me and one of my buddies are going to start building one of the best freeride trails near my house. what are some tools that i should take with me and what are some good tips for trail building
my 2ยข... Get some experience first. Blazing a trail with no experience is a recipe for disaster. Do some location scouting and see what has worked in similar areas. Who owns the property you are building on - and are they cool with it as well? Is it in writing? These are just for starters and there is a lot more to it than this. Get as much info and approvals as possible/necessary. http://www.trailbuilders.org/resources/books1.html A bad or illegal trail will negate a lot of positive efforts from all over. Personally, the McLeod Tool is a fave of mine. But shovels, hoes, solid rakes are a good start. Others here are much more knowledgeable and can give you more tips on what not to do as well as what to do. Good luck and enjoy!
OK.thanks. but by tips i kinda ment like what would you guys like to see in a trail to be fun ,ex. jumps, stunts , lots of ladders , not a lot of ladders stuff like that
Passion In order to get anything done you need to be passionate about the project you are working on. It will take you much longer to build good stuff than you think. The only way I know to get that kind of passion is to build stuff that you want to ride. One of the great things about building is that you are putting in the effort so you can build things to your preference. Make sure you have the whole permission thing figured out as well. It would be a bummer to have all of your efforts torn down, or worse, land you in trouble. It is worth the effort. Trail building is one of the most satisfying things I have done. It is addicting.
It sounds like a great initiative but as well as following others advice here, I would also consider (if you are going to build wooden stunts) getting someone who knows woodworking to help out. To build a solid, safe and long-lasting stunt, you need knowledge and skill. Make sure you have that before using valuable time and materials on your stunts and if you are asking about what tools you need to build the trail, the chances are that you are not in posession of those skills. No one wants to get hurt because a ladder collapsed under them. Just a thought and good luck with the project.
In this area, this is not the best time to build trails if you don't have access to water. Compacting the trail surface so it doesn't turn to sand after you've dug it up needs moisture present in the dirt to bond it. Some places have it, most don't. Much better to do this stuff in the late winter or spring IMHO. Great insight from jfsh. Now, the permission thing. . . . It's the right thing to do for so many reasons. There can be VERY real negative financial and civil consequences to illegal/unauthorized trail/stunt building activity to people that do not deserve it. If you do build without permission (and even if you do get permission), you could see it torn down at any time for reasons related to the owner being liable for someone getting injured. Don't get pissed at the owner, they're just protecting themselves from being sued when the inevitable happens. Not that I'm suggesting you do it, but most underground trail builders live by fight club rules. As a carpenter for 20+ years, I could not emphasize this enough. Some of the shadetree carpentry I have seen in my lifetime has been downright frightening, not to mention a disaster waiting to happen. It looks simple enough and it can be IF it is well thought out by someone that understands the forces at work and what materials and techniques will be needed to not endanger others.
I think that the terrain should dictate what to put in and where, otherwise you won't have good flow to your trail. And anywhere you can get big air with a good transition landing that's not super jarring or super scary is a great feature. Decline mag has a series of trail building techniques, one recent issue in particular that is very resourceful...I'll dig through the stack in my "office" ie den bathroom and figure out which issue...
keep it real Natural features only! No lumber, No Screws! No need for that childish crap! Shape it stealth, natural and steep. Want gnarly drops? Find a natural feature. What high speed jumps? The mountain should be able to provide all these challenges and more. Depending on your terrain, you don't need much, Loppers to cut brush and a mini pick-axe to shape earth. Oh yeah, cutting new trail is no joke. It's hard work that can take weeks, months, even years depending on the length and terrain. If you're looking to cut trail today and ride it tomorrow, don't bother. Patience, strength and stamina are the best trail building tools. Most important, Stay off the internet when it's done! You post anything here about how awesome it is, and it's over. The internet is were rouge trails go to die.
just went up there yesterday and walked the hill like 30 times planing and deciding what i want...it should come out nice
