This fundraiser is cruising… 9k now.
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I tagged the area MLA on insta but I’m thinking a few people should reach out to him as well as whoever the MP is for the area. I would think an initiative like this would be something a politician would love to associate themselves with at least by sharing.
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Smart thinking. Any contact info you can share to people don’t have to do the googles?
At work right now but Tory Rushton is the area MLA and who I tagged on the mtb Atlantic post didn’t get a chance to figure out who the MP would be.
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#fuckstrava but the people building anand funding the trails are using strava when they ride there lol.
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#LoveStrava
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Me too. I have never used it to find a ride.
Hi Folks, first off thanks for all of the support this week with the launch of the Wentworth MTB Association. We have been overwhelmed with the immediate success of the fundraiser, and the positive support in this thread.
We are riders. We are builders. We are also part of the Wentworth community. As you know it’s been a tough year for Wentworth, starting with unfortunate events in April, the community is sensitive right now. Wentworth has a cult following of riders, it is an epic place. With COVID and ‘staycations’ the numbers of riders and traffic has increased dramatically, on both sides of the Wentworth Valley. We have the utmost respect for the local landowners/businesses and our PRIVILEGE to use their lands. These lands and trails are also shared by hikers and families. Some thought it prudent while we were launching the association to respect the rights of the landowners to remove Trailforks data until such time as formal agm’ts/insurance is in place with landowners. This is standard practice across North America. This is to protect landowners and to ensure the long-term sustainability of this network. Support from the community is positive and we need that to continue!
Our main priorities are framed up in the fundraiser, but to summarize:
-Collaborate with local landowners to formalize trail access/maintenance agreements, limit land-owner liability with General Liability coverage (fundraiser will make that possible)
-Ensure landowners concerns are identified and addressed; parking/garbage/trail heads etc.
-Ensure trails meet adequate standards (safety/signage/direction/multi-use etc.)
-Long-term sustainable mountain biking in the Wentworth Valley
In short, we need to do it right. This is a marathon, not a sprint. There is a great trail network in place that folks ride everyday. At this critical juncture we do not need incidents or growing community angst. The first step was getting the association off the ground, with funding to move our initiatives forward. That came together quickly. We now need to work with the community/corporations to build a sustainable model for the area. As somebody mentioned above, there are some good models which we would like to emulate.
How can you help?
-If you have donated, THANK YOU! If you haven’t, please consider if the association will add value/align to your personal goals, if it does, we welcome your support! The funds may look large, but at $2000/year for insurance alone the expenses add up fast. We are all volunteers who would much rather spend the time riding or building!
-Use caution on ALL trails. It is prime hiking/biking and dog walking season. Respect that these are multi-use trails on private property. Landowner support is only as good as their last encounter with a Mountain Biker.
-Ride within your ability and limit damage to trails. Many trails are not built for heavy traffic/braking.
We are solely focused on our initiatives so have very limited Social Media presence at the moment. Best way to follow progress will be through Instagram @wentworth.mtb.association
Thanks again for the support, we look forward to moving the ball down the field…
Matt
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Thanks for the update, Matt!
Any updates here @WentworthMTB ? Would love to check out the trails this summer, if/when we’re encouraged to ride here again.
Any trail work days? Any word on return to trailforks?
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Hi @Drgonzo, hopefully we’ll be riding again by early-mid May, there is still snow up high with lots of runoff. Lots of work happening behind the scenes, albeit slow. We’ve helped the local Fire Dept. purchase a rescue litter, with a fatbike wheel and hydraulic brakes. This is part of our safety planning for remote areas and is beneficial to anyone who hikes/bikes in the area, this is key to securing long term agreements for the association. We encourage everyone to get out and ride once trails dry up, but please respect the local private landowners, they are supportive as long as we leave no trace and obey trail closures etc.
There will be a few build days in the spring weather dependent, more to come.
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This is great @WentworthMTB and I’m happy that someone has taken on the challenge of keeping the trails alive but how are we to know where to go or what trails are closed or what ones are on private land? There are no maps and no information. The trails have been hidden from the public on Trailforks, I guess people can still Strava poach some ridelogs but it’s easy to get lost up there. Unless you happen to be in the “Bro club” who ride there regardless of the landowner issues and can tag on a ride, how is anyone supposed to know where to ride and navigate the trails?
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It’s easy. Ride when conditions are good. Leave no trace. Bring a GPS. Don’t go past No Trespass signs erected by landowners or the trail association. No problem.
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To Bents point though, there needs to be signage and communication (im sure there will be eventually). However just saying something like “ride when conditions are good” is subjective, so whomever is there can decide what’s good. Leave no trace is very very unknown, as a trainer in it, I’m well aware of this. Need more community info about that. GPS won’t show you where the trials are, that’s his point. Yes you could explore them, but what if they don’t go the direction I want? Or the elevation changes aren’t what I’m after at the time. Again, I’m sure this will come in time, but he has valid concerns.
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So someone responds to a question within a day, telling you to basically just be a decent human being and go shred, and they are making med plans to cart casualties from remote areas, working with land owners to create solid agreements, etc.
And your guys responses are that ya need signs and more communication?
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https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9RgT8zIJUktUEF0cHc5S1p3WW8/view?usp=drivesdk
Page 21. A few trails are gone and a few are back. One has a clearly marked no trespassing sign. Enjoy the ride!
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Hard to believe that exploring was a hallmark of mountain biking. Being a somewhat old fart, lemme tell you that some of my best rides started with “I wonder where this goes” followed hours later with “I’m not going back the same way I came”.
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Exploring is awesome! You never know where you will end up…
Sure, exploring is all kinds of fun, but there are some serious features and trails in Wentworth that are not for everyone, a little navigation goes a long way, being able to plan ahead, know what you do and don’t want to ride based on skill level, and not being lost will probably help limit the number of times the rescue cart needs be used.
Looking forward to the trail system being legitimized and maps being made available again, it’s really the best enduro riding around short of Keppoch, and it’s a great area.
I’m sure once things are set up a bit more solid in the plans it will be back on trailforks, which will be great so trail conditions, hazards and required repairs can be communicated via a community of doers.
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