Boulder Mountain Bike Patrol

New website!

2010-06-20T20:18:00.003-06:00

New website is here! Please bookmark the following address for all future Boulder Mountain Bike Patrol needs.

http://bouldermountainbike.org/patrol

Don't worry, you will be able to find all your old patrol related blog posts on the new site too!

Boulder Bike Patrol helps out at Pueblo State Park

2010-03-14T08:49:00.008-06:00

Headed down to Pueblo State Park Saturday with fellow Patrollers Jason and Andria to avoid Rock fall on Hwy 70 heading to Fruita or Moab..... Spectacular day out with great temps and weather. We ran into Art out there too just randomly who joined up with us a for a few miles on Voodoo. A map of the trails can be found here which is maintained by the Southern Colorado Trail Builders who built most of the trails there. I highly recommend this place for spring and fall for a great day trip or they have campsites so you can come the night before. There are about 33 miles of trails, but many loops are easily done several times to add it up to 50 or 60. There is a mix of super smooth and sweet Fruita 18 road type trails mixed with great narrow rocky canyons with as hard as you want it techy rocky drops/buildups/ramps/and wooden ladders. Its not North Shore, but sure tough and fun. You can ride 40 miles without hitting a techy sections, or of course you can hit all the techy you want--there are about 15 gullies I think that have short tech sections but unlike most technical we ever see here in Colorado. Not much tree cover so the exposure in the middle of the summer would make this place a bit warmer, yet you can always jump in the rez after! Here are a few pics.

Getting all unloaded and dialed in for the ride...

Happy to be out on the bike and in one of the narrow canyons playing on the rocks. I had a rough day since my legs felt like Lead but the trail was so sweet, there was no way not to have a good time!

Andria taking a quick brake--the trail is 12 to 15 inches wide pretty much the entire network except for some double track here and there. I will say that all the folks from up North were not yielding at all and just riding off the trail all day making things wider....some day they may get a clue!

This is Stonehenge trail--named for the cairns folks have built up.

Here are the patrollers at work helping out a guy for the second time on the trail. Art from the patrol had already helped this guy once on the Voodoo Loop as he had rolled his tubeless and after attempting to fix it with two CO2's and no luck. He passed at Voodoo and Outer limits junction and headed out OL to Pedro's for a little more trail like we were going to do. A few miles into that loop he was on the side of the trail asking for more assistance due to a slow leak. After inspection, he had a large hole torn in the tread of the tires (super urber lightweight racers--not recommend for the sharp rocks there). So we booted his tire with a piece of an OJ container (more robust than the soda pop bottles and can take a rock hit--highly recommend always carrying one with you versus the power bar wrapper), got him a new tube and he was off...hopefully back to his car! You will notice that we are on the trail working--there are many cactus and goat heads so you want to stay on the trail as much as you can. No crowds, so its easy to move quick for the occasional rider.

Here is a good idea of the trail network--on the right side there are trails up and down all those small canyons--we just did not hit them all. You will see below the elevation--lots of short up and down, but only about a 1000 feet over 30 miles. Great day overall and worth the drive!

Thursday Night Ride 012810 Marshall Mesa

2010-01-30T21:50:00.002-07:00

So for everyone that is curious what it can be like on one of our Night Rides I put a few pics together from this past Thursday night. Turned out to be one of our best rides yet and only by a fluke incident! I pulled up to the Saver's parking lot in Boulder already running late to find my rear brake completely flat, I mean lever all the way to the bar with no chance of even a little friction on the rotor. Since there was snow and ice out, I had to do a quick bleed right there in the dark. Luckily I carry my tools....35 minutes later, we had a rear brake!

David showed up ready to ride.....Me happy to have a rear brake again...front brake only in snow/ice = many wrecks and bruised hips!
Best thing was we decided to ride over to Marshall Mesa TH since we were almost an hour behind at that point and guess what we found--first tracks on perfect snow and frozen ground! We saw a lot of animal tracks too which always adds to the entertainment of the ride...no big kitty tracks though!

Had to walk the steps....and well, the snow packed up real good in the cleats. We both had to use my flat head screw driver to clean our shoes out!

We call this the "Shifter" gate. One thing that is really interesting on the Marshall trails is that no two gates are alike, so some you can get through without a dismount, others, has to happen.

Here David is heading over to Hwy 93 to check out the Dowdy Draw area--fresh tracks all the way! Kind of amazing for this area so close to Boulder.
The climb up Prarie Vista trail was mixed snow and frozen dirt--you could not even see the tire marks after we rode over it.

We hit up Dowdy Draw and here is a little crude video from my point and shoot.

From Marshall and Dowdy 012830

Here is a shot on Spring Brook Loop--you can see the Hoar Frost on the grasses. Right after this we turned the lights off and rode through the meadow area with just the light from the snow and low cloud ceiling.
Some more on the trees up on the back of the loop--the spikes of frost were almost an inch long.

Here is a map of what we did and an Elevation profile. We ended up riding about 22 miles that night. We added on the Springbrook loop due to my recommendation and then missed the Kitchen at Southern Sun after picking out what we were going to eat on the ride back along Broadway! We enjoyed a stout anyway and then off to IHOP to grab a monster late night breakfast to refuel. Can it get any better? :) Hope to see more of you come out soon!

Patrol hours for 2009!

2010-01-24T16:17:00.001-07:00

Check the main patrol site for preliminary patrol data for 2009. Thank you all so much for your hard work and effort this year!

http://www.bma-mtb.org/patrol/

End of the year 2009 Bike Patrol Party at Avery Tasting Room

2009-12-31T21:42:00.000-07:00

Another great year comes to a close. We ended up having 27 folks show up for the end of the year party including Amanda and Ed from the various rep areas! I think a good time was had be all. Thanks to Avery again for giving us a great place to meet up each month. We ended up with a record number of hours and miles this year--details to come.

MK and David S. talk serious stuff!

Chip and Bruce enjoying the great Avery Beer!

Chuck, Jon A., Ken, Jake, and John D. all relaxing and enjoying the salad and pizza.

Thanks again for making this such a great year for the trails in Boulder County and the Bike Patrol!

LED bike lights

2009-11-10T19:44:00.003-07:00

Seems some people on the patrol are interested in the latest on bike lights. Well we all know that LED lights are getting better and better and less expensive.

The latest rage is the 'Magicshine' LED light.

It appears to be a knock off of a $400+ light from Lupine called the 'Tesla 4'. But only costs about $80. Its what happens when a product gets made in China.

You can get a basic light here with free shipping.

dealextreme

I've ordered several items from them and had great luck. I hear the quality control can have issues so one might have to be prepared for that. I haven't had a bad one though.

If you want more security of ordering from someone you can deal with for a slightly higher cost, there is

geomangear.com

They have the magicshine for $85 plus shipping but also sell parts such as spares and even a helmet mount adapter.

Walker Ranch closed for wild fire

2009-10-14T22:24:00.002-06:00

Walker Ranch has been temporarily closed due to a wild fire nearby. Info here...

http://www.bouldercounty.org/openspace/Walker_Loop_Closure_Notice.htm

Check here for updates...

http://www.bouldercounty.org/openspace/

New Patrol Reports are up and working!

2009-05-08T17:13:00.003-06:00

Ok patrollers, we now have 3 separate report forms for the 3 different agencies we volunteer for. City, County and USFS. Please fill out the appropriate form after each patrol with the according agency. This will be a BIG help to each agency and the patrol in keeping track of your hard work out there.

You can access the forms here at the main patrol site...

http://www.bma-mtb.org/patrol/

Questions? Contact John or email me directly... nick.lasure [at] gmail.com

Performance Bike Steps up to the plate!

2009-05-02T09:05:00.003-06:00

100 tubes for the bike patrol! Incredible. Steve really hooked us up this year!!!

Wild Turkey seepage and bad rider habits...

2009-04-30T10:06:00.005-06:00

Well, did a patrol yesterday from Longmont and there is a lot of seepage from the water table right now on top of the Heil Knoll. So, there are a few sections on WT trail that have been affected and folks should not try to ride around them--serious damage has been done as you can see from the pics.

Mike Rutter preparing the trail for the Trail Day Saturday

The other side of the switchback--deep ruts up to 8 inches deep and some 3 feet off the trail--gotta love it. There is actually a tire track four feet to the left you can see. :( This is the turn just below the dirt road that you cross on WT. Repairs will be needed here for sure. Either ride through the deep middle rut or turn around.....

Another spot just up and you can see again how folks run off the trail to avoid and then just create more of a mess. No doubt here, bikes did this. Maybe we can use these pics as a tool to help out? Mike Rutter was pretty bummed about it but said they will work on it--no way to know it would seep where it did and get so wet. He wants to the patrol to help out with mini crew days--3 or 4 of us go up during an evening and work on this type of repair. Stay tuned!

