When Building a trail....... ( to all builders)

[chopcity]

When building a trail and u have an idea of where you would want it to be what do you do? Scout out a Trail that you like and mark it off? But how do u choose the lines when their are so many options? What terrain to look for? What else would I need to make sure that their is in the area? Ps The trail would be Launches/drops/skinneys/Bit of Technical Sections.

Also what tools would I need? I would have a:

Chainsaw
Shovels
Axe's
Bow saws
Nails
Mesh
Spikes

What else..?

[bullit_kid]

hike hike hike

dont just go mauling over bushes randomly
take at least a week to get a solid line going, make sure you know how your gonna build it and how it going to flow

[ReCkLeSs RiDeR]

just look for what you think would flow. and take your time like ross said

[chopcity]

Originally posted by bullit_kid
hike hike hike



Around the area and find a solid line?

[bullit_kid]

Originally posted by Stathis
Around the area and find a solid line?

yes a solid line

look for things that will one day get in the way when the line digs into the ground, ie big trees, roots, stumps etc

[LeeLau]

Look for things to make things easy - like rock faces.

Like slopes that are nice and gentle so you can easily put in drainage

Like big cedar stumps for your rungs

Otherwise listen to the ross man

[chopcity]

For finding "Gold Dirt" is their any perticular places to look?

[chopcity]

Originally posted by LOBOTIDULATOR
dude were using the return of the jedi rope and bucket system. there tons o gold dirt around fallin trees

So "Gold Dirt" is around dead fall and stumps? am I correct?

[LOBOTIDULATOR]

dirt sit. solved

[LOBOTIDULATOR]

the fallin trees that have ripped out the roots at the end.
roots--> )====== <-----tree
dirts is good right under there

[chopcity]

Originally posted by LOBOTIDULATOR
dirt sit. solved

I no what you mean, But Where is the Gold dirt???, I am always searching through the woods trying to find Gold dirt....

[the bicycle boy]

what is gold dirt?

[LOBOTIDULATOR]

jesse and matt are good dirt finders. same with atn.

[chopcity]

Any advice is good, so dont be shy to say anything;)

[LeeLau]

Poke around the nsmba site - look for the articles there on Trail building tips. Especially look at what NOT to do

[bunny]

Originally posted by Stathis
I no what you mean, But Where is the Gold dirt???, I am always searching through the woods trying to find Gold dirt....

the fallin trees that have ripped out the roots at the end.
roots--> )====== <-----tree
dirts is good right under there

He just told you... dig down a foot or so and you will find lots. Better yet make someone else go dig it up for you... if you are the engineer you can get lowly slaves to do your gruntwork. :P

[Zedbra]

Originally posted by bunny
Better yet make someone else go dig it up for you... if you are the engineer you can get lowly slaves to do your gruntwork. :P

I'm no longer helping build that 'thing' in your yard....

[Zaskar]

bah zipline, whatever. theres lots of old stumps and stuff. fallen trees. everywhere. you'll find it there. make sure you do your homework on rockwork. for the first while after finding the line. forget about stunt building. think of where you'll want them and take in to account where ppl will probably be breaking the most as well as the way the terrain works out in terms of drainage. then rock what needs to be rocks and stunt after.

what i think you need is to go to some traildays if you havent been. 20 mins with jeremy is more than you'll ever learn from NSMB bulletin boards. no offense. but it's a must be shown not told sort of deal if you want it done right IMO.

[Taylor_P]

to find gold dirt you need a "probe" a hard stick or netal rode work best. it helps it the rod is mimimum 30cm longer the better. look for areas where the trees are farther away ie small mossy clearings. this is to avoid roots, both to aid you and leave the tree un molested. use your probe to probe the ground in the area to see if it is hard pack or softer and this aso allowes you to feel if there will be many rocks or roots. etc. i am suprised to see people remembered our zip line system. :) also the best advice i can give is once you have a trail scoped out and a solid line picked, built it from the bottom (or the end) up to the top (or start) good luck

ps get a maddok or gurb how or what ever you wish to call it, its pretty much a pick axe

[biker_bob]

well dude you will also need hammers. i just am finishing building my trail and the most important thing i learned is that you can't rake or shovel enough. every extra hour you do this the trail and trannies will get better also make sure all your constructoin is built every solidly because over time it will only get worse. one last thing is you can never do too much bracing. hope this helps make sure you take your time bulding your trail so it ends up the way you want.

