Ahhh, Spring is here. The days where the singletrack thaws and you can get in a mountain bike ride or a hike and a day on the ski hill all in one afternoon!
If you watch the internet for Boulder mountain bike related news, you’ll see there has been a lot going on with the Boulder Mountain Bike Alliance, TSA, and how to go about new trails in the open space. Something we can all do as trail users on fat tires is to respect the trail so we don’t give reason to ban mountain bikes. The same goes for hikers… we treat each other as separate entities, but really we are all out there for the same reason, and a lot of the same rules apply.
Here are some things I notice, and a lot of times, people simply just don’t know any better! It’s not that we are being intentional trail demons, we just don’t know the rules. It’s especially hard for people new to the outdoors. How can they know what to do? I post something like this every year as a reminder, or maybe you’re checking this out for the first time!
If you do twitter at all, there is a great feed that will give you the trail conditions in the area: @FRmtbTrails Or, you can go on the front range forum on mtbr.com.
The simplest rule… Be friendly, yield to others, and stay on the trail. It’s easy!
1. If the trails are muddy, stay off!! Riding on muddy trails causes a lot of damage – it makes ruts and then it dries like that.
2. If you do find yourself in a muddy section of trail, it’s actually better to ride through the mud as opposed to riding around the mud and off the trail. By riding around it, it eventually widens the trail and you no longer have singletrack. OR, even better – get off your bike and lightly walk through the muddy section. Similarly, if you’re a hiker, going off trail is also not good and has the similar damaging long term effects.
3. Let’s yield to each other and communicate. Slow down for a second. Imagine if you were walking and had some bike that appeared out of control bearing down on you. It’s scary! It’s easy to be courteous. Actually, here is a great link on yielding.
4. Leave no trace. Don’t litter. Duh.
5. Yield to uphill riders. Uphill has right of way. If you can, stay on the trail when you move over.
6. Skids are sweet and all, but they can hurt the trail too.
7. Try to kindly educate others on trail use. Chances are, they probably just don’t know any better!
These are the general IMBA guidelines, which are basically what I posted more or less.
We all love being in the mountains, so let’s make it fun and keep the trails beautiful for everyone! Happy Spring!