Commuting by bike to training Saturday?

2009-04-29T21:16:00.003-06:00

There has been some interest to meet up in Boulder to commute to the training on bikes. There are folks for the am all day session and also some meeting around 11:15 or so to get out there for the scenarios. Either respond here or send me an email to coordinate. Thanks, John

Bike Patrol Weekend Training Rescheduled!

2009-04-29T21:15:00.002-06:00

If anyone still does not know....training this Saturday, May 2nd. Same Place, Same time.

Bike Patrol Training Cancelled for Saturday!

2009-04-17T20:15:00.003-06:00

Breaking news...

The training for tomorrow Saturday April, 18 is postponed due to the snowstorm! Keep checking back here and the main patrol website for updates.

Bike patrol signups and 2009 training!

2009-03-25T07:57:00.001-06:00

Thanks everyone for coming Monday night--hope you enjoyed yourselves! Here are some links for the patrol information and the details about the training for the 2009 season.

Bike Patrol Web site

To signup for the patrol (new patrollers only!) follow this link below and fill out your basic information. Training signups will happen when we follow up with you.

2009 Bike Patrol Signup (new patrollers only!)

There are two training sessions this year to hopefully fit your schedule. You only need to attend one session but must attend in order to complete the training. The first session is two nights, the second session is one Saturday. Again, you will be able to sign up for these after you fill the signup form out above and you are contacted. There will also be optional day of first aid and CPR training within a few weeks that will be free to bike patrollers.

Session I:
April 8th, Wednesday and 9th, Thursday from 5:30pm to 9pm in Boulder. Dinner will be served each night.

Session II:
April 18th, Saturday from 9am to 4pm in Boulder. Light breakfast and a lunch will be served.

Thanks again! John

Some Bike Patrol Kickoff Party Photos

2009-03-24T22:11:00.008-06:00

The place

The people

Some door prizes

Short-cutting the log steps at Marshall Mesa

2009-03-14T14:59:00.004-06:00

The city put in a couple extra logs at the marshall Mesa intersection North of Greenbelt plateau a few months back. Those extra logs make it really hard to get up compared to the past. So it seems as a result people decided to short-cut them.

I did some impromptu trail work here today on my patrol. The results are shown below. However, this looks to be an unsustainable fix. I'm worried people will continue to bypass the logs in some form.

Otherwise, it was an excellent day to be out riding.

More Spring Brook Loop Photos!

2008-11-26T19:19:00.007-07:00

Well, folks, here are a few photos I took from the ride to add to Rich's posting. Did not have time to drop them into photoshop so hope the raw images are bearable. Great day out and a nice addition to the West TSA for sure on top of the new Flat Irons Vista Trails, Dowdy Reroute and so on! The trails just keep coming. Enjoy and thanks to the City for giving us this opportunity to give input as some of the first bikers on the trail.

Folks showing up and enjoying the bagels and coffee Dean brought for the gathering.

Herschel rode his bike to the TH from Boulder

Dean giving everyone the plan of attack and introducing the other City reps.

Jon heading up Dowdy road towards the Flat Irons Vista Trails

Dean heading out

Another shot of Dean on the Dowdy Road

John Daily with a nice view of Mickey Mouse wall

John and Jon riding along--look at Jon's sweet Walt Works fixed gear.

A short meeting at the Spring Brook spur to divide the group and ride both directions

Mike getting read to head out. First group is in the distance riding across the wash. Steve and Dean tape up a sign to let other users know that we are doing a training.

Meadow section and a great view into Eldorado Canyon

Mike and Andria with a view to the North

Andria enjoying the fast meadow just before entering the trees.

Mike giving the thumbs up--he must be enjoying him self!

Final group shot but wait, who is that off on his cell phone? At least he made it for Rich's camera.

Trail is scheduled to open December 2nd. Maybe we can have a group of us there to patrol and see how the public takes to the new single track.

Spring Brook Pre-Ride

2008-11-24T10:10:00.012-07:00

Boulder City folks took the BMBP on a ride of the soon-to-open Spring Brook loop. Around 14 Patrollers attended, rode a lap each way and gave feedback to the open space officials. It's a beautiful loop with stunning views of the Flatirons.

Picture Rock Pictures!

2008-09-23T10:17:00.012-06:00

A few pics from the opening yesterday!

A big turnout!

Can't wait to ride!

And they're off!

Nice evening for a ride!

Hercsh climbing!

John and Dave ready for more.

Another happy trail user!

Thanks for all the hard work Mike!

Sure is nice up here.

John having a great time!

Good night Picture Rock, be back soon!

Picture Rock Pre Ride/Training for Bike Patrollers--Sept 20th

2008-09-02T06:21:00.007-06:00

See the note below on a pre-ride of the new Picture Rock Trail where Michael Bauer from the County will be educating the Bike patrol. We will hit Oscars afterwards for some social spirits and food. I plan to ride more after some food, possible Elk Meadows so please come join! JP

Bike Patrollers,

in preparation for the grand opening of the Picture Rock Trail at Heil Valley Ranch, we will conduct a training ride Boulder County Parks and Open Space.

When: Saturday September 20th, 9:30 A.M.
What: Training Ride for Picture Rock
Where: Northern Trail terminus off of Red Gulch Road

Carpool info: Since there is limited parking, we will arrange carpools from the Bus Stop in Boulder and also from Airport and Nelson in Longmont. Those will meet up at 8:50am and be on the way to Lyons skatepark by 9am. We will then meet at the Skate park and ride to the Red Gulch TH. Meet at the skatepark at 9:20am!! Please leave comments on the blog if you want to arrange carpools or use the Google group. Skate park is on the NW corner of 4th and Railroad Ave--see this link.

This is a specially offered training ride with Boulder County, offered only at this time and day. Barring that, as with any closed trail, please do not ride Picture Rock until the opening.

We will see you at the trail head, ready to ride, at 9:30am on Saturday, September 20th.

Michael Bauer
Boulder County Parks and Open Space
http://www.bouldercountyopenspace.org
5201 St. Vrain Road
Longmont, CO 80503
(office) 303-678-6219
(cell) 303-818-0615
(fax) 303-678-6178

Picture Rock Opening--Patrollers Needed!

2008-09-02T06:20:00.001-06:00

On Monday September 22nd the Picture Rock trail will be opening. Boulder County is throwing a small party that afternoon starting at 4pm. Patrollers are needed to help that day with the opening and be there to provide support to new users. This is a great way to show our involvement to the public and the County and be there from the beginning to make a difference. Also a good way to be on top of the possible user conflicts and avoid the initial few months of the Dowdy Draw incidents.

Please attend the preride on Saturday Sept 20th to get a sneak peak at the entire new trail at this post (Picture rock preride). More opening details below:

Put it on Your Calendar

September 22, 4pm in Lyons

Picture Rock Trail Grand Opening

Come join the Boulder County Commissioners & BCPOS Staff for a ribbon cutting ceremony, and a ride immediately after.

The details right now:

Park at Planet Bluegrass
Ride to the NO PARKING access point along Red Gulch Road.
After the ceremony and ride, return to Planet Bluegrass for a catered party provided by Oskar Blues... BCPOS is going to to this right!

Free First Aid/CPR Training for Bike Patrollers October 12th!

2008-09-02T06:17:00.003-06:00

Hey everyone, long time waiting but Boulder County has stepped up and is offering us a class for the Fall. This is a great way to finalize National Mountain Bike Patroller status and also to just refresh your first aid skills. First come first serve--RSVP now! JP

It is confirmed...a Fall 1st Aid and CPR class.

When: Sunday, October 12
8:30am - 4:00pm

What: First Aid and CPR class - 12 spaces.

Where: POS Building Prairie Room training rooms
5201 St. Vrain Road (south of Hygiene, between 75th and Airport on St. Vrain)
Longmont

RSVP: Matt Bruce
303-678-6216
mbruce@bouldercounty.org

Class will be filled on a first come basis.

BMA Sufferfest 2008!

2008-09-02T06:05:00.000-06:00

make sure to "display images" , special thanks to McDavid!

Get your Labor Day crap out-the-way and come play with the big boys & girls at SufferFest 2008 - September 6th & 7th. End of Bike Patrol & general BMA thank you Bash. If you’ve got the cojones and the chutzpah, got the attitude for the altitude... check it out & register here.

Also we need a bunch-o-help with morning-of tasks, shuttling stuff & setting up camp, etc. Thanks to Sue Butcher & Eleanor Needy the support stations are womaned but as this is the first annual… numerous things need coverage.

