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Eichler Bike Park Rebuild Day #4

jasonvh — Mon, 18 Jul 2011 22:30:56 +0000

An update from Portland from Raul Atencio, on the Eichler Bike Park Rebuild: ”Here are some pics from Eichler Build Day # 4. A couple more build days and this park will be 100% rideable.

Bike Park Construction in progress. Photo: Brian Bieger

This was Saturday 25th; this time we had a mini-excavator and we had about 18 volunteers from 9:00 to 5:00, we had a nice BBQ with some hot dogs and sodas for the volunteers. Several parents and kids from the community came out and helped, and some of the little rippers were already loving the place.

So far we have done 3 big tables with expert and intermediate lines, a starting mound, one double roller, one step up roller, and one berm. It’s looking really good- looking forward to have this park ready for opening by the end of July.”

It looks like they could use a lot more dirt! Anyone got a lead on some good clay?

Photos Courtesy of Brian Bieger

Eichler Bike Park Rebuild: Day 2

jasonvh — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 14:45:56 +0000

Things are seriously moving along with the Eichler Bike Park Project. If you haven’t been following the story of the Eichler Park Jumps, click here for a recap. It’s been pretty exciting to see progress on this site finally happening, with a legit Bobcat on site moving earth.

It was just over a year ago when we posted an article on the dilapidated BMX Park spotted in Beaverton, Oregon. (A suburb of Portland, we actually rediscovered it taking a test drive while car shopping nearby) We were going stir crazy while living in Portland about the lack of local riding spots, and spent a lot of time riding around scouting for a spot where the barriers to getting something legal to happen were the lowest. We found sweet secret and shuttle friendly trails, (albeit on private property) a few secret dirt jump spots created for pro level riding, and more. However, none of this stuff was sustainable, and none of them were spots that were likely to be around for long. Several were in danger of being dozed at the time as well. This location was different, as it already was technically a public BMX park. It just needed a serious reboot.

Shaping the starting mound.

It is amazing to see how a simple blog post could be a catalyst and generate so much energy from the riding community. In an area where all the riders share the same frustration with local riding opportunities, momentum quickly built, and all the key players were able to leverage their contacts to make progress in record time. Park officials were open to the idea that the area would get more use and be a bigger assets to the community as well. Times being what they are, they were ready to offer the go ahead with the right partners, but lacked funding to participate directly. This is where the local advocacy group, the Northwest Trail Alliance stepped in to make things happen.

A lot of mountain bikers I know could care less about the advocacy work groups like the NWTA do. However, without the backing and full support of the NWTA, (thanks Joe and Tom- they really were the ones that made this project happen) a legitimate non-profit organization complete with insurance, this project wouldn’t have moved forward. The timing couldn’t be better either. Many gravity/DH/FR members were unhappy about their lack of representation in the groups overall efforts, and it resulted in the timely formation of a FR-specific gravity committee to focus on efforts in creating opportunities for this style of riding. With a project ready to go, riders hungry for the opportunity seized it, and once the insurance issues were worked out, an MOU (memorandum of understanding) with parks was signed, making the NWTA a steward of the park, and officially green lighting the project.

Put it over.. there.

This project really demonstrates the get-’er-done ability of a tightly knit riding (freeriding) community, something that Portland has in spades. (I just wish the Bay Area freeride community was as strong- we’d have a lot more legal stuff to ride already) All we did was point out the opportunity, and the riders grabbed the ball, and have made it happen.

If you’ve never worked towards getting a new trail built, or legal dirt jumps, a year to get something from a dream to in the ground is amazing. Most often, the kids that ask for the parks have grown up and moved away by the time progress has been made. (in our case, we moved back to the Bay Area for financial reasons, and can only report on the progress remotely) As we’ve been discovering, getting a bike park built is only half the fight. Having permission and motivation to keep it maintained is just as important.

Moving earth.

