The barrier to entry paradox. Make access easier - whether by proximity to population, addition of motors, dumbing down of trails, and the user group immediately grows, AND the relative level of understanding regarding trail use/ettiquette/social behaviors plummets.
The great thing about Downieville is/was that much of the riding is legitimately backcountry and technical enough that it demands some degree of skill and self-awareness to survive once away from the main arterial routes. So conflicts are generally very low. But the closer one gets to graded roads and easily accessible parking lots, the more things degenerate; more conflicts, more injuries, much higher kook factor, sudden influx of quads and side by sides.
March 13, 2024, 10:56 a.m. - Mike Ferrentino
The barrier to entry paradox. Make access easier - whether by proximity to population, addition of motors, dumbing down of trails, and the user group immediately grows, AND the relative level of understanding regarding trail use/ettiquette/social behaviors plummets. The great thing about Downieville is/was that much of the riding is legitimately backcountry and technical enough that it demands some degree of skill and self-awareness to survive once away from the main arterial routes. So conflicts are generally very low. But the closer one gets to graded roads and easily accessible parking lots, the more things degenerate; more conflicts, more injuries, much higher kook factor, sudden influx of quads and side by sides.