Trail EAffect - "Episode 53 - Ann Christianson of the Saris Foundation" (January 11, 2021 | #1418 | Host: Josh Blum)

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February 20, 2022 Trail EAffect Show Page ABOUT THE EPISODE Trail EAffect will be moving off of Mountain Bike Radio to its own Podcast Feed and will be called: Trail EAffect.  In order to continue to listen to future Trail EAffect Episodes please check out Trail EAffect everywhere Podcasts are consumed. Topics Covered in this Episode: The Christiana Hudson Backstory The Suzy Bauer Backstory The Spider Mountain Backstory Inspiration from Jackson Hole Other Bike Park Resorts: Purgatory and Pajarito The first chairlift in Texas The Lift was purchased from Taos Ski Area & moved to Spider Mtn The Trail Planning behind Spider Mtn Suzy’s Perspective of Spider Mtn coming from Colorado, and getting new participants into Mountain Biking The Future of Mountain Biking in Texas The Trail Maintenance at Spider Mountain Beginners at Spider Mountain New Beginners Skills Park Gear Rental Complimentary Tips & Tricks to new riders Partners with other Bike Camps and Riders in the area Incredible staff Family Friendly Company Power Kids: 12 & Under Ride & Ski for Free Thunderbird Lodge at Spider Mtn Other Amenities such as water sports on Lake Buchanan Numbers at Spider Mtn (only open for 3 years and weird years with the Covid Boost) Growing the numbers Next Trail – Advanced Flowtech Famous Failures & Learning through failure The Community Aspect of Spider Mountain Mountain Biking Community Community of Locals in Burnet TX Closing Comments Spider rides much bigger than it is Committed to awesome trails on the terrain they have RELATED SHOW NOTES Spider Mountain Bike Park: https://www.spidermountain.com/ Mountain Capital Partners: https://www.mcp.ski/ Thunderbird Lodge: https://www.thunderbirdlodgetx.com/ ------------- Trail EAffect Show Support Smith’s Bike Shop: https://smithsbikes.com/ Evolution Trail Services: www.evotrails.com Contact Josh at [email protected] If you have any questions about Mountain Bike Radio in general, please contact Ben at [email protected] -------- ABOUT TRAIL EAFFECT Trails build community and Communities build trails. What came first you may ask… Host Josh Blum digs into the stories of how trails effect and affect the people and places we call home and those we might like to call home. -------- ABOUT THE HOST Josh Blum is a father and doer of stuff - paired with Advocate, Builder of Trails and Community. Originally from La Crosse WI, Josh has been enjoying the outdoors, trails, and mountain bikes since a young age. Always curious and learning about better ways to improve trail users’ experiences. Josh is employed by WisDOT, and is the owner / operator of Evolution Trail Services

January 27, 2022 Trail EAffect Show Page ABOUT THE EPISODE Topics Covered in this Episode: The Mark Hayes Back Story How a trip to Whistler Bike Park inspired Mark to create Highland Bike Park How Mark found the property to build out Highland Bike Park The details around Highland Bike Park The Importance of entry level trails for growing the customer base and mountain biking in general What is a beginner trail and incorporating the lesson component of the business Getting people into mountain biking The overview of Highland as a business and a brand Platform A – Highland Bike Park Platform B – Camps Platform C – Highland Trails (Trail Building outside of Highland) The impact of Covid on Highland in 2020 How Highland Bike Park also serves as a training facility for educating trail builders for Highland Trails Building the Highland Team The Evolution of trails from the start of Highland to today The Evolution of Trails in terms of creating a trail system that constantly progresses as the rider’s progress.  ASSF – Amplitude, Speed, Sightlines and Frequency according to Brian Finestone (former manager of Whistler Bike Park) Famous Failures / Learning Experiences by Mark Hayes The indoor bike park structure The differences between Private Bike Parks and Public Trails, and what Private Bike Parks offer over public trails The Foothills Foundation, the public trails non profit that Mark is president of The 1%er’s Public Trails and Maintenance The Upside of great trails in your community The ingredients that make a great trail community according to Mark Asphalt Pumptracks Closing Comments Making the sport accessible to everyone Continuous Learning E-Bikes Thanking the Team at Highland Bike Park   RELATED SHOW NOTES Highland Bike Park: https://www.highlandmountain.com/ Highland Trails: https://www.highlandmountain.com/trail-building-services/about/ Highland Training and Camps: https://www.highlandmountain.com/camps-lessons/camps/overview/choose-your-camp/ Highland YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/HighlandMountainBikePark The Foothills Foundation: https://storymaps.arcgis.com/collections/8684f506713c4b32b144dda45894fb48?item=1 ------------- Trail EAffect Show Support Smith’s Bike Shop: https://smithsbikes.com/ Evolution Trail Services: www.evotrails.com Contact Josh at [email protected] If you have any questions about Mountain Bike Radio in general, please contact Ben at [email protected] -------- ABOUT TRAIL EAFFECT Trails build community and Communities build trails. What came first you may ask… Host Josh Blum digs into the stories of how trails effect and affect the people and places we call home and those we might like to call home. -------- ABOUT THE HOST Josh Blum is a father and doer of stuff - paired with Advocate, Builder of Trails and Community. Originally from La Crosse WI, Josh has been enjoying the outdoors, trails, and mountain bikes since a young age. Always curious and learning about better ways to improve trail users’ experiences. Josh is employed by WisDOT, and is the owner / operator of Evolution Trail Services