Enough already with the backstory, and on to the build report from Raul:

Jason- We had over 20 volunteers thru out the day. We worked from 9:00am to 4:00pm, and the park is coming along great. The next big build day will be June 11th.

Here are some pics !!!!! Also Tim Zimmerman took pictures all day.

Raul D. Atencio

NWTA Gravity Group

Shovels at work

Big thanks go out to Tim Zimmerman for documenting the work of the volunteers and lending the use of his images for this story. Enjoy the gallery.

Eichler Bike Park Update: It’s on!

jasonvh — Thu, 26 May 2011 05:11:48 +0000

Eichler BMX Park in Beaverton, Oregon, was just a couple of mounds of dirt a year ago. That is all about to change. Raul Atencio of the Northwest Trail Alliance has officially taken over my spot as the guy who’s in charge of the Eichler BMX Park project in Beaverton, Oregon. (a suburb of Portland) The exciting part: not only do they have the green light for rebuilding the park, they’re now moving dirt. Raul reports in from Portland:

Last Saturday the 21st, Mike Hogan and myself were at the park with a bobcat for 8 hours moving dirt around, and doing alot of prep-work. We’re going to be able to push the berm and starting mound about 5 feet back, making the overall foot print of the jumps bigger.The starting mound (street side) is going to have two levels and a berm. The main jump line will be 3 table tops with intermediate and advanced lines, a back berm with two lines, and two lines 3 to 4 jump/rollers to come back around. We got about 150 cubic yards of dirt delivered, it was great.

I am filming a time lapse of the build process I will have and edit at the end of the project.

At this moment we are looking like crazy for donations, if you know anybody that maybe be interested let me know – so far we have money from Goods BMX & Start Rentals is giving us a deal of the bobcat, but we need more.

This coming Saturday the 28th, we have the first volunteer day, we’ll see how its goes- I will send some pics, and info next week.

Next volunteer build day will be Saturday June 11th, this should be the closing of the project if everything goes as plan.

The rebuild has finally started for the Eichler Park Project.

You can help with the project online at the NWTA website online at:

http://nw-trail.org/donate, tell them to note that’s its for Eichler Bike Park Project.

You can also get more info by posting on the NWTA Facebook page.

All info and photos are courtesy of Raul Atencio. On a side note, this post is so full of awesome, I think I have something in my eye.

This shot can officially serve as the "before" shot. Stay tuned...

A bike park project that failed— what happened to the Ashland BMX Park?

jasonvh — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 18:24:46 +0000

Ashland, Oregon is known best in mountain biking circles for the riding in the water shed on you guessed it- Mt. Ashland. Its now the site of a Super D race that is growing in popularity every year. The Rogue Valley has a variety of other trail options as well, making the area a great place to be for off road adventures. There are even a number of bike friendly concrete parks, as well as a BMX track, located just several exits up the freeway. Add to that all the additional recreational options like ORV areas and skiing/ snowboarding in the winter, and the local rider has a pretty full plate year-round.

We can only imagine that this is the main reason for their neglected bicycle skills park. According to the original site, things first started moving in 1997, when local riders lobbied the city of Ashland for a sanctioned space to have to ride. It wasn’t until the last part of 2004 that the permanent site was established, following the construction of the water treatment plant. I personally recall days spent digging and riding in the previous site with my brother and a nearby lot that was apparently an official temporary jump park site.

Riders shaping the faces during the construction in 2005. Photo: Alex

Eventually – almost 7 years later, the city finally gave the thumbs up to go ahead with the project. Unfortunately, many of the original riders that had lobbied for the park had moved on, and out of the area. Like others, my time in Southern Oregon came and went, and by the time construction had begun, I was already a Bay Area resident.

