Jump to content

Trail ratings and skill levels


Samurai Pizza Cat

Recommended Posts

Posted

I see a business opportunity.

 

Start a company that spends some time overseas thoroughly understanding the difference between the trail ratings.

 

Come back here.

 

Assist local trail builders in grading the trails and possibly even design work to ensure a safe but standardised approach to the trail rating.

 

You wont make millions, but by george, you'd have heaps of fun.

 

hmmmmm......anyone want to partner up?

Are you willing to sponsor a start up?

The flight for now, i like to start with Whistler. :whistling:

 

 

Sorry..... just joking. :w00t: But it is an idea.

  • Replies 108
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Posted

Are you willing to sponsor a start up?

The flight for now, i like to start with Whistler. :whistling:

 

 

Sorry..... just joking. :w00t: But it is an idea.

Gees...any flights to whistler would have my name on the boarding pass....

 

But ill register the business, employ someone and send them on an all expenses paid trip to hakhana.

Posted

Gees...any flights to whistler would have my name on the boarding pass....

 

But ill register the business, employ someone and send them on an all expenses paid trip to hakhana.

 

Or we can lobby for a new law that states: " From here on going forward, only Hylton Turvey and Bennet Nel are allowed to build and grade trails in the RSA."  :thumbup:

 

But seriously, I understand that not all land owners have the capital to pay for the services provided by pro trail builders, but if you are going to spend the money, why not at least download the IMBA manual? Only 40 USD...nothing compared to the cost of cutting 1km of track.

 

Here it is: https://www.imba.com/catalog/book-trail-solutions

Posted

I have no idea how trail rating works..when I do get to actual trails, I just close my eyes and wing it and hope for the best..

The IMBA trail grading in ascending order of difficulty: white circle, green circle, blue square, black diamond and double black diamond. The IMBA website gives a detailed explanation of what each color is but essentially it's a mix of trail width, gradient and natural features along with any man made alterations.
Posted

Here's the Reader's Digest version of the OP:

 

Trails should be rated according to the IMBA standard.

The distance a trail covers does not affect its IMBA rating.

Graded trails should be given names with which trails of different lengths/distances can be identified. 

 Brilliant! 

 

If I just stated that, I would have had the energy to write what I actually wanted to say:

 

We need more progressive trails in Gauteng. If we have more trail centres that offer us the opportunity to progress from green to black, our trails in general would improve immensely. The focus (of most of our Trail Centers) are too much on the fitness aspect of our sport and too little on skills development. If the trails are graded correctly, it will go some way to create a demand for more technically challenging trails. And I am not talking about the rocky sections at Rietvlei and Groenkloof. Those sections can be ridden by fairly inexperienced riders on a hardtail. Riders with years of experience still shy away from small drops and jumps, and if that doesn't change, our trails will still be dumbed down to please the masses.

Posted

 

.....  our trails will still be dumbed down to please the masses.

The masses must be pleased, to make some money, to maintain the trails.

 

But i get your point.

Think is .... the one that wants to ride the "fun staff" knows the right place.

Without the need of proper grading?

Posted

I think it's still Gauteng???

 

Hakahana is definitely excluded from this discussion, but I've never really noticed the colors of the the trails I've been riding...I just pedal to the fun sections and try not to hurt myself. (Are the trails graded by color?)

 

If we had more trails like Hakahana I wouldn't have started this topic in the first place. Trying to find "fun" trails in and around Joburg is getting to be a problem. Hakahana is quite a drive, and you can only ride the Spruit so many times in one week.

 

Wolwespruit is pretty cool, but once again, the black section is more like a tech blue, maybe red. The jump line is fantastic.

Hakahana is most definitely rated by colour.

 

Funniest thing was Johan (owner/ trailbuilder) recommending and urging us weekend warriors to go ride the newly-built black section (rinkhals)...

 

So my mate asks him: "Ermmm, why is your arm in a sling....???"

 

Johan looks him straight in the eye and says not to worry, he fell off while trying to ramp something on the (easier, less technical) RED route....

 

:clap:  :clap: :clap:  

Posted

Or we can lobby for a new law that states: " From here on going forward, only Hylton Turvey and Bennet Nel are allowed to build and grade trails in the RSA." [emoji106]

 

But seriously, I understand that not all land owners have the capital to pay for the services provided by pro trail builders, but if you are going to spend the money, why not at least download the IMBA manual? Only 40 USD...nothing compared to the cost of cutting 1km of track.

