CBMBA kicks off the summer season June 6-7

“It’s major trail building so we need the people”

By Than Acuff

I guess the only benefit to a low snow year is an earlier start to the mountain bike season and while trails are opening almost daily and the Crested Butte Conservation Corps (CBCC) is plenty busy keeping up with the melt off, the “official” start to the work of the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association (CBMBA) falls on National Trails Day on Saturday, June 7 and, as always, volunteers are needed.

“It’s major trail building so we need the people,” says CBMBA director Dave Ochs.

In true CBMBA fashion though, they are going to throw a party the evening before with their annual meeting sponsored by Bluebird Real Estate on Friday, June 6 at the Depot from 5:30-9 p.m. While it is a meeting meant for the board and constituents, it is open to public so they can introduce the board and conservation corps to everyone and help engage all trail users into what they are planning. There will be pizza from Mikey’s Pizza and beer from Zuni West Brewing provided.

“It will be a state of affairs for CBMBA and we want to hear from the public,” says Ochs.

Saturday, June 7 is National Trails Day and that’s when CBMBA is looking for as many volunteers as possible to build a trail dubbed the Tent City Sideshow Trail. Recent efforts on the Tent City campsite have improved the area and now CBMBA wants to make it possible for folks to get out of their tent or Sprinter van, hop on their bike, and start their ride out the Brush Creek drainage on a trail.

“If you’re camped at Tent City and are going to ride Teo Ridge or Deer Creek it’ll be an uphill trail to West Brush Creek road,” explains Ochs. “Better connectivity in the Brush Creek corridor and continuing the effort to keep riders off the road.”

Not only that but say you’re riding the Canal Trail after being on Strand or Farris Creek, or even Strawberry Creek, and then want to head out West Brush Creek Road, you can get on the Budd Connection trail to Tent City and then hop onto Tent City Sideshow trail and avoid even more road.

The trail is half a mile long and will include several switchbacks to make it possible to ride up the steep hillside while maintaining sustainability.

“It’s some serious reinforcing on a steep hillside,” says Ochs. “We got some engineering to take the sting out of it.”

The CBCC will build two switchbacks prior to the big day as the template for volunteers when building the remainder of the needed switchbacks and if enough volunteers show up, Ochs believes they can finish the trail in a single day.

“We’ve done bigger in a day, but we’ll see,” says Ochs. “We keep getting over 100 volunteers to show up to these days so if we get 120 or 130, that’ll get it done.”

The day is sponsored by the Crested Butte Wildflower Festival and there will be a BBQ and libations once again from Zuni West Brewing. As always, volunteers are asked to carpool and/or ride their bikes to Tent City.

CBMBA will continue their efforts throughout the summer with six Wednesday Workdays scheduled starting on June 18, the annual overnighter is slated for Saturday and Sunday, August 16-17 and then it’ll be time to party as CBMBA is hosting not one but two reggae bands, Kabaka Pyramid and Third World, at the Budd Barn Friday, August 22.