Sadly, rider support fell apart at this critical time. Whether it was a conflict of personalities, or lack of a clear design and plan for the park layout, only half of the dirt placed at the site (upwards of 80 dump truck loads or more) was moved and shaped enough to be ridable. However, a small group of riders continued working on the project, establishing a website complete with a timeline a documented history of the efforts made to create the park. Like the park, the site is still available for viewing. (AshlandJumpPark.org)

The second half of the jump park, which was never completed, taken November of 2009

Inga rolls through the beginner table top line while an epic sunset lights the background. (photo taken November 2008.)

Several years later, the park still remains only half completed. Numerous reasons have been cited by local riders on why this is, with the close proximity to the local sewage treatment plant and the resulting odor being number one. According to Clifford with the Southern Oregon Freeride Association, the main reasons their group don’t have anything to do with the park are as follows:

The city pretty much gave us land they knew nobody wanted, and no shade. I think people’s interest would be piqued with good dirt, a water source, shade, and location location location… My 2 cents.

Airing the jump line. Photo taken November 2008.

This may possibly change now that Mr. Roberts, one of the initial parties has joined the group as a board member. Many of the locals also complain of the dirt provided, much of which was left over from other city construction projects. 75% decomposed granite / 20% clay / 5% rock, the dirt is definitely not crash friendly. That said, we’ve seen dirt jump parks in other areas, especially the southwest, where the local dirt jump scene is thriving, with the same soil mix.

The pump track area before a build session. Shot November 2009.

We stop in on the site from time to time to see if any progress has been made, but short of the main line, little has changed. The intermediate section becomes more like a spine jump line every year as the lips are reshaved, but never added to. Although the dirt is actually very workable in the off season, the local riding community seems to remain apathetic about this site.

In fall of 2009, my brother and I stopped by for a session, and decided to take a stab at getting the pump track line to work. The line was never completed to the point where it flowed, or was fully ridable without pedaling. Our friend Koa came out to join us, and two days of work later, we had a ridable pump track. It still needed work, but we hoped a bit of progress might inspire others to pitch in. If this pump track or the jumps were built up to its potential, it would be a sweet spot to gather after local bike races, and you could even hold a pump track comp.

Izaak, Koa and myself work to make the pump track pump-able. Taken November 2009

Only time will tell whether the local riding scene will adopt the park, or convince the city to offer them a more idealized location.

Not all bike parks work. Whether it is a weak design, or flow that just isn’t there, it takes a community of supporters with hands willing to get dirty combined with individuals with a strong vision to achieve the dream lines heavily commented on the forums of PinkBike and the like.

What do you think? Are Ashland riders simply spoiled? Are you an Ashland resident, do you think this project was a success? What do you think happened here, and what would you do if this was your local park? Clearly there are some motivated riders in the area, based on this news clip by local TV station. They are willing to risk citations driving earth movers into the watershed to build jumps, why don’t they want to build here? Is the site really that bad? If this site was located in a dense population area like where we currently are in Oakland, I’d like to think I’d be here all the time and I believe others would too, making sure it was an awesome place to ride. However, we have two local parks here in the bay area, Calibasas and Pleasanton that also could have significantly more potential. Remember, its only dirt, it can be changed.

What does it take?

Eichler Park: A few possible design layouts

jasonvh — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 23:12:17 +0000

Portland, Oregon area riders got a small win with the approval and go ahead of an Adopt-a-Park agreement between Tualatin Valley Parks and Rec and local advocacy group the Northwest Trail Alliance. The NWTA will officially be partnering with Parks to take over maintenance of a small BMX park in Beaverton, a suburb of Portland. Conveniently located a small distance from the Max line, the Eichler Park BMX Jumps have been practically abandoned, and today the jumps are worn down stacks of dirt that currently don’t engage riders, but hold a lot of potential for fun.

