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SUCCESS STORY
<br /> Freeride Done Right.
<br /> Oregon's Black Rock Trail System
<br /> By Jim Skakel
<br /> �phe Black Rock trail system lies just outside
<br /> Salem, Oregon, in the rural logging town of t`
<br /> Falls City.This excellent freeride area, located on a
<br /> I, ,
<br /> 1,000-acre tract of state forest, is maintained by ,
<br /> volunteers from the Black Rock Mountain Bike ': riff
<br /> Association. Their story yields good answers tot, ,,
<br /> freeriding's hard questions: Where do we build? �, 11'�
<br /> How do we build? Who will do the work? Most ilk ' 1
<br /> importantly: Can we get permission? �; �: ,
<br /> In the 1970s and 80s, the trails of Black Rock '� ` ? , ;
<br /> were nothing more than a few hill-climbs burned '
<br /> . 1
<br /> in by motorcycles. Mountain bikers started riding `
<br /> the area in the 90s, and wanted more. In 2001,
<br /> local rider Leo Kowalski took the first step. He k.' I
<br /> picked up the phone and called the Oregon
<br /> Department of Forestry. John Barnes, the depart- –
<br /> ment's Public Use Coordinator, remembers the rye lif A
<br /> conversation. "Leo called me out of the blue and '.. -,-
<br /> asked what he had to do to build some freeride t '`' , 4 4 .,
<br /> trails. I told him to get a bunch of guys together ,
<br /> and form a club. Once the club is up and running, ,
<br /> we'd write an agreement, set some construction Y
<br /> guidelines, and start building some trails." Leo Y ,
<br /> said, "Is that it?' And I said, "That's it." He said, o ...
<br /> "That's too easy!"
<br /> Kowalski started the Black Rock club, created a shuttle-day fundraiser by providing riders a lift
<br /> a partnership agreement and trail management to the top of the trail system. Future plans include
<br /> plan with land managers, and began building a new trailhead and a Rails-to-Trails project.
<br /> trails. From the beginning, trail construction and Both the club and the Oregon Department of
<br /> maintenance at Black Rock has been an all-volun- Forestry have systems in place to manage risk and
<br /> teer effort. Black Rock trailwork parties attract as defend against potential lawsuits. Strategies
<br /> many as 40 volunteers from as far away as include the legal shelter of Oregon's Recreational
<br /> Portland and Eugene. In just a few years, these Use Statue, written trailbuilding guidelines,
<br /> diehards have built a vast catalogue of skinnies, detailed recordkeeping, clear signage, and an
<br /> drop-offs, dirt jumps, and inspired singletrack. easy-to-understand trail difficulty rating system.
<br /> "When it comes right down to it, it's the riders The club is also starting a new mountain bike
<br /> who organized and built these trails. Individuals patrol—another solid addition to a great area.
<br /> have got to step it up and engage their passion for
<br /> the sport. That's the only way stuff like this hap
<br /> pens," says Rich Bontrager, current club president. `' Ask First
<br /> Funding for Black Rock has come from individ- ; When building new features on a trail
<br /> ual donations and fundraising led in part by or in a bike skills park,be sure you have the
<br /> Santiam Bicycles, a bike shop located in nearby necessary approvals, and permits if neces-
<br /> Salem. Since Black Rock's inception, Santiam has sary, lined up before you start construction.
<br /> helped raised over $12,000 through raffles, movie Otherwise, if someone decides the feature is
<br /> premieres, map sales and cash donations—not to unauthorized and takes a bulldozer to it, all
<br /> mention co-owner Troy Munsell's tireless volun- your hard work may be for naught.
<br /> 238 teerism. Most recently, the group raised $1,500 in
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