Also, also we need to borrow or have donated any of the following items:

· Portable gas grills

· Big water coolers

· Portable generator

· Paper plates, cups, platters & compostable utensils

Contact Hersch to lend a hand or hook us up with stuff… all vols get a pair of killer BMA bike socks, our eternal thanks & all the free beer & food you can fight for!

Rescheduled for October Social Trail Ride in Nederland

2008-09-01T06:27:00.000-06:00

Come on out and join me for a social ride on the Nederland trails now that patrolling has come to an end up in the NFS. Weather is turning colder and high country rides can start to get limited. We will ride slightly outside the patrol boundaries and enjoy possibly some new single track for some.

This is a fun ride with a "tour de Ned" for those that do not want to temp fate on the Sufferfest ride that same day. My wife will be joining, so bring yours or your significant other so we can all meet each other and enjoy the day! We will ride for a few hours, regroup as needed at all trail junctions and then head over to the campout at the Beaver Reservoir for food, spirits and catch up with the Sufferfest riders! Camping is still an option too there if you bring your gear. Hope to see many of you there and have a great time!

Details:

Where to meet: Caboose parking lot in downtown Nederland by the grocery market. 9am bus should get you there just before or carpool up from the Justice Center Parking lot @ 9:45am.
When: 10:30 am Saturday September 6th, 2008
Bring: Your bike, your companion, lunch, and water.

Please rsvp to John Perry if you are coming to this fun ride! More details posted here as the week goes on. Let me know if you have any questions!

happy hour at Avery Brewing Co.

2008-08-18T12:37:00.002-06:00

Happy Hour
Avery Brewing Co.'s tasting room
5763 Arapahoe, Unit E
Monday, August 25th
5-7pm

Our friends at Avery Brewing Co. want to reward you for a hard season of patrolling by throwing a happy hour event at their tasting room, and we're excited to take them up on the kind offer. Avery will provide the beer, BMBP will provide the pizza, and you'll provide the good times. We'll also be passing out more tubes, a slew of SRAM PowerLinks (donated by Performance Bicycle), and those nifty reusable zip ties we talked about so many moons ago!

We'll also do a little something special to recognize some of the patrollers who have put in big effort (to date - the season is not over!) for the Boulder Mountain Bike Patrol.

This event is just for BMBP patrollers, so leave your crew of hard-drinking buddies at a different bar and meet them after 7pm. :)

Birthday Patrol at Hall Ranch

2008-08-13T15:43:00.008-06:00

Well, worked on my bike yesterday to get ready for the San Juan Hut Trip from Silverton to Moab and needed a test ride anyway. Plus its a feel good when you are riding something so fun on your bday and volunteering at the same time! Not my normal ride for a bday epic, but since I leave on the trip Saturday--no need to make epic too early. Headed out to Hall and had the place mostly to my self. Did help out a couple from Florida that were a little in awe at the rock garden. Storms started to develop in the distance but overall great morning and my bike worked perfectly. Here are some quick pics. You can see the storms develop over the laps I did at the top. Nice Blue Sky looking West on the loop.

Looking back East--nice blue sky day..or at least it seems.
Longs and Meeker in the distance--not many clouds yet.
Bike Tracks on the Closed to Bikes trail--not good to see--not just one set, but several sets.

This is me, in case we have not met! One more Westerly Pic after a few laps--clouds formed quick!
Ride on!

Mud Lake "patrol"

2008-06-30T14:45:00.003-06:00

Mud Lake is not a priority for patrolling -- but I was up there with my girlfriend Ivete on Sunday 6/29 and had my sign in my pack, so what the heck...

The most interesting contact was running into a very nice woman and her daughter who had 3 llamas. We had a great discussion about her encounters with mountain bikers -- all positive. She said while we're technically supposed to yield, she'd prefer if we just carefully ride by. Llamas, as opposed to horses, are not easily spooked. It didn't even matter whether we pass above or below the llama, if on a slope. I said it would be best if the rider would communicate with her, and ask her preference. She agreed, and said 95% of the time that is what happens...then they end up having a conversation like we did, about llamas, wool, where'd they come from, why are their necks so tall, what is that purring sound he's making...

Anyhow said our goodbyes and she was very appreciative of our patrol work.

Bike to Work Month at Heil Valley Ranch

2008-06-17T22:00:00.006-06:00

I led a ride at Heil Valley Ranch for Bike to Work Month, and why not also call it a patrol? A small group of 5 people, but we did get a ride to and from Boulder in style - via the mighty fine biodiesel bus of Crispin + Porter + Bodusky, and got plenty of strange looks when arriving at the trailhead.

Lots of mountain bikers out on the trails for after-work mileage and everyone enjoyed the beautiful weather and great temperatures. The trail is pretty dusty, with actual sand pits in a few parts of Wapiti, bring on the rain!

First patrol for me

2008-06-10T22:22:00.001-06:00

Marshall Mesa on Sunday: Windy! Seemed to scare most folks away. The place was nearly deserted. I did manage to answer a few questions and get some newer riders on the right track, but for the most part, it was smooth sailing. As a plus, it was all tailwind all the way home!

Old news...

2008-06-10T22:16:00.004-06:00

Here's some pictures of patrol training from the first session, yes, already a month old, but I thought worth sharing. First night was some classroom training at the Nat'l Forest building, and then we headed over to Open Space folks to learn a bit about bike repair, how to handle horse encounters of the third kind, and did a bit of rollplaying.

Fresh website!

2008-06-07T12:43:00.002-06:00

For those of you who haven't checked it out, we have a new patrol website up....

http://bma-mtb.org/patrol

You can find general patrol info there, trail maps, pictures, as well as the new online patrol report form. We hope to grow this site into a useful resource for our patrollers and cycling community.

Also, if you any of you have some pictures from your patrols laying around please send them my way!

Thanks,

Nick Lasure
nick.lasure [at] gmail.com

Heil Ranch as of late...

2008-06-01T20:58:00.004-06:00

BMA head honcho, Mike Barrow seen on the trail.

....And the interesting soda pop office at Heil Ranch as you enter or leave.

Sadness for the lost home on Lefthand Canyon on the way up...

Bike patrol 2008 training dates and registration!!

2008-05-01T10:21:00.002-06:00

It's time to get the patrol going for the Boulder Area! This year we are patrolling the following areas in the Boulder County region:

Hall, Heil, and Walker Ranches plus Betasso (BCPOS)

South Boulder trails, including Marshall Mesa & Doudy Draw (OSMP)

West Magnolia area (USFS)

We are offering two training options this year and you only need to attend one (session #1 or session #2) which qualifies you as a patroller for all 3 agencies!

Training Session #1: May 14th @ the Boulder USFS office off of Hwy 36 (2140 Yarmouth Avenue) at 5:30pm to 8pm (classroom session) and May 15th @ the Marshall Mesa TH in South Boulder at 5:30 to 8pm (field session). Dinner will be served (pizza and soda/water). You must attend both nights to complete the training and be qualified to Patrol. The times may be shorter and get out earlier if we keep the trainings moving along.

Training Session #2: May 18th SUNDAY (not Saturday!). We had this day moved to not interfere with the trail day. Training will be at the Cherryvale OSMP Offices, only a few miles from the Marshall Mesa trailhead, from 9am to roughly 2pm. Ride options afterwards. A light breakfast of bagels and juice will be served and lunch (pizza and soda/water). We will do a classroom session in the morning and then head out to the Marshall TH for some field scenarios.

Click here to register for training session #1 (May 14 & 15)

Click here to register for training session #2 (May 18)

Please sign up for one of the training sets and more information will be sent to you with directions and details. This training is free (BMA is paying) but we are looking for folks that want to make a difference representing the Mountain Bike Community on the Greater Boulder area trails. For more info please contact mountainbikepatrol@gmail.com with any questions you may have!

Patrol Kick off Party!

2008-04-15T08:29:00.001-06:00

Boulder Mountain Bike Patrol Kickoff Party

Tuesday, April 15th 5:30-8:00pm
Boulder Beer Pub

Come help us celebrate the advent of good riding weather and start the season off right with the Boulder Mountain Bike Patrol (BMBP) Kickoff Party. Join us after work on on Tuesday, April 15th, at the Boulder Beer Pub (click here for map) aka Wilderness Pub for free beer, free finger food, and opportunities for awesome raffle prizes. You'll have a chance to interact with this year's patrol directors (John, Andria, and Scott) and hear about the Patrol expansion from only Forest Service lands (West Mag) to City lands (South Boulder trails) and County lands (Heil Valley & Hall Ranches) in 2008.

Patrolling is simply the best way to show that mountain bikers are good citizens who deserve good trail access. Want to be able to ride from town to South Boulder trails? Looking forward to the connector trail between Heil and Hall? Stoked about quality West Magnolia singletrack? Join BMBP to maintain access and open up new opportunities through responsible stewardship of the land and community service. You're going to ride these places anyway, why not chalk it up to "volunteer hours" and write if off on your taxes too?

