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Hikers/trail runners on MTB specific single tracks


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Posted (edited)

I was at Tokai MTB this weekend and about 5 seconds before dropping in to Cobra (Black trail), two trail runners came running up the trail. Now, I'm not one to faf and behave like a Karen, but if my buddy and I dropped into that trail and collided with these trail runners, it would have been a VERY bad situation with some serious injuries taking into account how gnarly, with lots of blind spots and close to the edge of the mountain the trail is. This isn't the first time as well. A few months back we were dropping into DH0 and there were hikers descending the trail as well. 

Has anyone else had this problem before? It seems these trail runners are coming from Silvermine side and not through the Tokai MTB gates. Of course we can share the mountain but the MTB specific trails are a big no no. It needs to be stopped before someone gets seriously hurt. 

Edited by FA
Posted

Inform Tokai MTB. I know it is an eternal battle for them, but they do  engage with the trailrunner groups regularly to try and solve this issue through preventing it. If their bakkie and patrols are on the mountain, they might just intervene there and then for safety reasons?

On an aside, they also engage with the horse riding groups who constantly have to deal with mountain bikers riding the horse-only trails and sometimes endangering horses and riders.

Posted

It will never end, just as you need to be vigilant for other drivers on the roads always expect the worst from people, it's only going to keep you safe. 

 

Come up with what ever solution you think is best, 20% of the runners won't bother and will continue to do as they please. 

Posted
10 minutes ago, stefmeister said:

My favourite is when these twats are yogging with their headphones on and look all dumbfounded when you meet them on the trail. 
Don’t ruin others’ fun just because you’re too poor to ride a bicycle. 

I've come across ear phone wearing cyclists with the same reaction. As well as cyclists riding illegally on hiking paths.

The common denominator is people, not what sport they are doing. 

People. Cyclists, dog walkers, runners, hikers..... All will have a tale to tell damning one or all of the other. 

Such a divided, hateful species

Posted

I almost took out a mother and daughter while descending Majik Forest once, and on another ride I was ascending Dorstberg at Meerendal and came upon some folks hiking up the single track descent. I warned them of their folly, instructing them to heed the wisdom of walking up the jeep track instead. (for those who are not familiar, the jeep track winds up the hill no more than 10 meters from the single track). So these folks decided to ignore me and continued on their way, until less than 2 minutes later I witnessed the inevitable head on collision when they got ploughed into by a group of descending riders at speed. Luckily the riders got no injuries. Same could not be said for the other idjits. I did not stop to help.

 

Posted

Idiots on our trails!

Idiots on our roads!

Idiots walking their dogs!

Other Idiots riding bikes that don't suit us!

Eventually the pattern just becomes so ironic it loses traction. We ARE the idiots..... 

Those people definitely don't belong on the Cobra. End of story.

Anecdotal experience and glee at seeing people injured just highlights how dysfunctional and full of hate we as a people are. 

It is so so so sad.

Posted

I think what concerns me most is where OP encountered the trail runners

Its not some Jeep track or blue track if its happening on DH0 and Cobra (or any black trail at Tokai) the consequences can be serious for all parties.

Runners on Jeep tracks at Tokai is not an issue but runners running up a tech trail with lots of blind corners and obstacles is asking for trouble. Someone is bound to end up in Hospital.

 

Posted
1 hour ago, Jewbacca said:

I've come across ear phone wearing cyclists with the same reaction. As well as cyclists riding illegally on hiking paths.

The common denominator is people, not what sport they are doing. 

People. Cyclists, dog walkers, runners, hikers..... All will have a tale to tell damning one or all of the other. 

Such a divided, hateful species

My inner curmudgeon resonates deeply with your misanthropy. Let's not get together and hate on one another! 

Posted
1 hour ago, Jewbacca said:

Idiots on our trails!

Idiots on our roads!

Idiots walking their dogs!

Other Idiots riding bikes that don't suit us!

Eventually the pattern just becomes so ironic it loses traction. We ARE the idiots..... 

Those people definitely don't belong on the Cobra. End of story.

Anecdotal experience and glee at seeing people injured just highlights how dysfunctional and full of hate we as a people are. 

It is so so so sad.

100%! The irony of hating on people/isolating people/othering people is what got us into this mess in the first place seems lost on too many people...

Posted
11 hours ago, FA said:

I was at Tokai MTB this weekend and about 5 seconds before dropping in to Cobra (Black trail), two trail runners came running up the trail. Now, I'm not one to faf and behave like a Karen, but if my buddy and I dropped into that trail and collided with these trail runners, it would have been a VERY bad situation with some serious injuries taking into account how gnarly, with lots of blind spots and close to the edge of the mountain the trail is. This isn't the first time as well. A few months back we were dropping into DH0 and there were hikers descending the trail as well. 

Has anyone else had this problem before? It seems these trail runners are coming from Silvermine side and not through the Tokai MTB gates. Of course we can share the mountain but the MTB specific trails are a big no no. It needs to be stopped before someone gets seriously hurt. 

This is an ongoing problem. Even though the trails are marked, you will still get runners running up or down the trails ( snakes, bridal, DH lines, all of them). Tokai MTB is aware but in their defence it is hard for them to police it. Take photos next time and post it on tokaimtb facebook page. I have no patience with this type of behaviour from trail runners. I could go cycle trails near to my house, but then I must contend with hikers and runners. I go to tokai to avoid that.

Maybe some of the trails behind the chain gates can be turned into running trails. If its a possibility. 

Posted
11 hours ago, FA said:

I was at Tokai MTB this weekend and about 5 seconds before dropping in to Cobra (Black trail), two trail runners came running up the trail. Now, I'm not one to faf and behave like a Karen, but if my buddy and I dropped into that trail and collided with these trail runners, it would have been a VERY bad situation with some serious injuries taking into account how gnarly, with lots of blind spots and close to the edge of the mountain the trail is. This isn't the first time as well. A few months back we were dropping into DH0 and there were hikers descending the trail as well. 

Has anyone else had this problem before? It seems these trail runners are coming from Silvermine side and not through the Tokai MTB gates. Of course we can share the mountain but the MTB specific trails are a big no no. It needs to be stopped before someone gets seriously hurt. 

always an accident waiting to happen, this is not cool (and i do both sports)

I'm not sure if there still is a Trail and Tar running group in tokai, since the pandemic and the shop got replaced by gear change, but they were the source of many of the initial trailrun vs bike issues (by leading running groups through the mtb trails). My suggestion is to leave it to Tokai mtb central, maybe go find the people on strava - if they're part of a group then contact the organisers.

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