[BBTCJON]

Tired of driving over an hour from Seattle for a decent place to ride? Earn your trails, hucks, and skinnies simply by stopping by once a week to build them at the I-5 Colonnade Mountain Bike Skills Park in downtown Seattle. We value our volunteers and provide them with the training they need to become seasoned trail building experts. For more information about how you can become involved, check out our trail page at http://bbtc.org/recreation/calendar.php?event_id=4043 or contact Jon Kennedy (jon@bbtc.org) from the Backcountry Bicycle Trails Club.

 

[downhillracer]

How is that project coming along on the freeride side of things?

 

[Dave_Schuldt]

Building the beginer area now. Click for pics from yesterday.
http://home.comcast.net/~partel5/Colonnade/index.html

 

[snide]

I'm in

 

[cove rider]

its amazing to finally see this park get underway in the construction! i have been following the story of this area since its first purposal what like 2 years ago i think and now to see it finally be built man this is awesome

 

[rainbow_smoke]

odd all that rock and its being put on the side of the path...

 

[Borneo]

Oh, no worries Rainbow, it's IN the trail too. Remember, this is the "beginner" area. The advanced areas will have plenty of high country rock garden stuff.

 

[BBTCJON]

We could sure use the help out there building up the novice area... the sooner we get that done, the sooner we move on to the trials area (yes, TRIALS - not trails), and then on to the more progressive flow lines.

Also a heads up to y'all in sportin' BMX rigs... we are gonna have a rhythem section afterall!

To find out about and sign up for work parties, please visit: http://bbtc.org/recreation/calendar.php?event_id=4043

Cheers!

 

[Five]

Also a heads up to y'all in sportin' BMX rigs... we are gonna have a rhythem section afterall!

Rhythm section?!?!? Ooooh.

 

[Dave_Schuldt]

More pics
http://karenjohanson.smugmug.com/gallery/1278398

 

[Skookum]

odd all that rock and its being put on the side of the path...

i personally helped put in a small rock garden section on a technical offshoot of the beginner trail (Knee Jerk). Beginner or not i don't think anyone would want a total rockgarden fest. If you do, go try Bishop Ridge on the Blue Lake Trail System South of Randle in the summer. After riding that trail you'll never wanna see another rock in a trail for months, trust me.....

 

[Skookum]

To the right of Mr. T there, the rock build up. That's trail....

http://home.comcast.net/~partel5/Colonnade/photos/photo12.jpg

 

[bikerpunk98199]

have you guys found a quary to get rocks from for the trials area i know zeb and joel were lookin.

 

[Skookum]

have you guys found a quary to get rocks from for the trials area i know zeb and joel were lookin.

Dunno, i assume you're looking for HUGE fatties to play on and there should be some comin thru. Just a matter of getting them set up. i know when the project first started there was talk of using faux-rock which is concrete shaped to what you want. i'd personally love seeing some trials people whipping up some impressive creative formations.

i would hope the little rock garden section i helped in would be fun for trials riders to hop up, while most mt. bikers would enjoy riding down it.....

 

[DesuL]

taken down till internet sensitivity classes are completed

 

[Borneo]

Honesty's a good thing. Seem's a bit short sighted and selfish. But, we all have to make do with our limited time the best we can.

Actually pretty surprised that no one else has popped in before me.

I'll probably work one day on it for the greater good of the mtb community and ride it once when it's done. But, for me, it's a logistical thing since I'm a ways away from there. However, even if I was into the big trail gap thing, I'd still ride the cr@p out of the place if I worked or lived right by there. Just for the excercise and keeping up the skill senses during those dark, wet, winter months.

What the huckers here that don't already know need to know is that places like Colonnade will give credibility to riding bigger and more technical lines on a lower level which eventually will allow more places like SST to be legal in the long run.
So, indirectly what is going on there will benefit your "style" of riding in the long run. So, for everyone, it's all good. No matter what your riding preference is.

 

[Tenchiro]

I got kind of lazy right around december, maybe I will head back over this weekend.

 

[bikerpunk98199]

if you where to give us (seattle area trials riders) a stack of 8 palets and or a 4-5+ foot wall we can play on them for hours. those concrete shape rocks things sound cool build um up how we want them. im going to head down this weekend and work on some of the trails.