 

Here it is: https://www.imba.com/catalog/book-trail-solutions

A definite must have resource for anyone building trails whether land owner or not.
Posted

I believe the  differences is in the "trail builders mind", if there would be just only 1institution that has the right to "Grade Trails", than there would be something uniform.

All the trails would be rated correctly, and the trail builder just gives each a name.

 

 

I see a business opportunity.

 

Start a company that spends some time overseas thoroughly understanding the difference between the trail ratings.

 

Come back here.

 

Assist local trail builders in grading the trails and possibly even design work to ensure a safe but standardised approach to the trail rating.

 

You wont make millions, but by george, you'd have heaps of fun.

 

hmmmmm......anyone want to partner up?

There already is one such company, and they are affiliated with IMBA and offer grading and liability coverage. It's AMARider. AKA Meurant Botha. 

 

They essentially offer professional indemnity coverage through what I think is an umbrella-based insurance scheme, which comes with being affiliated with the IMBA. The IMBA booklet and manual goes to EXTENSIVE length to detail what features would constitute a blue / red / black / green trail rating, and there as long as all features are at a certain level or below, on that trail, it can be categorized as such. 

Posted

There already is one such company, and they are affiliated with IMBA and offer grading and liability coverage. It's AMARider. AKA Meurant Botha. 

 

They essentially offer professional indemnity coverage through what I think is an umbrella-based insurance scheme, which comes with being affiliated with the IMBA. The IMBA booklet and manual goes to EXTENSIVE length to detail what features would constitute a blue / red / black / green trail rating, and there as long as all features are at a certain level or below, on that trail, it can be categorized as such. 

It is on a basis off "free will".

There is a need of a regulation, that clearly states, you are not allowed the open any kind of "Bike Park" without been approved and graded?

Posted

The masses must be pleased, to make some money, to maintain the trails.

 

But i get your point.

Think is .... the one that wants to ride the "fun staff" knows the right place.

Without the need of proper grading?

True, but I've seen 65 year old ladies in Howick with better bike handling skills than 95% of the riders that frequent our trails here in GP... It's all about access. If your local trails gives you the opportunity to progress your skills, your skills will progress. If your local trails are all about fitness, chances are that you will get fit. ( And chances are you'll buy a Spez SWORKS Epic to go with your skin suit.) 

 

And we can mission every weekend to go and find the "fun stuff", but would it not be great if most of our local trails have more features? 

Posted

It is on a basis off "free will".

There is a need of a regulation, that clearly states, you are not allowed the open any kind of "Bike Park" without been approved and graded?

Not my area of expertise - Deon knows more. AFAIK in order to be covered by professional indemnity insurance you should have all your ducks in a row, and that means properly graded, signposted and well looked after trail. That means IMBA standards, properly applied. 

 

It is a free will thing on the part of the trail centre, but it should also be a requirement, IMO. 

Posted

There already is one such company, and they are affiliated with IMBA and offer grading and liability coverage. It's AMARider. AKA Meurant Botha.

 

They essentially offer professional indemnity coverage through what I think is an umbrella-based insurance scheme, which comes with being affiliated with the IMBA. The IMBA booklet and manual goes to EXTENSIVE length to detail what features would constitute a blue / red / black / green trail rating, and there as long as all features are at a certain level or below, on that trail, it can be categorized as such.

Red? I didn't see IMBA mention red as a grading option on their website but if it's in the manual then yeah ok I guess.

 

How would you rate Black Hill's jump and flow lines? For me the Jump line is a classic black diamond with some double black diamond features, whereas the Flow line would be a mixture of green and blue.

Posted

Red? I didn't see IMBA mention red as a grading option on their website but if it's in the manual then yeah ok I guess.

 

How would you rate Black Hill's jump and flow lines? For me the Jump line is a classic black diamond with some double black diamond features, whereas the Flow line would be a mixture of green and blue.

 

I haven't checked the IMBA website, but in France there is definitely a "red" grading between blue and black. The red tracks in the PDP are more like our black trails and have secondary lines around most major features (ie GAP jumps and 1m+ drops). The black trails have no option lines. If you cannot ride the features you should not be on the trail. 

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

Settings My Forum Content My Followed Content Forum Settings Ad Messages My Ads My Favourites My Saved Alerts My Pay Deals Help Logout