January 18, 2021 Trail EAffect Show Page ABOUT THE EPISODE Topics Covered in this Episode: Neko Mulally Backstory and how he got into Professional WC DH Racing The formation of Neko’s own race program: Frameworks Check out the Downtime and Vital MTB Podcast for more depth on the program How the concept of Ride Kanuga Bike Park got started Neko’s take on the land and topography that Ride Kanuga offered 2020 the Pandemic created the time needed to build out Ride Kanuga Building Ride Kanuga  How Callie’s trail building experience helped shape the diversity of trails at Ride Kanuga The Layout of Ride Kanuga How Ride Kanuga offers a diverse trail experience How Ride Kanuga / bike parks in general offer a different experience than public access trails Diverse Trail Experiences Regular Trail Maintenance through paid staff Ride Kanuga Country Club User Numbers at Ride Kanuga and how they have exceeded the expectations of Neko, and how this lets to having 5 trail builders on staff for building and maintenance The differences between Windrock and Ride Kanuga bike parks How Windrock Bike Park came to be, Neko’s Perspective on this  What makes Windrock great for high level downhill style downhill tracks to train and race on 500’ of vertical elevation makes for a great bike park What Neko has incorporated into Ride Kanuga that he’s seen and ridden in other places SE Style Jumpline England Style Rut Tracks – GNCC What makes a good trail community according to Neko (Hint: AMBC) The Ride Kanuga Community Ride Kanuga Holiday Party Downhill Southeast and Enduro Southeast Neko’s 2022 Sponsors RELATED SHOW NOTES Ride Kanuga: https://ridekanuga.com/ Neko’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/NekoMulally/featured Downtime Podcast Episode with Neko: https://www.downtimepodcast.com/nekobike/ Vital MTB Podcast Episode with Neko: https://www.vitalmtb.com/news/news/Neko-Mulally-Will-Race-Handmade-Alloy-DH-Frames-by-Frank-the-Welder,1407 Neko’s Sponsors and Support Ride Kanuga: https://ridekanuga.com/ Fox Suspension: https://www.ridefox.com/subhome.php?m=bike Fox Racing:  https://www.foxracing.com/ Maxxis Tires: https://www.maxxis.com/us/tires/bicycle/mountain/ Worldwide Cyclery: https://www.worldwidecyclery.com/ Santa Cruz Reserve Rims: https://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/reserve-wheels GoPro: https://gopro.com/en/us ODI Grips: https://www.odigrips.com/ Handup Gloves: https://handupgloves.com/ WD40 Bike Products: https://www.wd40.com/products/?category=bike WTB Tire Sealant: https://www.wtb.com/pages/tcstiresealant Spank Industries: https://spank-ind.com/ Factor Components: https://www.factorcomponents.com/ Kogel Bearings: https://www.kogel.cc/ ------------- Trail EAffect Show Support Smith’s Bike Shop: https://smithsbikes.com/Evolution Trail Services: www.evotrails.comContact Josh at [email protected] If you have any questions about Mountain Bike Radio in general, please contact Ben at [email protected] -------- ABOUT TRAIL EAFFECT Trails build community and Communities build trails. What came first you may ask… Host Josh Blum digs into the stories of how trails effect and affect the people and places we call home and those we might like to call home. -------- ABOUT THE HOST Josh Blum is a father and doer of stuff - paired with Advocate, Builder of Trails and Community. Originally from La Crosse WI, Josh has been enjoying the outdoors, trails, and mountain bikes since a young age. Always curious and learning about better ways to improve trail users’ experiences. Josh is employed by WisDOT, and is the owner / operator of Evolution Trail Services.

