I’m excited to release another interview in our Professional Builder Profile Interview series. I’ve heard from many of you who are enjoying this series. Sometimes, it is easy for all of us to have tunnel vision as we’re focused on our projects and in our corner of the world. This interview series is fun because you can see and hear from professional trail builders from around the world who are making it happen and building their businesses and careers in trail building. Our next interview features Zech McCarthy of Far North Trail Co, located on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Without any delay, let’s jump into this!

In the shadows of a thick summer canopy, Dave Stackhouse wraps webbing around a shopping cart-sized boulder on the slopes of Round Top. The crew is clearing vegetation beside the large rock in order to set up a corridor to connect a 3-ton winch to a large tree that will be used to leverage and roll the feature. Excitement is buzzing with the group from CAMBC (Charlottesville Area Mountain Bike Club) as they prepare for the final phase of the newest trail at Heyward Community Forest.

“It’s Big Wednesday, and we are here to roll BIG rocks,” Dave announces.

2023 was a breakout year for our trail-building community. We published our first two print magazines and continued to grow our online content. The Winter 2024 issue is already well on its way to being completed. There’s a lot to celebrate. Here’s what you can expect in 2024 …

“How do you go about flagging a trail?” we were asked over delicious PRBs at Kulshan.

“You figure out where you want the trail to start and where you want it to end, and then you must figure out how to connect the dots in between. So, you hike a line, you hike it again, you drop some flags, you move some flags, you have discussions to voice different points of view, you talk about purpose, you visualize, you ride the line in your mind’s eye, you…” Those are all the concrete ways you flag a trail. But what about the unspoken, unwritten, instinctual, innate, intangible, unexplainable sense that is the true essence of the trail?

I'm the only female on the governing board. Most of the guys on the board with me have ridden road bikes (where I started my bike ventures) over the last couple of decades with me, so I have earned their respect, and they appreciate my guidance and organizational skills. I've been very lucky that I haven't had to deal with too many gender issues with any of them. I bike with them as well, and they always have my back. The gender issues in my experiences usually come from the road bike community and, for some reason, especially in bike shops.

Nature's trails hold a unique allure, inviting us to explore the uncharted, embrace the serene, and find solace in the great outdoors. The flows, drops and climbs we often take for granted are the result of meticulous planning, hard work, and a deep love for both nature and adventure. Trail building is an art that mixes creativity with engineering, and is a journey filled with challenges and moments of pure excitement.

I was blown away by how well-received the first Women's Trail Builder Profile interview was. My inbox has continued to be filled with people wanting to highlight a female trail builder they know. It's super encouraging and shows how stoked people are about getting females into this space. Incredible! Next, I'd like to highlight a very special trail builder. She has one of the most positive and unique perspectives on how she got to where she is with trail building today. She defines being an ally, and it's her mission to make this space as positive as possible. Good vibes only from here on out. Without further ado, here is Alex Showerman. Let's get rippin!

The Pacific Northwest has a legendary reputation in mountain biking lore. There are mountain biking destinations of note dotted throughout the West, such as Moab, Sedona, Whistler, and many more. As a region, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia provide the perfect recipe for trail-building artistry—namely, ample precipitation and pristine dirt for shaping and sculpting berms, table tops, and other features. However, five hours east of Portland, it’s an entirely different world.

Who doesn’t love free stuff? More importantly, who doesn’t love a free hand tool? We’ve partnered with Camelot Tools to do a giveaway. Camelot created the SiteMaster. One of the best parts of the trail building is the community. You get to know the people behind the brands. Camelot has been a huge encouragement to this magazine.

Ok, here’s how to win …

As a new magazine and media outlet, we’re building everything from scratch. That ranges from backend systems to communications to marketing and more. One of the challenges is collecting data. While we can and do extract key bits of data from social media analytics, we wanted to create a survey to get more feedback from you. Why? 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. We want to build something that is not only meaningful and helpful to you but where you get a say as well. Welcome to the results of our first user survey.