ago
So as per usual and especially with a topic of this nature, too many comments to go through right now, but here's my response to the questions asked.
Do you pay trail association fees? No I don't because we don't really have one, also, I am a major part of maintaining local trails, been doing it since I found my first proper trail back in 2005, so if anything I'd be paying myself.
Do you contribute to builders with beer or other ways? See answer above.
How many days (3+ hours/day) per year do you work on mountain bike trails? I answered 10+ days a year and that's probably being very modest if I'm honest, although in recent years it wasn't as much after I broke my knee and really wasn't riding.
Do you think all riders should work on trails? If yes, how often? I answered 2 days as a minimum if you ride trails at all, but I think it should be commensurate with how much you actually ride - so if you're riding trails 3 times a week, you better be doing at least 1 trail day a month, IMHO.
As Wade mentioned, I don't restrict myself to trail days, I normally have a small folding saw and multi knife in my pack at all times and I'll stop to cut fallen branches/limbs and/or move them off trail while riding, not hoping that someone else will come along and do it, because well, honestly, I know that that "someone" will be me some other time, because most seem to think trails get built and maintained by some secret fairy trail squad or some such.
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Bryce Borlick
2 weeks, 1 day ago
Buying a membership instead of digging seems fair. Personally I’d rather dig.
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Tjaard Breeuwer
2 weeks ago
Most trail associations’ memberships are pretty low, so I don’t feel that replaces doing the actual work. In our clubs case it pretty much pays for tools and such for the volunteers who do show up to work.
So, I pay for a membership in any trail network I ride more than a day or two. I think this is just a minimum acknowledgment of of the fact that trails don’t happen by magic.
After that, for our local trails, I do a little trail work, and should do more. It’s fun and it gives you an idea of what goes into a mtb trail on the ground. I should do more, but I’m a slacker and often have other stuff on our local work night.
But, the most useful thing I do is donate to our trail association. The club uses that to pay for professional maintenance and build crews.
So, donate time or money, as you are able, and try and do some actual dirt work once in a while.
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Frorider
1 week, 5 days ago
Good article. Some thoughts:
- Lazy or selfish tendencies are part of the human condition, which is precisely WHY catchy phrases like ‘do the right thing’ or ‘no dig, no ride’ are useful…they help us do the right thing, even if that’s just showing up for 1 trail day / yr
- The survey might’ve been more useful if it had a broader perspective; there are plenty of readers (like me) that have formed trail associations & lead community dig days, so consider us as part of the response spectrum
- The ‘no dig, no ride’ simple phrase is a useful way to start a more useful conversation about all the ways a rider can contribute to trails without touching a shovel
- Every dig day I’ve been involved with has included light duty activities suitable for a 10 yr old kid or an old creaky guy with back issues. But trail associations don’t always communicate that option, so people think it’s heavy labor only & avoid it
- Every region seems to have experienced riders who like to complain about how a trail was built but never show up for a trail day. Anyone know a catchy phrase to nail that?
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Lynx .
1 week, 5 days ago
Frorider, sadly, those types won't ever change, or at least in my experience, so no catchy phrase is going to help sway them, but a small dig at their ego (the biggest thing about them) might nudge them in the direction, so if you can stay chill and just deliver a "Cool story Bruh" to them, maybe tack on a "Well come show us how it's done on XX day", that could maybe do it, oh and make sure there's a good crowd/group when you do it,, so they can't ignore they've been "called out".
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Trevor Hansen
1 week, 4 days ago
That's a really good idea. Our Nsmba posts indicate no experience necessary but something about light duty or any level of duty would be a good addition. Thanks for the input.
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Andy Krull
1 week, 5 days ago
Don't much build trails on the mountain so had to answer no.
Do spend about 5 days a year building dirt jumps @ Vanier.
Do donate to NSMBA/TAP.
Do give trail builders's parking tickets on occasion ($20 under the wiper blade of car/truck parked at the trail head).
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cxfahrer
2 weeks, 1 day ago
I don't live at the north shore.