Welcome to a new year of patrolling and major expansion!

2008-02-06T18:18:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone is enjoying the winter time--maybe playing in the back country a little bit and hopefully getting some riding in here and there. I just wanted to thank Matt for doing such a great job last year in 2007 and keeping the patrol alive. I think he is probably enjoying himself though in Steamboat now!

This year we have three folks helping out--Scott Winget, Andria Bilich, and John Perry. We are sharing the duties of the patrol but our main focus is trying to expand the patrol into the Boulder County lands and Boulder City Open Space and Mountain Parks this year! So, we need all the volunteers we can get to get out on those trails and keep an eye on what is going on, educate and help folks out. I will post soon a small intro with pics on each of us. Some upcoming events are of course the BMA banquet this Friday and we will be announcing training and a party for all of us to meet each other. Thanks for checking this out.

Last patrol and signs!

2007-09-06T15:12:00.000-06:00

Jason V. and myself had a good day of patrolling last Saturday the 1st. We put a lot of signs up that Jason and his wife made in an effort to keep folks going where they want to. Let us know how you feel about the signs.

Cheers!
-Nick

How often do you get to carry power tools on a ride? My back was a little sore afterward!

Jason getting style points over the log!

A little air time for myself.

More air time!

Try not to get lost heh? :)

Hopefully the signs survive the winter and serve a good purpose!

End of the road

2007-08-29T12:56:00.000-06:00

Wrapping things up this weekend and I wanted to thank every one of you who got out and patrolled at West Magnolia this season. You exceeded all my expectations and have made a great impression on the BMA and FS that will hopefully lead us to MORE trails in the future. I would like to get a patrol log from each of you by the end of Sept (you can download blanks from the BMA website) so I can tally our hours, etc for Ed P at the FS. Email or mail them to me at 5256 HWY 72 Golden, CO 80403. Take advantage of our sweet sponsors if you are in need of fresh bike parts, a fresh bike or a sweet lamp and please let me know of any suggestions that can make the patrol even better in 08! -Matt

Mushrooms everywhere

2007-08-19T00:31:00.000-06:00

I think the harvest has arrived.

If you like seeing them, hit the school bus trail. Lots of them, and all kinds.

A sample

I got your rain right here

2007-07-29T09:04:00.000-06:00

Saturday's patrol at Wet (I mean West) Mag was a tad bit rainy. Nicole and I took the 10am bus from Boulder to Ned along with the BMA crowd that was riding over Rollins Pass to Winter Park, which seemed like a late start for them given than rain was forecast for the afternoon. Hope they made it. But sure enough, within a half-hour of hitting the trails Nicole and I got a nice steady rain which transformed the buffed-out singletrack into trickling streams. A brief dose of sunshine was quickly followed by more steady rain, and rather than belabor the point by putting more tracks through the middle of muddy puddles, we got outta there round 2:30pm. But GREAT to get the moisture! Saw less than 10 mtb'ers, 4 motos, and 4+ serious bubbas on ATVs, sloooow day. Saw the FS law enforcement and County sheriff at the Peak2Peak trailhead, sounded like they were looking for someone sketchy near the 927 trail (Root Canal) but we hadn't seen anything that they deemed useful info.

Gangway!

2007-07-26T08:24:00.000-06:00

Fine ride up to Lone Star on Tues night, trails look great, woods are deep and green and quiet (we only saw 2 other riders), and the 32 x 16 gearing on my single led to some nice mellow hikes up the steepest bits. What do you suppose the yellow soil near Champion Mine is made of?

The typical scene at West Mag

2007-07-21T16:01:00.000-06:00

...in Monocolor.

The Lookout Trail aspen are exciting and intricate--probably my favorite spot in the area.

This is Renee approaching.

People stop for a break and a hello, propping their bikes properly???

Now you see it...

2007-07-17T09:38:00.000-06:00

Thanks to all who stopped by for beers and brats on Sunday and all the patrollers who have gotten out on the West Magnolia trail system this year. We are still running at over 100% coverage per our commitment with the FS, in fact I think only Aug 11 remains completely open for patrol dates thru the end of the season. The world is run by those who show up, and we are showing up in a big way! For those who missed out this weekend we will also have an end of season party sometime in September so stay tuned for details later on. All your names have been submitted to our generous sponsors and you are all invited to submit pictures and ride reports to this blog so send your stories on in!

No tree, no cheater trail. I left the other big trunk in place as cheater was minimal and some of us like the challenge...

Cross training & Casualties

2007-07-03T11:16:00.001-06:00

Patrollers Dave Ryan and Matt A getting in some quality cross training on Radio Beacon peak near Rollins Pass

Be careful out there folks! Sounds like two patrollers got clipped over the weekend...Herschel dinged his elbow down to the bone while patrolling at West Magnolia and Hillary S ended up in a helicopter evac after a concussion on a group ride. Sounds like both will be fine but send your best karma for a speedy recovery!

Also if anyone is interested in posting to this blog and needs to be invited by the admin (me) just drop a line. All are welcome to post their pics and stories! I'll be in CB thru the weekend so please remember to check in with me on my cell (720-289-7960) after your patrols and have a great holiday!

Party July 15th!

2007-06-27T10:40:00.000-06:00

Party location: Das Chalet

Your hosts: Rose and Matt.

Join us Sunday July 15th for a patroller bbq in the (hopefully) cool high country. We'll have hot coals, cold beers, weiners, marshmellows and condiments for ya. Bring your fancy meats and/or drinks if desired, leave your inhibitions and possibly dignity at home. We will also have a bb gun for target shooting, various skinnies and jumps to break your collarbone on and a lick-prone dog so come prepared. Das Chalet is located at 5256 Hwy 72. From West Magnolia head S on Peak to Peak about a mile to Coal Creek/Hwy 72. head East about 2.5 miles, enter Gilpin County and look for us on the right. 5pm carpool or ride if possible as parking is somewhat limited and please RSVP (significant, or not so significant others welcome) so I know how many weiners to get... see you there, er, here!

Lingering snow up high

2007-06-25T09:23:00.000-06:00

If you look for it you can still do some quality drift-wallowing in the high country around Nederland. This photo taken Saturday starting the drop from Caribou to Eldora. Busy weekend at West Magnolia, lotsa Harleys on Peak to Peak and a craft fair in Ned...must be summer! The bookstore is serving ice cream so make sure you stop by for a cone!

Summer arrives with big heat

2007-06-22T14:05:00.000-06:00

The yellow clouds of pollen are starting to recede and the recent dry weather has left the forest a bit dusty and parched. Trails are still in great shape but do be on the lookout for braking bumps developing on the steeper/faster bits. With the long days I would consider hitting Eldora (town of) for a climb up to Caribou after your patrol, or mayhaps a tour down to the Dots followed by beers on the deck at Wild Mtn or 1st St... mmmm mmmm!

calling Mitch S.!!

2007-06-22T13:58:00.000-06:00

Where you at, my fellow patroller? We need to arrange where and when to get together on Sunday for our patrol! I haven't ridden in West Mag at all this season and I am beyond excited. :) Weeeeee!!!! [you can reach me at fuzzysb at yahoo dot com, but I'm not gonna post my phone number, lord knows what a cretin like Matt Alford would do with that information...]

And they're off!

2007-06-14T15:06:00.000-06:00

Boulder Wednesday Night race series kicked off yesterday with at least a couple patrollers in the stands, and a couple more out on the race course!

Matt got his ass handed to him on a platter in the Singlespeed category while Hillary S seemed to be holding her own in Women's Bs. If 25 minutes of sprinting lung-burning twisty, dusty pain sound like your cup 'o tea check out http://www.boulderracing.com/shorttrack.asp for the race schedule. Or just come on down and heckle the racers like Rose A and John P!

Need Help Installing New Kiosk Panels!

2007-06-08T17:32:00.000-06:00

I picked up the new panels for West Mag today with all the hardware necessary to install them. I have a screwgun and bits to do the job, but my Subaru really suffered the last time I went to the southern kiosk near site 22.

I'd like to recruit one or two people, one of those people with a high clearance vehicle, to install these panels next week after work.

They are well done pieces of work, although there's no mention of BMA or the Bike Patrol. I've gotten permission to put a BMA sticker on the panels. Maybe we should spring for some bike patrol stickers..... Contact me directly... mtnbikemike@gmail.com

Hobbit 3 logs

2007-06-01T10:28:00.001-06:00

Log 1 with cheater bridge

Log 2 with spastic patroller and Richard M in the on deck circle. (Great photos Rich!)

