May 6, 2012
We’re super excited this is going down and we thank all of those who have pioneered this and gotten it approved by all related governing bodies. This is a major feature that is getting national attention for Howard County MD in regards to progressive MTB culture. As many riders are getting older, they are having children. This is the training ground we will use to expose those beginners to all types of terrain found in the Mid Atlantic riding.
I spoke with Melanie Nystrom this past Friday. Melanie is an XC racer, mom and the woman in charge of pioneering this project and seeing it through all the red tape. Fundraising has gone exceptionally well and Melanie is very proud of the hard work she has put in to get this project to where it is. Rightfully so. On every rider’s behalf, we’d like to send a special THANKS to Melanie.
During our conversations we discussed the goal of the park. This is very much a skills park. While IMBA is seeing to it that there is “something for everyone” here, this park is really more of a place people will go to learn what type of terrain Patapsco State Park has and how to tackle it. From what we saw on our initial visit a few days ago (see pics and vid), the flow lines (blue on the map below) look fun and some-what challenging for those who do not dirt jump every day. We understand that the more difficult line (red as seen below) will be more technical to navigate. Melanie told us that IMBA is shooting for riders to ride this line circa 4 mph. It will be rocky with some logs to ride and possibly some other features. Lots of trust is being put on IMBA to do what they do and make these lines wonderful. As part of this project, MORE is supplying IMBA trail builders with all the heavy equipment they need and overnight accommodations until the project is complete.
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These are the the green and blue lines as outlined in the illustration below these pics.
01. Pump Track
– low-risk circular track for a wide range of skill levels. Especially appealing to new riders and children.
02. Uphill Return Trail
– singletrack trail at a low grade to allow riders to climb to the top.
03. Rock Armored Climbing Trail
– steep, technically challenging climb.
04. Shortcut
05. Easy Flow Trail
– small rollers and berms that will allow riders to experience bike-optimized trails
06. More Difficult Flow Trail
– a combination of bike optimized table tops, berms, and short rock drops for more-experienced cyclists.
07. Most Difficult Descending Trail
– technical descending trail with emphasis on rock technical trail features. Will also include log technical trail features and multiple options.
http://www.RockburnSkillsPark.org
Mid-Atlantic Off Road Enthusiasts (M.O.R.E), Howard County Recreation and Parks, and International Mountain Biking Association (IMBA) have created a private-public partnership to build a mountain bike skills area in Rockburn Branch Park; a 450 acre location in Elkridge, Maryland across the street from Patapsco Valley State Park. It will consist of multiple trails of varying complexity and will be called The Rockburn Skills Park. IMBA is flying in world-class trail builders and designers and MORE is raising the funding and providing volunteer support. The final product will be donated to the park system and will be free for the public to use. The park will include a pavilion, a pump track and three downhill lines: one for beginners, one for intermediate riders, and one for more advanced riders. This will be a family-first facility where Howard County kids and adults can hone their bicycle riding skills.
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