Flow Trail Maintenance: Assessing and Maintaining the Chi of your Flow
Dates: Thursday, March 21 (afternoon), Friday, March 22 (8 am - 5 pm)
Cost: $275
Instructor: James Flatten, Singletrack Trails,
workshop DESCRIPTION
A mountain bike flow trail is being constructed every 7 ½ minutes in the United States. When built well, these trails are incredibly to ride and add incredible value to a trail system or bike park. But what happens when there are design oversights or construction flaws? What happens after that 100-year, every-year rain storm? What happens after 3 years of trail riders?
What happens is that the Chi of the trall softens- it doesn’t provide that same life ride-enhancing, flowing experience or maybe it doesn’t provide an experience at all because it’s been abandoned. In any case the value and quality of your trail system or bike park has diminished, and it is happening on flow trails the world over.
The Chi of Flow Trails require knowledge and practice. Engage with a leader in the industry to mindfully, yet with intent, put the focus of the trail back on the roller into the berm. After this session, you will hop away a grasshopper that has the knowledge to focus on the longevity of flow.
Learning Objectives
Understand the concept of an all-levels flow trail.
Identify the root causes and effects of flow trail degradation.
Utilize minimum resource impacts to plan and perform lasting maintenance.
WORKSHOP AGENDA
Day 1: Field Classroom and Field Work: as a small group, we will walk and assess an existing trail for maintenance needs. Then we will work together to accomplish the maintenance as we learn and collaborate through the day.
Day 2: Field Work Session and Assessment of second trail
WHAT TO BRING
Gear (clothing, footwear, water, food, sunscreen) to spend the day in the desert- it may be searing or snowing . Though your maintenance techniques will be made in the shade after you attend this conference, there is not much shade in the desert.
INSTRUCTORS
Chi Master James Flatten joined the Singletrack Trails crew in 2007. As the Chief Trail Supervisor, he is now responsible to ensure that projects are completed on time and exceed expectations. His career as a dirt shaper was packed into prominence as the Lead Course Designer and Chief Builder for the Ranchstyle Mountain Bike Festival near Grand Junction, Colorado. Under James’ tutelage and sculpting, the event became a Silver Level Freeride Mountain Bike Tour event in 2010. Building competition courses for the 1% of mountain bikers and extrapolating that knowledge to build dirt jumps, pump tracks, and flow trails for the 95% is James’ special talent. He has been adding the “free” to freeride trails since 2002, and when he is the master dirt shaper, everyone’s Chi is enhanced.