Mountain Bike Trail Ethics
As a mountain biker and an environmentalist I walk a thin ethical line. As a card carrying tree-hugger I fight wilderness destruction, despise deforestation and deplore those that abuse the natural world for their own gain. But as a mountain biker, I love to ride trails deep into the mountains. Though minimal, those same mountain bike trails are a form of development. They bring people into the backcountry and by the human presence cause an affect on the natural landscape. While it is easy for a non biker or a non hiker to cast all trail builders with the same destructive view – but as an enthusiast, it’s not that easy. I’ve built trails, I’ve bolted sport climbs, I’ve signed petitions to halt logging and I’ve voted for the environment in the polling booth. I’m Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde all at once.
So how do I sleep at night? I guess I look at it in a purely mathematical way. I do more good then harm. I encourage others to get into the wilderness with the hope that they will gain an appreciation of it and stand firm to protect it. It’s a compromise a tradeoff that I can live with – but it is a decision worth re-evaluating from time to time. The genesis of this blog comes from this trailer I came across today – this looks like a really interesting mountain bike film – beyond the usual Red Bull shotgunning and overuse of the words; dude, rad, sick and other colloquial jibes that do little to convince the viewer that these riders have in fact graduated from primary school. Have a look, have a think and enjoy.
If you can’t see the video, click HERE to go straight to the source.
We have an pretty good situation here in Northern Ontario where every square inch of Crown (public) land has been earmarked for forestry. Asking permission just doesn’t work, but if you just build it anyway the provincial government and the logging companies are quite willing to preserve the area, as long as you get involved early enough in the land-use planning process.
They’re quite eager to avoid looking bad in the press.
Now, as logging is encroaching closer to people’s home and cottages, having mountain bike trails is an effective strategy to fend off forestry. It’s just too bad no one wants to help build the damn things.
It’s a tough one because I have a soft spot for bikers – even down-hillers, but I reckon those guys have stepped across that thin ethical line you’re talking about.
OK so lets sum up the situation, as I understand it: they’ve had an idea and it seemed like a pretty good one, but the elected bureaucracy didn’t agree and said no. So they do it anyway. Power to the people. Great stuff, right. Well, I’m not so sure it is
You see, if you think about in terms of ‘universalisability’ – that is what if everyone in a similar situation was to do the same thing then it doesn’t look quite so heroic: you’re average bit of public land would have fishermen building rickety cabins wherever seemed convenient; hunters shooting whatever they wanted, whenever and wherever it happened to be; shanty towns filed with naked dancing hippies and girl scouts building campfires and singing kum-ba-yah wherever they damn well liked. It’d be carnage.
Pretty soon the wilderness value that brought the various people there would be trashed. Everybody looses – a bit like Vegas.
So, to stop that happening we have people like the forestry service that have the unenviable job of balancing everyone’s needs to come up with an arrangement that works reasonably well for all. It’s not going to keep everyone happy all the time, but at least it’s reasonably fair (some would say equally unfair to all).
If that system doesn’t work then fix it. Go above it. Go to the media. Lobby your local politicians… but I think sneaking underneath the system by stealth trail building is just asking to get the general public and other wilderness users offside. And that’s not going to do the sport any favours in the long run.
Sheesh. Kids these days, eh.
good comments guys – very good comments. i’ll revisit this one soon and add you points to the fray….
cheers
S
I know someone who complained to the Forest Service who said they had one Ranger for hundreds of miles and they couldn’t stop it.
So he stopped the next two mountain bikers he met, had them get off their bikes, and he walked them 3 miles to the road. They didn’t like it one bit, but decided it would be wise to not push the issue. He told them not to come back. I never see bike tracks there now.