2007-05-31T11:46:00.000-06:00

An undefended breath sails on the wind

The above line (if I remembered it correctly) is from a poem I heard recited at the Ned PnR after patrolling last Monday (I visited the new brewpub rather than ride home). With the aspen in leaf, blue skies, moderate temperatures, just enough climbing and such great flow on the trail, indeed my breath did sail away with ease and carry with it all concerns.

To patrol specifics: without confirmations on my patrol dates, I don't know if I was actually supposed to patrol, but I did anyways. It was a quiet day despite the 20+ group ride that came up on the bus with me (few cars in the lots). I gave out a map and discussed the trails with another person who already had a map. I managed to maintain my happy demeanor when presented with a snide tone from the equestrian sweep (twice) and tried to assure a hiker that mountain bikers are not "wild and untamed". Lost a wrench but found a spoon. The trails are in great shape except for some running water on Clear Cut (342). Fort Kiva has collapsed. Finally, patrollers should consider starting the day at Happy Trails, the coffee/bike shop in town. I talked to
two people about the patrol there while replacing a skewer (luckily someone was actually working in the shop).

1st Patrol in the bag

2007-05-29T09:15:00.000-06:00

Richard M chases down our favorite Daily Camera shutterbug/author on the first bike patrol of the 2007 season. Trails look great, crowds weren't too crazy for the holiday weekend and the thunder storms stayed at bay. Thanks also to Mike B and Chuck G for getting out on patrols #2 and #3. Great work everyone!

Snow today, gone tomorrow!

2007-05-24T15:11:00.000-06:00

8200' at 7am this morning in Coal Creek Canyon. Returning patrollers who did not attend one of our training sessions will still need to sign the volunteer agreement with the FS before patrolling. Elaine will have the sign up forms at the front desk of the FS HQ at 2140 Yarmouth Ave. so please stop by and get signed up. She also has some more maps of West Magnolia for handing out. The West Magnolia map is also available to print off from the BMA website. Keep those dates coming! Thanks to Richard M., Mike B and Chuck G for patrolling this first weekend of the season!

Dont forget the DEET!

2007-05-23T16:10:00.000-06:00

I got eaten up when I climbed the School Bus Trail last week. Good thing West Nile hasn't happened above 7000'..... yet.

Be sure to bring repellent!

mtbmike

Aspen Alley

2007-05-23T13:07:00.000-06:00

West Magnolia is looking great and we are ready to start patrolling this weekend! If anyone is available for Sunday 5/27 or Monday 5/28 patrols please let me know ASAP and if you have not yet submitted your desired patrol dates please do so soon. I will get a community calendar of some sort up and running so you guys can see what dates are still available. Thanks to all who came out for training with the FS last week, returning patrollers, and all who have volunteered there time and energy to representing mountain bikers in Boulder County. We're looking forward to a great season in the high country!

Blurb in the Daily Camera

2007-05-14T14:36:00.000-06:00

http://dailycamera.com/news/2007/may/11/boulder-mountain-bike-patrol-looking-for-new/

BMBP training May 15th OR 17th

2007-05-14T09:16:00.000-06:00

West Magnolia trails are quickly clearing though a few drifts linger in the shadiest areas. Well worth riding now though. Big thanks to all who have signed up so far for the training sessions this week. For May 15th I have Rose A., Hillary S., Richard M., Chip & Nancy L., Mike B., Herschel, Dave & Steph R., Justin C., and Matt A. in attendance along with Ed and Elaine from the Forest Service. If anyone else would like to attend please let me know ASAP otherwise I will see the above at the FS HQ in Boulder at 5:30pm 5/15.

Driving Directions to Boulder Ranger District
From Interstate 25
From I-25, exit west at Highway 119. Follow 119 to Boulder and exit Highway 119 west at Jay Road. Follow Jay Road west to Highway 36 and turn north on Highway 36. Go about one mile and watch for the Boulder Ranger District office on the east side of the highway. There is a Smokey Bear fire danger rating sign along Highway 36 in front of our building. Boulder Ranger District 2140 Yarmouth Avenue Boulder, CO 80301

1st patrol completed!

2007-05-14T09:02:00.000-06:00

M.A and R.A. got out to the West Magnolia system over the weekend to clean up a few of the many fallen trees blocking the trails, some of which are already creating alternate paths around the obstructions. Bow saw and one quarter horsepower patroller later...

Good to go! The BMBP does provide some basic trail maintenance for the FS on the West Magnolia system though from personal experience I don't recommend carrying a saw around on your back (I cut out about 6 spokes in my front wheel in a wreck later on...). Remember that whatever work we do needs to be compatible with the horses that use this area as well as bikers and hikers and when in doubt contact the Patrol Director or the FS before any major work.

Chainsaw faeries

2007-05-14T08:59:00.000-06:00

Submit desired patrol dates ASAP!

2007-05-08T10:34:00.000-06:00

Any weekend or Holiday date between 5/26 and 9/3 we have committed to providing a pair of BMBP patrollers at West Magnolia from 10am-5pm. We patrol in pairs (no cow needed) so request dates in pairs if you have a patrol partner in mind and let's book up the early part of the season first if possible. Only dates snapped up so far are 6/9, 6/23 and 7/7 (thanks Chip & Nancy). -Matt

Time to ride!

2007-05-03T09:18:00.000-06:00

All NEW prospective patrollers need to attend one of the training sessions at the Forest Service HQ in Boulder on May 15th or 17th. The training will run from 5:30 to about 8pm and will be a great chance to meet some fellow patrollers, eat some pizza and learn about our patrol mission for 2007. Please contact me ASAP and let me know which date you will attend.

All returning patrollers do not need to attend but will have to sign a new Volunteer Agreement with the FS before patrolling for 07. Easiest thing would be for you to stop by one of the training sessions, pick up the 2007 info and sign the agreement then but we can make different arrangements as needed. Do let me know if you would like to attend one of the training sessions so I can get enough pizza and please submit your desired patrol dates for the season. www.moalford@hotmail.com or cell# 720-289-7960

West Magnolia 4/22

2007-04-23T10:10:00.000-06:00

2007-04-17T16:27:00.000-06:00

Greetings patrollers! I walked the E. Magnolia trails a bit over the weekend and it will be a couple more weeks (at least) before they are clear enough to ride so yet another hot lap at Betasso will have to substitute for the time being. ;) Soon though we'll get out on a couple orientation rides before the patrol season begins. I highly recommend patronizing the local businesses when you do come up to Nederland (after riding the bus of course). Happy Trails makes a great spot to meet your patrol partner and grab a morning coffee, while Wild Mtn sports a sweet deck overlooking the creek and Barker for post-ride beers and wings. In other sweet deal news fellow patroller Nicholas is offering a nice 20% discount on his custom bike art lamps for BMBP members. See http://treeline-designs.com for more info. Don't forget to tell me which patrol date you will attend. Danka, Matthew

BMBP Training sessions May 15th, May 17th

2007-04-12T10:42:00.000-06:00

We've gotten our training sessions confirmed at the Forest Service HQ in Boulder (Office Address Boulder Ranger District 2140 Yarmouth Avenue Boulder, CO 80301) for 5:30pm on May 15th & May 17th. You will only need to attend one session, and we will provide pizza and drinks. Please RSVP with me so I can get the proper amount of pizza ordered (crucial!). If you are a returning patroller who attended training in 2006 it is highly recommended to attend one of these sessions as a refresher but not required. You will need to sign a new volunteer agreement with the FS however.

Big thanks to all who came up to meet and drink and bs at the Wild Mountain Smokehouse on Tues! Nice to meet some new patrollers and get psyched up for riding some high country trails soon! -Matthew

2007-04-10T13:06:00.000-06:00

Back from a beautiful long weekend under the sun in Fruita and ready for some ribs tonight. If you haven't RSVP'd and are planning on attending our mixer at Wild Mtn tonight please drop me a line. Andria, Nicole, Cynthia, Jason, Chuck (maybe), Hillary, Steve and Rose

have already let me know and I'm looking forward to meeting those of you I don't yet know. Wild Mountain Smokehouse is located on 1st St in Nederland and we'll be ordering some beers at about 6 tonight. Call me at 720-289-7960 with any questions.

Zion Curtain

Gathering momentum...

2007-04-04T10:06:00.000-06:00

Got out on a Super-Super Hall ride on Sunday (double super would be riding from Boulder, after riding in from Nederland) and stopped in to chat with patrol supporter Dave Chase at Redstone Cyclery in Lyons. Dave has a very generous offer of 20% off MSRP for BMBP members for 2007 so if you were waiting for a little more incentive to volunteer there you go! We'll also be hosting a few fun rides out of Redstone as well thru out the summer so stay tuned for more details as the season kicks into high gear.

