Should trail guiding companies and Enduro event organisers invest some time and money in trail maintenance ?
Who says they don't?
Absolutely depends on the events etc. The Dunkeld Enduro which is this coming weekend has a very strong core group of builders / maintainers and it benefits a whole host of people.
Some guiding companies i know also dig / maintain etc. I'm not going to name names but its getting more widespread. Invest some time back in for the greater good.
Anyway was this just a thought you had or do you have a real reason for asking?
Lots of them do.
But, speaking as a volunteer trailbuilder, it doesn't bother me as long as they take reasonable care- we don't built trails to be looked at, we build them to be ridden.Saying to Steve Peat "Yeah we built that" was cool damn it!
Sometimes it narks me- some trails don't stand up well to racing, and occasionally bad taping leads to excess wear. But it's mostly about responsibility.
Southern Enduro events have paid for most of the work on the trails in QECP in recent years, notwithstanding the legacy trails from the events themselves where on accessible land.
Didn't we do this last week?.
PMBA Enduro has a lot of the Gisburn trail builders involved and has contributed financially both to the volunteer group and FC. Plus they often tidy up after an event.
Didn’t we do this last week?.
Yes, but the old thread got worn out by businesses charging large organised groups to use it, then doing a runner with the profits, so we needed to build a new one.
The Welsh Gravity Enduro guys usually give a decent sum to the local trailbuilding group as does the mini enduro team. They also usually dig a new stage in the FoD each year.
So less of the candid stuff who are we meant to be getting pitch forks out for?
We spend a fair portion of our available riding time where we ride cutting back growth and digging drainage, building up trails etc. Now in the last couple of years there has been quite an increase in Guiding companies using these trails. Also there is a certain exclusive Enduro which has taken place for the last two years which has caused irreparable damage to a couple of footpaths. I guess it's just a bit upsetting to see.
Dropoff, the only way to manage this is communication. It's extremely rare from what I see that races etc don't end up bettering trails and areas. There is usually a greater legacy than before. The amount of work that goes in up my way fixing trails pre / post racing is phenomenal.
<span style="font-size: 0.8rem;">If you reach out to these groups and explain. Maybe sort out dig days to fix areas I think everyone will be happier and benefit. </span>
