Turning Passion into Advocacy: Cathy Naveaux's Trail Building Journey
Cathy Naveaux, a DIRTT Tutor and trail advocate, shares her journey from dedicated volunteer to professional trail builder. Driven by her passion for the sport and commitment to environmental protection, she advocates for education, funding, and community collaboration to create sustainable trails.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and your way into trail building?
My name is Cathy. I’m a 37-year-old French woman with a passion for mountain biking, living in the Alps near Les Arcs. I started mountain biking relatively late in life but was already aware of environmental issues. I soon discovered the Mountain Bikers Foundation, a French non-profit organization that supports trail access and maintenance. Within a year, I went from being a member of the association to becoming an employee.
Through meeting people and organizing dig days, I learned a lot. I started arranging more volunteer trail maintenance days or helping out with the ones my friends were organizing in my free time. I’ve been doing this for 5 years now and currently work as a freelance Trail Advocate.
Photo by Pete Scullion
What is the best and worst part of being a trail builder?
The best part is definitely the community. People passionate about trail maintenance and trail building seem to share a special bond. It’s very welcoming—no matter your skill level, you can join and help. You’ll have fun and won’t need a gym membership to get fit!
The worst part is how difficult it is to be taken seriously and secure funding. I live in a ski resort and often imagine what skiing would be like today if the people who groomed the pistes received the same comments we do. For example, I hear that it’s only natural for us to maintain the trails for free in our personal time—after all, we’re mountain bikers and benefit from them. While I believe volunteer work has many advantages, and mountain bikers have a responsibility to care for the trails, I know it can’t replace professional work.
What is the project you are most proud of – and why?
As much as I am proud of the volunteer days I’ve organized over the years, the professional work I did during my time with MBF, helping trails gain official status, was probably the most impactful. This is what I am trying to pursue now—helping locals with their projects and providing them with the tools to maintain and legalize the trails they want to ride.
What positive impacts have you seen trail building have in your region, and what are some common challenges or negative aspects?
I’ve traveled all over France to take part in dig days, meetings, and rides. Wherever there’s a strong community behind a well-thought-out project, things get moving. Trails have been legalized, the number of mountain bikers is growing, and the enthusiasm is there.
That said, it’s always a long-term process, requiring patience and years of exchanges with authorities, other users, and detractors. Unfortunately, the work is never finished, and you’ll always face criticism—even from mountain bikers.
There’s also the lesser-known fact that, for a project to be well thought out and come to life, digging doesn’t necessarily take up most of your time. It involves a lot of research, administrative work, meetings, and planning. The good news is that trails built this way are here to stay, and they’ll definitely put a smile on your face every time you ride them.
Photos by Pete Scullion
3 things that would benefit the future of trail building?
Funding: Without money, there’s not much that can be done. Yes, many people contribute their energy, but they need training, tools, and trail signage. From my point of view, the money should primarily come from the regions that benefit from the work, but they’re often the hardest to convince. Brands also have a role to play in supporting the sport and its future, and more of them are starting to get involved in funding.
Education: Trail building is great, but doing it the wrong way can lead to irreversible damage to nature. Although each country or region has its own specificities (soil type, land laws, geography, etc.), most construction and maintenance principles are universal. The DIRTT project has been working on training trainers to bring these principles into the field and share them with as many people as possible. It’s a work in progress, but I’m very proud to be part of it and look forward to organizing my first training course in France soon.
Communication: We can do all the good in the world, but if it isn’t seen, it won’t develop. I always take a camera with me on dig days and send the photos to everyone involved (authorities, landowners, workers, etc.), while also trying to get the local press to share the story. From the perspective of non-mountain bikers, the image of mountain biking isn’t always positive, as it can be perceived as destructive and dangerous. It would be great to change the narrative and highlight the community, the love for nature, and the work that goes into creating and maintaining trails.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Magnus Grönberg
Magnus Grönberg is a senior designer at Kreator Kommunikasjon AS and a freelance photographer, content creator, and graphic designer based in Hemsedal, Norway. He specializes in storytelling through photography and video production, focusing on outdoor brands, events, and athletes. His creative journey began in the 1990s, inspired by skateboarding and snowboarding cultures, and expanded to include graffiti and street art. Beyond his professional work, Magnus is passionate about mountain biking, trail building, off-road motorcycling, and ski touring with his partner and their two Alaskan huskies.
