May 24, 2015, 5:05 p.m. -  Cam McRae

#!markdown Not everyone can ride trails like Expresso and have a good time. I used to be firmly in that category. I could ride janky trails like Bookwus, Crippler, Starfish etc. but back then I would have sucked at trails like Bobsled and Expresso (and I probably still suck actually) and I would have avoided them like the plague. I still enjoy riding the tech trails but I can now really have a great time on smoother faster trails. I had to learn to have fun on them and that wasn't easy at all. It also requires an open mind. Bikes certainly make a difference and a Knolly with a Monster T is not going to be fun on Expresso. At least I couldn't have much fun on a bike like that on Expresso. And I had a great time on Starfish the other day on my daily rider that also runs great on new school trails. The great thing about today's Shore is that we have some choice. I can ride Bookwus and Expresso in the same lap - and have a great time on both. The other thing to consider is that there are now some trails that allow riders to get a taste of riding without getting discouraged immediately. There are trails I can take my kids on, or other less-experienced riders, and they can get the bug. And Expresso, as an example, has sections that are challenging and technical to show that side of the Shore. If you are really looking to groom riders then we need variety and we also need to be able to allow riders to progress by giving them access points. We were maintaining Expresso today and riders of all stripes passed us. Fast and experienced riders and absolute beginners as well. And both were clearly having a great time. In fact I know that many of the most skilled riders on the Shore can have a great time on Expresso - and these are riders who could clean Pink Starfish without breaking a sweat. What I find strange is all the people talking about there not being any challenge left. Challenging trails are still plentiful. If you can't find any you aren't looking. At the same time many of those were not sustainable, nor could they be rebuilt. Expresso is a perfect example of that. The old line is a trench and reworking it would have required thousands of hours. Like you I haven't been pleased about all the work, but I realize that there is an arrogance to thinking all trails should be made and maintained in an image that pleases me. Some of the recent work on Krinkum, as you mentioned, is a good example. There was a fun section that allowed you to carry some speed and even ride a couple of (god forbid!) drops. It didn't require a lot of maintenance and it dealt with water well. But, for whatever reason, the maintainer (Peter?) decided that this area would be better served by several tight switchbacks. I actually love switchbacks and I can ride them well generally because I'm an old bastard, but I don't find these any fun at all. They are (IMHO) too tight for even skilled riders to ride quickly. But there you have it. It's not always going to be perfect for me, but I'm happy that someone with skill and dedication is working on the trail. Will I ride it less? I think I will, because I have the luxury to choose something else. It's pretty easy to be an armchair grouch and complain about the state of the trails, but I find it hard to imagine that you'd like to go back to five years ago when every single trail on the Shore was in need of serious repair. Few seem to remember the days when one trail at a time would get one day of maintenance and then that trail would get hammered afterwards because everything else was such shit. Things were going downhill in all the wrong ways. And now we have momentum. Of course it will never be the same, but nothing ever is. The North Shore is dead. Long Live the North Shore.