In other sponsorship news Walt of Waltworks fame has also stepped up big and is offering a 20% discount on his awesome handbuilt custom frames and forks. You'll need to be an active patrol member (attended training, signed the volunteer agreement and performed at least one patrol) to take advantage of these great offers so drop me a line today (moalford@hotmail.com) to sign up and/or find out more about the 2007 BMBP program. It's going to be a great Spring at West Magnolia!

I'm meeeelting!

2007-03-26T09:36:00.000-06:00

You can almost see dirt up here in Nederland and the preliminary response for the 2007 Patrol has been great so I wanted to thank everyone who has stepped up so far and volunteered to help out. Though we may not be riding at West Magnolia for a few more weeks the trails at lower elevations are dried up and in prime shape so get on out there and ride the rust off. Dave Chase of Redstone Cyclery has again stepped up as a big supporter of the Bike Patrol so make sure you stop by the shop in Lyons to say hi and get all the latest Heil/Hall info. I will be hosting a public meeting in Nederland on April 10th at 6pm at the NEW Wild Mountain Smokehouse & Brewery (mmm, ribs!) for anyone interested in learning more about the BMBP so pass the word and get ready for a great mountain bike season!

...and now the new Director

2007-03-19T20:11:00.000-06:00

Greetings friends from 8,200' where we are still snowbound and mud spattered! Trails up here at West Magnolia are still frozen and drifted over but the 2007 Patrol season is fast approaching and we're looking at some exciting developments. First of all my name is Matt Alford and I have taken over the Directatorship of the BMBP for this season while Jason Vogel takes lead on pursuing some very promising opportunities for our local trails. How does a $50,000 grant for West Magnolia, including the potential for some "stunts" sound? For 2007 our patrol responsibilities will be similar to last year and I would like to focus my efforts on two additions for 07. First will be having more fun! Not that riding West Mag isn't fun but I have a perfectly good firepit awaiting just down the road that we'll try to put to good use with some BBQs and we'll have some more fun rides as well. Second I'd like to support any patroller interested in pursuing membership in the National Mountain Bike Patrol as I feel they have a lot of good resources that can benefit the patroller and the BMBP as well. More details to follow this week and in the meantime please feel free to contact me at any time at www.moalford@hotmail.com or on my cell # 720-289-7960. If you know of anyone who may be interested in joining the patrol for the upcoming season please pass my contact info on to them as well. All the best from Coal Creek Canyon and I'm looking forward to riding with YOU this year - Matt

Words from the Director

2007-02-05T10:31:00.000-07:00

Hey all. Greetings from the depths of winter. For those of you who did not attend the BMA banquet last night, it was a raging success punctuated at one point by grand praise for the Boulder Bike Patrol from Ed Perault, the recreation supervisor for the Boulder Ranger District of the U.S. Forest Service. At the ceremony I got more than my fair share of personal praise, but quite obviously the patrol couldn't have been a success without those of you that went out and rode your bike at West Mag to make better relations with USFS a reality. I'm attaching a scanned copy of the letter I was presented with for you all to read at your leisure. It is signed by the District Ranger, and my favorite part reads:"Many partners, including BMA, have helped the BoulderRanger District meet management objectives for [the West Mag] area. However, when the Boulder Bike Patrol stepped up to provide managed presence on the trail system, it connected that final link necessary to facilitate overall effective management....As recreation resources become increasingly scarce, the importance of the Boulder Bike Patrol will continue to grow."My personal congratulations to all of you. I hope you read the attached letter as if it was address to you personally, because in my mind it is.I also hope you'll take the evidence of this letter as a sign that your efforts last summer have made a difference and that it's worth your making a similar effort this coming cycling season. For those of you that did not manage to do a patrol date last year, never fear, we still need you and you can help propel the Boulder Bike Patrol to even better service this summer.
Jason Vogel

2006-09-29T11:11:00.000-06:00

Fall's here and it couldn't be more beautiful up in the high country. Get up there and enjoy before the inevitable storm shuts these trails down for the season!

2006-09-06T15:08:00.000-06:00

More cowbell! Trailwork tonight on Sugar Magnolia starting at 6pm...you know you wanna.

copied from Off Camber site

2006-08-23T08:24:00.000-06:00

UPDATE - 9:15 PM, Tuesday night. Wanna do some trailwork on the West Mag Trails? Sick! We're starting this Wednesday night, and going every Wednesday night until snowfall makes it impossible. Meet at the Nederland High School parking lot at 6:10 pm...perfect for all you folks taking the 5:40 bus home. We'll work for about two hours...until it gets dark. Bring your bike because you'll need it to access the points. For those of you coming from the flat lands - we'll finish just in time for you to catch the 8:17 pm bus back to Boulder. See ya there! DV.

2006-08-21T08:58:00.000-06:00

Nice! The round branch slats don't seem to hold up very well though they are good looking...

2006-08-21T08:55:00.000-06:00

We want MORE of this (only sturdier and less likely to stab one with rusty nails)! What are (if they exist) FS specs for "features"?

Local knowledge...

2006-08-15T10:09:00.000-06:00

FYI. I'd also suggest checking out www.offcamber.com for more insight into some of the concerns of Nederland locals re: West Mag and the Bike Patrols efforts in the area. In fact a meeting of the minds has been convened for tomorrow at the 1st St Pub in Ned so come on up and let's talk trails (and drink beers) and hopefully make a plan of attack to have a concrete positive impact RIGHT NOW. 6:15pm Wednesday 8/16. See below for some local suggestions for areas most needing some trail work ASAP...

"Amen. In the collective Off Camber opinion what's the #1 trail fix needed (short of a decimating plague) right now in Ned?"
Posted by: M.O. Alford August 10, 2006 at 11:35 AM

Rock on. Now we're getting somewhere. Some concerns:
– The trail known as Sugar Mag is an eroded gully in many places, a wide swath in all places. I was thinking about this - by creating visual obstacles it may be possible to enhance this trail. Ditto that for the below.
- Hobbit Trail is severely eroded, especially the upper sections
- The closure of Tennessee Mountain stuff is troublesome. I've been considering setting up a meeting with the Tolls to try and open dialougue, but would be interested in hearing what you have done.
- I think you'll find volume of riders to be a fairly consistent theme with the mountain residents. Trespassing is a big problem. Maybe just a dialougue about mountain culture and what values are important to us. Similarly, we need to know where you are coming from as well.
I coach a group of ten kids ages 13-16 who want to be put to work with trail issues. We are up on West Mag pretty much every day.
That's my $.02 for now. More as I think of it.
Dan

