As snow continues to melt higher up in the mountains over the past few months, bike parks have begun opening one by one. That included the Timberline Bike Park this past weekend that sits perched on the side of Mt Hood here in Oregon. Since I missed opening day last year, I knew I had to be there this year.

Mountain biking in Europe is booming; there are huge good initiatives. But, similar to any other project or initiative in the USA, we must deal with regulations and rules across different countries. It is tough to find a common standard to work with. Things are progressing well, but slowly and with tons of bureaucracy involved and lots of opposition from authorities that don’t understand the treasure they have in their forests in the form of trails.

I’m excited to announce and share that Volume 1, Issue 1 of Trail Builder Mag is now available for purchase. First of all, thank you for following along and sharing your continual support with us. As with any startup, it’s risky. Add to that the volatility of the print magazine world, and it’s even crazier. While it may seem crazy to launch a print magazine during this time, I couldn’t be more excited. We also worked hard to keep our costs and overhead at a bare minimum.

It must’ve been obvious when I walked into the store in Oakridge (Oregon) that I was not a local. After exchanging a few pleasantries with the clerk behind the counter, he asked me, “So you’re in town for the festival?” How did he know? How did he know I was visiting from Portland to attend Mountain Bike Oregon (MBO)? Do I look like a mountain biker? What does a mountain biker even look like? However, in a small town, you can easily tell who’s a local, a visitor, or someone passing through.

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 …

We’ve now moved into full-on bike park mode in the Northern Hemisphere. However, there are still quite a few bike parks blanketed under snow. This is the time of year we all long for. More sun, warmer temperatures, and the ability to spend more time on our bikes. It’s also a reminder that whenever we go out on the trail, someone created, shaped, and then maintains them. That usually means it was either built by a professional trail crew, a group of volunteers, or a combination of both. This is a perfect time to continue our Professional Builder Profile interview series.

When it comes to trail building and preferred beverages, there are only two options … (1) coffee before trail building and (2) beer after trail building. Who doesn’t love a hot cup of coffee on a cold, damp morning before heading into the woods for a day of digging? We got you covered. In fact, we’re giving away a 5-pound bag of our Trail Builder Blend coffee to YOU! Whether you’re a professional trail builder or lead a group of volunteer trail builders, here’s how to win a big bag of coffee.

To talk or write about trails means there is a never-ending supply of content. Trails touch so many topics, from trail building itself, to tools and machinery, to policy and advocacy, to non-profit and for-profit trail building organizations and companies, to economic development, and so much more. I’ve repeated that last sentence to others more than I can count over the previous few weeks and months. While everything I just wrote (and said) is true, that is only the tip of the iceberg regarding trails. I’ve been reflecting on the power of trails to create community and bring people together.

This past weekend Black Rock Mountain Bike Association hosted an open house and fundraiser at the Black Rock Mountain Bike Area that featured well-known brands such as Chris King, SRAM, Transition Bikes, and more. Since it’s only an hour and a half drive from Portland, I decided to head down for the day to check it out. It’s my goal this summer to hit up as much as I can locally and regionally. In the world of mountain biking and trail building, there’s a never-ending supply of content here in the Pacific Northwest.

This past Saturday, the Evergreen Mountain Bike Alliance hosted Shovel & Shred. What is Shovel & Shred? “Women and femme-identifying folks are invited to dig alongside Evergreen trail builders and Red Bull Athletes for a day of bringing together the MTB community. To put it simply: we will dig, ride and chill.” The folks at Evergreen invited Trail Builder Mag to participate this year, and I’m glad we did. It was truly an event for the ages. So what happened to make this a spectacular day?