Poaching trails

[Ed von Schleck]

Hey,
we're having some issues with a few kids poaching our private ground on which we have build several jumps and a neat pumptrack (the owner of the land allowed us to build whatever we want, so no illegal stuff).

Lately the number of local kids (as in: beginners who don't know how to jump) poaching the trails has increased a lot.

The first issue is that they've done so without asking for permission, and we (as in: me and my friends who have built and operated those jumps) simply don't want those people to ride on there (a bunch of posers and bs talkers). Another issue is, since they have no clue how to jump, the whole thing becomes really riskul both for their health and there's always the opportunity to sue the land owner (...)

I'm sure poaching trails / jumps on private ground is something that is quite common in Canada, but over here it's the first time we've ever encountered this problem.

What should we do against this kind of poaching? Beating the crap out of the poachers when we happen to encounter them? (I can't stand this solution). Calling the police? Telling them to stop riding there? (which won't work because you know how a bunch of 13 year olds act...)

We thought about putting locks in front of the jumps but this would mean quite a bit of work, plus it would be fairly difficult to install.

Let's hear some solutions to solve this problem...

[SammyJ]

I would speak with the landowner first, to let him/her know that there is a problem. Ask them how they feel it should be handled.

My recommendation (if the landowner has no advice) would be to contact the police.

[TheGiggler]

I'm sure poaching trails / jumps on private ground is something that is quite common in Canada, but over here it's the first time we've ever encountered this problem.




not so much ... around here almost everything is built on public land.

[Uncle Duke]

i think it reads built on private grounds?


i'm about to build some on my place and if i catch somebody riding them w/out permission I'll be getting a new bike!!


if its on public (crown land) you have no options but to share.

[drummer_dil]

duke can i come and ride???

[kperras]

Locks and chains are the best way. Keep the landowner out of it, cause its likely they will cancel the whole deal with you, fearing liability issues.

If you have no trees to get chains around, then dig a deep trench in front of all the run in lines, and install a large beam flat in the trench, nail some sturdy posts (6x6) to that beam and cover with dirt. The flat beam means that people won't be able to pull the posts out. Its a days work but well worth it to keep this place yur own.

[heckler]

I actually build stuff with the intention of having other people ride it.

[Uncle Duke]

duke can i come and ride???



im sure we can work something out...

ie. you must shuvl to play!!! lol.

[Rat]

I enjoy poached eggs and trails.

[Lady Gravity]

I actually build stuff with the intention of having other people ride it.

yeah me too, i find this poaching concept strange :???:

[the_undertaker]

yeah me too, i find this poaching concept strange :???:


some people like loamy trails...

[alwaysinjuried]

you should be proud of what you've guys made and everyone has to learn somewhere, where did you learn to ride? on someone else's trails/jumps/ladders/etc?

[Lady Gravity]

some people like loamy trails...

hey me too! know of any? :P

[shirk]

I'll be giving Duke a shotgun and a case of shells loaded with rock salt for his house warming.

[redneck jeff]

I'll be giving Duke a shotgun and a case of shells loaded with rock salt for his house warming.

don't forget the 40 o wiskey

[Heathen]

Give all the groms a punch to the throat.

[Uncle Duke]

don't forget the 40 o wiskey



more of a beer man, but i like the idea....

[redneck jeff]

more of a beer man, but i like the idea....

i meant for me cuz i will be on the porch with ya!

[Uncle Duke]

now i see...arent u in whistler?

[redneck jeff]

now i see...arent u in whistler?
first boat tomorrow,had work tonight

[Uncle Duke]

ah i see. too bad miss out on dad doing shuttles tomorrow..gonna bag out some sweet runs...

[redneck jeff]

ah i see. too bad miss out on dad doing shuttles tomorrow..gonna bag out some sweet runs...

not only that but i'm missing out on a whistler run with mpd and crew!oh well my dad needs my help.

[Jerry-Rig]

there are 2 types of mountain bikers.... givers and takers. 99% are lumped into 1.