Rocky Mtn News article 8/5/06

2006-08-08T12:17:00.000-06:00

The paths less chosen
Renegade trails are a hit with those in the know, but rules are not clear cut
Marc Piscotty © News Trails in the West Magnolia Trail System near Nederland, like the one M.O. Alford is traversing, probably were cut by motorcycles, which no longer are allowed. Alford helps educate riders about access issues regarding the trails and to help ensure resource conservation in the area.
STORY TOOLS
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By Hannah Nordhaus, Special to the News August 5, 2006
They are most everywhere you ride your mountain bike, but you may never know they're there. Many are hidden behind
minefields of deadfall and tangled brush, made to be missed.
They are renegade trails - built, improved or maintained by local hikers, bikers and motocross enthusiasts, and frequented only by those in the know. They contain singletrack so narrow you are fighting off limbs and bushes as you ride, so untouched by bike tires that you may never see a rut or a washboard. They often have clandestine names like "Double Super-Secret."
Land managers call them "social" and "user- created" trails. Many routes have been frequented for years by locals to walk their dogs or connect to other trails. Others were created specifically for motorcross or mountain biking and are purposely hidden from view - riders walk their bikes around piles of deadfall and tangled brush to get out of sight of the sanctioned trail or road, to keep nosy rangers and unworthy passers-by off the scent.
These trails can be found on local, state and federal lands across Colorado. The forests off the Peak to Peak Highway near Nederland are crisscrossed with them.
Many of Fruita's most popular mountain bike trails - they now are the town's major attraction - originally were renegade routes hand built by a group of locals using Pulaskis (ax-mattock combination tools used for firefighting) and Italian grape arbor tools, which local bike shop owner Troy Rarick describes as "garden hoes on steroids."
Rumor has it that bikers even have built short-lived downhill trails on uber-regulated City of Boulder Open Space.
People build rogue trails in order to fill an unmet need, Boulder Mountain Bike Patrol director Jason Vogel said.
"Most of these people would rather be riding bikes than building trails, but they can't find the experience they're looking for on the officially sanctioned trails - either a more technically challenging trail, or a significant connection between trail systems, or a longer ride, or one they can do from their house."
Rarick said renegade-trail builders in Fruita tend to focus their efforts in areas that have not yet been incorporated into local land management plans.
"What they do is find areas that are out of the way, and once these areas start to get planned and mapped by the (Bureau of Land Management), mountain bikers say, 'Look, we've already got rides out there.' "
Public land agency policies vary on the legality of using these trails - in places such as Boulder County Open Space, bikers are required to stay on designated trails at all times.
On Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management property, the rules are less clear cut: cross-country travel is legal for hikers, bikes and horses unless otherwise marked. Motorcycles and ATVs, though, only can be on trails that are specifically designated as open for motorized use.
It is illegal to construct bootleg trails on most all public land. The Forest Service, for instance, prohibits "constructing, placing or maintaining" trails without authorization.
If a person is caught building a renegade trail on Forest Service land, he or she is subject to a ticket and fine, about the same as a speeding ticket - about $75 currently. On Boulder County Open Space, fines begin at $50.
Riding on such a trail, unless it is signed, falls into more of a "gray area," though. While you're allowed to ride anywhere, you are not permitted to maintain illegal trails; riding on such a trail could be construed as maintaining it.
If a renegade trail is found, officials often will "obliterate" it, but they might ignore longtime social trails on Forest Service land, which aren't officially illegal - although they are not officially legal, either. Once travel management plans are completed, a process that will take several years, those trails will either be "in" or "out" of the system, and all illegal trails will be obliterated, resources permitting.
Some mountain bike enthusiasts have interpreted regulations to mean that it is legal to create new trails if you don't take tools to the land, relying instead on your bike tracks to tamp down the vegetation and using your hands to move aside downed branches and loose rocks that are in the way.
Ed Perault, recreation staff supervisor of the Boulder Ranger District of the Arapaho- Roosevelt National Forest, argues against such legalistic interpretations.
"Your hand is a tool, your bike wheels are tools," he said. "If you have the intent of going back and riding the same trail again, that can be interpreted as trail construction. You're breaking the law and you're tearing up the forest."
Vogel, who has a Ph.D. in environmental policy, believes these guerrilla trails are examples of why more sanctioned routes are needed.
While many renegade trails are beautifully built, contouring and rolling along hillsides to allow water to run off and control excessive speeds, others drop straight down the fall line, creating ruts and erosion problems and are cut through ecologically sensitive areas, disrupting wildlife and native plants.
One such route in Boulder County, the Cactus Trail, drops steeply down a hillside like an open wound.
"It looks like the Earth just vomited rocks onto its surface, with loose, red rocks tumbling down the mountain," Vogel said. "We need to figure out a way to build challenging trails that aren't an environmental disaster. Otherwise, people will build a trail like that; it will erode . . . and then, when it's not rideable anymore, they will build another one nearby."
Vogel instead would like to see cooperation along the lines of what developed in Whistler, British Columbia, where land managers, struggling to keep up with a proliferation of illegal trails, ultimately decided it was better to legalize and regulate the trails than to risk having bikers build new, unsustainable ones in environmentally sensitive areas.
"Now, Whistler is a mecca, a destination where thousands and thousands of people go to recreate on their bikes," he said, "and they don't have rogue trail-building problems anymore."
Local bikers have made some progress. In Boulder County, outside Nederland, the Forest Service incorporated the West Magnolia complex of social trails into its official system with the help and volunteer services of the local mountain bike community.
Local mountain bikers helped identify the trails and install kiosks and signs, and now bike patrollers such as Vogel assist the Forest Service in managing the trail system, passing out maps, aiding riders with mechanical or medical issues and educating them about proper trail etiquette.
Soon, the Boulder Ranger District, which is facing skyrocketing visitor numbers and increased user conflict and resource degradation, will conduct similar reviews in other popular mountain bike areas. The extent of the renegade bike trails officially adopted will depend on the participation and commitment of local bikers and available funding, as well as other priorities, such as resource protection and competing uses.
After the trail systems are updated, bikes will be allowed only on official system routes specifically identified for mountain bike use, and the current "gray area" of semilegal social trails will be off-limits to bikers.
"We aren't going to turn our heads anymore," Perault said. "Unfortunately, we don't have the financial resources to be able to sustain the trail system that the public
really wants. It's a tough scene, but the Forest Service is facing making some pretty serious decisions in the next few years, and it will affect a lot of folks."
Similar reviews are being conducted for other Front Range forests, and the resulting restrictions won't just apply to bikes. That means no more camping outside designated campsites, no bushwhacking on your horse and no more unfettered renegade trail riding.
"Very few people understand that this era is coming to an end," Vogel said.

Riding in the rain...

2006-07-12T08:39:00.000-06:00

John Allison and I went out for a Patrol Saturday July 8 and boy was it wet. But wet in a good way considering how dry it has been all season. It was nice to see puddles all over since we knew the terrain needed the water, but we kept off the Hobbit since we felt we'd do more damage than good on our patrol. We gave a few folks the 'ride through the middle of the puddles' talk to encourage them not to widen our sweet single track up there. But on the RTD bus up from town we ran into Adam Massey, the new host of the Boulder Show and ex-executive director of the Boulder Off-road Alliance (now the Boulder Mountainbike Alliance - our sponsoring organization) and city councilman Shaun McGrath. We rode with them for awhile and managed to help Adam repair his bicycle. John had his camera on hand, so I think we just got our first picture of the patrol actually helping out a trail user. Once Adam becomes a famous TV personality, we'll trade in on his good name to advertise the patrol or something. In the mean time, we'll have to earn our stripes the old fashioned way - one trail user at a time.

June 25 accounting

2006-06-28T11:59:00.000-06:00

dusty sandy;
nice day on a horse
mine is steel

rain struggles
woods quiet climb
singletrack flow

aspen green
and columbine blue...
flat tire okay

IMBA Summit in Whistler

2006-06-25T11:02:00.000-06:00

Hey all,

I just got home from the 2006 IMBA Summit/World Mountain Bike Conference in Whistler, British Columbia. First off, the riding in B.C. kicks some serious a$$! I had much fun and got to see some of the most intense natural, enhanced natural, and man made trail features on the planet. I'll add some pics to this post when I get them in. There was lots of learning to be had, but most importantly from a bike patrol perspective, I spent a good bit of time riding and making friends with Barbara, the director of the Diamond Peaks Bike Patrol in Fort Collins.

For those of you that have "big vision" for cooperation of front range bike patrols, we've got at least three patrol directors open to the idea: me, Barbara of Diamond Peaks, and Keith Clark of the Front Range Moutnain Bike Patrol. I hope to keep these contacts going and increase cooperation over time. But those of you with the vision should send me a line or post your ideas. Once we're serious and have good reason to meet up, I might be able to schedule a ride with all these patrol directors to see what everyone thinks about cooperating at some greater level of organization - maybe a federation of front range patrols. I already intend on applying for a grant through the RTP program for the Boulder Mountain Bike Patrol, perhaps this is somehing that should be incorporated then. Importantly, the human and financial resources of each patrol differs significantly. E.g. while the Boulder Mountain Bike Patrol might benefit from some financial resources, the Diamond Peaks patrol has a good source of revenue already. This could present challenges or opportunities for cooperation. Mull it over and post your thoughts.

On a side note, my final day of riding in Whistler included a massive wreck. I've got the skin on the left side of my body pretty well shaved off and painful impacts to my ankle, hip, and rib cage. The skin is healing up quickly, but the ribs and hip feel pretty bad and may take longer to heal. I'll post a good pick of my injuries when I get it as well. It's pretty gnarly!

June 3 pictures

2006-06-20T11:49:00.000-06:00

Yeah, this is way late, but here are some pictures from June 3. Mitch and I had a fun, uneventful day- just answered some directional questions. Came across the 355I reroute- the bit of wide/road/berms at the end are closed with a new bit of singletrack to access.

Mitch rolling on Hobbit/Habit.

Boulder Mountain Bike Patrol

2006-06-20T11:15:00.000-06:00

Saturday June 17 afternoon

Lovely day in West Mag - dry as hell.... saw a steady stream of riders today and one mechanical that required some help. A rear v-brake had a broken spring on one side and was rubbing into the rim. We did the best we could to make it ridable but there wasn't much to do except limp back to their car.

Fire is gonna be an issue. I was asked by some campers if campfires in the designated sites are okay.... the answer is NO. I even came upon a smouldering cigarette butt lying in the duff along the road; a motorcycle had just driven by.

We can't look the other way with fire. phone the sheriff at 303 441 4444 if you see one during this fire ban. For me, it's a zero tolerance situation.

