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CORBA eTerraTimes for November 2017

eTerraTimes Archive


 

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In this issue...


Building the frist new trail in Sapwi Trails Park in Thousand Oaks during the Annual Conejo Fall Trailwork Day. See story...

Rules of the Trail - Click for details
Proper Trail Etiquette

News from the CORBA Website Blog since the previous eTerraTimes

The Draft Santa Susana Mountains Trails Master Plan and Initial Study/Proposed Mitigated Negative Declaration are available for public review beginning today (November 2, 2017) at http://www. santasusanatrailsplan.org/ Project Location: The SSMTMP-PII area encompasses approximately 24 square mile...
This year we have seen legislation introduced to further protect and enhance our local open spaces and public lands. HR3039, the San Gabriel Mountains Forever Act . Judy Chu introduced this bill in June. The bill would establish two new units of Wilderness within the Angeles National Forest. CORB...
The October 29th, 2017 GGR: Girlz Gone Riding Festival & CORBA membership drives comes to a close. I’d first like to acknowledge and thank all the volunteers that make this 1 day festival happen. Without every single volunteer, this very special festival would not take place. So thank you volunte...
IMBA’s Dig In campaign is live! Our Sapwi Bike Park project is moving forward and you can help make it happen sooner. Sapwi Bike Park will be free to the public, featuring jumps, drops, pump tracks, flow lines, trails, and as much stoke factor as you can have on a bike! We’ve received a generous ...
On Saturday during the Conejo Fall Trailwork Day, a group of 193 volunteers helped build the first trail in Sapwi Trails Park. We completed 0.67 miles, about half of the new trail. Some of it was along a very steep cross-slope so we had to move a lot of dirt to establish the tread. Much of the re...
It was October 10, 2016, that the City of Thousand Oaks approved the Sapwi Trails Community Park master plan , including bike park amenities for which CORBA and the mountain biking community had so enthusiastically advocated. Since that time the Conejo Recreation and Parks Department (CRPD) have ...
This month we had 10 riders on a pleasantly warm day in the park. This month we rode through the creek, which is completely dry, but we did not go down the steps. The Basic Skills Clinic is always held the first Saturday of the month at Malibu Creek State Park . You can see the photos in our Octo...
On September 13, 2017, California State Parks Angeles District Superintendent Craig Sap issued order 915-17-02, closing all trails in the Angeles District to electric bicycles. This includes multi-use trails in Malibu Creek State Park, Topanga State Park, Will Rogers State Park, and Point Mugu St...
This month we had 8 riders including two little tikes on a very hot day in the park. Because of the heat, around 100 F, we skipped some skills and quit about an hour earlier than normal. The Basic Skills Clinic is always held the first Saturday of the month at Malibu Creek State Park . You can se...
The September 2017 edition of CORBA’s bimonthly newsletter, the eTerraTimes , was published today, August 31st. If you don’t get it by email, you can view it online . As always, the eTerraTimes has all the latest news for mountain bikers in the Santa Monica Mountains and surrounding areas. Bookma...

Dig In for Sapwi Bike Park!

IMBA’s Dig In campaign is live!  Our Sapwi Bike Park project is moving forward (see next story) and you can help make it happen sooner. Sapwi Bike Park will be free to the public, featuring jumps, drops, pump tracks, flow lines, trails, and as much stoke factor as you can have on a bike!

We’ve received a generous grant from REI to get us going, but to make this a reality we need to raise much more.

Visit: https://win.imba.com/digin?chapter=223846 and make a donation towards building a new, free community bike park in Thousand Oaks. There are 68 projects to which you can donate, so be sure to choose CORBA’s Sapwi Bike Park.

It doesn’t matter how big or small your donation, every cent counts!

Sapwi Bike Park Update

On October 10, 2016, the City of Thousand Oaks approved the Sapwi Trails Community Park master plan, including bike park amenities for which CORBA and the mountain biking community had so enthusiastically advocated.

Since that time the Conejo Recreation and Parks Department (CRPD) has been moving the project forward. They received grant funding from the Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy, the City of Thousand Oaks and other sources for park facilities such as fencing, parking, playground, and other amenities. CRPD have awarded a construction contract, and work on the larger park facilities has begun.

