SummitPost.org

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FCOMxnv3nAo&feature=related

So, I enjoy mountain biking and I think this video is pretty "rad", but also a bit disturbing. Funny that while we are debating the ethics of few bolts and chalk marks, these guys are using trackhoes and bulldozers in seemingly wild areas. They probably had permission to access and maybe they even "restored" the area when they were done. Regardless, I prefer the natural lines you find in climbing and skiing/snowboarding, rather than man-made ones you ride on a mountain bike. Thoughts?

Gary Schenk wrote:Horrible.

X2
(stupidass little punks)

yeah, that doesn't look too cool.
plus the biker is a big douche.

"the weather isn't really cooperating with us... " WTF!!!

What a bunch of boneheads.

To the OP: What does this have to do with bolts used in climbing?

I'm not too sure why he was even bothering to wear a helmet...Not too much inside that skull worth protecting.

All the more reason why we need more wilderness designations - to protect our wild lands from people that build their own private mountain bike terrain parks in the wild

Day Hiker wrote:

ksolem wrote:To the OP: What does this have to do with bolts used in climbing?

gregorpatsch wrote:Funny that while we are debating the ethics of few bolts and chalk marks, these guys are using trackhoes and bulldozers in seemingly wild areas.

Yeah I saw that. I just don't the two issues as having much in common in most cases. And while those guys are in a "seemingly wild area," I think they must be right next to a road to get that equipment in there.

ksolem wrote:

Day Hiker wrote:

ksolem wrote:To the OP: What does this have to do with bolts used in climbing?

gregorpatsch wrote:Funny that while we are debating the ethics of few bolts and chalk marks, these guys are using trackhoes and bulldozers in seemingly wild areas.

Yeah I saw that. I just don't the two issues as having much in common in most cases. And while those guys are in a "seemingly wild area," I think they must be right next to a road to get that equipment in there.

Yeah. I think you'd do a lot more environmental damage just putting in a house. The house will last maybe 250 years. The hole for the foundation will be there for thousands of years. This bike course will simply erode. Concrete? There are Roman ruins in Rome made from concrete 2000 years old.

I started mountain biking in the hills around Los Angeles in 1965. We didn't call it mountain biking back then, nor did we have proper mountain bikes. I did all the good shit, like the Slick Rock trail, Porcupine Rim, etc.

I gave up mountain biking about 10 years ago because it seemed sacreligious to go blazing through the wilderness on a machine. Not to mention the horrible damage done to trails by bicycles (and horses), and the black rubber all over the rocks.

I do not consider mountain biking to be like hiking or climbing or cross-country skiing.

I put mountain biking in the same category as snow-mobiling, motorcross and strip mining.

I look at this from three different categories.

Aesthetics: Bolts, bike jumps, ski lifts, etc. all scar the natural landscape; however, to different degrees in my opinion.

Environmental Impact: There is a lot of debate about the impacts of mountain biking vs hiking (vs horse-riding). A lot of the debate has to do with erosion. The guy riding his XC bike down an existing trail creates little to no additional erosion, in my opinion. However, the guys building big dirt jumps in the backcountry increases the erosion potential over hiking. But again it's all relative, and hardly compares to the sediment generated from a poorly managed fire road, or new housing development. Then there's the guys using snowmobiles to go snowboarding, or jet-skis to catch a bigger wave, or shuttling bikes to the top of hill with a car (or in this case a helicopter).

The Line: I'm more impressed with a mountain biker jumping off a natural rock feature rather than building a dirt jump with a shovel/trackhoe. I'm more impressed with big mountain snowboarding than the guys riding halfpipes, rail-sliding, or bumping off a big blue plastic barrel in the park. I'm more impressed with trad climbing than sport climbing.


In my opinion, these three categories all fall under STYLE. And in general, I think climbers respect good STYLE more than a lot of other outdoor sports, though there are offenders in climbing as well.

re: environmental impact of mtb'ing -- around here it's generally agreed that on fire roads and well-designed trails it's not a problem. If people are riding in wet conditions sometimes trails get closed until they dry out. I usually avoid riding fragile trails in wet & muddy conditions to prevent trail damage. It's also kind of maintenance-intensive to always be repacking wheel bearings, etc.

Never saw the attraction of stunt riding, it just seems like a good way to get hurt. I guess I'm just not that good. I like going for a ride away from cars, pavement and traffic, to be out in the woods, wind on my face, feeling the burn

I don't understand the downhillers, with their bikes that look more like motorcycles, the body armor .. if you want to ride motocross, get a motorcycle I used to ride motorcycles offroad too, but quit after breaking my ankle in a road crash.

btw I've noticed hand cycles for riders who cannot use their legs, eg. paraplegics, incomplete quads, amputees, etc. -