Celebrating Two Years of Trail Builder Magazine

I posted this message on Instagram on February 25, 2022, “Coming soon ... an upcoming magazine dedicated to mountain bike trails and those who build, maintain, and advocate for them.” That’s it. That’s all I knew. I was starting a magazine for trail builders. And since I “spoke it into existence” by creating an Instagram account and posting it, I knew I couldn’t back out.

Trail Builder Mag’s Origin Story

I look at that Instagram post two years ago as part of the Trail Builder origin story. That’s when the magazine was started. Less than a year later, I registered Trail Builder Mag as a business in Oregon. It would be another year and a half from that original Instagram post before publishing our first print magazine. Since then, and most importantly, we have found each other. What encourages me the most about this endeavor is you. Connecting with you. Connecting with trail builders and trail building advocates from around the world.

You inspire me. I am encouraged whenever I post an interview from our Professional Builder Profile series. Starting something from nothing is not only daunting, but it’s a lot of work. There is so much uncertainty as you bring life to your idea. In the interview series, many professional builders commented on the obstacles and challenges of getting started. Your learning curve is shooting straight through the roof.

As with any startup endeavor, you only know what you know when you start. I knew enough about photography, growing a social media account, and a rudimentary (limited) know-how of putting together a magazine in Adobe InDesign, and I was off and running. Whether you’re starting your own trail-building company or a magazine, you figure many things out on the fly. That means making LOTS of mistakes. I appreciate your grace when that happens (typos, etc.).

What Makes Trail Builder Mag Unique

Now that we’re two years and two print magazines into the journey, what’s next? Often, I use this analogy about Trail Builder Mag when talking to people for the first time and trying to describe it. “Imagine if Freehub Magazine and Pinkbike had a baby; that’s Trail Builder Mag.” Here’s what I mean. Freehub is my favorite magazine. It is exquisitely produced. The photography and storytelling are second to none. Quality. Top notch. That’s what I aim to get to someday with Trail Builder.

Regarding Pinkbike, what I love about PB is the community. Their website is dynamic. So much content is created by its users, from individuals to bike brands. It’s the go-to website for all things mountain biking. I like that you can create an account and post your content. I want that for Trail Builder. To continue to grow the content that you generate.

Often, I am asked to write about a new trail here, a new bike park there, or a new trail-building event. While I’d love to, I don’t have an endless budget to hop on a plane for Spain or Chile. More importantly, you know better what’s going on in your community. That’s why I want you to write or tell the story. I then will hear, “But I’m not a journalist or writer.” However, it’s your story. Your community. It would be better for you to tell it. That’s why I created this platform.

Trail building touches so many topics that there’s endless content. Within that, at times, I do want to lean a bit more academic or technical because, by nature, that is required in the trail-building profession. That’s where we veer from strictly storytelling to educating. There’s a balance; I don’t want it to be too dry and boring. However, I am interested in the research on making trail building more welcoming for women and seeing the outdoors, particularly in the U.S., become safe spaces for non-majority populations. Data and research are helpful in these topics and more.

So there we are. Two years later, we’re only getting started. Again, we’re doing this together. Through Trail Builder Mag, we are creating a platform to inspire, inform, and connect together around the common goal of building, maintaining, and advocating for more trails. Thank you for going on this adventure with me.

Words: Sean Benesh Photos: Sean Benesh


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Sean Benesh

Sean is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Trail Builder Mag. He is also the Communications Director for the Northwest Trail Alliance in Portland, Oregon. While in grad school, he worked as a mountain biking guide in Southern Arizona. Sean also spends time in the classroom as a digital media instructor at Warner Pacific University.

Sean Benesh

Sean is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Trail Builder Mag. He is also the Communications Director for the Northwest Trail Alliance in Portland, Oregon. While in grad school, he worked as a mountain biking guide in Southern Arizona. Sean also spends time in the classroom as a digital media instructor at Warner Pacific University.

http://www.seanbenesh.com
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Professional Builder Profile Interview: Mark McClure of Trail Tools