The Eichler Park Dirt Jump area, as seen from Google Maps Satellite view

Taking a look at the available space at the Eichler Park location, it is clear that utilizing the existing space limits options due to the size restrictions, but depending on the nature of the design, quite a bit of fun could be packed into this small space- it all depends on the nature of the design. Many bike parks utilize a one way track style layout that is reminiscent of BMX tracks. Unlike skate park design which utilizes more of a freeform layout that offers endless lines and combinations due to features that can be ridden in any direction, many public bike parks are designed in a manner that limits creativity due to the one way routes. Due to the increased speeds of bikes over skateboards, this is probably a good thing. Choosing this type of layout prevents conflicts and collisions between users. While freestyle bikers enjoy riding concrete parks, a higher level of skill and awareness is required in order to safely navigate the park- most concrete parks are intimidating to beginners as they would be ranked as blue square or black diamonds in a mountain biking context.

Photo of the Eichler Park Jumps from May 25th.

As the Eichler Park location is likely to be the first public bike skills area in the Portland metropoliton area, a one way track style layout is probably the best choice for the design. (although a freeform style design would better utilize the small space)

That doesn’t mean the space can’t be effectively utilized. However, each design element is simply that much more important to the entire flow of the park.

Case study: Woodward MTB Park in Fresno, CA

We recently did a tour of public jump parks in Northern California. Among the parks visited were the Pleasanton BMX Park, (Pleasanton) Calabasas Park, (San Jose), and the Woodward Park in Fresno. Each of these parks were blessed with ample space for the park layout. However, none of them truly take advantage of the space. In each park, riders are forced to pedal vigorously in order to gain momentum to clear the features. Compare that to your typical BMX trails hidden in your local woods. Unlike (most) public BMX/ Jump parks, pedaling is kept to a minimum. What mountain bikers consider flow today for the most park was invented by BMX trails builders and riders. In order to fully utilize a small space, it is from them we must take our inspiration. Take a look at this section from the Fresno, CA bike park:

Jump Jam Area from the Woodward MTB Park in Fresno, CA. (from the Bike Park Final Plan)

The Jump Jam area is a similar layout to the space in Eichler. It is one small segment of features pulled from the overall bike park. While it is certainly fun to ride in the context of the overall park, if it was the only space in the park to ride, personally I don’t think it would be as fun. While I feel the designers of this park were ultimately successful in their park design, much of it is because they were able to build so much that they were able to accommodate every type of user, from groms on 20″ BMX bikes, to freeriders on 8″ travel rigs. However, such a design goal for the Eichler Space is unrealistic. By limited the design scope to 20″ BMX bikes and hardtail/ dirt jump mountain bikes, we can build jumps and features closer together, and utilize the space more efficiently.

My personal design goal would include a “flow” that doesn’t require the use of pedaling or braking. Not only would it be significantly be more fun, but low income youth without brakes, or a chain on their bike could utilize the park as well. In fact, many contemporary freestyle BMX bikes are designed to be run without brakes now, and only include an inexpensive bolt on brake. Because of this design consideration, the radius and height of the berms of our design will need to be taller, and more thoughtfully considered.

View of the Jump Jam area at the Woodward MTB Park in Fresno.

There are a few variations between the drafted plan and what was actually built. The biggest of note is the number of jumps on the right. Out of the four on the plan, only three were completed. (the brown jump icon actually represents a start hill.) As you can see from the photo, there is quite a bit of un-utilized space between the camera’s position on the start hill, and the first jump.

What if we were to “borrow” from the Fresno Jump Jam area and incorporate it into our bike park plan? Looking at the image above, the set of three table tops are a great size- nice wide take offs and landings. While they aren’t the most technical, like BMX tracks, a good table top jump can be (and are) ridden by riders from 6 to 60 every week at ABA and NBL tracks all over the US. For our use, I would possible look into steepening the jump radius on the expert line slightly in order to offer a bit more challenge as well as hang time. While we wouldn’t make the lips nearly as steep as BMX lips, a slightly steeper lip would differentiate between the intermediate and advanced lines. Let’s nix the beginner jump line from the start, as it is redundant, doesn’t utilze space very well. We’ll instead replace it with a pump track line that can provide an enhanced user experience for riders of all levels, including our intimidated beginners. Take a look at our first revised rendition of the jump area, tweaked for our application at Eichler.

