YOUR Input needed

If someone were to put out a guidebook to the riding on the shore, what would you want them to include???

• Trail Length?
• GPS maps?
• Elevation Gain / loss?
• Detailed description?
• Action shots?
• Local micro brews?
• Anything else????

T4G

-gps points
-LOTS of pictures
-for areas that require hiking having the estamated hiking time, and elevation would be helpfull

j

i like the gps idea for me but i dunno if it is a good idea as people who hate us would know exactly where our trails are and we could have multiple trail nazis on us. but how hard they are for sure and elevation drops of trails like how many vertical feet.

Good maps are key. Photos are always a nice touch. I don't know how to use a GPS but I'm sure some people would appreciate that too. Oh, and a good difficulty rating system.

…. Oh, and a good difficulty rating system.

lots of pictures is much more important than a rating system IMO, look at the cove maps (which are great and helped me a lot getting started on the shore);however, Jerry-rig having the same rating as Ladies only?? wtf all you need to see is some pics of the 2 trails to know that a 8 ft tall skinny to drop is MUCH harder than anything on ladies, most of the ratings make sence but allowing the riders to decide for them selves is much better

my2bits

j

GPS coordinates ( UTM please ) for start , finish and points of interest only , please . also , estimated times for climbs ( major ascents only ) and loop times .

also it'd be nice to know where to stop at 4.20 , wherever that is . . .

is putting out a guide book really a good idea? wouldn't that be the same as posting directions over the internet? (not an accepted practice!)

Okay Sparkplug lets say you were going on a bike trip to Colorado or Utah or how about Chile where you are the visitor with no idea where to get started and you don't want to waste your week of vacation time looking for the trails, what would you want in a guide???

T4G

^^^
how about a list of local guides/ companies that would show you the goods???

• Trail Length
• GPS maps
• Elevation Gain / loss
• Detailed description T4G

the above and;

mention of trail etiquette - ride don't slide/stay on the trail - don't make your own line
mention to donate to the local trail advocacy organization
suggested parking areas
note to pick up your garbage and respect other users.

Trail length NOT based on GPS data
GPS locations of trail heads and exits and intersections to the nearest bail out.

Have you seen the guidebook for riding in the rockies? Its the best one I've seen.

"Mountain Biking in the Canadian Rockies" - Doug Eastcott.
for an example see;
http://www.rmbooks.com/pdf/elbow.pdf

Okay Sparkplug lets say you were going on a bike trip to Colorado or Utah or how about Chile where you are the visitor with no idea where to get started and you don't want to waste your week of vacation time looking for the trails, what would you want in a guide???

T4G

the address and phone number for a local bike shop?

is putting out a guide book really a good idea? wouldn't that be the same as posting directions over the internet? (not an accepted practice!)

for trails that are well-known it should be OK. e.g. those like CBC, Pangor, 7th Secret, Espresso … the ones that NSMBA actively maintains. there isn't really any reason not to give directions to these (in general, i know the board has a rule here).

BUT, there are quite a few other, shall we say, "low-profile" trails that are not ridden much or not well-known. putting trails like these (e.g. Big Eye for example) in the Guide Book would not really be a good idea as:
- that will really piss off the builders/riders
- 90% of tourists couldnt ride it anyways

Maps are pretty much usless for finding trails IMO not to mention all the trail intersections. you need Pictures of the actual trail heads and intersections or youll have people all over the place. Its not so bad on fromme as things all tend to lead to the same place but Seymour can be tricky.

The point of a good guide is to both document ALL trails regardless of how "secret" they are so people can ride them if they want, and to freeze a moment of riding history so we can all look back and laugh at how primitive our trails were at the turn of the century.

I don't understand why people get all possesive about new trails. Its like the gay habit of rock climbers tagging a project with red flagging so they can climb it first before someone else ticks it. If you build quality trails with good features and give it a snappy name, you should be stoked to have others ride it and give you the credit you deserve for your hard, thankless unpaid work!!

Having your work appear in a guidebook should be the ultimate complement for a trail builder. People who build and try to keep Sh!t to themselves are like the spoiled kid who takes his ball and goes home when someone else wants to play!

T4G