January 12, 2022 Apex Nutrition Podcast Page ABOUT THIS EPISODE: Some people eat grains like there's no tomorrow. Some people are terrified grains will make them fat and foggy. What? Here are some grain facts, a description of the nutrients in oats, and how to make my favorite high-protein oatmeal without hardly lifting a finger. If you want to learn to nourish your body and fuel your adventure, this show is for you. It’s laid-back, informative, actionable, and fun. Kelli Jennings, RD is an athlete’s athlete and nutritionist. She’s been there, she consulted there, and she’s loved every minute of helping athletes (1,000’s) thrive. On trails, slopes, mountainsides, and now, waves! Let great nutrition become your secret weapon. Pull up a chair and enjoy. RELATED SHOW LINKS Check out all of Kelli’s thing right at her site, here: https://www.apexnutritionllc.com/fuelrightblog/ Follow her podcasts at: https://apexnutritionpodcast.libsyn.com/

January 12, 2022 Apex Nutrition Podcast Page ABOUT THIS EPISODE: There is a simple yet powerful crux you need to know to set the foundation for all your nutrition options as an athlete.  It's this "crux" that will help you: *obtain the strength to weight ratio you want *have more energy each day *give your body the fuel it needs in training EVEN IF trying to lose weight/fat *lose weight without feeling a deficit in energy *recover better Ready? It's easy. It's simple. You can start putting it into practice TODAY! If you want to learn to nourish your body and fuel your adventure, this show is for you. It’s laid-back, informative, actionable, and fun. Kelli Jennings, RD is an athlete’s athlete and nutritionist. She’s been there, she consulted there, and she’s loved every minute of helping athletes (1,000’s) thrive. On trails, slopes, mountainsides, and now, waves! Let great nutrition become your secret weapon. Pull up a chair and enjoy. RELATED SHOW LINKS Check out all of Kelli’s thing right at her site, here: https://www.apexnutritionllc.com/fuelrightblog/ Follow her podcasts at: https://apexnutritionpodcast.libsyn.com/

January 11, 2021 Trail EAffect Show Page ABOUT THE EPISODE Topics Covered in this Episode: Ann Christianson backstory How Ann found bikes Working within the bike industry for multiple bike companies Saris and what Saris Makes The Saris Foundation How Chris of Saris took multiple leaders to Zambia to see what the power of the bicycle really means Bike Parks for Kids Vacant Lots / Land and the opportunities that previous generations had with these spaces How Public Bike Parks can serve multiple generations and demographics Where the First Bike Parks for Kids Bike Park is being built Where to find out more information about Bike Parks for Kids How the Grant Making is Seed Money & connecting communities with communities that have done this before Grant Application & next round is due on January 31, 2022 PDF Guide to Creating Community Bike Parks More Details on the Grant Application  Stories on bike parks and what has been successful (Hint: Big Marsh) Insight from Ann / Words of Wisdom / Closing Comments RELATED SHOW NOTES Saris: https://www.saris.com/ Saris Advocacy: https://www.saris.com/advocacy Saris Bike Parks for Kids: https://www.saris.com/advocacy/bike-parks-for-kids https://www.saris.com/page/foundation?utm_source=homepagenav&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=navlinkmenu A Guide to creating community bike parks: https://www.saris.com/Uploads/Saris/2021/12/Guide-to-Creating-Community-Bike-Parks.pdf Saris Foundation Grant Application (first round due Jan 31st, 2022): https://sariscyclinggroup.wufoo.com/forms/grant-application-form/ Big Marsh: https://bigmarsh.org/ ------------- Trail EAffect Show Support Smith’s Bike Shop: https://smithsbikes.com/Evolution Trail Services: www.evotrails.comContact Josh at [email protected] If you have any questions about Mountain Bike Radio in general, please contact Ben at [email protected] -------- ABOUT TRAIL EAFFECT Trails build community and Communities build trails. What came first you may ask… Host Josh Blum digs into the stories of how trails effect and affect the people and places we call home and those we might like to call home. -------- ABOUT THE HOST Josh Blum is a father and doer of stuff - paired with Advocate, Builder of Trails and Community. Originally from La Crosse WI, Josh has been enjoying the outdoors, trails, and mountain bikes since a young age. Always curious and learning about better ways to improve trail users’ experiences. Josh is employed by WisDOT, and is the owner / operator of Evolution Trail Services.

