Trail EAffect

For Episode 196 we have J.T. Horn, J.T, is the Trail Director for the Trust for Public Land. J.T. was also one of two guests on episode 192 where we discussed the Economic Impact that Mountain Biking can have on communities. For this episode we are discussing various ways to bridge the gap between Land Conservation organizations and the Trail Community. This topic can be a rather important topic because land access for trails is of...

For Episode 195 we have Chris Stindt as our guest. Chris is heavily involved hosting bicycle related events, all sorts of bicycle related events. During this conversation we uncover the value that events bring to communities, and in many ways these events help to build stronger communities.

Topics Include:

• The Chris Stindt backstory
• Chris’s role at Smith’s Bike Shop
• Events as a vehicle for raising money to fund trails
• An overv...

For Episode 194 Martha Becton takes over again, this time at the 2025 International Trail Summit, which was held this past April in Madison, WI. Similar to when Martha took over last year at the PTBA Conference, Martha is back, and this time she’s got 6 other guests who dive back into the topic of Women in Trail Building.

Topics Include:

• Intro by Martha Becton – Owner of Becton Trails
• Desi Jarrell – Director of Outdoor Recreat...

For Episode 193 we have Uriah Nazario and Brock Wagner who are two of the many personalities behind Beyond the Ashes – An Adaptive Trail Story. Uriah and Brock break down the backstory behind this film, who they brought into the film, along with how Universal Trail Design can be incorporated into trail systems without most people knowing, yet providing access to Adaptive Mountain Bikers. This film will be going live on June 19th at...

For Episode 192 we have Jennifer Clinton and J.T. Horn both of the Trust for Public Land. Earlier this year the Trust for Public Land Partnered with IMBA to author a report on the Economic Impact of Mountain Biking. They also presented this report at the International Trail Summit that was held this past April in Madison, WI. We dug into the report itself along with some takeaways from the International Trail Summit during this con...

For Episode 191 we have Lars Romig of Sedona, AZ. Lars has been a long-time member of the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition, along with being a Trail Builder and Mountain Bike Trail Access Advocate. Most Recently Lars led the charge on building the Hardline Trail. This conversation is one that I’ve wanted to have with a Sedona Local for a handful of years now as there is a ton of riding content that comes out of Sedona, but not a lot...

For Episode 190 we have Chris Riley from Central Maine. Chris is the president of the Central Maine Chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association, and a board member of the New England Mountain Bike Association. Chris and his organization have come up with some innovative ideas on how to handle both new trail construction as well as handling annual trail maintenance. Maine and the New England region has a ton of momentum wit...

For Episode 189 we have Chase Draper the President of Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers otherwise known as BUMP. BUMP is another powerhouse volunteer driven trail organization that falls under the SORBA mothership in the South East region of the United States. Chase provides some exceltent stories about what can be accomplished when you are willing to outwork everyone else, and he’s got a pretty sarcastic personality as well.

Topi...

For Episode 188 we have Jarrod Harris and Josh Cohan back on from Jarrod’s Place Bike Park. We cover a handful of topics including what Josh & Jarrod have learned since opening Jarrod’s Place Bike Park and we went deep on All things Trail Armor – The first line of defense for protecting your Flow Trails, Jump Lines and Berms. There’s a lot of great things that Jarrod and Josh have been learning through their development of Trai...

For Episode 187 we have Marty Caivano the Local Community Engagement Manager for IMBA and John Cox the Education Manager for IMBA. We discussed many topics including The IMBA Foundations (Formerly known as IMBA Trail Labs), along with a lot of the other community engagement and educational programs that IMBA is continuing to host in 2025… There is also the hint of the IMBA Epics Returning in 2025!

Topics Include:

• How Marty got...

For Episode 186 we have Jason Aric Jones. Jason recently announced that he was stepping away from 30+ years of working extremely hard for mountain bike trail access and advocacy, and I know that it would be important to have Jason on the show to recount some of the experiences he has had along the way. Jason definitely took a creative approach to getting the job done, which eventually parlayed itself into the DTE Energy Foundation ...

For Episode 185 we have Steve Kasacek back for his second appearance on Trail EAffect. Steve is the assistant Director of the Outdoor Sport Institute located in Maine. We covered a ton of various trail projects that Steve has been a part of in Maine, along with the value of building relationships.  

Topics Include:

• Updates with the Outdoor Sport Institute
• The value of building relationships
• Steve’s first PTBA Conference (Sprin...

For Episode 184 we have Uriah Steber, the Owner of Benchmark Trails, Founding Member of the Oahe Wheelmen, and a driving force behind the rise of trails and mountain Biking across the State of South Datoka.

Topics Include:

• The creation of the Oahe Wheelmen and MT Biking in Pierre, SD
• The rise of trails and mountain biking in rural communities
• The start of Benchmark Trails
  • Unique Projects that Uriah and Benchmark Trails ha...

2024 SORBA Year in review and 2025 Updates with Philip Darden | 183

For Episode 183 we have Philip Darden back on. Philip is the executive director of the Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association otherwise known as SORBA. During this conversation we recap some of the more notable events that Philip was able to attend in 2024, how the region was impacted by multiple hurricanes, along with some of the changes that SORBA will be implemen...

For Episode 182 we have Daniel Sapp back on, this time Daniel is here to provide some insight around the impacts that Hurricane Helene had on Western North Carolina and the Communities around the Pisgah National Forest. Western North Carolina relies heavily on tourism, please consider supporting these communities and organizations in any way that you see fit as they clean up, reopen and rebuild.

Topics Include:

• The broad impac...

For episode 181 We have Brice Shirbach for his third appearance on Trail EAffect. Brice knows trail communities like no other. Brice has been at this for well over a decade now and it shows! We covered how his Underexposed series came to be and, some of the communities that Brice has covered recently through the Underexposed Series. Brice has a very unique perspective on Trails and Trail Communities – This is a good one!

Topics Inc...

For episode 180 we have Charles Evans. Charles is the Trail Maintenance Coordinator for the Snowshoe Highlands Area Recreational Collaborative. The Snowshoe Highlands Region has nearly 400 miles of trail, is a IMBA Silver Level Ride Center, and is the region that has hosted Several World Cup Mountain Bike Races and Championships. We covered the ever-popular topic of Trail Maintenance, along with the Federal Reserve, and even talked...

For episode 179 we have Luke Krolikowski – the Bike Park Manager of the Farside Bike Park at Chestnut Mountain Resort in Galina, IL. The Farside Bike Park is a relatively newer lift access bike park located in a topographically rich part of the upper Midwest known as the Driftless Area. Luke dives into all things Farside during our conversation. If you live in the Upper Midwest and haven’t checked out the Farside Bike Park yet, you...

For Episode 178 We’ve got Mischa and Edoardo the two masterminds behind the International Trail Rating System. Mischa is based in Switzerland, and Edoardo is based in Italy. Both have a strong understanding about the nuance that goes into dissecting and rating a trail. While there is a lot that can go into how or why a trail is rated a certain way, this system is the most comprehensive approach I’ve seen for rating trails yet.

Topi...