June 18th patrol

2006-06-19T16:56:00.000-06:00

Lotsa friendly folks out on the West Magnolia system on a beautiful clear day. Trails were in decent shape but could use some rain, getting very loose and dusty for this early on in the season. Also the horse stables are firing on all cyclinders so the trails near that operation are starting to fill in with horse crap. Seems like the horses like to lighten the load right before a climb, which makes sense to me. Didn't see a whole lot of traffic while riding but every rest stop saw about a dozen bikers roll past. Andria and I gave out a dozen maps or so and were thanked by at least three seperate groups for being out there. One good suggestion was to name the trails vs the numbering system. The new gate is up on the south side and looks tank-proof. Another sign which might be useful would show the various parking areas. Cars were double parked and jammed in the corners at the Peak to Peak-West Mag lot while the other lots were almost completely empty. -Matthew

Saturday June 10 Patrol

2006-06-14T10:06:00.000-06:00

Nancy and I completed our first patrol this past Saturday. We were riding for nearly 5 hours and had a very enjoyable if fairly uneventful day. We encountered many riders, hikers, campers, and dogs(including some really big but friendly ones) but I still wouldn't describe the trails as crowded. Many cyclists were very pleasant and no one openly displayed poor attitude toward our presence. One group of 8 women riders got directions and took a few maps. Several in the group expressed very positive views of patrol objectives and assistance. They had encountered similar patrols in other areas of the country.
One rider stopped us and said they thought they had passed a camp that had an open fire going and requested that we check it out and inform them of the fire ban if we confirmed. I explained our focus on assistance and that we were not "enforcers" but agreed to at least take a look into the situation. We went by on the road but didn't detect any sign or smell of a fire. I was glad of this for many reasons but the most important is, of course, the high fire danger in these extremely dry conditions.

2006-06-13T08:57:00.000-06:00

Hello, my name is Matthew and I'll be your patroller today! Please keep your hand inside the windows at all times, do not feed the bears or Rainbow Family members and ride all stunts at your own risk. After three or four weekday patrols I'm ready to go for my first 'official' 2006 tour, in fact I'm gonna patrol the sh*t out of West Mag so get ready Andria. Bring it on!

2006-06-11T21:53:00.000-06:00

Galen and I rode patrol today.... 4.5 hours out on the trail. We met lots of riders and handed out around 15 maps. Tried to rain twice, but failed to really open up and give the ground a drink. It's mid-August conditions.... not good

Boulder Mountain Bike Patrol

2006-06-06T09:36:00.000-06:00

Latest Info About the School Bus Trail

While on patrol on sunday the 4th, I rode up to the Champion Mine/Phoenix to visit with Fred and his wife, the owners of the site.

They are generally pleased with the mountain bikers; they have embraced the trail reroute and visits to the mine site has dropped off considerably. They continue to have problems with motorized users and are working with the Gilpin Sheriff to address it.

Fred told me that members of the Toll family paid him a visit recently to "lecture" him about how he was letting mountain bikers across his property and into their property. Fred saw it as an attempt at intimidation, which didn't work.

He was told that The Toll family is hiring off duty sheriffs to patrol and write $200 trespassing tickets. We don't know if this is real or blowing smoke, but it is worth spreading the information to other users. The situation seems to be escalating.

The root cause of this problem is a wonderful trail dead ends into private property. We need to find out where the public land ends and private property starts, and then route the trail away from that private property and stay on public land.

I am pressing the Boulder Ranger District for that information. Stay tuned...

BTW, lots of people on the trails Sunday, I saw that in campsite #2 there were freshly fabricated gates laying there waiting to be installed. the evolution continues....

On-line calendar to sign up for patrol dates

2006-05-26T07:19:00.000-06:00

Thanks to Marcus Berggren who set up this on-line tool.

http://funkbus5.com/bouldermountainbikepatrol/month.php

You can still email me your preferred dates, but this website will let you know which dates are already
taken.

If a date has two names already listed, it is taken. If a date has a header "+2" we still need two
patrollers to sign up for that date. If a date has one person's name followed by a "+1" then we still
need one patroller to sign up for that date.

If you prefer, you can click on the "+" in the upper right hand corner of any day and simply add your name
to the main subject line of a new entry instead of emailing me the dates you want. Your name *WILL NOT* appear on the calendar automatically. I'll still have to approve all entries to make sure we don't have any double bookings, but I'll confirm with you when the date is approved.

Public perception problems

2006-05-23T09:36:00.000-06:00

Hey all,

I've gotten several indications that local Nederland riders have a mistaken perception of what the Boulder Mountain Bike Patrol is out at West Mag for. These misperceptions include thinking that we are there for enforcement, that we're trying to turn West Mag into a tourist attraction, that we're out there spying on local riders, and generally a bunch of, in my opinion, paranoid stuff. Nevertheless, we've got to allay these suspicions if we want the patrol to be successful. We need local riders to understand that we're out there to solve problems. First off, we're just helping people out like we always did. Flat tire, out of food, lost, etc - we're there to help. But were also there because private property issues have started heating up. By organizing as a patrol we're putting a positive mountain biking presence on the ground. Without that, the few riders that antagonize local land owners could turn land managers against bikes. We're there to form a solid relationship with the Forest Service by providing a real assest to a resource-starved land management agency.

Local riders need to understand that what we're doing actually benefits them most of all. Instead of taking the paranoid and unconstructive position of lambasting the patrol, we've got to break through that misperception and get the local riders on our side. I spoken with Randy Ruhle, the owner of Happy Trails, and Mike Barrow has spoken with Grant and Mary of latitude 40 fame. This was an attempt to get some info in the hands of people who matter up there. It's obvious to me now that isn't enough. Several folks have made suggestions about how to nip this issue in the bud. While I agree that needs to be done, I do not have the time to make it happen - I'm finishing my doctoral dissertation over the next month, so my life is hell. One or more of you can make a huge difference here by taking the initiative to get more info into local's hands. This might include getting Randy to post info about the patrol at his shop, contacting the Mountain Ear (the local paper) to get something in print, posting more detailed info on the West Mag kiosks (Although many locals seem to hate the kiosks), or anything else that might occur to you. If you are interested in doing this, take the initiative and do it, or email me and we can talk in more detail.

Check out the hate: http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=189441

Features & stunts at West Mag

2006-05-23T09:29:00.000-06:00

Last weekend (5/13) was a good training day, but as I looked at John's pics of the poorly constructed ramp I rode two things occurred to me.

1 - I may not be the best role model in the world. Kids, don't try this at home - it's stupid to ride features and/or stunts that haven't been constructed well. As soon as I got over the hump of the log and I put my weight fully on the back side, the entire ramp gave way and I had to bail.

2 - West Mag has great potential for developing some features in the future. If you look at that pic, the feature is made of completely natural, unobtrusive materials. Hopefully we can develop a good relationship with the FS that allows us to build in a few features to the trails over time. If we can help maintain the safety of such features, wrecks like the one pictured here will be less frequent. People like me are going to keep riding stuff like that whether it's safe or not - we might as well manage it and improve the quality and safety of those features.

Lovely evening at West Mag - Bullwinkle!

2006-05-19T08:40:00.000-06:00

Rode up the School bus yesterday evening. The place was empty. The Trail was clear, save for one drift on the Champion Mine property, all the way to the top of the climb. Two pieces of deadfall above the Champion.

Once I got to the top, I dropped down to the doubletrack and made my way to the singletrack that takes you to the toilet bowl. I was stopped by a 5'+ drift right where the trail dives back into the trees. It was time to turn around....

On my way back, I stopped at the very top of the School Bus for a break. I noticed two red and white striped survey flags that were just off the top toward the doubletrack. I don't know what their purpose was.... could this be where the public land stops and the private property starts? I'll be following up with the BRD about finding out exactly where the private property is up there.

So I enjoy the bomber downhill and I'm back into the loops. I take the route that runs by the pond and over to the Lookout Trail for a sunset moment. While finishing the loop, I'm riding by the pond again and there's a phucking moose having dinner in the pond! No rack, but a very healthy critter! I'm not sure if it was male or female, but it was watching me with great interest, so I just kept riding as to not give the impression of a challenge.

Training Day

2006-05-18T13:09:00.000-06:00

No Denzel or Ethan, our day last weekend was a nice ride. We met at Happy Trails bright and early. See Chuck and his Alan cross bike.

Jason made sure we knew where we were.

Nicole coming down the trail.

Adam's turn.

A rest stop with a view.

These kids are all right.

The log ride is missing a flume but still had some excitement.

2006-05-03T16:26:00.000-06:00

Rule #1- Being safe starts on the way to the trailhead! The Magnolia - Peak to Peak intersection, all of East & West Magnolia Rd., riding thru Nederland and at the Ned HS Trailhead are all potential danger areas from cars & trucks so take caution and turn your 'radar' on as soon as you hop on the bike.

2006-05-01T15:57:00.000-06:00

FS 927 off of West Magnolia, aka "Root Canal"