#!markdown
I'm going to quote myself here to establish context:
**_"I personally find the position of these riders quite odd; I have no problem finding fun [on low grade XC/intermediate trails]…" _**
I made sure to label that a personal opinion, as it is one not necessarily
shared by my colleagues or other proponents of the current direction of
sanctioned trail work. I get that you might not enjoy those trails as much –
but please note that my comment concerns the having of fun riding bikes on
trails. Any particular type of trail is not "not fun"; it is simply a
different kind of riding.
I am a generalist when it comes to bikes, trails, and people I'll ride with:
XC, AM, hardtail, DH, freeride, DJ, BMX… singletrack XC, flow, slow tech,
park, DH… beginners through to pros – I am always looking to expand my riding
skills, trail experiences, and to have fun in the woods with friends new and
old. I didn't mean to offend with that statement but I would argue that the
rider in question who desires only rooty or rock armoured slow tech style
riding is still being narrow-minded.
**_"…an entitled group: advanced level riders that don’t like riding beginner-intermediate trails…"_**
I chose to use the word "entitled" carefully. The reason I chose this word was
to relate my point about the historic lack of beginner-intermediate _routes_
(not just out-and-backs on graveled doubletrack) in the trail network. While
the North Shore may have a lot more accessible singletrack options than in
years past, the reality is the vast majority of trails (or at least their crux
features) are still expert-level. The resistance of this group to the new
style of trail building verges on elitist, and I don't feel that's acceptable.
**Thoughts about "progression"**
When you boil mountain biking down to a single experience, it's riding a bike
with knobby tires in the wilderness. Not everyone is after "progression" in
the sense that they desire to conquer stunts, steeps, and other technical
riding experiences. Some riders are completely content (and would like nothing
other than) to ride fun singletrack in the woods as a way to get exercise
without fear or the risk of injury. That is a trail experience that is still
not available even with the last four years of active trail maintenance on the
North Shore – but we're getting there.
If you flip around my above comments about "odd" and "entitled" riders, it
looks more than a bit hypocritical to say the beginner rider doesn't also
deserve a trail experience they enjoy and yet can't have even if they seek it
out.
My comments ruffled your feathers just as Sutton's article did for me. I
appreciate the last two lines of your comment.
Dec. 3, 2013, 6:29 p.m. - morgman
#!markdown I'm going to quote myself here to establish context: **_"I personally find the position of these riders quite odd; I have no problem finding fun [on low grade XC/intermediate trails]…" _** I made sure to label that a personal opinion, as it is one not necessarily shared by my colleagues or other proponents of the current direction of sanctioned trail work. I get that you might not enjoy those trails as much – but please note that my comment concerns the having of fun riding bikes on trails. Any particular type of trail is not "not fun"; it is simply a different kind of riding. I am a generalist when it comes to bikes, trails, and people I'll ride with: XC, AM, hardtail, DH, freeride, DJ, BMX… singletrack XC, flow, slow tech, park, DH… beginners through to pros – I am always looking to expand my riding skills, trail experiences, and to have fun in the woods with friends new and old. I didn't mean to offend with that statement but I would argue that the rider in question who desires only rooty or rock armoured slow tech style riding is still being narrow-minded. **_"…an entitled group: advanced level riders that don’t like riding beginner-intermediate trails…"_** I chose to use the word "entitled" carefully. The reason I chose this word was to relate my point about the historic lack of beginner-intermediate _routes_ (not just out-and-backs on graveled doubletrack) in the trail network. While the North Shore may have a lot more accessible singletrack options than in years past, the reality is the vast majority of trails (or at least their crux features) are still expert-level. The resistance of this group to the new style of trail building verges on elitist, and I don't feel that's acceptable. **Thoughts about "progression"** When you boil mountain biking down to a single experience, it's riding a bike with knobby tires in the wilderness. Not everyone is after "progression" in the sense that they desire to conquer stunts, steeps, and other technical riding experiences. Some riders are completely content (and would like nothing other than) to ride fun singletrack in the woods as a way to get exercise without fear or the risk of injury. That is a trail experience that is still not available even with the last four years of active trail maintenance on the North Shore – but we're getting there. If you flip around my above comments about "odd" and "entitled" riders, it looks more than a bit hypocritical to say the beginner rider doesn't also deserve a trail experience they enjoy and yet can't have even if they seek it out. My comments ruffled your feathers just as Sutton's article did for me. I appreciate the last two lines of your comment.