Earlier this year CORBA formed the Sapwi Committee to oversee the bike park project. The committee have been meeting monthly, discussing the park, refining our vision, and strategizing our best path forward. CORBA received a grant of $15,000 from our friends at REI to get the project underway. We’re putting that seed funding to good use, enlisting the services of professional bike park design firm FlowRide Concepts to do the design. They have designed some of the most fun bike parks in the country and around the world.

Sapwi Trails Community Park will also include up to five miles of multi-use singletrack trails that could host cross country running meets, training rides for high school mountain bikers and cross-country runners, or even cyclocross events. Work on the first section of those trails began on October 21 and see story below. Read the full account on CORBA's Sapwi Trails blog!

Monthly CORBA Meeting at REI in Woodland Hills

Come and join us to learn about current issues and let us know what concerns you! Always open to the public, the CORBA Board of Directors’ meeting is held the 4th Monday of the month in Woodland Hills. REI is kind enough to let us use their meeting room, for which we thank them profusely!

Every month (except December, when we have no meeting), we discuss these topics:

  • Issues of trail access for mountain bikers
  • Mountain bike advocacy and ambassadorship
  • Public involvement
  • The latest news from the land managers, including State Parks and National Park Service
  • Trail building and restoration
  • Furthering woman’s mountain biking
  • Bike parks and other dedicated mountain bike facilities or trails
  • Education and etiquette
  • Anything brought forward by members of the public

The meetings are 6 – 8 pm at the REI in Woodland Hills (Google Map and Directions):

6220 Topanga Canyon Blvd
Woodland Hills, CA 91367
P: (818) 703-5300

We look forward to seeing you there!


Recreational Rides


    A recent Beginners' Ride had 16 participants. Would you like to join us too?

For a list of upcoming recreational rides, please visit the CORBA Calendar.

CORBA’s Club Rides calendar provides a full monthly schedule of mountain bike rides for all skill levels. Mountain bike rides are organized by CORBA member clubs and led by experienced and knowledgeable guides. Recreational rides are a fun and social way to experience a variety of trails in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, and beyond.


Upcoming Trail Restoration and Reports on Past Workdays

For many years, most trail upkeep has been done by volunteers because of budget cutbacks at our parks systems. So come out and help CORBA and other volunteers keep our trails in top riding shape! You can learn more about what to expect and what you'll need to bring with you on our Trailwork web page.

A number of companies and volunteer organizations have asked us if they could do trailwork as a team building exercise, or just to give back to the community. We are happy to work with such groups - shoot us an enquiry at trailwork@corbamtb.com for more information!

For CORBA workdays, we provide lunch for participants after we're finished. Please register in advance to help us prepare by knowing how many volunteers to expect.

Parents/guardians are responsible for minors at all times, and they must constantly and directly supervise children under 14. Children must be over 7-years old to attend. Please leave your four-legged friends at home!

Saturday, November 11: Crags Road Trail Restoration in Malibu Creek State Park. The winter rains have taken their toll on this technical section on the way to the M*A*S*H site, also known as the 'Creek of Doom.' Please register online so we'll know how many people to expect. Full details are also available on the registration page.

Summary of Recent Trailwork

Conejo Annual Fall Trailwork Day, October 21. On Saturday during the Conejo Fall Trailwork Day, a group of 193 volunteers helped build the first trail in Sapwi Trails Park. We completed 0.67 miles, about half of the new trail. Some of it was along a very steep cross-slope so we had to move a lot of dirt to establish the tread. Much of the rest of the trail was across a gentle cross-slope, so it can be traversed even if it hasn’t been finished. You can see photos of some of the work that was done in our photo gallery, as well as pictures of the lunch and muk-a-muks who turned out to celebrate the COSCA's 40th anniversary.

To see all trailwork dates, including those of other groups, visit the CORBA calendar.

Join our mailing list to get updates on trailwork opportunities!
Send an email to Trailwork-Volunteers+subscribe@corbamtb.com


General News

E-MTBs Prohibited from Malibu Creek, Point Mugu and Will Rogers State Parks

On September 13, 2017, California State Parks Angeles District Superintendent Craig Sap issued order 915-17-02, closing all trails in the Angeles District to electric bicycles. This includes multi-use trails in Malibu Creek State Park, Topanga State Park, Will Rogers State Park, and Point Mugu State Park.