 

[Str8OutaBallard]

if you where to give us (seattle area trials riders) a stack of 8 palets and or a 4-5+ foot wall we can play on them for hours. those concrete shape rocks things sound cool build um up how we want them. im going to head down this weekend and work on some of the trails.

let me know when they start building the skinnies... I'll help w/that.... only because I would ride that part of the Colonade... I've checked out the rest and it looks like I wouldn't ride the trial they're building...

 

[Skookum]

I have nothing to offer.

Then why sit on your soap box, just don't show up, do your thing where you want.

The way i see it, all those big gaps you build are temporary, this project is a step in a direction to get someplace where expert/pro courses can be made and not torn.

But you're not alone, you'd have to have your head in the ground not to recognize that comments like this have been around ever since the beginning. So for you DesuL i say i hope someday you re-think your position on "advocacy".

Now my take on the project (again....) and some points to ponder.

If you want more people on OUR side you get people on places like Collonade. You want to bring somebody new to mt. biking to Duvall? One out of one hundred will be back for more. Snoqualmie is what got me hooked crashing on a fully rigid 91 Trek, so i guess that's a bad example....., but still you can see where i'm comin from here.

There are people out there that can rock the big boy trails but like to hit some awesome singletrack like Galbraith, Anacortes, Tapeworm, Tolt-McDonald, so many other good xc trails...

Math.... More Trails=More Riders+More political clout=More Trails so on so forth....

The trail that is there now is the BEGINNER TRAIL!!!!, don't know how many times i gotta remind people of that...

i remember a couple of smug guys climbing up the trail when i was on the lift at Snoqualmie years ago. They were all, "This is the only way to ride this place, gotta earn your turns." It's sad to see that that same kind of idiotic elitism has crepts it's way into the DH crowd. i seem to remember many of the old skool DH'er (aka freeriders) came from "Trail" background. And often go back to heal up broken bones.

And finally if this place doesn't get built without drops i'll be shocked. The terrain is not there to make a Duvall or 28, you don't have the elevation. But a few lines like the Flowpark are totally within reach in my opinion.

 

[geargrrl]

Then why sit on your soap box, just don't show up, do your thing where you want.

The way i see it, all those big gaps you build are temporary, this project is a step in a direction to get someplace where expert/pro courses can be made and not torn.

But you're not alone, you'd have to have your head in the ground not to recognize that comments like this have been around ever since the beginning. So for you DesuL i say i hope someday you re-think your position on "advocacy".

Now my take on the project (again....) and some points to ponder.

If you want more people on OUR side you get people on places like Collonade. You want to bring somebody new to mt. biking to Duvall? One out of one hundred will be back for more. Snoqualmie is what got me hooked crashing on a fully rigid 91 Trek, so i guess that's a bad example....., but still you can see where i'm comin from here.

There are people out there that can rock the big boy trails but like to hit some awesome singletrack like Galbraith, Anacortes, Tapeworm, Tolt-McDonald, so many other good xc trails...

Math.... More Trails=More Riders+More political clout=More Trails so on so forth....

The trail that is there now is the BEGINNER TRAIL!!!!, don't know how many times i gotta remind people of that...

i remember a couple of smug guys climbing up the trail when i was on the lift at Snoqualmie years ago. They were all, "This is the only way to ride this place, gotta earn your turns." It's sad to see that that same kind of idiotic elitism has crepts it's way into the DH crowd. i seem to remember many of the old skool DH'er (aka freeriders) came from "Trail" background. And often go back to heal up broken bones.

And finally if this place doesn't get built without drops i'll be shocked. The terrain is not there to make a Duvall or 28, you don't have the elevation. But a few lines like the Flowpark are totally within reach in my opinion.

I'm involved in advocacy work too, and I work really hard at trying to stay positive and grateful for the people who DO want to show up and help out in some way, and not get negative about those who have other/ better things to do. I'm grateful for anything - someone who shows up a meeting, sends us a check, wants to be on our email list. For those who aren't interested, I see it as a karma thing, and I can't worry about how much someone else is giving; that's thier issue. I see is as a ripple affect: give something back whether it benefits you directly or no, and it grows in unexpected and surprising ways.

You don't see what you want at an area? Get involved, give some input. Don't have time? Send a check. Don't have money? How about a few hours? Don't have money or time? Say something good, be positive. Those of us doing this work have to stay positive or we'd be doing this all day...

 

[Str8OutaBallard]

I'm involved in advocacy work too....

