Volume 1, Issue 1 of Trail Builder Mag Set to Release Next Week
Well, it’s finally here. Issue 1 of Trail Builder Mag is set to be released into the wild next week. It’s been a long time coming. As I’ve shared early on, I have committed to you to be as transparent as possible through the process. Here’s what you can expect in our first issue …
Global in Scope
My goal is to tell the story of trail builders from around the world. Living here in the Pacific Northwest (PNW) in the U.S., there’s enough trail building here alone to provide decades’ worth of content. While our online content can sometimes reflect more PNW content (until we build it up more), I am more intentional about not focusing on the PNW in the print magazine. In our first issue, two stories occur outside the United States. IMBA Europe President Thomas Larsen Schmidt gives us an overview and perspective on trail building in Europe. Every country faces different challenges when it comes to trail building. Juan Francisco Garza Elenes has a fun article that reflects on five years of TranSierra Norte in Oaxaca, Mexico, and how the trails came to be.
Different Perspectives
Out of Bend, Oregon, Travis Reill writes about the tension we all face with unsanctioned trails. Should we ride them? While the trail-building roots in mountain biking are steeped in wildcat trails, Travis explores the ethical dilemma in riding those trails and the impact it has on the relationship between trail-building organizations and land managers.
Even though those of us who live north of the equator have moved into summer, it is winter in the southern hemisphere. Jace Stephens writes about winter fatbiking in the Upper Peninsula in Michigan and what “trail building” looks like for these fatbike trails during the snowy winter. Lastly, I share the results of a preliminary qualitative research project I conducted where I interviewed women volunteer trail builders about the barriers they face and obstacles to overcome to get involved in trail building. It does lean a bit more academic, but the responses from those interviewed are worth reading. It also pains me that we didn’t have any women contributors for the first issue.
Imperfect
I cringed inside when I wrote that. I might’ve audibly sighed as well. Yes, this magazine is far from perfect. As a matter of fact, as soon as we got the shipment of magazines, one of my college-age sons was thumbing through them when he said, “Dad, you know there’s a typo here on this page.” Audible sigh. I squirmed. This past weekend I had the opportunity to attend the Mountain Bike Oregon (MBO) festival in Oakridge/Westir, Oregon (photos and stories are coming soon). During MBO, we’d load up in school buses each morning and head out to ride some fantastic trails. That meant we had an hour or more bus ride to the trailhead. Lots of time for conversations and sharing about the magazine. One of the days, my seat partner was lamenting typos found in books related to her industry when she looked at me and asked, “Do you have a copyeditor for Trail Builder Magazine?” I cleared my throat, “Me.”
I am excited about what we’re building here. Throughout MBO this past weekend, I had countless conversations with people about the magazine. They’re stoked. You’re stoked. I’m stoked. As I’ve shared from the get-go, I’m building this from the ground up, brick by brick. I did an initial print run on this because I have no idea how many we’ll sell. 10? 100? 1,000? But to me, that’s where this is a truly fun adventure. I love creating something from nothing.
Lastly, there is no magazine without you. Your excitement and enthusiasm about the magazine, our online articles, and social media are truly inspiring. I know you care about trail building and all the topics that trails touch. The best news is this … we’re only just getting started.
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.