January 4, 2021 Trail EAffect Show Page ABOUT THE EPISODE Topics Covered in this Episode: Chris Currie backstory / early years in mountain biking How Chris started one of the very first E Commerce Mountain Bike Sites in the mid 90’s – Speedgoat Bikes Content Marketing way before content marketing was a thing Building custom mountain bikes for people in the early years of mountain biking Early Sealant / Tubeless Experimentation  Where Speedgoat Bikes was located and why How Chris got interested in Suspension Design Early days of 29” full suspension that Chris designed and the other misadventures that came along with that journey.  3VO Suspension Design, and how it functions 3VO suspension on Jamis Bikes Famous Failures / Willingness to Fail You gotta do a lot of things wrong to do a couple things right Trails and how they have evolved from the early days of mountain biking to today The involvement of a community for trails Stan’s Connection program Stan is a real guy, and how NoTubes came to be How Stan’s Connection works How Stan’s Connection is getting to the local, grassroots level of giving back Creating a map to connect people How organizations can get on the Stan’s Connection Map Suggest-a-connection (Link Below) Partnering with Brice Shirbach on the Connection Program Chris’ favorite Trails / Trail Communities Words of Wisdom / Closing Comments RELATED SHOW NOTES Stan’s NoTubes Connection – Suggest a Connection: https://www.notubes.com/suggest-a-connection Stan’s NoTubes: https://www.notubes.com/Speedgoat Designs: https://speedgoat.bike/3VO Suspension Designs on Jamis: https://www.jamisbikes.com/bikes/mountain-bikes/3vo-suspension/ ------------- Trail EAffect Show Support Smith’s Bike Shop: https://smithsbikes.com/Evolution Trail Services: www.evotrails.comContact Josh at [email protected] If you have any questions about Mountain Bike Radio in general, please contact Ben at [email protected] -------- ABOUT TRAIL EAFFECT Trails build community and Communities build trails. What came first you may ask… Host Josh Blum digs into the stories of how trails effect and affect the people and places we call home and those we might like to call home. -------- ABOUT THE HOST Josh Blum is a father and doer of stuff - paired with Advocate, Builder of Trails and Community. Originally from La Crosse WI, Josh has been enjoying the outdoors, trails, and mountain bikes since a young age. Always curious and learning about better ways to improve trail users’ experiences. Josh is employed by WisDOT, and is the owner / operator of Evolution Trail Services.

December 28, 2021 Trail EAffect Show Page Rad Apparel Company 15% Discount Coupon Code: traileaffect Check out with the RAD Affiliate Link: https://radapparelcompany.com/r?id=53tsmc   ABOUT THE EPISODE Topics Covered in this Episode: Greg Mazu intro and backstory The early days of trail building for Greg Starting Singletrack Trails Inc Growing Singletrack Trails by branching out across the country Trails and Projects that stick out to Greg Palisade Plunge Trail backstory – 32-mile epic trail build Trail Planning, the importance of this and thinking about how a trail plan is like a business plan The Manifesto Creating Mortgage Paying Jobs Selling the fact that Trail Building is a real profession to the masses (for those unaware) How trails provide value to communities The importance of having a variety of trails within trail systems / trail communities Vee Hollow and how Vee Hollow provides that variety of trails within one system Handcut Trails / Handcut Hollow in Bentonville Advantages of Hand Built Trails What the Ideal Trail Community looks like according to Greg The Garage is my Trail Head Mountain Towns and Jobs Famous Failure(s) Gregs Multiple Businesses Desert Rat Tours Tools for Trails Backslope Tools Recreation Fabrication – New for 2022 Redesigning the McLeod Supply Chain Issues for Trail Building Tools Closing Comments RELATED SHOW NOTES Singletrack Trails: https://www.singletracktrails.com/ Backslope Tools: https://www.backslope.tools/ Tools for Trails: https://toolsfortrails.com/ Desert Rat Tours: https://www.desertrattours.com/home Rad Apparel Company Discount Coupon Code for 15% off: traileaffect ------------- Trail EAffect Show Support Rad Apparel Company: https://radapparelcompany.com/r?id=53tsmc Smith’s Bike Shop: https://smithsbikes.com/Evolution Trail Services: www.evotrails.comContact Josh at [email protected] If you have any questions about Mountain Bike Radio in general, please contact Ben at [email protected] -------- ABOUT TRAIL EAFFECT Trails build community and Communities build trails. What came first you may ask… Host Josh Blum digs into the stories of how trails effect and affect the people and places we call home and those we might like to call home. -------- ABOUT THE HOST Josh Blum is a father and doer of stuff - paired with Advocate, Builder of Trails and Community. Originally from La Crosse WI, Josh has been enjoying the outdoors, trails, and mountain bikes since a young age. Always curious and learning about better ways to improve trail users’ experiences. Josh is employed by WisDOT, and is the owner / operator of Evolution Trail Services.