[Uncle Duke]

aint that the truth..

i think it was cease and desist where digger said "too many people taking not enough giving back" ..

why other filmers don't try and make this point i don't know.

[the Master Plan Dan]

not only that but i'm missing out on a whistler run with mpd and crew!oh well my dad needs my help.

We'll miss you too!

[Ed von Schleck]

Alright, first of all thanks for the input.

I would like to clarify some things right away. I am totally for young guys learning how to ride a bike. The situation over here in Germany is a little different than in Canada; there are very few people actually riding dh or freeride stuff and the scene has really started growing for one or two years now. A few friends of mine and I created a Mountain Bike Association a few months ago 1) to be able to legally build trails in the mountains for everyone 2) to host skill camps to show younger people how to safely enjoy the trails and 3) to give kids who don't have a drivers license the opportunity to get bus rides to several bikeparks across Germany. My brother (who's only 21) has been teaching kids how to ride bikes and do all the maintenance for several years now. He gets paid less than minimum wage by the city council to teach a group of 13 year old kids and give them the opportunity to enjoy mountainbiking.

I'm only 18 years old and started riding bikes 2 years ago when I was staying in WA as a foreign exchange students. I attended several trail care days in Port Angeles and actually was more involved digging new trails than I rode my bike.

Again, I'm all for everyone enjoying this sport. I don't want to sound arrogant or anything, but I' definitely not a taker. Our bike "club" (as in the people I ride with) clean up the forest every other weekend in order to improve the situation for mountain bikers in our area.

We are extremely involved when it comes to leglizing mountain bike stuff over here.

The area that our dirt jumps and pump track is built on is on private ground. The area belongs to the grandma of a friend of mine who also rides bikes.

This area - which is tiny, one small pumptrack and two dirtlines consisting of 2 jumps - is absolutely private. There is a big fence around it and although it's in the middle of a neighbourhood, but it's not visible from the street as we covered the entire fence with huge banners.

We don't want random kids to get hurt on this property as they might sue my friends grandmom, and we don't want random kids - usually 3 or 4 stupid little punks who talk so much BS all the time - to ride those particular trails.

They know that the property belongs to us, and they know that they have absolutely no right to ride on there.

For instance there's one kid whose parents are kind of rich. My brother taught him for 2 or 3 years, yet this kid keeps saying that my brother sucks at riding bikes and just keeps on talking BS, which is absolutely annoying. He claims that he's so good at doing tabletops and applied for several sponsorships but he can't even clear a tiny double.

Two days ago he uploaded this as his myspace profile picture:

http://img-a3.pe.imagevz.net/profile1/85/33/d3db3360a6809a49b07387d101f8/6-12a62afa05a08ad6.jpg

This is ridiculous, first of all his skill sucks but he walks around as if he was the bestest mountain biker ever, keeps talking BS about us but yet he poaches our trails.

My brother checked out the situation yesterday and guess what the property looked like:

http://joz.rockriders.de/share/zaun.jpg

Other parts of the fence are bent or destroyed, plus someone rode the pumptrack while it was raining, so it needs to be reshaped.

We are simply pissed because they keep destroying our trails, the landowner is pissed off by them because they're not allowed to ride there (she approved only a handful of people to ride on her property) and those little stupid keeds show off their ridiculously crazy skill (yet they don't even know how to ride a berm).

We're sick of it and want to stop them from riding the trails without having to show up there when they're poaching them again and having to punch them.

I have never ever hit a person and it's extremely difficult to piss me off. I am always very friendly towards younger people and respect everyone who enjoys riding their bikes.

This situation has gotten way over the top though, and even I would be willing to do whatever it takes to stop them from riding there.

Right now we're discussion whether we should put poles and locks up (there are no trees) or if we should dig some huge holes.

http://joz.rockriders.de/share/tracksperrung3.jpg

This is our favourite solution right now: Dig a rather large hole in font of the jumps and whenever we ride there, we put in a lattice (?) whenever we want to ride there. When we're finished riding, we take the lattice out and lock it up. Get what I mean?