What does it mean to be a mountain biker, and how do they think? This was the overall theme of the Trail Care Crew’s first visit of 2015.

This past weekend we had the pleasure of joining the YMBA in the York Region to provide a TCC workshop and build day in the Ravenshoe Trail network. The visit was especially great as Colin, the local land manager from York Regional Forest, was on hand throughout. Colin was interested in not only understanding the concepts of building sustainable trails, but also in trying to understand how riders think and what they look for in their trail experiences.

Our workshop Saturday morning had a great turnout of YMBA members, the York Regional Forest land manager, as well as staff from the ROC – the local recreation centre that boasts a trail network and bike park as well. It was great to see the local club and land managers come together to understand how they can keep their trails in amazing shape while also working together to plan for the future. This theme played out into the afternoon during our build as both riders and land managers alike worked side by side to enhance the existing trail, as well as to understand the user experience as an important aspect in trail design.

The Ravenshoe trail network is a small area that boasts a fantastic network of trails for beginners and experts alike. The build site itself provided an opportunity to put into practice the concepts learned, including trail closure and benchcut trail construction. We were able to close a section of fall line trail and congested switchbacks, while building a new section of trail that boasted a nice sweeping turn and rolling contour trail that enhances the user experience.

By the end of our visit, we had worked on a total of 155 metres of trail. More importantly, we were able to bring the YMBA and York Regional Forest closer together so that they might create a closer partnership moving forward. We would like to thank the YMBA, The ROC and York Regional Forest for their fantastic hospitality this past weekend.

Click here to view the gallery of our visit!