[the bicycle boy]

dont build in a park.

[Zaskar]

Originally posted by Zedbra
I'm no longer helping build that 'thing' in your yard....

:lol: that made me laugh so hard hahahahaha

[wilkez]

the best thing to do is look for HIGH places. so if theres a river nearby, its probably good cuz all the water goes down off the trail into the river. and look for rock faces becuase those are as solid as they get. i dont know who originally cut out lower crippler but they did an awsome job of picking lines becuase so many rock faces are incorperated and its nice and high, not much standing water on the trail to start with.

[chopcity]

K thx for all the information, it helps alot. Also i will be going to the next NSMBA trail day:) Water will not be a Problem;)

[8-balled]

also dont rush your trail.....dont rush to find a line and dont mickey mouse your builds to get the job done faster. take your time and sometimes you gotta build something out of nothing if there isn't that perfect cetain line you want and tada you now have yourself one sick trail to better yourself on.:)

[Bryce]

Originally posted by wilkez
i dont know who originally cut out lower crippler but they did an awsome job.

i thought that was one of diggers?

[Ewan]

check with the established builders in the area to see if new trails are ok. If you get the go ahead go nuts but work on the trail itself, ie drainage rock work flow, before you build your stunts/features.

[piledriver]

Whooooaaaa there please...
Don't take this the wrong way anyone, but stop and think for a minute.
Regardless of what area you are in, there is a limit (if not already reached) as to how many trails an area should have or that the land owners / managers will tolerate.
The last thing we need is people going out and building "just any" new trail that strains this situation. Even if OK to build, any new trail should we well thought out and built properly right from the start. With the questions asked, you are not ready to take on this task , at least not by yourself.
At the least, how about getting together with some peope that have enough experience to look and consider all the things that must be considered (like topography, flow, drainage, vegitation, available materials, types of trees, underground creeks, fish and widlife habitats etc) before you start any building.
There are enough people out there who can help with this, and you should be able to find a couple who are willing to help out with scouting etc.
Take the time please, because one you put in a line, it is sometimes very difficult to re-route even if what you chose is poor and much better options exist.

Thanks for listening...Good Luck....PD

[thedude]

The 'GOLD' is pretty much everywhere in a healthy forest. It is just a matter of getting it out of the ground.

'GOLD' is usually 6-18 inches below the organic layer of a forest floor. This organic layer is the dark stuff that holds water and gets all mucky and soft when it rains. The 'GOLD' is the mineral layer found almost everywhere in one form or another in the forests of Costal BC. It it most easily recovered from slopes, bases of stumps and trees or the root balls of deadfall.

Look for the HIGH and DRY line. It is best to map out a trail in HEAVY HEAVY rain. This way you know where the puddles are going to form and how water will flow off the trail.

Please remember that you shouldn't always do your wood work (ie skinnies, ladders etc) in or over the wet areas. People who can't do the stunts will need a ride around and the bases for your structures will need solid footings. Again look for the HIGH and DRY line.

Build it BURLY and remember to have as much fun building as you do riding. Spead the vibe my brotha.

Oh yeah, as Ewan mentioned, make sure to get the go ahead from the other builders in the area and heed the advice of Piledriver

later,

thedude

[well ridden]

theres tonnes of gold dirt around the area we are thinking of so that isnt a problem, and lots of cedar.

but is it a good idea to start from the bottom or the top?

[davet]

Originally posted by piledriver
Whooooaaaa there please...
Don't take this the wrong way anyone, but stop and think for a minute.
Regardless of what area you are in, there is a limit (if not already reached) as to how many trails an area should have or that the land owners / managers will tolerate.
The last thing we need is people going out and building "just any" new trail that strains this situation. Even if OK to build, any new trail should we well thought out and built properly right from the start. With the questions asked, you are not ready to take on this task , at least not by yourself.
At the least, how about getting together with some peope that have enough experience to look and consider all the things that must be considered (like topography, flow, drainage, vegitation, available materials, types of trees, underground creeks, fish and widlife habitats etc) before you start any building.
There are enough people out there who can help with this, and you should be able to find a couple who are willing to help out with scouting etc.
Take the time please, because one you put in a line, it is sometimes very difficult to re-route even if what you chose is poor and much better options exist.