Red arrows indicate the direction of travel. Bye-bye table top bumps in the middle.

Note that we’ve eliminated the rollers and small table tops on camera left. Same with the red “x’s” on nixing the “beginner” table tops. They aren’t needed and don’t add to the overall experience. In a pump track, rollers are simply parts of the terrain we utilize for gaining speed. For our application, we want to be able to combine them into jumps at speed- this way our advanced users are served by the same piece of terrain. It also allows for progression for our beginners and intermediates. Millions of BMX track users all over the US (that ride at a beginner level) are capable of rolling a 4″ table top jump with a mellow radius, therefore having a smaller jump has been eliminated as being unnecessary. We would also need to enlarge the 180 berm at the end significantly. Over building berms is always good, and they can’t ever be too big. Taking a cue from pump track design, let’s add a roller into the berm, and one out. We could also add a start hill behind it and offer a secondary starting location.

Revised Jump area layout

Here is our revised jump area, with a basic loop type layout, maximized for fun and hang time. Due to the economy of space, we have essentially two lines. An intermediate table top line, and a beginner/ intermediate inner line. They are split into an inner and outer directional loop. Because beginners tend to congregate on flat platform surfaces, we’ll add a start hill on both sides of the layout where riders can group without getting in the way. All the berms should feature rollers on the approach and exit, which will eliminate the need for pedaling. The jump lines offer transfer options in and out of the lines. (signage may be required to discourage transfers during busy sessions) We can also populate the inside loop with berms and other pump track elements. Depending on the amount of space from the first jumps from the start hills, we can add a set of rollers, which serve to teach pumping to beginners, or serve as doubles to advanced riders.

That’s great. But will it fit?

That’s our big question. The space at Eichler is quite small.

Design option #1.

The short answer, is probably not without some design changes. Again taking design cues from the Woodward MTB Master Plan by Hilride, here is a possible design option incorporating jump elements with pump track features and flow. One thing to remember with designs like this is that as a builder, has to acknowledge that sometimes plans on paper don’t always translate well to reality. A good builder will adapt as necessary, scaling, resizing, reshaping, and moving elements as needed. As a builder, one has to sometime put away the ego and realize that sometimes things just don’t flow the way it was intended. If this happens, the best thing to remember is that its just dirt. You can change it.

While this mock up isn’t to scale, it gives us a visual indiction of how many jumps we might be able to squeeze into the space. Here is another variation on a theme:

Option #2. This layout focuses more on the pump track/ jump track type of flow.

At this point, I’ve been staring at little drawings of rollers and jumps for perhaps a bit too long, but with variation number two, the large jumps have been de-emphasized with more of an emphasis on fun, flow, and options. On the viewer’s left, we have an intermediate level rhythm section. Jumps don’t have to be big to be fun, and this line would focus more on helping intermediates flow a rhythm line. Tighter spacing adds a degree of technical difficulty, and lips would need to be steeper to keep riders from over jumping. On the far right we have a three pack of our “advanced line.” Our middle section is a pump track spaced so that many of the rollers can be doubled by more advanced rider, for more of a jump track type of flow, while completely accessible for riders of any skill level. There are also options for transfers within lines while still maintaining a counter clock-wise one way direction. Expect more variations to be added to this post- the more I think about something, the more I tend to rethink layouts. This space is pretty small, and I may be a bit overly ambitious with the amount of features I hope to pack in.

If the perimeter of the park is expanded, even more options open up for us. We could either extend the length of the track, or incorporate a separate, freeform style pump track. The beautiful thing with dirt is that it is limited only by one’s imagination.

What do you think? Feel free to leave feedback in the comments below. For those interested in having a try, here is a link to the Illustrator file in an editable PDF format. Have a go, and leave a link below to share.

And one more:

#3. A bit more developed.

