We are still riding the high of the sixth annual Wilmington Mountain Bike Fest - a celebration of bikes, BETA, the trails and the community who loves and cares for them. We were honored to share the weekend with riders from across the Northeast and Canada and as far away as Maryland, Minnesota and both Carolinas. Over 250 adults and kids enjoyed the Adirondack-style singletrack, wild forest terrain and the warmth of Wilmington’s small-town hospitality. Bike Fest continues to be a cornerstone fundraiser for the Barkeater Trails Alliance, and this year, we proudly raised over $9,000. The proceeds will directly support our ongoing efforts to build, maintain and advocate for a sustainable network of community and backcountry trails for mountain-biking, ski touring and other human powered recreation in the greater High Peaks region. We would like to thank Roy Holzer and the Town of Wilmington for hosting the event, and especially John Langford and the Wilmington Parks Department for working tirelessly to help us bring the festival to life by preparing the grounds, driving shuttles and helping us to clean up the aftermath of a weekend well spent. A monumental thanks to the 50 or so local riders and dedicated BETA board members who shared their love of the trails by volunteering as planners, ride leaders, skills coaches - who hammered signs into the ground, directed traffic, set up, cleaned up and checked lists, not once, but twice to ensure a smooth and successful event. We are eternally grateful to members of our Community Partner Program who call Wilmington home and to those organizations and businesses who support the Bike Fest and the local mountain bike culture in so many ways: Bike Adirondacks, Placid Planet Bicycles, Cadence Lodge at Whiteface, Little Supermarket, High Peaks Builders, Adirondack Land Trust, Whiteface Mountain Regional Visitors Bureau, Speed Science Coaching, High Peaks Cyclery, Town of Wilmington, Wilderness Van, Tahawus Trailsand Ride With Gratitude. A special shoutout to Tahawus Trails, Wes Lampman, machine operator extraordinaire, our Trails Coordinator Dusty Grant and every volunteer who had a hand or shovel involved in the herculean effort of getting "Flobus" Bike Fest ready. The yelps of joy could be heard from the festival site. Thank you to The Outcrops for out-howling the wind and filling the night with their bluesy tunes and good vibes. And thank you Island Vybz, Hex & Hop Brewery and Love, Peace & Grilled Cheese for providing some tasty food and drink on Saturday night. Finally, no Bike Fest would be complete without the Hardy Kids MTB Race and the associated kid-centric activities throughout the weekend. The Hardy Kids (and parents!) are an inspiration to us all. We are so honored to host an event that spotlights two of the things we are most proud of: our trails and our community. Your support makes it all possible and we are profoundly grateful. UPDATES ON FOUR MAJOR TRAIL PROJECTS: 3 OF 4 COMPLETE!Wilmington
Wilmington has a new trail for the first time in almost 5 years thanks to a generous donation of services and equipment form Tahawus Trails, and the superhuman efforts of the lead builder, Wes Lampman, and BETA’s Trails Coordinator, Dusty Grant, who were assisted by several dedicated local volunteers including Matt Schmidt, Liz Grades, Jen Patching, Patrick Carey, and Bill Pierson. In total, staff and volunteers logged over 900 hours on the project over the course of 26 days. “Flobus" pays homage to ever-present white pine trees on the property (Latin name - Pinus strobus) and has become an instant favorite with local and visiting mountain bikers. The new trail was built with extreme attention to detail, taking advantage of the natural fall line and contours of the property (all farmland 100 years ago) to create a flowing downhill-only trail with a multitude of friendly jumps and rock features. BETA is coordinating with owners of the Three Sisters Preserve, Adirondack Land Trust to install new trail signage this month. Keene We did it…with your help! Phase 2 of the East Branch Community Trails project was completed on September 1 by Peduzzi Trail Contracting. The new trail - “Downriver” - is the first of several downhill-oriented mountain bike trails planned for the property and provides the easiest option for descending back to the “Leepoff Loop." “Downriver” traverses a beautiful hillside with massive berms, rollers and jumps. Just try to resist a second (or third) lap. This project was made possible by grants from the Town of Keene and Cloudsplitter Foundation, with which BETA was able to leverage over $25,000 in grassroots donations, business sponsorships, and local fundraising events. Over 100 hours of volunteer labor were logged on the project as well. Because of the groundswell of excitement around the East Branch trails, donations continued to roll-in even after we reached our goal for Phase 2, giving us a head start on fundraising for Phase 3 which we hope will include a new pump track at the trailhead and additional trails higher on the mountain. BETA has applied for a big grant from the Santa Cruz PayDirt program to support Phase 3…fingers crossed! Lake Placid By now there’s a good chance you’ve already enjoyed the amazing new jump line - "Green Jacket”- constructed by Max Van Wie of Backslope Trail Building this summer at Craig Wood. “Green Jacket” keeps riders engaged at every second with a multitude of berms, hips, roller gaps and jumps. This is THE place to hone your jump skills if you enjoy spending time in the air. For riders who are just starting to get a feel for jumps, we recommend visiting the aforementioned “Flobus” and “Downriver” trails as a way to progress and build your way up to “Green Jacket." For advanced riders, a new “pro line” option was added in the vicinity of “Green Jacket." This new trail is called “Gold Jacket” and extends the old “Steamroller” jump line with two additional big jump features before merging back into “Green Jacket." A friendly reminder - riders should “pre-ride” or walk these trails to inspect all features before committing, and remember to ride within your ability. Plans are in the works to build a more convenient climbing line for riders who want to lap the jump lines without descending all the way down the 19th Hole trail. “Gold Jacket” remains closed until signage is installed, hopefully later this week. Thank you for your patience. This project is supported by a grant from the North Elba LEAF program, as well as a handful of major donations and investment from BETA's Sterling Watchorn Trail Fund. Saranac Lake BETA is nearing completion of a new trail at Fowler’s Crossing trail network in the Saranac Lake Wild Forest (state Forest Preserve land). In August we partnered with the Adirondack Mountain Club trail crew to begin construction on the main 0.75 mile singletrack loop on the west side of the network. BETA staff and local volunteers are continuing work to finish the trail this month. The new trail can be seen on TrailForks, and will form a “loop within a loop” utilizing the existing “Oseetah View Loop,” a portion of which will be rerouted in the future to achieve consistency with the state’s mountain bike trail design guidelines. Fowler’s is one of the only tracts of state land directly accessible from the hamlet of Saranac Lake, and is dominated by plantation pine forests and the kind of well-drained, sandy soils that trail builders like us love. The friendly, smooth trails (virtually no rocks) and minimal climbing make this network a perfect destination for novice riders, families with small kids, or anyone looking for a soulful pedal or walk in the woods. A reminder that the parking for this network remains closed due to the construction of the Adirondack Rail Trail, but can still be accessed by bike or on foot. This project is supported by a grant from the North Elba LEAF program, as well as a handful of major donations and investment from BETA's Sterling Watchorn Trail Fund. Comments are closed.
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