Thanks for listening...Good Luck....PD

This is the best advice I've read on this thread.

[switch]

Originally posted by davet
This is the best advice I've read on this thread.

Me too.

Spend some time with some experienced builders. You'll learn more in a couple hours than you'll ever learn on nsmb, or by winging it.

[chopcity]

Originally posted by well ridden
theres tonnes of gold dirt around the area we are thinking of so that isnt a problem, and lots of cedar.

but is it a good idea to start from the bottom or the top?

Bottom to top. Because If we build from Top People may ride the trail when unfinished And we wont rush the stunt just to get to ride them.

[LOBOTIDULATOR]

yes, so you dont rush the trail, or leave sections poorley build in anticipation(sp?) of the trail being done fast

[bunny]

Originally posted by Zedbra
I'm no longer helping build that 'thing' in your yard....

you should be thankful you aren't being sued for that "thing"
i fell off it the other night... must be due to poor building :P

[drezy]

Whatever you do don't decide on a line by yourself. Before you start to cut your trail, get a few opinions on the line you've chosen. I've flagged trails before that looked like they would flow really well, then went back up a couple days later and it didn't seem to have as much potential. The best is to get a couple of guys together and flag the trail so you don't get tunnel vision and end up with a mess.

Also, if your stunts start to look like this:

http://www.pinkbike.com/modules/photo/?op=view&image=115819

you're in trouble.:D

[Taylor_P]

Originally posted by drezy


Also, if your stunts start to look like this:

http://www.pinkbike.com/modules/photo/?op=view&image=115819

you're in trouble.:D


DEEP Trouble...

[OCRONZZUB]

Originally posted by the bicycle boy
dont build in a park.


hahahaha, good call:cool:

[drezy]

Originally posted by CoffeeMan
DEEP Trouble... You wanna see DEEEEEP trouble? Check out this bad boy:
.http://www.pinkbike.com/modules/photo/?op=view&image=122608

[switch]

Originally posted by drezy
You wanna see DEEEEEP trouble? Check out this bad boy:
.http://www.pinkbike.com/modules/photo/?op=view&image=122608

The NSMBA should put that pic on a page of "how not to build".

[pete]

Originally posted by Stathis
Bottom to top. Because If we build from Top People may ride the trail when unfinished And we wont rush the stunt just to get to ride them.

but sometimes having the option of building from top down is nice so you dont have to hike all that shit in

[Darryl]

Where do you want to build this trail?

[evanius]

If all works out and you do go ahead, they key, as others have mentioned, is to take your time laying it out.

The approach i've found works best is to pick your entrance and exit for the trail first. You need to know where you are going, and by picking them first you can make sure these points are discreet and at an appropriate spot. Next, walk the area thouroughly and determine if there are any pinch points between start and finish where the trail MUST go - ie no possible way around, or a ridge you want to avoid going over. You can also pick out highly desirable 'must-have' terrain features. But at the same time you want to look for 'no-go' spots like swampy areas and erosion-prone steeps.

If the area is very large you may have many route choices and will be less constrained by specific spots. If this is the case get a topo map from a map shop or Nat. Resources Canada. You can pick a few potential routes off the map and then check them out on the ground. Then pick those same types of points.

Knowing all of these spots will help guide the remainder of your trail and you can connect the dots between them. Like others have said, take your time. Once you have flagged an initial route, wait a few days... bring others to look, and come back in the rain. You will be amazed what a second pair of eyes or a second look might reveal. Don't be afraid to try an entirely new line. And remember to consider how the trail will flow from point to point, and what work will be needed to make it rideable. A huge amount of effort to get to a cool rock face may not make sense - you can't have it all! Also keep in mind traffic - you may want to lay it out in such a way that controls rider's speed going into certain sections - berms, tight corners, a technical drop or a skinny can all do this. Controlling speed is a great way to lower maintenance.

Finishing a well-built trail will be more work than you can possibly imagine! Good luck.

[twofortythree]

its gonna b pretty hidden......