Freeride Nirvana flies to Silverton (Oregon)
By Angelina Morgan
Appeal Tribune
August 10, 2005
The African proverb, "It takes a village to raise a child," echoes through the trees that encompass 15 miles of established freeride trails on Mount Brown in Falls City.
Through grassroots efforts by the Blackrock Freeride Association in 2002, the extreme mountain biking trails - loaded with dirt jumps, ladder rides, drops, and jumps, log rides and a 12-13' cliff drop - became Oregon's first sanctioned freeride area.
Jason Franz, owner of Fall Line MTB and Skate Shop in Silverton, is amassing a small village of his own to rear another freeride mecca near Silver Falls State Park.
"I've always wanted to get something going on this end," Franz said. "It's basically to enhance the skills of more technical riders."
Freeride is a relatively new genre of mountain biking that incorporates man-made stunts using natural products, usually lumber or primal chopped wood.
Last summer Franz teamed up with the Oregon Department of Forestry to adopt trails west of Shellburg Road to create a flowing single track with man-made freeride stunts.
The Mountain Street Dirt Crew - the volunteers and supporters of the freeride trails project - is the second local group in Oregon to work with the Oregon Department of Forestry to build the trails.
In a growing national climate where stunts are being built illegally and mountain bikers are being ostracized from entire trail systems, working together with the forest service to build trails on public land is an atypical partnership.
"It's really because of their open mindedness that this (the Blackrock freeride trails) happened at all," said Troy Munsell, owner of Santiam Bycicle in Salem and Blackrock trail laborer.
Franz said his proposed alliance with ODF was well received when he applied for the partnership.
"They like to see the public using forestry area in a non-destructive way," Franz said. "We're kind of using a piece of property they don't need."
The first trail MSDC is working on starts with a short climb before hitting a bridge over a log jam. Riders continue along the ridgeline, sweeping up and down using the natural terrain, while catching approximately eight log bridges and eight dirt jumps. All of the bridges will have exit ramps to accommodate lower-level riders. Sizes of jumps vary depending on the height of downed logs in the area.
This first trail, soon to be finished, is named "Branubien" after a corky saying Franz used as a kid to mean something that is brand new.
The purpose of this trail is to start people off on learning bridges and jumps on mellow terrain sections, Franz said.
The freeride trails are single-use trails; no horses or hikers are allowed in the area. They are also directional, which means riders may travel in only one direction through the course. The trail, which is open mid-May through September, pops out to a mostly-level gravel track that leads back to the start of the freeride trail.
Hard work is nothing new for mountain bike groups in this area working to build or improve trails.
Last year more than 100 Blackrock Freeride Association volunteers spent 240 hours building trails.
The Blackrock Freeride Association self-polices its trails and the group raises most of the funds necessary to run and maintain the tracks.
They have raised between $6,000 and $7,000 for the trails through map sales, a video made by information technologist Joe Rykowski and various fund-raisers at Santiam Bicycle.
"It's really shown me how a community can certainly draw together and get something amazing done," Munsell said. "I have ridden a lot of places, and they are some of the best trails I have ever seen."
Compared to the Falls City group, which can amass 40 volunteers at any given time to work on trails, Franz's team is hammering out its trail system at a slower pace.
"We are kind of the new kids on the block when it comes to paying our dues (on the trail)," Franz sad. "Our stuff is full-on baby compared to the years they have spent up there."
Anyone is welcome to help Franz and six other volunteers mold the freeride trails. With 300 plus acres available to develop, MSDC has the opportunity to create a freeride paradise.
"Whatever you can think of, we can build," Franz said, within height and width requirements. "I've got 15 year olds and 10 year olds out to build. I've got 40 year olds and 60 year olds to build."
And it's all for the love of mountain biking.
"Our skill levels are progressing and we want trails that are challenging and push the envelope for us too," Munsell said. "Ultimately, it is the passion for riding."