Eichler BMX Park

Where it is: Beaverton, Oregon
Status: Green light for rebuild. Dates TBD
For more info on how to get involved with the rebuild visit NWTA website

The Salem Expo Bike Park Part 2

jasonvh — Tue, 21 Sep 2010 23:52:42 +0000

We first reported on the Salem, Oregon jumps and BMX track when we passed by the fairgrounds after the Black Rock Shuttle Day. As I was injured from a crash at Black Rock, I was unable to do anything but take a few photos. Fortunately I was able to get down for an afternoon shred session before splitting town. As we were there on a Saturday, the facility were buzzing with activity. Gate starts and racing were about to go down on the BMX track, but we got some good laps in before the race action started.

Unleash the groms!

Lone BMX action on the rhythm section- where the pump track craze all began.

And since they were there, we sessioned the technical skinny features for a minute. I’m not a big fan of elevated technical trail features unless they are part of the natural flow of a trail, but done well, they can be fun.

It is a bit weird to see a 20" ride elevated wood. Barrett P models on the skinny

After dinking around for a few on the wood stuff, we moved on to the pump track. It is a pretty basic line, but the space has a massive amount of potential. The rollers are a bit rough and could use some sculpting, but it was easy enough to pump our way through the line at speed without the need to pedal. We didn’t spend a lot of time on it, but I would be surprised if this track wasn’t dialed in by next season. My favorite feature was the start hill, as it doubles as a hip and a quarter pipe, which we of course sessioned as such.

Barrett on the pump track

Barrett bucks the trends, rocking googles with the dj lid, while riding a BMX. Manual in the pump track.

As it lies, I wasn’t terribly excited about the pump track given its current condition, but the beauty of the pump track is that it can be whatever you make of it. It definitely is a long line, but it is basically just a single loop, which limits the user experience. I’m more a fan of multiple line choices and transfer lines, but again, it is a good start. (You can change it up if you 180 on the starting hill and come back the other way.)

We spent the majority of our time sessioning the dirt jump lines. The boys at BRMBA clearly have the most passion for the jumps, and put the majority of their time into this section. In fact, Rich and a few other guys showed up to put some time in doing maintenance before a session, and we had a chance to get some of the scoop on their relationship with Oregon State Parks.

Rich Bontrager of BRMBA

Adopt-a-park

BRMBA, the Black Rock Mountain Bike Association maintains the jump park through the adopt-a-park program. It is essentially a similar relationship to what the NWTA (Northwest Trail Alliance) hopes to create with Tualiton Valley Parks and Rec with the Eichler Park site in Beaverton, Oregon. The entire bike park area is built and maintained by volunteers. It isn’t all all fun though, as Rich went on to explain his frustration with kids rolling the lips on the intermediate and advanced lines- lips which take hours to shape and maintain. Not to mention riders that ride the park when wet, creating even more work for our unpaid and unsung volunteers.

The jumps are essentially doubles, but are for the most part filled in. The idea is that the jumps aren’t rollable, but for a jumper with a rusty skillset (or a rider looking to take his skills to the next level) in an emergency situation, they can be ridden over. The landings are built large and essentially serve as large case pads for sloppy landings. Fortunately, they do have a mini-dozer on site that handles the bulk of the earth moving, and an adequate water supply. Like all spots, the jumps are maintained by a small dedicated group, and utilized by many.

Barrett drops into the advanced line from the starting platform

The jump lines are pretty sweet though. An elevated starting platform not only provides speed for the first jump, but acts as a “squirrel catcher,” or skills filter. I found you could also use the starting platform to transfer to the intermediate line as well.

Token lifestyle shot

It takes time and effort to keep lips hitting this well. Rich, hard at work.

Huck that drop, B!

Barrett P with the ever classic tuck no-hander

The Salem Expo Bike Park has a bit of something for riders of every skill level and ability. At less than an hours travel from Portland, we definitely recommend making the trek.

For directions, check out our previous post here. Thanks to Barrett Polychronis of the Northwest School of Freeride for being our jump tester and model.

