http://www.mountainonline.com/mountain-magazine/item/515-sweet-duds-great-causel#sigProGalleria57ec5ed2a4
Click on the image below to launch a slideshow. Photos by Dave Cox.
The Trail Builders
Show up as a volunteer at a multi-use trail building day anywhere in the country, and you'll be surrounded by dozens, if not hundreds, of mountain bikers, a handful of hikers, and a couple of lazy equestrians (gross generalization based on writer's personal experience). Mountain bikers are trail builders. And they know how to build trails that flow and last. Today, much of that expertise resides within the nonprofit that is IMBA. Their Trail Solutions division is one of the largest trail building organizations in North America. Sometimes they design trails. On other projects they act as consultants. More typically, they're in the field moving rocks, fighting erosion, and generally doing things right the first time. That's the case at Coldwater Mountain in Anniston, Alabama where the Trail Solutions crew is elbow deep in phase one of a proposed 60-mile mountain bike network. More info: imba.com/trail-solutions.
Hey, Those IMBA Folks Just Saved Us $85 Million!
We hate it when we lose $85 million. Why, just last week we lost a small island nation worth half that. Luckily, IMBA's advocacy experts have our backs. The crazed austerity crowd in Congress wanted to kill the Recreational Trails Program. (Congress is apparently still run by people who play squash.) But then IMBA and other bike advocates coordinated a letter-writing campaign that involved more than 400 national and local organizations as well as thousands of concerned individuals. Shortly thereafter, a bipartisan amendment sponsored by three Republicans and five Democrats (see kids, government works!) saved the program and the $85 million allocated to building and maintaining multiuse trails. More info: imba.com/alerts/rtp-protected.
Buy Some IMBA Schwag. Save a Trail.
Members get IMBA-branded socks, which are great for lording it over your deadbeat, non-activist friends on the trail. But proceeds from the sale of other great IMBA gear goes to protecting access, trail construction, education, and advocacy programs. They actually have tons of cool stuff, from western shirts to Euro-style track jackets. Visit the shop here. —Marc Peruzzi
The Models
Mark Eller, Communications Director, wears the merino wool Echo Sport T by Ibex ($80; ibex.com); Club Ride's Zeal below-the-knee man capris, cut from anti-microbial bamboo and polyester-blended cloth ($100; clubrideapparel.com ), and IMBA logo socks ($15, imba.com). For his second look, Eller wears the Roam shirt from Stoic ($70; backcountry.com), the wind-resistant fleece Chain Ring Hoodie by The North Face ($75; thenorthface.com), and Pearl Izumi’s Forest Short cut from ELITE Stretch fabric ($150; pearlizumi.com).
Tiffanie Beal, Chapter & Member Services Coordinator wears Club Ride’s Bandara jersey ($90; clubrideapparel.com) and their Eden bottoms ($90; clubrideapparel.com).
Jason Bertolacci, Marketing/Database Manager, wears the Vintage Gold IMBA shirt ($70; imba.com) and Zoic's Ether short ($80; zoic.com).
