High Peaks Wilderness Vegetation Management Training
On September 8, members of BETA staff and the Ski Trails Committee spent a day on the trails with NYS DEC Forester Tate Connor to gain a mutual understanding of acceptable corridor width in the High Peaks Wilderness and how best to achieve that width. This is an important step to allow our staff and volunteers to do ski trails maintenance this season and beyond.

We look forward to the work ahead and appreciate Tate’s guidance.

Ski Stewardship Program 
In the meantime, we’re building a network of Trail Scouts and Rapid Responders to help find and address maintenance issues on ski trails within BETA’s purview. Trail Scouts are committed to visiting the same trails(s) on a regular basis, but especially right after storms, and report their findings to BETA. Rapid Responders are comfortable wielding a hand saw or chainsaw to take care of maintenance issues reported by Scouts.

If you’re interested in joining the volunteer team, more information will be shared soon on our website, socials, and through an upcoming email blast.  You can sign up for our email blasts here.

Trail 7 and Trail 8 at East Branch are ready for real names and we want your ideas!

Submit your suggestions here: www.bit.ly/trail78 by September 28th.

HOW IT WORKS:

1. Submit your suggestions. Use the form above. You can suggest names for one trail or both. Feel free to submit more than once, just fill out the form separately for each new idea. Good trail names are easy to remember and pronounce, and respectful and appropriate - that gives them the best shot at becoming a finalist! Submissions close at 11:59pm on Monday, September 28th.
2. We pick finalists. Submissions will be reviewed to build a shortlist. We may also mix and match names from different entries.
3. Community vote. Voting on finalists opens in early October, with the link shared on our website, email list, Instagram, and Facebook. Voting closes about two weeks later, and we'll announce the winning names!

​Dear Friends,

In his three years at the helm, BETA Executive Director Glenn Glover helped our organization mature, grow our finances and expand our membership base. Going forward, the foundation he set will serve BETA well as we prepare to transition to a new executive director to lead us into the next phase of organizational development. 

Glenn’s notable accomplishments include continuing to grow the transformational trail network at East Branch Community Trails in Keene, making major trail improvements at Craig Wood prior to thousands of mountain bikers visiting the region for the World Cup races in 2024, working with the Town of St. Armand to secure a state Smart Growth Grant for trail improvements at Mt. Pisgah in the near future, and working with partners to establish a new parking area and trailhead in Keene for the Jack Rabbit ski trail. 

The board and Glenn are working together on plans to finalize a departure date and ensure a smooth transition. The board is establishing a search committee to post the job opening, interview candidates, and bring their top candidate forward to the full board for approval. The aim is to have a new executive director in place by year-end.  

BETA’s mission is to unite and strengthen our Adirondack communities through a diverse and welcoming network of bike and ski trails that bring us outside, together. 

As always, we greatly appreciate the support from our members, and we look forward to continuing to serve our community of trail enthusiasts.  

Sincerely, 
     Bryan Magnus, Co-Chair
     Patrick Carey, Co-Chair

Thank you to the 100+ people who have already submitted a response to the survey -- your thoughts will help direct the future of BETA. One way we'll utilize your feedback is to set priorities during our next 5-Year Strategic Plan.

Our Strategic Plan is an important guiding playbook for what matters most to BETA as an organization. It's something we refer to when we have to decide between multiple exciting programs: what is most important to tackle first, and for what reason? The Strategic Plan helps us make those choices by keeping us grounded in a shared direction.

We deeply value and appreciate your feedback. As a small thank you, folks who answer the survey by August 4th can enter to win a $100 gift card to Placid Planet Bicycles, The Mountaineer, Silver Birch Cycles, High Peaks Cyclery, or Solace Cycles. Yes, this means there will be five lucky winners!

BETA members and our trails community are the lifeblood of our organization. We value your feedback and invite you to share your thoughts on what's going well and what we can do better. Fill out this survey and be entered to win a $100 gift certificate for Placid Planet Bicycles, High Peaks Cyclery, Silver Birch Cycles, Solace Cycles or The Mountaineer. Yes, this means there will be five lucky winners!

Survey results are anonymous. Once you press submit, a link will pop up for raffle entry. Winners will be selected and their names will be announced after the survey has closed.

Let your voice be heard:

In early May, we hosted our Annual Meeting and celebrated our 40th anniversary. It was amazing to see so many friendly faces and reflect on 40 years of work by the Adirondack Ski Touring Council and the Barkeater Trails Alliance.

We were honored to be awarded a citation from Assemblyman Cashman recognizing BETA's impact and role within the community. Cashman spoke briefly about the importance of recreational trails as vital infrastructure and the majesty of the Adirondacks and the people who call it home.

Thank you so much to all the folks who came out to celebrate with us -- it was great to see you. Cheers to another 40 years!

​After careful consideration, we have decided not to hold BETA’s Wilmington Mountain Bike Festival this year. 

One important reason that led us to make this decision is that Crankworx -- a massive international mountain biking festival -- is coming to Mont-Sainte-Anne, Quebec over Labor Day weekend which is when we have always hosted Bike Fest.

There are a number of other factors we considered, including a busy calendar of mountain biking events around the northeast, that made this the right call.

Bike Fest holds a special place in many people's hearts. It’s created a lot of good days, great memories, and connections that have lasted well beyond a single weekend. While we will not host Bike Fest this year, we remain committed to hosting events that build community around our shared love of trails and riding. We are planning other events across our region that do just that. For the latest updates, please visit our events page. 

Thank you to everyone who has been part of Bike Fest over the years, and to the volunteers, ride leaders, and partners who helped make it possible. It has been a joy to host it and we are excited to bring that energy to more events this season.