YOU ARE VIEWING: Subcultures > BMX > Articles
Cape Town Trails
Dec 10 2011 | 416 views | Comments
by Eric Palmer
Riding trails has got to be one of the best aspects of BMX. Being able to sculpt your own skate park out of dirt makes it possible for you to have your own playground which evolves as your skills grow. The cost is minimal; a spade, wheelbarrow and your dedication is all you need, and as usual, the more effort you put in, the more goodness you get out.
The lack of decent skate parks in Cape Town is definitely made up for by the few committed individuals building trails in their areas. Trail building is an art in itself and the GTL crew in Durbanville is synonymous with perfection - if you want to learn about building jumps, this is the academy to go to. Malcolm Peters is the main driving force behind the Bel’ Aire Trails, his dedication is reflected in the number of sessions he misses in winter in order to keep his trails mint.
When I first started shooting BMX I was clueless as to what goes into building and maintaining trails, but the more I learn, the more I respect the guys who have legit trails. Your riding time is a 50/50 split compromise with your maintenance, so the more you ride, the more you work. Unfortunately there are many riders out there who abuse the effort that these guys put in to building trails, so here’s my take on a possible solution: when you go to a skate park you pay an entry fee that goes toward the rent, staff, and overheads etc. so why not with trails as well? The only difference is that at the trails you pay directly into the "park", by building and fixing – you don't even have to get your wallet out. I think more people should be made aware of the effort and labour that goes into the few amazing spots we have at our disposal and encourage riders of all ages to get out there and help these guys build their trails and even delve into building trails of their own.
Working with dirt is very much like working with cement; it has to be wet in order to shape it and get it to stick together and it needs to dry slowly so that it hardens properly without cracking. That is the reason it needs to be sheltered and covered with carpets from harsh elements such as direct sunlight and rain. Once it’s hard and dry, it’s riding time! Keeping the trails running once they are dry is nearly impossible; the dirt crumbles and can’t stick together, making quick patch-up’s impossible. During the dry season this requires a lot of water which has to be brought in and as a result only the serious damage gets the needed attention and normally by the end of summer, all the trails are trashed because of this.
When you look at the size of some of the jumps, you quickly realise how many wheelbarrow loads it must have taken to relocate that amount of soil. Obviously you need to get the soil in place before you can even think about shaping and fixing it – a mammoth task in itself, unless you are lucky enough to have access to a digger. I know they used one at Bel’ Aire to get the soil in place initially and then shaped the jumps with spades, but at Gum Trails it’s all pure, raw manpower, with every load of soil wheel barrowed over from the nearby pit. It would be interesting to calculate how many tonnes of dirt the guys have moved over the years…
Before every session, I see Moe and Wayne wetting, patching and dialling things in to make sure everything is perfect. I admire the pride these guys put into their jumps. They are meticulous with the smallest of details like not only shaping the riding surface of their jumps but rather shaping the entire jump. Having great jumps is not the only thing they focus on. The entire venue is kept spotless with no rubbish or stray sticks and branches lying around. This appeals to me for two reasons: Firstly, nicely shaped and clean jumps makes photographing them a pleasure, and secondly, I like people who do things properly, no matter what it is they are involved in (even if I don’t always manage to live up to my own ideals).
Their dedication is one of the main reasons I shoot with these two guys so often. They work for their riding and ride like champs too and I thank them for their photogenic stunt grounds with many photos.
In the world of action sports a good set of trails is probably the cheapest “park” you can get in terms of cash, so there really are no excuses for not riding. Soetvlei and Potato Trails are also some good examples and although the dirt there is very sandy and less than ideal, the guys make do with what they have and have done an awesome job at both spots.
Here’s a list of things to make your experience more pleasurable the next time you go out and hit some trails:
- Ask what you can do to help, don't just pitch up and ride.
- Take a broom, spade, wheelbarrow or whatever you have that’ll help you chip in.
- Don’t ride jumps with carpets on them (unless it’s a chipped up trick jump, like Bel’ Aire)
- Don’t skid or continuously case a landing. Damage means work. So if you damage something, you know what to do, so get to it!
- Don’t litter – this should not only apply for the trails.
- Realise what this area means to the guys building it and respect that.
- The guys here are friendly. At most other places guys have their own justice systems and people that don't help get asked to leave - if they're lucky, or get removed - if they’re not.
- When you ride, shred the hell out of the jumps and show the builders how well their jumps work, because the smile on your face at the end of the session will all be thanks to them.
You are your scene; make it what you want it to be!
For the full article click here to view the mag.