Trail Bossin

[Eggit2]

There are some jumps near where I live that have been around for nearly a decade, but they are always neglected. No one has touched them in 2 seasons and all the lips were crumbling apart, the lines were rutted out, and they really sucked. Only one of the lines even ran at all, and it ran really bad.

Mu buddy has been going out there nearly every day for 2 months and has fixed up everything, mostly by tearing it down and starting over.


The jumps are super nice now, and he has started work on some new lines. The other day 2 kids who worked on them 2 years ago started showing up and trying to trail boss him. They were talking shit about how he fucked them up and he has no right to dig out there when he didn't build them (those kids didn't actually build them originally either). The kids got pissed up and called their buddies to show up for back up. When their buddies showed up one of them says "wow, these really nice." and the dickwad was holding his finger of his mouth trying to get his buddy to shut up.

So who is in the right here? My buddy for taking of some neglected trails and making them good, or some little punk kids mad that someone is poaching the spot they neglected for 2 years.

[@ss4oLe]

Good question.

What is the statute of limitations on abandoned trails?

I say if a place has been abandoned ( and not just left tarpped up for the winter) they're free game.

It sounds like the kids that came back are acting like a kid with a toy. They play with a toy until their bored with it, then when someone else picks it up to play with it they act like it's their toy and they were still playing with it, etc.

I can't say who is right or wrong in this situation but running trails are far better than non running/abandoned/plowed trails.

trails rule.

[hugh.]

Is he camping at the trails?

[RighteousBMX]

I have some (much shittier) local jumps that were last maintained by me... if I showed up and they looked like that I'd leave and bring back a case of beer.

[14thStbikes]

Your buddy is the man in my mind.
Neglected, non running trails are fairly obvious, and if he's worked them for months without seeing anyone else till now how could he know if someone would feel stepped on.

I say fuck the kids who showed up, keep digging&buildibg as you(your buddy)see fit

[Danno]

The others sound like bellends and your mate has every right to be fixing them up as long as they aren't on private land or land that the others negotiated to dig on. If anyone turned up out the blue at our place they would get told where to go but we're in the middle of 190 acres of private woods with permission.

[Prodigal Son]

Man, it really sucks finding a place to dig and rely on your efforts being intact day after day.

I fucking hate this in regards to pools. I put in effort draining them, cleaning, fixing holes (you know which one I'm talking about Erick). Then it gets blown up by people who because they find out are also entitled to ride it.

That being said, if it was common knowledge it was these guys spot and they call it foul, then I think they have some rights. Limited. Never the less, being outcast and evicted cannot be held up though.

Above all, this is Jordan's issue.

[Eggit2]

Is he camping at the trails?

Our buddy brought his daughter out there and the tent was so she had a place ti sit in the shade.

The dudes were out again today. One of them was really psyched on seeing everything fixed up, but still a little tense about some of the things we changed. We invited them to ride the new stuff and they seemed to agree that it is flowing better now. Things seem to be working out now, we all agreed that we all want the same thing and more people digging is never a bad thing.

Here's some pics showing the state of things before and after.

The landing on the left and the jump before it is one we fixed up, the one on the right was there, but actually one of the more intact jumps.

Old lip.

New lip.

Old and new lips.

I can understand where they are coming from, but to us these things looked abandoned. They definitely weren't doing anything this year, and I don't think anyone was fixing them up last year either. Had any of them been going out there for the last 2 months we definitely would have offered to help. Things are a bit tense, but hopefully we can all work together to make these things awesome.
I also don't want to turn this into a 20" vs 26" thing, but most of the other guys ride 26" so I think part of it was that they didn't care about the jumps being as smooth as we do.

[master]

Private property or public? Who has permission, or are you all digging illegally?

[Eggit2]

Private property, but an empty lot. Its had jumps on it for over a decade. One of those situations where the owner doesn't really care until he sells it.
Everyone in the area knows about them too, so its not a case of blowing up a secret spot or anything like that.

[master]

So nobody has permission from the owner?

If you're all digging illegally, it would be best to get along to avoid killing the spot with drama. Bring the other guys a six pack, be cool with them, and get everyone on the same page.

[LukeTom]

In the pictures you put up, the jumps don't look in too awful shape, it just looks like a re-surface job. I can see this from both sides since I have been in both situations. If he has torn large portions of the line down and changed it hugely, I can understand the other peoples annoyance. If he has just added to what is already there, or made some new lines which dont interfere, then they are being idiots. Just learn to get along with them and if you have to only dig the shit you have made there.

[cmc4130]

So nobody has permission from the owner?

If you're all digging illegally, it would be best to get along to avoid killing the spot with drama. Bring the other guys a six pack, be cool with them, and get everyone on the same page.

for real.

[blueee]

fuck that little kid
can i ride them?

[weedbix]

A bit OT but Eggit have you done any mods to your bike recently or any recent riding photos to share?