IMBA Singletrack Update - December 2005

In this update:

1. IMBA NEWS
* NEW JERSEY REBOUNDS IN 2005 IMBA REPORT CARD
* CAPILANO COLLEGE TO OFFER "MOUNTAIN BIKE OPERATIONS" CERTIFICATE
* INSPIRATIONAL CYCLIST OVERCOMES ADDICTION, DISABILITY
* TAKE A 10-MINUTE MOUNTAIN BIKE SURVEY
* VIEW THE WORLD-RECORD MTB JUMP
* READ DIRT RAG'S "10 YEARS GONE" AND A TRIBUTE TO GNURPS

2. REGIONAL REPORTS
* NORTH DAKOTA SIGNS MOU, CREATING IMBA'S THIRD STATE PARTNERSHIP
* DESERT BLOOM: WESTERN TRAIL CARE CREW VISITS VERNAL, UT
* FALL FOLIAGE: EASTERN TRAIL CARE CREW IN RUTLAND, VT
* INTERNATIONAL INTRIGUE: IMBA'S JOEY KLEIN TRAVELS THE OUTBACK

3. IMBA STORE
* THE YEAR IN PICTURES: 2006 IMBA CALENDAR
* CONTRIBUTE TO THE IMBA ANNUAL FUND (AND GET THE CALENDAR)
* HOT DEALS AT THE IMBA WINTER SALE
* ONLINE BOOKSTORE FEATURES NEW "STONEWORK" TITLE

--

1. IMBA NEWS

* NEW JERSEY REBOUNDS IN 2005 IMBA REPORT CARD
A sneak preview of the 2005 IMBA Report Card (coming next week) reveals that
New Jersey improves to a solid "C," bringing the Garden State out of last
year's celler-dweller position. IMBA State Rep Jay Jones reports, "After
entering 2005 with the lowest grade, New Jersey mountain bike advocates made
a significant effort to improve the promotion of our many successes." Stay
tuned to imba.com this month to learn how your state fares in the latest
report. View last year's report here:
http://www.imba.com/news/trail_news/17_5/itn_17_5_reportcard.html#us

* CAPILANO COLLEGE TO OFFER "MOUNTAIN BIKE OPERATIONS" CERTIFICATE
Capilano College (Sunshine Coast Campus) in British Columbia, Canada, will
offer a "Mountain Bike Operations" Certificate program in September, 2006.
The program is a full-time, eight-month program (26 credits) and covers
courses in tourism, risk management, event planning, first aid, mountain
bike skill development, trail design and trail building.
http://www.capcollege.bc.ca/home.html

* INSPIRATIONAL CYCLIST OVERCOMES ADDICTION, DISABILITY
Check out the Denver Post's story about Rex Patrick, a recovering addict who
lost a leg, but found two-wheeled salvation and eventual won gold medals in
mountain biking at the Paralympics.
http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_3192728

* TAKE A 10-MINUTE MOUNTAIN BIKE SURVEY
Researchers at the University of Colorado, the University of New Mexico, and
the University of Padua in Italy want to know about you and your mountain
biking. The survey will help IMBA show land managers what kinds of riding
experiences riders enjoy. One IMBA staffer completed all the forms in five
minutes, but don't attempt that pace unless you're an expert survey taker.
http://bike.colorado.edu/

* VIEW THE WORLD-RECORD MTB JUMP
You'll be cleared for launch after you view images of Nathan Rennie's
mega-jump world record in the Painted Desert, South Australia.
http://www.cyclingnews.com/mtbphotos.php?id=photos/2005/news/nov05/rennie_ju
mp/gallery-rennie_jump

* READ DIRT RAG'S "10 YEARS GONE" AND A TRIBUTE TO GNUPS
"I saw the best riders of my generation destroyed by madness." So opens
Stuart Schrader's poignant story for Dirt Rag magazine about the
longstanding ban on biking in South Mountain Reservation, in northern New
Jersey. http://www.imba.com/news/mtb_news_wire/10_05_ten_years_gone.html