You don't see what you want at an area? Get involved, give some input. Don't have time? Send a check. Don't have money? How about a few hours? Don't have money or time? Say something good, be positive. Those of us doing this work have to stay positive or we'd be doing this all day...

I respect your commitment...

I just want to help out on the part of the Colanade that I would be most passionate about...

I can see that this could be the start of something really great for us in Seattle... or take us back to where we might have evoled into (ie about 10 years ago you could ride under I-5 on single track)

it's just that I want to build what I ride and vice versa...

it's hard when you've got to work on a day like this when you could be ridin if ya called in sick... but potential broken bones can be hard to explain when your playin 'Hookey...

I'll have to get intouch w/my friend Joel who is working on that project... i'm down for skinnies/teeters/bridges...

 

[geargrrl]

different points of view, I guess. I look at what other people can get out of something, too, and not just me. Why else would a rider like me be working on a freeride park?

I can understand your version of passion though. I spent some time riding Moscow Mtn with the guy who's built many of the trails there. His whole passion for trail building was proclaimed selfishness ( that's how he described it) He wanted to build trails so that HE could ride them. My passion is coming from a different place, but it's all good.

 

[Str8OutaBallard]

different points of view, I guess. I look at what other people can get out of something, too, and not just me. Why else would a rider like me be working on a freeride park?

I can understand your version of passion though. I spent some time riding Moscow Mtn with the guy who's built many of the trails there. His whole passion for trail building was proclaimed selfishness ( that's how he described it) He wanted to build trails so that HE could ride them. My passion is coming from a different place, but it's all good.

I think I'm going to help next weekend, because according to the bbtc webpage it's starbucks sponsorship day... and they are donating $10/per man hr to the project, I take it...

as far as passion/selfishness/trail building are concerned I have other area's of my life that I'm active in that have myself involved in helping others w/minimal self benifit... (and in the grand scheme of things, for me, they come before biking as far as my own priorities are concerned)... I know it's biking blasphemy...

and this isn't the forum for that other stuff I'm involved with, so I'm not gonna get on a soapbox about it just to come off as "captain altruism"...

as far as biking goes for me (and I'm sure I'm gonna stir the pot for saying this in this thread) it's got to be about almost entirely pure fun... and building ladders and bridges would be closer to that for me...

I may not always see biking this way (about what it does for me vs. what it can do for other riders) but this is where I'm at with it now...

 

[Dave_Schuldt]

Small crew today but we got a lot done. Still going strong at 2:00 when I left.

 

[DesuL]

Too much ramble.... Simple point...

After working 40-50hr weeks doing construction and things I don't enjoy building...
I would be more likely to volunteer my time to something that I would enjoy building and riding. When some of this gets underway expect me to put down my shovel and showup .

Sorry for everyones E=panties getting notted up.

 

[Skookum]

Its great there is a mtn bike park but if its boring to certain people they will go somewhere else and you shouldn't sit and bitch about them going somewhere else if its not geared towards them.

Understandable points, but it's not like i didn't get where you're coming from....

So all the same if you think i'm bitching here, listen to yourself... You shouldn't bitch about it not being to your liking when you don't have a clue what the advanced lines are going to be like. And you shouldn't dismiss the project because it doesn't have 20 foot high skinnies or road gaps. (haha gap the ship canal!!! whoo!)

Why not? You say...

Let me take one last run so you can understand my main point and the reason why i help.... Collonade is the first mt. bike specific park in Seattle. It's going to be a model for bigger and better things in the future. This means more trails that "you like", will be built in the future......

Both the executive director and volunteer director of "the outfit" go up to Canada every frikkin weekend if you don't think what i'm saying is on the level....

Personally i'd like to see people come down and help out, sure... But do you think everyone is gonna? Hell no... but please especially if you're gonna not even show, and not even know what's up down there, hold your peace.

Even though this is kind of a different thing it reminds me of all the people bitching about WIM and now it's gone. i've never raced in my life so i have no personal stock really, but i'm not going to sit there and say that no DH racing in Washington State is a good thing.

And unlike my dear pal geargrl i will not do this if you do not show.

i will do this because it is good.

 

[geargrrl]

how does that draw the expert rider into the project at all?

with vision.

I was down at Post Canyon last summer, and you should have seen how busy the Family Man area was. Yes, it's all wide ladders, close to the ground, really easy stuff. But what was cool - parents with their little kids, beginners, XC riders checking it, old ladies like me, everyone having fun and having a good time. You give them a taste of it, and that's how you build the next generation of bikers.