Eichler Bike Park Project in Beaverton gets the green light

jasonvh — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 19:19:52 +0000

Awesome news for mountain bikers in Portland, Oregon: local mountain bike advocacy group, the Northwest Trail Alliance, is about to move ahead with what will be the first sanctioned bicycle skills park (on dirt) in the Portland Metropolitan area. We first reported on the Eichler Park Bike Jump area back in May of this year, as part of our scouting mission for possible bike park sites.

Where is the dirt?

Historically, Portland has been the land of skateparks. For those that love concrete parks, it’s incredible. In fact, almost all of the concrete parks in the area are friendly to bicycles. Compare that to California, where bikes are for the most part, barred from setting tire to concrete.

Barrett P at the bike friendly Tigard Skatepark.

A short distance away in Tigard, lies the Tigard Skatepark, which is not only bike friendly, but also has been the site for many a shoot that has graced the covers of BMX magazines. There is also another bike friendly skatepark in Beaverton, which in my BMX days I frequented often.

However, while concrete parks are a blast to ride, they most often require an advanced skillset, as dropping in on a vert wall equates to a black diamond or advanced level trail in the mountain bike world. In addition, the hard concrete surface is unfriendly to falling; not exactly conducive to attempting new tricks.

So where are the dirt based bike parks? Portland has been known for the Grotto, historically a major dirt jump destination that has evolved over the years. However things came to a head this spring, when local neighbors complained about the diggers removing soil from areas near large trees. Concerned about possible damage to their homes, they spoke to local diggers about it, but the current generation of diggers turned a deaf ear to the complaints. The home owners were understandably unhappy about the situation, and complained to local law enforcement and the landowners, the Grotto, and the story made local headline news. Today the status of the Grotto is officially off limits. No trespassing signs are posted, and those that ride there risk penalties from local law enforcement.

There is good news- in fact, great news

Ironically, on the day we handed in our keys and stopped being official Portland residents, Joe Barcott of the Northwest Trail Alliance contacted me with the news: the adopt-a-trail proposal has been approved, and now is simply waiting for the final piece of red tape to be completed: signing a MOU. (A MOU is short for “Memorandum of Understanding.” For more information on MOUs, click here)

As we will not be able to continue as project leads, I encourage everyone that is interested in being a part of the design and implementation of the bike park to attend the next meeting of the NWTA, where the newly formed Gravity Committee will take the lead in making this project a reality. We’ll also continue to post updates as we get them.

For more information on the next meeting of the NWTA, click here.

A sanctioned jump line like this one found in Salem, Oregon may soon be constructed in Beaverton, Oregon.

But wait, there is even more kick-ass news

According to Tom Slovak of the NWTA, there are several other potential bike park projects being reviewed by Portland Parks and Rec. The success of the Eichler Bike Park could go a long way in helping create additional bicycles skill development areas all over the Portland Metropolitan area. Keep an ear out.

Spot Check: Salem State Fairgrounds Dirt Jump Park and BMX Track

jasonvh — Tue, 10 Aug 2010 04:15:01 +0000

On the way back from Black Rock for the Shuttle Day, I went searching for the dirt jump park at the Expo area. Turns out it wasn’t at all where I thought it was. After driving around for over 20 minutes, I found the entrance. Since I’m such as swell frood, I made ya’ll a map, so you don’t have to drive around clueless like I did. The jump park area has a parking lot, but the gate was locked. However, it was easy enough to find a parking spot a ways away, pull a bike off and pedal in. (Hint: it’s by Gate J)

The BMX track in Salem, Oregon.

I’m a bit bummed I haven’t made the effort to check it out before now. It looks like a lot of fun. Not only is there a full size BMX race track, but a Shore-style skills area, dirt jumps of progressive levels, and a basic pump track line.

The starting drop for the advanced DJ line.

