The chance to travel and have one’s eyes opened to new ideas and information – no better way to bring in the New Year!

Why all the excitement?  Well, I had the great fortune to travel down to IMBA HQ in Boulder, Colorado at the beginning of January.  A weeks worth of meetings, knowledge sharing, team building and enjoying mountain air, were all part of IMBA’s Staff Training event.

A lot of the discussion on trail design and construction focused on ‘Flow Trails’.  This type of trail design is revolutionizing what we can experience and expect from a purpose built mountain bike trail.

Figure #1:  Supportive structure for berm construction (turf block).

Figure #2:  Berm surfaced with mineral soil, showing ‘first tracks’ to test flow along the low and high ride line.

Meetings were scheduled for most of the daylight hours throughout the week, but a few of us managed to get outside for an hour to go for a quick hike behind the Office.

Figure #3: IMBA Staff stretching their legs on the Red Rocks Trail, located on the west side of Boulder.

One day was set aside to discuss the forthcoming IMBA publication on bike parks and new-school trails.  Trail builders from the United States, Canada, and the U.K. were invited to discuss topics and content for the new book.  More info can be found here:

https://www.imba.com/blog/chris-bernhardt/bike-park-builders-convene-around-imbas-upcoming-book

Figure #4:  Discussing IMBA’s new book at REI’s great conference facility.

The rest of the conversations dealt with 2013 program developments, initiatives and goals that will not only keep each of us busy, but working to make this, IMBA’s 25 year anniversary, the best ever!

Thanks again to our great hosts at IMBA’s US Office – look forward to seeing everyone again very soon!