Under the umbrella of trail building, there are a wide variety of trails that get built. Most often, when we hear or think of the words “trail building,” our minds are flooded with images ranging from a UCI DH course to the recent Redbull Hardline in Tasmania or even the Redbull Rampage in Utah. We think of massive berms, tabletops, enough jumps, and lots of flow. But have you ever thought about what it takes to build and maintain an XC race course?

I ventured away from Portland’s rainy climate a few weekends ago to attend a mountain bike race in Echo, Oregon. I had never been there before, let alone ridden there. I’ve known about the trails for years, but since XC riding days have long been in my rearview mirror, I never felt compelled to drive three hours just to pedal. But that all changed for me.