Outside Magazine focuses on IMBA, trail access

IMBA Trail News
Volume 12, Number 3
August 1999

The August '99 edition of Outside Magazine features a six-page article about mountain biking trail access and IMBA's work. Entitled "Hey you (you!), get off of my trail," it discusses the evolution of access issues, paying special attention to the situations in Boulder, Colorado, (where IMBA is headquartered) and Morris County, New Jersey, (where IMBA has been working with the Jersey Off-Road Bicycle Association to maintain trail riding opportunities).

The story is generally sympathetic to the plight of mountain bikers who seek convenient places to ride, and it accurately pinpoints social conflictnot erosionas the key issue. Outside, with a circulation of nearly 600,000 and a readership of several million, is an influential and widely read publication. This article represents significant positive exposure for IMBA and mountain biking.

Nevertheless, IMBA executive director Tim Blumenthal, who is quoted extensively in the story, says the piece has many shortcomings. "No mention is made of the work of IMBA's 320 affiliated clubs, who remain the backbone of trail advocacy and trailwork efforts," he says. "Not a word is written about how much we're accomplishing through our successful stewardship projects like the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew, National Mountain Bike Patrol, IMBA Trailbuilding Schools, or our educational materials distribution.

"We encouraged Outside to advance beyond the typical hikers versus bikers storythe sensationalized trail wars tale that has been written so many times before. In many ways, they succeeded. But in the end, they succumbed to editorial temptation by emphasizing juicy anecdotes and ignoring the imaginative solutions-oriented work that our members produce every day."

Outside's August edition should be available at newsstands until late August. The story will also appear on Outside's web site: www.outsidemag.com.