July 19-25 “Virtual” Tahoe Mountain Bike Festival
The 2020 virtual Tahoe Mountain Bike Festival is around the corner, and we have three ways you can participate while safely socially distancing:
Option 1: REGISTER
Register here as a participant, and based on your donation level we’ll send you some cool stuff printed with this year’s Festival graphic.
Option 2: RECORD A TRIPLE CROWN RIDE
During the week of July 19 – July 25, 2020, get out and record any ride that has the famous Triple Crown Ride vibe – five hours, or 5,000 vertical feet, or 30 miles. If you’re able to do the actual Triple Crown that week, even better!
Option 3: POST OR SHARE
Post your ride and photos tagged with #tahoemtbfestival and email your ride details (Strava, etc.) to tmbf@tamba.org. On July 25, we’ll post up some fun awards based on your submissions!
All proceeds will benefit TAMBA, and we need your support now more than ever. Click here to learn more about this year’s virtual Festival and to sign up!
Volunteer Trail Days Have Resumed
TAMBA volunteer trail days are ramping back up – we were approved to resume on July 6! TAMBA Crew Leaders and Board members put in a ton of behind-the-scenes work to get ready for the 2020 trail-building season. A global pandemic has proven that trails and outdoor spaces are more important than ever.
Crew Leaders scoped and laid out new trail projects, tested and implemented new COVID-19 work safety procedures, stockpiled tools, and trained to keep our amazing volunteers safe. TAMBA adapted with color-coded sanitized tools, touchless sign-ins, COVID-risk questionnaires, and new trail-work safety procedures. This month we started with limited-sized, socially-distanced trail days on projects all around the lake.
If you have any other questions related to volunteering this season, please shoot us an email at trails@tamba.org.
Volunteer trail work is an opportunity to give back to the trails you love, connect with other community members (in a socially-distanced outdoor setting), and get a great workout. No experience necessary. Trail work schedules for this summer are continually being developed and updated, so check TAMBA’s calendar and Facebook page for more details.
Trail Project Update
In addition to general trail clearing and maintenance, we’ve resumed some of our major project work for this field season. Here’s a snapshot of some of what’s been going on and what’s coming up over the next few months:
Stanford Rock
Volunteer days have resumed and are scheduled for Wednesdays and Sundays. If you are interested in joining, please email Sandor (sandor@tamba.org) for more detailed information and to RSVP.
Lily Lake Trail
Thanks to the support of the Tahoe Fund, we will have a professional crew starting up on Lily Lake next week, and their focus will be working on the half dozen turns that will involve some huge rock retaining walls among talus fields. The LTBMU will also assist us with some help from their trail crew.
Volunteer days at Lily Lake are also underway. If you are interested in volunteering, please email Scott (scott@tamba.org) for more detailed information about opportunities to help out on this project.
Stumpy Super G
Volunteer days on the new Stumpy Super G will be resuming. They will generally be on alternating Tuesdays and Thursdays. Email us at trails@tamba.org for more information on getting involved with this project.
North Lake Tahoe Signage
We continue to make progress on our North Shore Signage Project, which involves adding and upgrading signs on trails between the West Shore and Kings Beach!
Hartoonian Trails
The Hartoonian Trail network in South Lake Tahoe will also be receiving some upgraded signage and a shiny new kiosk and map to help users navigate their way around. This trail network provides critical connectivity between neighborhoods, in addition to being a great location for newer riders to enjoy some mellow, fun trails.
Tyrolian Downhill Trail
We have some big plans in the works to formalize and upgrade the access to the top of the Tyrolian Downhill Trail. Stay tuned on our social media channels and the August newsletter for more information.
Responsible Use of Tahoe-Area Trails
Have you noticed A LOT more people on the trails? With most other activities canceled due to COVID-19 restrictions, people are flocking to the great outdoors in record numbers. Now is the time to welcome all these new trail users but remind everyone of proper trail etiquette. Let’s pull together to reduce grumblings about trashed trailheads, crowded trails, and frustrations about a lack of trail etiquette.
It’s important to be extra nice and remind people politely if they’re not respecting the land! Simple things like yielding the trail and saying hi to everyone, avoiding the urge to blow a snot rocket, packing out trash and dog poop, not using the trailhead as a personal bathroom, etc. We have an entire page on trail etiquette to share.
What’s encouraging is that all the major trail-building organizations in the Tahoe area are now actively building and maintaining the trails. Kudos to the Tahoe Rim Trail Association, Truckee Trails Foundation, Biggest Little Trail Stewardship, Sierra Buttes Trail Stewardship, Truckee Bike Park, and, of course, TAMBA.
In addition, at a national level, it’s being recognized that recreation will be part of the recovery. The Great American Outdoors Act recently passed the U.S. Senate with overwhelming bipartisan support and is headed to the House of Representatives for approval. This economic recovery bill will fund outdoor recreation projects on federal lands. With 78% of the Tahoe Basin managed by the U.S. Forest Service, this could be a much-welcomed stimulus supporting recreation.
In the meantime, be patient, be nice and say hi!
TAMBA Has a New Intern!
TAMBA has brought on a Trail Operations Technician to help us tackle a lot of our big projects this year and to provide some extra support to our wonderful volunteer Crew Leaders. Vince Perry has worked on trail projects throughout California and brings in some great rock work and rigging skills, which will come in handy this year on the Lily Lake Trail project.
You might also run into him tuning up the bike park, so be sure and say hi – from more than 6 feet away, of course.
Thank You to Recent Large Donors
While we appreciate every donation we receive, TAMBA would like to thank the following individuals for their recent generous donations:
- Samuel Britton – $5,000
- Tom Seeliger – $500
- John Tisdale – $1,000
- William Dietz – $1,000
- John Mozart – $500
- Fabian Hannemann – $500
We appreciate their support, especially as we try to work through these difficult times without the funds we would normally receive from our parties, membership drives, and events.