Electric mountain bikes are already prohibited from Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority and National Park Service trails. Some trails and many popular bike routes in the Santa Monicas cross more than one of these jurisdictions. This had led to confusion as to where e-MTBs were allowed. Sap’s order states that consistency with neighboring jurisdictions is part of the justification used.

To see the rest of the article, visit CORBA's blog post on it. Editor's note: This blog has generated more comments that probably any other blog we've posted. They all seem to be in support of eBikes. Take a look at them and join the conversation!

GGR's 2017 Rocktober Festival & CORBA Membership Drive

The 7th Girlz Gone Riding Festival and CORBA membership drive was held October 29th at Castaic Lake. Each GGR chapter partners up with their respective IMBA chapter. CORBA is our LA chapter partner. Steve Messer, President of CORBA, spoke about what exactly CORBA does for our community. I'm proud to say that by the end of the day we had another 43 women sign up or renew for their memberships to CORBA. THANK YOU!

Riders were staged for their guided rides by ride level. Black Diamond, Blue and Greeneies. Each ride had their respective ride leaders, sweepers and floaters. Off they went for the next few hours of riding. The skills clinics rotated between 3 stations and focused on everything from bike set up, to bike/body separation to cornering and more. When riders started heading back from their rides, they had smiley, dusty faces and were enjoying the vendors at the expo.

Every year GGR gives out a community award to the bike shop that shows community love and involvement. This year's award was given to All Pro Bicycles in Simi Valley. Headed up by wonder woman/endurance shredder herself Gina Virzi-Kelly. Thanks to all the individual volunteers, vendors and other organizations that make this 1 day festival happen. Without every single one of them, this very special festival would not take place. So thank you volunteers!

To see more about the GGR Roctober Festival and many pictures, visit Wendy's summary on CORBA's blog.


Free Mountain Biking Skills Clinic

Saturday November 4th is the next skills clinic.

The CORBA free skills clinic is held on the first Saturday of every month at Malibu Creek State Park.

Mountain biking is a lot like tennis or skiing. Just a few minor adjustments in technique can make a huge difference in your control and proficiency. If you want to get better faster, you need to know the fundamentals of mountain biking technique. Whether you're just  getting into mountain biking or have been riding for years, you'll learn some valuable tips from our Introduction to Mountain Biking  skills class that is offered each month. Check out our Skills Clinic web page for all the information. After the clinic, see photos of your new skills on the CORBA web site that you can share with your family and friends!


Follow CORBA on Meetup, Twitter and Facebook

We have set up accounts with Twitter and Facebook to help keep people informed of the latest developments in our trail advocacy, recreational rides and trailwork days. Join our events on Meetup meetup.com/CORBAmtb and follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/CORBAmtb and Facebook at facebook.com/CORBAMTB.

Get Our Blog Articles Delivered to Your Desktop

Have you ever wished you could get our blog articles without having to check the CORBA website every day to see if there’s anything new? Well, you can! Even though our blog software won’t send articles by email, you can still get them delivered to the inbox of most email readers like Microsoft Outlook. You use the “RSS feed” functionality for this. In fact, you can read our articles in any software that receives RSS feeds, such as Internet Explorer and other web browsers. This blog article on RSS feeds shows you how.


Support CORBA

Join or Renew your membership today on our membership web page.

Join Our Team! Do you have any ideas about mountain biking recreation in the L.A. region? Would you like to apply your skills and manage projects that contribute to the sport and lifestyle that you love? Is there an advocate in you? We are recruiting motivated individuals who work well with others. Send an email to info@corbamtb.com or come to a monthly Members Meeting to find out more about what we do and how you can help. Check the calendar for the next meeting.

Another simple way to support CORBA

  • Amazon.com: Buy online and Amazon will donate to CORBA through their Smile program

(Click on the links above to get more details!)


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Please do not reply to this email as the corbanews mailbox is not monitored by people. To contact CORBA, email to info@corbamtb.com or visit our 'Contact Us' page for other addresses.


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