The Ups and Downs of Freeriding
IMBA Trail News
Volume 17, Number 1
Spring 2004
 Photo: Sterling Lorence |
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 Photo: Sterling Lorence |
When a freerider falls attempting a jump in the Utah desert, does anyone hear it? And if the answer is yes, how do they react?
IMBA, an organization dedicated to preserving trail access for mountain bikers, has had to consider the ups and downs of freeriding since this brand of cycling took root late in the 1990s.
But first, we had to define it, because freeriding means different things to different people. Then we had to decide if freeriding is fundamentally an asset or a challenge to our sport and our core mission.
Several years and countless meetings later, we have some answers. IMBA has defined freeriding as "a style of mountain biking that celebrates the challenges and spirit of technical riding and downhilling." We have committed staff time and resources to creating strategies that make it work: hence, this new IMBA Freeriding Guide. As we proceed, we continue to weigh the pros and cons.
The Buzz
There's no denying that freeriding continues to create a positive buzz in the off-road riding world, almost like snowboarding and telemarking sparked a stale ski industry. Freeriding is inspiring a new era of suspension technology and customer excitement.
Freeriding is pulling ski resorts back into the mountain bike tourism game, because suddenly, facilities that are underutilized in warm-weather months are proving to be ideal settings for freeride parks, technical downhill trails, and dirt jumps that attract visitors and keep people employed.
Freeriding resonates with a new generation of riders. Whether soaring off jumps, teetering on high-rise stunts, or just balancing on log rides, they're passionate about riding bikes. They are - at least in part - the future of mountain biking.
The Busts
The down sides of freeriding continue to threaten our sport. Cross-country riding on singletrack trails on public land has already been hurt by unauthorized trailbuilding fueled by freeriding. Land managers revile illegal trail construction and even more so when the clandestine work includes rickety, wooden structures. In some locations, they've reacted by imposing a moratorium on new trails or even worse, banning bikes. We have no viable defense for off-trail riding that tramples plants or otherwise damages the environment. When this type of reckless behavior is linked with mountain biking, we can only lose.
Coupled with the media explosion of X-Games-style events, freeriding has caught the eye of the general public and advertising agencies. Ask a random passer on a sidewalk to describe mountain biking and there's a good chance the image will include big-air crazy riding. In a litigious society, this isn't a positive picture, particularly as it bounces through the mind of a risk-averse trail manager.
The speed and on-the-edge elements of freeriding don't mix well with hiking, horse use or even cross-country mountain biking. Support for new, separate freeriding trails is hard to find.
Still, at the end of the day, freeriding is basically just advanced-level mountain biking. Viewed that way and managed appropriately, it's unquestionably positive for our sport and it deserves to thrive. That's why IMBA is committed to making freeriding work. Read how in the freeriding section of IMBA's website.
Tim Blumenthal
