MTB Trailcare

Today we posted do not enter signs at either end of the new Three Hill line.  It has been getting too much attention and safety is an issue with partially constructed and vulnerable trail features.  We hope riders will respect that the trail needs time and will be opened ASAP after completion. 

We also posted "NO HORSES" signs at the velodrome style and higher up on Three Hills singletrack.  Recently horse poo has been polluting lots of MTB trail including the line we are working on.  Even completed MTB trail cannot cope with horse hoof damage and we want them off our trail and back on the fire roads they are permitted to ride on.  Horses are a danger and a menace on MTB trail.

Ash has been pumping out the blobs of dirt we will need to close the old Three Hills using best practice standards.  Riders on Three Hills will pass lots of mounds.  We hope they understand what is going on.

Today we had a talk with Michael, who is trying to get the club's maintenance program going again.  He was going out to trim sightlines on Casuarina, alone.  We chatted about the Friends of Parks grant and the potential to use some of the money for mechanised building.  It is an exciting prospect and hopefully not far off.

We also built more trail.  Looking up the line from the tree feature in previous trail news, things are starting to look attractive.  The line, the trees, the light and the general feel of the bush seem to marry with our trail plans.  It is enticing watching trail develop.

The tree feature has changed again.  It is longer and has enhanced drains either side that act as part of the entry ramp and exit tranny.  Pics in the dark mostly don't show what's what, but here's the drain before the tree feature

Moving up trail, we decided to change the exit of the berm by blending it across the trail to the tree on the lower edge.  It will allow every rider to have a bit more fun jumping into an enhanced drainage, but also add a bit of interest for ascending riders.  However, we have not yet built it, so these pics will be out of date soon

Above the berm and past the next bend is a section of trail perfect for a series of jumps.  Along this line, jumps and gentle bends match the logical site of drains.  We started building up the takeoffs and soon will get into digging out the drains and landers

The start to this little line of flowy jumps (to be) is a tree next to an old trail line crossing.  We discussed building this jump with an upslope ride-around, but in the end we believe an uphill line will form close to the tree regardless, so Ash has started to build up a triangular front to the jump for this purpose.  It is also not complete.  Sorry about the added timber getting in the way of a decent photo, but it is there to enforce the incomplete trail status

While the trail is still a ways off riding, there must be test riding.  As we have said before, the bike is the greatest of all trail building tools.  Here's a couple of pics from this afternoon, and one from Friday evening