 

[trailhacker]

In the same way alot of the people helping now would have no clue what to do when it comes to satisfying what my tires want to roll over.

I al willing to come help, but if you do not want help in your "advanced expert lines" and you have have the same people building those lines as the easy lines, how does that draw the expert rider into the project at all? yah its mtn biking but mtn biking happens everywhere. So far everyone in the project seems to be guided toward the introduction of mtn biking into the Seattle area which is great. But how is this going to help the current biker who dreams of hitting bigger and smoother lines on A line all year?

The attitude in this thread towards the big mountain/big jump/Dirt jump rider is just as bad as the accusations toward those of the same discipline. Its great there is a mtn bike park but if its boring to certain people they will go somewhere else and you shouldn't sit and bitch about them going somewhere else if its not geared towards them.

I am not going to re-read all the posts in this thread, but I don't recall any attitude towards "big" riding? I think the only time it was mentioned was when you said you won't help unless you can build this kind of stuff?

And that is fine, but the point of this thread, at least my interpretation, was "hey, were building this bike friendly park and could really use some help. Heres some details and contact info."
If you don't want to help, there is no need to go on a tirade because they aren't building (or at least not letting you build) Whistler. Just don't show up? No need to get negative.

I don't think anyone said they didn't want help in the advanced lines. They did say that they were going to finish the beginner lines first. It is possible that they aren't going to mold it in the "super-hucker" style you desire. But at least see what they are planning before bitching about what they are going to build. Maybe certain people should go someplace else instead of sitting and bitching about what may or may not get built? I think in all the previous call outs concerning this project they asked for input towards the design. What was your input?

I think you are underestimating the people working down there. Just becaue they are working on the beginner lines doesn't mean they don't know how to build advanced lines?

So far, the way I see it, your contribution has been "if your not going to build SST at Colonade, I'm not helping." And that is fine. But why do you feel the need to bitch about that in a thread asking for help in what they ARE doing?

And BTW, the way this helps the "core" people is this. I believe BBTC has a project in the works out off of I-90 that will be more geared towards "freeride". If they get positive feedback from this project, it goes a long ways towards convincing land managers that something like that is OK, making the posibility of more places like that colser to reality. The county and the DNR have more land out there than you can believe. The only people working with them to get us access to this land as far as I can tell is the BBTC? And they are trying to get legal DH/freeride stuff too.

Next weekend I'll be there helping out because I get free coffee, pastries and most importantly, Starbucks is donating $10 for every hour I or anyone else works.
How does this help the person that finds A-line boring and dreams of the natural, raw, rough goodness that is Garbonzo? I don't know, and I don't care. Next winter I'll be riding in Colonade park in the middle of a rainstorm but I'll still be dry?

 

[DesuL]

I am really bad at the intraweb and not rambling... Posts edited down to my earlier point. And for those that don't want to read up....

I work long hours doing construction (welding/fab/pipe fitting etc) As selfish as it is I need alot of motivation to get my lazy ass up on the weekends or my time off. Berms and rollers/pump track kinda stuff is IMHO stuff that is fun for beginners and experts alike. I would love to work putting in some berms rollers, a pump track, a few stepdowns and whatnot.

If there is some of this type of stuff going in then I would love to move dirt if you don't all hate me yet. And yes the people involved in this are much better riders then I.

Sorry if I offended anyone I took my long week and injured downtime out on the keyboard.

 

[juice]

Interesting discussion here for sure. It's great to see all the passion, even if folks have pretty strong opinions. It's always a bit hard to build stuff for the beginner riders since the best trail builders are usually pretty damn good riders, but it'll be worth it. Once the politicians and land managers see our finished park they'll literally be begging us to build more parks in more areas. This is just the beginning, muahaaa haaa haaa! (my best evil laugh)

For the trials section, we'll be bringing in some boulders from a place like Marenakos. There will be a limit to the size of the boulders we get since they need to be placed with a boom-truck that has weight limits. Art, the trail designer, is in contact with a bunch of folks from the local trials scene and I'm looking forward to what they come up with.

I'm going to make a predicition - with the creation of some good trials features in this park we'll build up the trials scene and some local kids are goind to be killing it at national trials comps within a few years. My delusional imagination get's going a bit nutty at times...

