Peak stick season is here. Ready to roll?


November
2019
madriverriders.com
vmba.org

 

Peak stick season is prime time to check trails and scout new ones.

As winter weather bears down on us, we have been busy trying to button up projects, plan new work and repair damage from the Halloween storm. Many thanks to all our volunteers for such a strong late season effort. Please let us know if you find any issues.

Seasonal changes brings trail changes too. All state land trails closed on November 1st for riding. This covers the Camel's Hump State Forest-Howe Block and Phen Basin networks, including Enchanted Forest, Cyclone, Clinic, the Connectors, GS, Busternut, both sections of Evolution, Chain Gang, East Loop and Bassett Hill.

Thanks for sharing!

Hunting season closures for all trails and all allowed uses are in effect for Youth Hunting Weekend, November 9-10 and Deer Rifle Season, November 16-December 1. Check here for more info, https://vtfishandwildlife.com/hunt/hunting-and-trapping-seasons.

During Youth Weekend and Deer Rifle, we ask everyone to refrain from hiking, biking, skiing or snowshoeing on our trails during daylight hours. Please wait for full dark + 1/2 hour to be sure. Hunting, forestry and farming are some of the uses that we share land with and respect gets respect. Many thanks to our landowners and land managers for their permissions and support. Without them, we'd be nowhere.

Fresh clear on Amenta's Way at Blueberry Lake.

Now, on to the fun. We've started clearing the trails at Blueberry Lake. As we get into frozen ground season, please avoid the trails when they are soft, particularly after hard freeze/thaws. This applies to all uses. Boot traffic is just as impactful as tire traffic. That said, dry frozen ground adventures can be awesome. Wait for the firm and stay tuned for updates.

Redemption?

Speaking of scouting new projects, we've been working for many years designing and permitting a new 3 mile trail to connect Chain Gang to RT 17 through the lowest elevations of Phen Basin. Redemption Row would start near the bottom of Chain Gang, traverse around several rocky glacial bowls, cross more than a dozen streams and end on the existing Hemlock Hill trail. This potential route has major Riders' and VMBA history in it and features incredibly dramatic terrain and rock formations. If we get full permission, it will also be the largest project we've done yet. Your annual donation support helps builds trails, from start to finish.

Phen phenom.


10 more members out there?
We honored and humbled to have nearly 500 members this season. We're at 490 right now, and if you've been thinking about joining, now is still a great time to do it. Your support is essential to the health of our trails. We're asking everyone to please remember to renew or join. Membership includes free day tickets to places like Sugarbush, Killington, Trapp's and Burke, plus 2-for-1 ski tickets for the 2019-2020 winter season and numerous discounts around VT. Most importantly, you help support our work in the Mad River Valley and VMBA's state-wide trail advocacy and stewardship.


Rippers Ripped
Thank you to the Rippers, their drivers and all our awesome volunteers for a great season of ripping around the Mad River Valley. Send an email to bob@madriverriders.com for 2020 sign up and schedule info.


Rippers finishing the season on Swell Hill during the UN Epic Ride.

Board Meeting Schedule
All meetings at the General Wait House in Waitsfield 6PM - 7:30PM, unless otherwise noted.
November 11/ December 2/January 6/February 17/March 2

 

 

 


 


 






 

 

 



From quiet hikes in Phen Basin and family-friendly  adventures at Blueberry Lake to long climbs and descents from Lincoln Peak through Eurich Pond, Marble Hill Farm, Chase Brook Town Forest and Camel's Hump State Forest to Waitsfield village, the Riders steward the Mad River Valley's largest and most popular multi-use trail network, featuring fun sustainable routes for all abilities. Our trails are free-to-access for hiking, biking, skiing and snowshoeing.

We encourage everyone to join more than one VMBA chapter, particularly if you ride or hike in more than one area. We're all in this together. The deals and lift tickets are more than worth the cost. Check out the ski lift ticket deals too!
Mad River Riders by the numbers ... 

History and Trail Protections

Mad River Riders founded: 1986

MRR Founding Chapter of VMBA: 1997


First legal state land multi-use trails in VT:  2002 - Phen Basin


Official VT-FPR State Recognition: 2006, with Stowe Mountain Bike Club (now Stowe Trails Partnership) and MRR officially adopting Perry Hill and Howe Block-Camel’s Hump State Forest, in addition to Phen Basin.


First VMBA chapter to build legal multi-use trails in Green Mountain National Forest: 2012 - Blueberry Lake (Flying Squirrel and Lenord’s Loop)


Official trails in 1997: 10 miles - all on private land

Official trails in 2019: 50+ miles - GMNF/USFS, 2 state forests, 3 town forests and more than 20 private landowners


Trails permanently protected in 1997: 0 miles

Trails permanently protected in 2019: 27 miles, the most of any VMBA chapter.




Year Round Fun for Everyone
Please volunteer for our stewardship team and stay tuned for trail work days. We have a ton of fun to build and maintain!

The Riders' nearly 50 mile (and growing) network is made possible through the support of the Vermont Mountain Bike Association, USFS, VT-FPR, the towns of Waitsfield, Warren, Fayston, Moretown and Duxbury, the Mad River Valley Recreation District, the Mad River Valley Trails Collaborative, the Vermont Land Trust, the Trust for Public Land and dozens of private landowners.

Download the Riders map here.






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