FreeRadicals

Took a colossal volunteer effort to pull this amount of work off in a weekend. Special shoutout to everyone who turned up!

Best video series in MTB by a long-shot. Miranda actually makes mountain biking a bit better everywhere she goes, and because she wants to, not because she 'has to'. Youtubers take notes. Shout out G-Baby for the mega bump in production quality this year over last, you're pushing the style and I'm about it. Already excited for EP 3.

@TEAM-ROBOT: keep fighting the good fight

@codypup: The line you're referring to was meant to be read as a bit tongue&cheek, so I'm happy it wound you up a little. And, as I mentioned earlier, it was more a comment on the level of discussion in the snow sports industry around climate change when compared to the general absence of any discussion in the MTB world, until very recently. You are lucky that you can ride to your local trails, I think those of us who are fortunate to have that luxury are in the minority, but it doesn't meant that we shouldn't be mindful of the greater impact our sport has on the climate. We should also bring the growing popularity of lift-assisted bike parks into the climate equation of MTB if we are going to fairly compare ourselves to snow. The heavy machines used to shape Dirt Merchant and Aline are run off dino diesel after all. Would be interesting to compare the energy input and carbon footprint in winter vs summer operations for a resort like Whistler Blackcomb.

I'm no expert on US Department policy and politics, but a quick review of the 2022 and 2023 USFS Budget Reviews do show that short-term change is afoot in USFS funding, which makes sense given the current political climate. The budget appropriation request for wildland fire management in fiscal year 2023 is $2.7B up $751M from FY2022. This is better than what it has been, but maybe not as good as it should be? Looking back a few years shows FY2023 $2.7B is less than what was spent in 2017 by $100M. What is promising is FY2023 outlines an additional $2.2B in funding for a wildfire suppression operations reserve, which appeared to be called "FLAME" back in 2016/2017 when it amounted to $823M and $342M respectively. Perhaps this will better help ensure necessary resources in bad fire seasons. I would be careful with the comment in your second paragraph as I think it puts unfair blame on loggers and the logging industry, when really a systemic management issue and a lack of public education might be more to blame. How many of these man-made fires are started as a consequence of logging? How does that number compare to the number of fires started by people recreating on USFS land? This is very difficult to track as the general public aren't likely to fess up to starting a fire, but I would harbour a guess, that it's more of the latter than the former. I don't know specifics regarding US harvesting practices, but have observed many an active cut block around BC and there is lots of fire suppression equipment on hand and any potential fire is likely to get snuffed out quickly. After all, a fire would cut into their profits significantly, and pose a serious danger to valuable equipment. What's more disturbing to me- as a Canadian who frequently visits the US, is the apparent lack of fire bans in the US. I have been traveling to the US several times a year for the last 7 years and have seen little to no information on fire risks. In contrast, during the height of fire season in BC there is a sliding scale fire ban that restricts everything from campfires to power tools and even trail work with hand tools to try and mitigate the risk of sparks in the forest. There are several different levels of risk and as conditions get more severe, so do the restrictions. As we move from one phase to the next, local fire departments, trail organizations and the province launch roadside, radio, social media and newspaper campaigns to inform the general public about the fire risks and how to alter one's behaviour when camping, biking, hiking riding moto etc. This isn't a perfect solution, but it's one glaring difference I notice between Canada and the US.

We spent the first day with the GSD crew and OMBA clearing over 200 hazard trees along the trail’s corridor to try and mitigate these risks. Was a hell of a lot of work and scary being out there in the wind.

@BiNARYBiKE: well said! We as humans do need to have more respect and curious wonder for the plant life we share this planet with. Many plant species live for hundreds of years (likely thousands if we would quit fucking with them) and they can’t MOVE! When it gets cold they don’t go inside & turn the heat up, or put on a sweater, they just keep on living & in turn keep us unthankful SOBs alive.

It comes from a perception that the snow industry is further ahead than MTB/cycling when talking about climate change. They also have a more obvious connection & cost of climate disarray than mtb & other sports. It’s hard to ski/snowboard when there is a poor snow year. But less snow doesn’t mean more MTB. This article was written to show that we as mountain bikers do stand to loose access to trails from climate change. We are not discounting the impact that either sports (snow or cycling) have on the environment.

@lukberger: thank you I was looking for this article as I was writing my comment! Isn't Manchin getting sued by a class action of folks in WV because his coal supply company is resulting in them over paying for power? I have a memory of this but I could be mis-remembering & google isn’t providing much beyond WV vs EPA.

@dreamlink87: you’re hired as our editorial intern if you want? We can pay you in Fat Tire beer and Specialized Tires.