We care what you think, and we're always open to hearing feedback. You can either call us at the BBTC World Headquarters at 206-524-2900, or if you're feeling a bit shy you can use our anonymous feedback form on our website. You can get to it at our homepage or by clicking here: http://bbtc.org/php/submit-feedback.php

Justin

 

[MMike]

I think all those photos are a hoax.....shot on an elaborate set on a UW stage... they are faked just to mess with my head. this project will never happen! Never!!

 

[juice]

I think all those photos are a hoax.....shot on an elaborate set on a UW stage... they are faked just to mess with my head. this project will never happen! Never!!

Shhhhh, don't tell anyone... we've got them fooled.

 

[Tootrikky]

I would like to thank the BBTC organization for everything they are doing at Collonade Project. It is really the only positive thing going in WA right now that I can think of, and should have a lasting effect on our community, hopefully hooking more seattlites on the Mtb'ng addiction we all share.

I went down and checked out the project on Friday and it looks great, definitely a lot of effort going in to the place! I have one question though, are all the built "beginner" trails up hill trails only right now? The reason I ask is that they are very tight and the switchbacks have absolutley no banking on them, and it seems like going down will be difficult, tedious and unsafe for a "beginner". Would it not be safer (and more fun) to have a little banking on them, just like there is on highways and roads, beginner trails like B-line at Whistler, and just about any trail that i can remember enjoying from the time I started biking till now? Keep in mind I am talking about the tight switchbacks, cause yes flat or off camber turns are fun in certain sitautions too.

Anyway had to get that monkey off my back.....Keep up the good work!

 

[geargrrl]

I think the issue of berms was addressed somewhere by Skookum. IIRC, bermed switchbacks, while lots of fun to rail, can promote trail erosion because the water can'tflow off the trail - the berms channel it down the trail.

gg

 

[Tootrikky]

I think the issue of berms was addressed somewhere by Skookum. IIRC, bermed switchbacks, while lots of fun to rail, can promote trail erosion because the water can'tflow off the trail - the berms channel it down the trail.

gg

Thought that might be a reason.....the way the trails are elevated though would make it really easy to put pvc or corrugated drain pipe downstream of the switchback, but I could see how that might be a little ambitious right now.

 

[Borneo]

As an aside, flat or off camber corners make you a better rider.
Too easy to "cheat" when it's bermed.

 

[Skookum]

Though that might be a reason.....the way the trails are elevated though would make it really easy to put pvc or corrugated drain pipe downstream of the switchback, but I could see how that might be a little ambitious right now.

Yah the funnest switchback section i've ever rode is out at the secret spot but i don't even know it that section isn't tatered bad. It was starting to erode last time i rode out there years ago.

You're right with the pvc idea to make a mini culvert. There are sections where i really think that applications may be a necessity. i've bantered the idea with Mr. T out there about manipulating the run off and put in a bird bath that drains to feed a bush or tree underneath the dry freeway part. Hopefully we can do that, it's little things like that i think are kinda cool if they work.

 

[DBR X6 RIDER]

This thread is pretty similar to a thread I saw on the NSMB forums a year ago in regards to the Cypress MTB park. Like Collonade, Cypress had to start with the simple/beginner lines to accomodate the entry-level types...eventually, work on expert lines happened. This was the same approach that Whistler took and I think we all know how that has progressed.

Seriously, if you have no plans for the trailday w/ Starbucks then you really should get your arses down there. BBTC is worth your time and efforts...no matter how futile you feel they may be. They deserve every penny that they can get out of Starbucks (and us as well). The sooner the "easy" stuff is done then the sooner the "goods" can be built.

Besides, most of us were "newbs" at some point. This would be the perfect way to "spread the disease" to those that haven't been infected as of yet. I've been active @ SST for almost three years and we still make things that are beginner-friendly.

Hell, I put in 40hr work-weeks and commute 25 miles (by bike) daily. I have every excuse in the world to not go out and dig, etc. Do I hide behind them? HELL NO!!!:evil:

 

[DesuL]

Seriously, if you have no plans for the trailday w/ Starbucks then you really should get your arses down there. BBTC is worth your time and efforts...no matter how futile you feel they may be. They deserve every penny that they can get out of Starbucks (and us as well). The sooner the "easy" stuff is done then the sooner the "goods" can be built.

So BBTC will get $$ for each volunteer that shows up? Thats pretty cool. What day is this?