The Chainsaw Massacre - Ten Years Later

Alan and Sharon are fighting the good fight.

You owe them your thanks and your beer.

The CofT and IMBA have basically driven the trail builders out of the area. And it is noticeable. You can see how little maintneance is being done. All sorts of problems that need to be fixed that aren't. Because every one has been driven out of Crothers woods. Only those of the high order of IMBA or CofT can do trail work.

Meanwhile on the remaining few kilometers of the ridge you can see trail work is being done. Trees have been cleared, mud holes fixed , drainage cleared, and so on. All within roughly 48 hours.

This is a very good example of what could happen on Fromme if the DNV mess too much, particularly if they consolidate :rolleyes: trails. They will alienate builders and kill the Golden Goose.

This is a very good example of what could happen on Fromme if the DNV mess too much, particularly if they consolidate :rolleyes: trails. They will alienate builders and kill the Golden Goose.

That is what they have done. Funny how they shut down as they call it, "renegade trail builders" yet these same people are what keep the trails sustainable.

All this shows to me is that for trails to be truly sustainable it requires continuous maintneance. And this means at any time and any where that is required. Sooner then later before major problems occur.

All this does is create new versions of the Secret Trail Society.

Great article and always good to remember the past that brought us here.

It is a balancing act.

between the riders and land owners,
maintained and natural which is directly related to rider numbers.

wrt the land owners I only hope that they continue to work with us to help build a great trail network that everyone can enjoy.

on the topic a good trail with gnarly steeps and loam can handle a limited number of traffic. once you punch through the duff/loam and start rutting things out it all goes to shit really fast and then its toast. In van the critical mass of riders is way to high for the goods to stay good.

they goods have to be pedaled to if you want them to stay good. 2 hr climbs will keep all but the die-hards away.

they know have to pedaled to if you want them to stay good. 2 hr climbs will keep all but the die-hards away.

Great idea! Let's take a poll on blocking off Cypress Bowl Road. All in favour say aye.

Aye!

Alan and Sharon are fighting the good fight.

You owe them your thanks and your beer.

Could not agree more. Thanks Alan and Sharon.

Were you even here in 1999 Jerry? Didn't you build the full-stunty Jerry Rig trail after 1999? With lots of high skinnies? That seems like a revisionist opinion if you ask me. Reaper may not have been very 2009 when it was destroyed but it was amazing and fun in the late 90s. Mind blowing even.

I don't think it matters if I was here or not, but I was lurking around. I think Cypress is a better place to ride without the man made stunts, then and now. The stunts would have rot away by 2002 and it set a precedence that riding can be fun without man made stunts.

I don't think it matters if I was here or not, but I was lurking around. I think Cypress is a better place to ride without the man made stunts, then and now. The stunts would have rot away by 2002 and it set a precedence that riding can be fun without man made stunts.

Totally agree. It always confused me as to why people would build elevated structures over sweet natural gnarl.

So that's a no.

The Reaper in its heyday was a special trail - and one that you can't evaluate if you never rode it. It was also an important part of the evolution which lead trails to where they are today.

Also - hurray for Alan and Sharon and all of their hard work!

So that's a no.

The Reaper in its heyday was a special trail - and one that you can't evaluate if you never rode it. It was also an important part of the evolution which lead trails to where they are today.

Also - hurray for Alan and Sharon and all of their hard work!

even I got to ride it. It was crazy on the HT with my sweet Club Roost riser bars.

I've got mixed feelings about what Jerry said. Reaper OWNED you and so did Pre-reaper. Even with bigger gear they'd still kick your ass. And the stunts flowed from one to the other.

But the new Reaper is still good and tough enough that you don't just come off CBC and think you're going to ride it - well at least you'll walk most of it.

and fifth is one of my favourite current trails but you had to ride the fresh woodwork on it and that scary vertical coaster to appreciate just how beautiful that trail was "back in the day".

In the end - its all good but just different

I feel bad for Dan's hard work that got destroyed, I know what its like but it's the chance you take. From what I've learned throughout the years is that it is pretty much impossible to close a natural trail and it is much faster and cheaper as well.

Long life the natural knarl and a shout out to the peeps fighting the good fight.

and fifth is one of my favourite current trails but you had to ride the fresh woodwork on it and that scary vertical coaster to appreciate just how beautiful that trail was "back in the day".

I'm a relative noob to the shore (5 years) so I never realized fifth was one of the victims of the massacre. Is there any pics floating around of the original woodwork? It's one of my favourite cypress trails as well and I would love to see what it was like originally.