December 20, 2021 Trail EAffect Show Page Rad Apparel Company 15% Discount Coupon Code: traileaffect Check out with the RAD Affiliate Link: https://radapparelcompany.com/r?id=53tsmc   ABOUT THE EPISODE Topics Covered in this Episode: No Bikes Signs, and how No Bikes Signs motivated Vernon learn more about these signs Vernon’s background and how he landed in Marin County Prohibition and how it relates to Mountain Biking The Paradigm Trail in Marin County Trail Wars Vernon’s professional career / background, and how that helps him provide scientific background for trails and mountain biking Access 4 Bikes, why it was created and how it started as a political organization vs a nonprofit The difference between a 527 political organization and 501c3 Nonprofit organization The need to depoliticize some for the work for Access 4 Bikes, and created the Access 4 Bikes Foundation (501c3) – Basically copying what the Sierra Club has done with creating dual status Camp Tamarancho, Marin Council of Boy Scouts of America – and how this partnership was formed.  Access 4 Bikes and Lessons Learned and Tools for gaining additional access for Mountain Biking Key Point – Mountain Bikers need to be present at every meeting where mountain biking and access for mountain biking is being discussed Access 4 Bikes Tool Kit The need for surveys to see what is really happening on trails and with trail use Road and Trail Management Plan – Marin County Parks / Marin County Open Spaces Directional Use Trails Famous Failures California Mountain Biking Coalition Places that Vernon has visited / likes to visit for Mountain Biking Closing Comments RELATED SHOW NOTES Access 4 Bikes: https://access4bikes.com/ Freehub Magazine -Beyond Dedication: https://freehubmag.com/features/vernon-huffman Camp Tamarancho Marin County: https://www.boyscouts-marin.org/tamarancho-biking/4023 Access 4 Bikes – The Facts: https://access4bikes.com/the-facts Trail Use Conflict Study by California State Parks: http://www.parks.ca.gov/pages/980/files/app_c_trailuseconflictstudy_chginuse_draft.pdf Road and Trail Management Plan Marin County Parks: https://www.parks.marincounty.org/-/media/files/sites/marin-county-parks/projects-and-plans/road-and-trail-management/system-designation-all/rtmp_final_120614.pdf?la=en California Mountain Biking Coalition: https://camtb.org/ Rad Apparel Company Discount Coupon Code for 15% off: traileaffect ------------- Trail EAffect Show Support Rad Apparel Company: https://radapparelcompany.com/r?id=53tsmc Smith’s Bike Shop: https://smithsbikes.com/Evolution Trail Services: www.evotrails.comContact Josh at [email protected] If you have any questions about Mountain Bike Radio in general, please contact Ben at [email protected] -------- ABOUT TRAIL EAFFECT Trails build community and Communities build trails. What came first you may ask… Host Josh Blum digs into the stories of how trails effect and affect the people and places we call home and those we might like to call home. -------- ABOUT THE HOST Josh Blum is a father and doer of stuff - paired with Advocate, Builder of Trails and Community. Originally from La Crosse WI, Josh has been enjoying the outdoors, trails, and mountain bikes since a young age. Always curious and learning about better ways to improve trail users’ experiences. Josh is employed by WisDOT, and is the owner / operator of Evolution Trail Services.