Dirt Concern works towards purpose-built mountain biking trails

Amidst the heavy traffic on multi-use recreation trails, mountain bikers often navigate more than just rugged terrain. Thanks to the local nonprofit Dirt Concern, upcoming trails at Bridger Bowl and Crosscut Mountain Sports Center will offer bike-specific, purpose-built areas for riding. 

Dirt Concern is Bozeman’s chapter of the Southwest Montana Mountain Bike Association (SWMMBA), a nonprofit organization that aims to improve the experience of mountain bikers across 20,000 square miles of Southwestern Montana. 

According to the Vice President of Dirt Concern Drew Maier, the association aims to cultivate a community-based effort to make mountain biking more enjoyable and accessible. It accomplishes this through volunteer work, trail maintenance and trail creation. 

Dirt Concern’s most recent project — the development of three mountain bike trails, including an uphill, downhill and connector trail — is a collaboration with Bridger Bowl and Crosscut that began about a year and a half ago. 

“[Dirt Concern] talked with Bridger Bowl and Crosscut for a while about this. We went back and forth and I ended up creating a 28-page written proposal based off of the International Mountain Bike Association [IMBA],” Maier said. 

IMBA is an international nonprofit organization that helps with the development of mountain bike systems by providing guidelines for grading trails, according to Maier. The association also provides a template outlining the logistics of trail proposals to land managers, among other resources. 

To prepare the proposal, Dirt Concern sent out a survey to the Bozeman area to assess the community’s needs. According to Maier, the survey asked people what trails they enjoyed and rode the most and how the organization could improve its trail services. 

After receiving nearly 300 responses, Dirt Concern had a clear direction for the proposal. “We want to provide something that currently isn’t available in the Bozeman area. There aren’t directional, purpose-built mountain bike trails,” Maier said.

According to him, the final proposal also highlights specific environmental concerns. He pinpointed water runoff as a primary risk of the project. “We don’t want to cause a bunch of erosion,” he said. To combat potential wear and tear on the upcoming trails, Maier noted techniques used by builders to minimize environmental effects on the nearby area. He mentioned a specific method that involves repurposing surrounding vegetation to upkeep the existing organic material.

Maier also said that weed spread is a potential hazard. “Bridger Bowl and Crosscut both have programs in place to mitigate weed spread,” he said, explaining that Dirt Concern is working with both organizations to decide what policies they need to put in place to avoid the creation of a weed-excessive environment.

The proposal also details the project's $300,000 cost — about nine dollars for every foot of trail. The organization hopes to raise the funds by Sept. 1, according to the SWMMBA website.  

Bridger Bowl and Crosscut approved the proposal in December of last year, allowing Dirt Concern to begin publicizing the project. After narrowing down potential builders, the organization chose three Montana-based businesses.  

Though Dirt Concern is working with these contractors — and also pursuing grant fundraising from a variety of different programs — SWMMBA President Josh Horstmann noted the importance of working with the community. “What we’re really trying to stress is, yes, we’re talking to businesses in the area. We’re talking to these individuals and looking at grants, but this is going to be a community-driven project.” 

Moreover, while the organization is building on Bridger Bowl and Crosscut’s private property to face fewer restrictions and develop the trails faster, Maier emphasized that everything will be free and accessible to the public. “It’s still a community public resource,” he said.

Dirt Concern will also be participating in fundraising events, including speaking about the trails at the Ritual Film Festival on April 12 at the Ellen. Additionally, the organization will be at Westlake Bike Jumps in downtown Bozeman on May 1 and outside of First Security Bank on May 2 to fundraise for the project. Dirt Concern also plans on holding more events in the coming months.

To keep up with upcoming fundraising events and opportunities, visit www.southwestmontanamba.org or follow the organization’s Instagram @thedirtconcern.