When Spring Fever Attacks!
How to stave off impending doom in SoBo
Take a community filled with active outdoorsy citizens who tax themselves for open space, next to a major metropolitan area (cough cough, Denver, cough) that doesn't have that amount of foresight. Then create the South Boulder trail system (Marshall Mesa, Dowdy Draw) that dries out faster than anywhere nearby, add nice weather in the late winter/early spring, plus way too many people on the trails during those peak weekend moments... ... and you've got a gangbusters recipe for user conflict.
If you've been out to ride Marshall Mesa or Dowdy Draw over the last month, you know that the South Boulder trails are downright crazy in early spring. Every weekend, lots of experienced and inexperienced trail users cram into this one trail area, and this pattern will continue until summer.
Here's how you can lead by example and help minimize user conflict on all Boulder trails, and especially on the trails south of Boulder: - Be friendly and expect to see others!
- Obey the rules of trail etiquette at all times
- Make passing an enjoyable experience for all: make eye contact, slow way down when passing, and leave the iPod at home or use only one earbud.
- Say "THANK YOU!" to those who yield to you and allow you to pass. Every time! Make Mary Poppins look like a sourpuss.
- Donate to BMA and help us fund educational flyers for all trail users
Thanks for doing your part to demonstrate that mountain bikers are the most responsible and friendly of all trail users!
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Help BMA with User Education
Fundraiser for "How to Use the Trails" Flyers
Current events like the West TSA plus personal experience on the Dowdy Draw and Marshall Mesa multi-user trail systems in South Boulder are proof enough - there's still a lot of education to be done on how hikers, runners, bikes, and equestrians can all share the trails close to Boulder. The folks at Boulder Mountainbike Alliance have decided to fill the educational void with a How to Share the Trails tri-fold flyer, printed in full color with killer graphics and the fun, lighthearted, and constructive approach you've come to expect from BMA. Once these babies come off the presses, you'll see BMA volunteers stationed at key trailheads on weekends and weeknights to distribute the flyers to ALL trail users. It's a step in the right direction to getting all Boulderite trail users on the same page. 
BMA needs your help to make this important outreach campaign into a reality. We are raising funds for the flyer printing costs (graphic design, writing, and editing are being donated by our amazing volunteers, thank you!). Please donate what you can to help us out! Each flyer will cost about 50 cents, so every dollar you donate will get 2 more flyers into the hands of community members who need them. Every dollar counts, please donate now.
Want to jump in with some actual trailside evangelism? Please email us if you'd like to help with the flyer distribution. We'll set up a BMA table at key trailheads, pass out snacks and flyers, and chat with users about trail ettiquette. It's actually pretty fun because everyone's in a good mood when they get outside!
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Singletrack Yield
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It happens all the time - you're on singletrack and need to pass a fellow cyclist, a hiker, or a runner. You know you shouldn't ride off trail, and Harry Potter isn't available to magically widen the trail by 6 feet, so what's a guy or gal to do? Ta-daa, the singletrack yield!
The photo at the top of this email is a fine example of the mystical and elusive Singletrack Yield:
- get your wheels to one side of the trail
- stop
- put your outside foot down about a foot off the edge of the trail
- lean your bike away from the trail
- let others pass through the space you just created
- ride on
In a mere 10 seconds, you kept the trail skinny, kept your impact on the land small, and earned some nice karma points. Good job!
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