Superior Trailblazers
Hansi Johnson has been an avid mountain biker since he first started exploring trails at age 14. He’s always been passionate about biking and remembers well a time when the limited number of trails and multi-use crowding threatened the sport’s future. So when the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) approached him about becoming the organization’s Midwest regional director, there was no hesitation.
“I had established a solid marketing and sales career, but my heart had always been in mountain biking,” Johnson says. “Not many people get the opportunity to be involved professionally with something they enjoy doing so much recreationally. The organization works in communities all around the world to create positive change; the sport is such a great thing for kids to do, and a great way to bring health to communities. It is a perfect fit for me.”
Happy Trails
At the time the IMBA was founded in 1988, crowded trails and multi-user conflict were becoming recreational issues worldwide given the small number of trails existing at the time. Facing the threat of widespread trail closures in California, five Golden State mountain bike clubs joined together to form the IMBA to promote responsible riding and trail etiquette and safety for multi-users, including equestrians, hikers and mountain bikers.
Among the IMBA’s many proactive mountain biking advocacy initiatives is the Trail Solutions Program; an initiative that provides planning, design, construction and best management practices consulting for the creation of new trails. The IMBA Trail Solutions Program is recognized as the international leader in developing single-track trails, having been involved with more than 350 trail planning and building projects in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Italy, Switzerland, Australia, Hong Kong, China and Singapore.
“Most often, this isn’t flat terrain we’re talking about here,” says Aaron Rogers, Midwest trails specialist with the IMBA Trails Solutions program. “We’re trying to carve trails within landscapes that aren’t suitable for any other type of development. A big part of what we provide is consulting and professional design services that are helpful for clubs in working with land managers to identify properties feasible for trail development.
“We also have a lot of experience estimating costs that are realistic for different types of trail building projects. This helps clubs and communities better anticipate fundraising and budgeting activities.”
Superior Trail on Spirit Mountain
Among the many rewarding projects Rogers has had the good fortune to oversee is the new flow trail completed recently at the scenic Spirit Mountain Resort, located just outside of Duluth, Minn. Strategically nestled in a forest on the western edge of this thriving port city, Spirit Mountain was founded by the City of Duluth in 1974 as a ski area. Subsequent recreational amenities, including an alpine coaster, zip line, miniature golfing, camping and snow tubing, have diversified the resort; it’s now considered among the most popular vacation destinations in the upper Midwest.
With an elevation of approximately 700 ft and the dense woods, spectacular scenery and captivating views overlooking magnificent Lake Superior, the terrain and inviting ambiance of the Spirit Mountain setting seemed an ideal spot for a mounting bike trail.
“Spirit Mountain had been working on developing some downhill mountain bike trails for several months in accordance with the resort master plan,” Rogers says. “The goal was to design a trail that would attract and accommodate all riders. We wanted a trail that would be safe and fun for the novice rider, yet challenging and invigorating for the more accomplished biker, and still maintain the integrity of the terrain and ambiance of the resort. Fortunately, we were able to accomplish all that with the Spirit Mountain trail.”
According to Rogers, the use of mechanized construction equipment (versus the traditional manual labor and hand tool approach) has revolutionized trail building in many ways. Not only is mechanized equipment less strenuous physically, compact equipment is also capable of achieving many of the architectural features of today’s sophisticated bike trail designs that simply were not possible using manual labor and tools. Among the most popular and widely utilized is the compact tool carrier (called a mini skid steer by Vermeer) — an implement that Rogers says is the ideal for modern trail building.
“We take great pride in staying on the cutting edge of innovative trail construction strategies and providing experienced mechanized machine crews,” Rogers says. “We really like the features of the Vermeer line of mini skid steer loaders, especially the high- and low-flow hydraulics which are capable of operating multiple attachments on one machine. Also, the low center of gravity makes them the ideal machine for operating on all sorts of off-camber surfaces because of its stability.”
The skilled construction pros with the IMBA Trails Solutions program used a Vermeer S800TX compact tool carrier equipped with tracks for moving, shaping and compacting the soil on Spirit Mountain project for several reasons; most notably, its versatility and compact frame, which according to Johnson, performed really well in the challenging conditions — dense woods, sloping terrain and combination heavy clay and rock soil. His accomplished team of soil sculptors also enjoyed the many design features that make the S800TX easy to operate.
“People like me who have not operated a lot of mini skid steers before working for Trails Solutions jumped on the equipment and had a really easy time learning the controls,” Rogers says. “For our use, the Vermeer S800TX mini skid steer is ideal. The joystick controls give the operator better control in the many different conditions we encounter on really rugged terrain.
“Our operators also feel more comfortable and confident firmly positioned on the spring-cushioned operator platform. And the ability to use many different attachments — tillers, buckets, blades, blade compactor, etc. — and swap one out for another quickly and effortlessly is also a big plus. The mini skid steer is not only efficient and powerful, but most importantly, stable.”
Community Ownership
The months of planning and fundraising — including countless hours spent charting the perfect route for the Spirit Mountain flow trail — created a buzz among residents of this charming, scenic city nestled between Spirit Mountain and the splendor of Lake Superior that enticed a battalion of volunteers to assist.
“The project created a lot of interest and enthusiasm among residents,” Johnson says. “We had upwards of 10 volunteers onsite at any given time, helping in a variety of ways — things like moving stumps and brush — all these little odd jobs that got done to make the trail construction go faster and the project go smoother. Word spread, and the next day we’d have a whole new group of volunteers show up wanting to help. It made them feel like they had ownership in the project, and that’s something you just can’t put a price tag on.”
The intricate trail on Spirit Mountain was completed in just two weeks; a feat that, according to Johnson, would have taken much longer in the days of spades, rakes, hoes and hands. “Frankly, the versatility of mechanized construction equipment has allowed us to accomplish things in trail building that we would never have attempted using manual labor and hand tools,” says Rogers. “The mini skid steer has not only helped reduce the cost of trail building, but it also helps minimize management. And riders representing all skill levels emerge from the scenic, tree-lined Spirit Mountain trail ride experience overjoyed and invigorated.”
Happy trails indeed.
Randy Happel is a features writer for Two Rivers Marketing, based in Des Moines, Iowa.