Also from Dirt Rag, check out Phillip Keyes' "Gnurps: Mountain Bike
Environmentalist Pioneer," a tribute to former IMBA staffer Gary Sprung.
http://www.dirtragmag.com/print/article.php?ID=720&category=departments


2. REGIONAL REPORTS

* NORTH DAKOTA SIGNS MOU, CREATING IMBA'S THIRD STATE PARTNERSHIP
In November, The North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department (NDPR) and
IMBA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement. The North Dakota
MOU is similar to productive partnerships IMBA has established in Virginia
and New Mexico. Doug Prchal, Director of the North Dakota Parks and
Recreation Department, commented: "We share similar goals and philosophies
for providing multi-use trails for the public's enjoyment, using sustainable
trail design and construction techniques." View a .pdf of the agreement:
http://www.parkrec.nd.gov/Acrobat/imba.pdf

* DESERT BLOOM: WESTERN TRAIL CARE CREW VISITS VERNAL, UT
Nat and Rachael Lopes, the Western Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew, spent a
perfect September weekend working with BLM's Recreation Specialist, Dan
Gilfillan, riding local trails, assessing sustainability, teaching methods
of trailbuilding and user management, and helping Vernal take the next step
in enhancing their trail system. View a slideshow here:
http://www.imba.com/tcc/2005/vernal_ut.html

* FALL FOLIAGE: EASTERN TRAIL CARE CREW IN RUTLAND, VT
The Eastern Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew - AKA Chris Bernhardt and Jill Van
Winkle - conducted an IMBA Trailbuilding School and helped organize a
cleanup event at Rutland, Vermont's Pine Hill Park. Check out a slideshow
and learn how the popular trail system was improved and expanded:
http://www.imba.com/tcc/2005/rutland_vt.html

* INTERNATIONAL INTRIGUE: IMBA'S JOEY KLEIN TRAVELS THE OUTBACK
Ace trailbuilder and mountain bike advocate Joey Klein recently concluded a
six-week tour of Australia. Riding opportunities in Oz are increasing at
breakneck pace. View a slideshow here:
http://www.imba.com/international/slideshows/oz_index.html


3. IMBA STORE

* THE YEAR IN PICTURES: 2006 IMBA CALENDAR
With images from mountain bike photography legends like Sterling Lorence,
Bob Allen and John Gibson, this year's edition of an IMBA classic may be the
best ever. http://stores.yahoo.com/imba/20imca2.html

* CONTRIBUTE TO THE IMBA ANNUAL FUND AND GET THE CALENDAR
IMBA's number one priority in 2006 is spearheading the mountain bike
movement. Your year-end gift of $30, $50, $100 - or more, if possible - will
help us do more for riders in 2006 than ever before. Contributors of $30 or
more will receive the 2006 calendar.
http://store.yahoo.com/imba/dotoimanfu.html

* HOT DEALS AT IMBA'S WINTER SALE
You'll find a wide selection of gear on sale at our online store. Hurry -
the sale ends Dec. 11.
http://stores.yahoo.com/imba/immer.html

* ONLINE BOOKSTORE FEATURES NEW "STONEWORK" TITLE
Stonework is one of the most important skills a trailbuilder can have.
That's why IMBA is offering this unique new book focused on working with
rocks. We've checked out lots of books about stonework, and most of them
have limited relevance to trailbuilding. They focus primarily on stone
walls, landscaping projects and using mortar to hold the stones in place.
But "The Art and Craft of Stonescaping" by David Reed focuses on dry-stacked
stonework - no mortar here dude! This is a key difference and is a big
reason why we recommend this book.
http://stores.yahoo.com/imba/imbabookstore.html

--

Like this IMBA eNewsletter? If so, forward it to a friend.

--

If you'd like to be removed from this list send an email to
membership@... with the subject REMOVE.