My knee wasn’t functional due to a crash at Black Rock, so I’ll have to come back for a session another time. I haven’t found that much info online, but I believe BRMBA is to thank for making a cool area happen here.

A local rides the intermediate line

Directions:

The address of the Salem State Fair and Expo Center is 2330 17th Street Northeast, Salem, OR. 97301. The jump area is on the south side of the fair grounds. If you see Gate J off of Sunnyview Road NE, you’re close.

More pictures:

2010 Black Rock Shuttle Day Gallery

jasonvh — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 05:29:14 +0000

Two days of shuttled riding. Funds were raised towards a great cause, and an incredible time was had by all those that came out to ride.

Although it the trails were loose and a bit dusty, conditions of the trails were otherwise incredible. It doesn’t get much better than a day at Black Rock without having to push up. However, two days of riding at Black Rock without having to hike-a-bike did it.

I wished I had been able to get more pics of the action, but shooting the natural light at Black Rock means a small window of time to capture those moments. I can’t blame anyone for not wanting to stop and ride for the camera- I was in the same boat myself. I did make an effort to try to document the hard work of the volunteers that worked non-stop to keep the shuttle trucks moving, when they wanted to ride just as bad as the rest of us.

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Video edit coming soon.

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The Northwest School of Freeride at Windells Camp

jasonvh — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:45:39 +0000

Portland, Oregon has one of the largest concentrations of bicycle friendly concrete skateparks. It is heaven for a lot of 20″ riders, and more than a few top rank BMXers live in the area and call it home. However, when it comes to dirt, and facilities for beginners and intermediates, there isn’t anything for rider to go and practice their skills. (Which is pretty messed up) Concrete parks tend to be popular and crowded, and a 30+ year old freerider isn’t a very common sight at the local skate park. Add to the fact that the nature of BMX is considerably more technical than trail riding, and a lot of single track fans are left in the cold.

However, if you are ready to take your riding to the next level and learn skills in a safe environment, short of heading to Whistler, the next best thing may be checking out the Northwest School of Freeride.

Based at the famous Windells Snow and Skate camp, has in recent years added BMX to the curriculum, and even more recently Freeriding.

We were up there recently checking out some of the action that went down at the Gatorade Freeflow Tour.

Haro Pro rider Brian Miller shreds both the 20" and the big wheels.

The four jump comp line.

Freeflow comp winner Houston Harmsen of Murrieta, CA

Jumps were boosted, flips were whipped, and riders threw down.

After the comp, I spent some time wandering around the campus and poking around in the woods and chatted with Barrett Polychronis, one of the camp’s BMX coaches about some of the ideas for new features he has kicking around. (there is some cool stuff in the works)

Windells has one of the best concrete parks around.

The main features of Windells are skateboarding oriented, and every where you look there is something to ride, grind, or skate. It’s much like walking around the set of a Tony Hawk skateboard video game. Once you get to the dirt though, you’ll see a line for every level of ability.

Jaymo demos the intermediate jump line for us.

The freeriding appears to have been toned down for this year with the removal of the Boyko line that was featured in Follow Me. It has bee replaced with a humongous ski/snowboard kicker and a giant inflatable cushion. According to Barrett, he and Shane have been hard at work on re-doing much of the dirt area, and they expect to have it done before the fall dirt camps.

Some of the wood features hidden on the hill

It’s not all good

The biggest bummer about Windells is that it is a camp first. As a business, it exists to teach the campers. They also have insurance issues that limit opening up the campus for public use on a regular basis. While there are open bike jams, ($20 for all day access, 9am-5pm) they are limited to dates when the campus isn’t overrun with campers. Great for the camper experience, as they are able to learn their skills in a safe environment free of pressure, but unfortunately Portland riders are still out of luck until the Sunday Open Bike Jams open in September.

Which of course leads to the bigger question, why does the biggest city in Oregon lack public or private facilities like this, and what would it take to make it happen? Salem has public jumps, as does Hood River.

For more information check out the Windells Camp website or NWSOF.com