Ask Digger how much 1 km of trail took to build on the Shore, I thought and still think $30K was/is a lot for 1km…in fact, I can't fathom how smoothing over some dirt and digging out a few trees can cost so much…and I know that we built some great shit back in the day that's still around and it was basically with a shovel [HTML_REMOVED] rake…no, 20 000 people don't ride it but dirt is dirt. Ah…life used to be so simple. The original beauty of this sport is that it wasn't like that guy in Jerry McGuire screaming "Show me the money!"
Ask Digger how much he would charge someone to make 1km of trail that was
strong enough for 20,000 hacks to skid and something that can handle having
15-20ft of snow on it for 6+ months and that can handle the melt afterward, and
have it good enough to ride when it's wet.
See how much he would charge. See, I think it's cheap, to make what they
make for a bike park, each stunt on a particular trail has to be consistent and
don't forget that includes survey work (ever seen how much those guys make),
that includes making a topo map with all the features of the hill (major trees,
logs, rock outcrops, etc).
There's a piece of land over here, I've thought would be a great bike hill (good
location, private property, lots of trees, dry(ish). I've thought about how much
it would cost to get local contractors and "cheap" labor, etc. I think if you really
sit down and think about how much it would cost to build a commercial trail,
dealing with all the logistics, liability, mapping, planning (for fun, stability,
sustainability, etc), I think you would change your mind on how much a k of
trail should cost.
AND
When you've come to the conclusion that I have, you then understand and
appreciate what these volunteer builders have done that much more. I can
appreciate your opinion, but it's off base with reality.
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"i surf because, i"m always a better person when i come in"-Andy Irons
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