Where I live, the only hill (40m elevation) is so crowded with "builders", sometimes it seems like there are more builders than riders. I would help them if they asked me, but they have an ethos like "build a feature if you want something new and thrilling", and I don't like that.
I do some trail maintenance elsewhere in the town with riding buddies, e.g. remove fallen trees etc..
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Kos
1 week, 6 days ago
It was the same in my old home stomping grounds. By the time I stepped aside at ~60, we'd get so many people at work parties, it was often hard to give everybody something to do.
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XXX_er
2 weeks, 1 day ago
Locally all the heavy building is done by a paid contracter with a mini hoe, some of maintenance is done with 2 paid builders, the fire crews early season if there are no fires. Sometimes i will clear blowdown or rake leaves or do trail day maintenace days but really its the builder and association in control which is fine with me . I will shoot the builder a beer when I see him in the craft brew and I don't mind paying association dues, the association guy is paid and he is also paid by the xc ski club in winter, i think its all good investment for the money to have 1 guy who knows WTF is going on with the gov
speaking to unsanctioned building, 25 years ago people built trails/ stunts that were not always good, i think nobody was paying attention whereas nowdays the govy guys ride bikes/ ski the BC in BC so they know every thing thats going on and they are paying attention so illegal trails and illegal cabins can really get the builder in trouble, I know someone who caught A LOT of shit for an illegal ski cabin and he told me " do not ever do that ! " In some cases the govy guy will ask to have old stunts/ bridges taken out if its non-conforming which has pissed off some people but hey they are going to give the association a big grant and you wana complain about a request to conform ?
As I understand it far and away the lions share of money comes from govy grants in BC not the trail association dues and it looks to me like trails are getting built all over the place
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a.funks
2 weeks ago
All our local trails are unofficial, so the bigger challenge is stopping people building obvious trails (e.g. with big jumps / berms) where they’re likely to upset non-riders or the rangers.
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jdt
2 weeks ago
One more thing, best trail days are the ones that are friendly to kids. Most of them are, but having something extra to make it inviting for the youngsters is really helpful. I take my little guy with me to as many trail days as possible so that he can A) learn about the work, and B) socialize and form bonds around the activity.
The fact he gets some exercise out of it, the occasional pastry, and fist bumps at the apres (with lots of non-boozy drink options) keeps him coming back for more.....oh and decals. Lots of freaking decals. You can pretty much get a kid to move 300 pound boulders for a handful of stickers.........straight onto Daddy's windshield of course.
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Pete Roggeman
1 week, 5 days ago
This is an underrated sentiment. At the last CMBTA trail day I think there were kids from at least three different families. Without knowing it was kid-friendly it would have been a lot harder for those parents to make it happen (in several cases both parents attended the trail day).
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Sandy James Oates
1 week, 6 days ago
This comment has been removed.
Allan Maxwell
1 week, 6 days ago
I contributed to our local trail advocacy group for about 20 years --was even a trail steward --but, then they kicked me out for pointing out that they accomplished next to nothing in 20s. All trails in my area were built by rogue trail builders, myself included. The people we pay to build trails merely adapt these trails and call them official. They are heavily biased by their age and riding style, so only XC trails get "official". Enduro lines get "officially" wrecked and the builders shamed as "ruining it for everyone".
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XXX_er
1 week, 5 days ago
the local mtn bike association gives everyone who pays up a pair of monogrammed socks from the sockguy in interesting colors every year. The last time it was same color of Lavender that Santa Cruz uses
so my socks match my bike
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Ofanaim
1 week, 3 days ago
Trev, thanks for bringing light to this. One thing that I think should be called out as one of the greatest offenses is when a sponsored athlete publishes clips to their socials from a trail that they have never contributed any work to, let alone ask permission, or even offer to help.
They are quite literally profiting from a resource, all while increasing traffic by advertising the trail to their followers. I believe that this is the most damaging.
Some of the biggest offenders ride Seymour, are sponsored by brands such as cannondale and WR1.
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