REMINDER: Trailbuiling Work Day Tomorrow

Just a reminder....tomorrow is the 1st workday for phase 3. We've done a crazy amount of scouting for phase 3 and think this section will turn out exactly as we had hoped. The plan is for a beginner friendly trail with lots of flow, minimal turns, and lots of smiles. Once finished, there will be a beginner loop approx. 2 miles long with a .75 mile alternate technical line along the rock face similar to the existing Wudchuk Run.

Check out the updated trail map on the right hand side of the page.

Saturday, November 7th. 8a -12p (Come and go as your schedule allows.)

Meeting Place: Meet at the main regular trailhead at the bottom of the hill. Once we have everyone, we'll drive to the work zone. Map of the trailhead is on the right hand side of the page.

Tools: The usual trail tools...Rakes, Shovels, McLeods, Pulaskis, Rogue Hoes, Weedeaters, Blowers, Handsaws, Chainsaws, etc. If you don't have tools, come anyway...we should have plenty.

Agenda: We've started some preliminary corridor clearing to get room to breath and have benchcut and rock work ready to start for the more experienced trail builders. However, the main thrust of the work day will be corridor clearing. There is a decent amount of honeysuckle that we'll be blazing through. This is very important work and great for volunteers who've never done trail work before. We need anyone and everyone for this work day! The ability to get this phase done quickly will be a direct result of the turnout for this workday. We're beggin' here. Please, Help!

Sponsored by 180 Energy Drink http://www.180.com/ Our good friends have supplied us with plenty of 180 goodness to keep us going for the entire weekend!

Benchcut Results

If you're looking for motivation to come to the workday this Saturday, maybe these photos will help...

High Stakes Bowling at Swope

We had a huge hole that needed to be filled. Travis spied THE perfect rock. He had one chance to get it right.

Let the next phase begin! Workday on Saturday, November 7

We've done a crazy amount of scouting for phase 3 and think this section will turn out exactly as we had hoped. The plan is for a beginner friendly trail with lots of flow, minimal turns, and lots of smiles. Once finished, there will be a beginner loop approx. 2 miles long with a .75 mile alternate technical line along the rock face similar to the existing Wudchuk Run. Check out the updated trail map on the right hand side of the page.

Get your dirt on!

Saturday, November 7th. 8a -1p (Come and go as your schedule allows.)

Meeting Place: Meet at the regular trailhead at the bottom of the hill. Once we have everyone, we'll drive to the work zone. Map of the trailhead is on the right hand side of the page.

Tools: The usual trail tools...Rakes, Shovels, McLeods, Pulaskis, Rogue Hoes, Weedeaters, Blowers, Handsaws, Chainsaws, etc.

If you don't have tools, come anyway...we should have plenty.

Agenda: We've started some preliminary corridor clearing to get room to breath and have benchcut and rock work ready to start for the more experienced trail builders. However, the main thrust of the work day will be corridor clearing. There is a decent amount of honeysuckle that we'll be blazing through.

This is very important work and great for volunteers who've never done trail work before. We need anyone and everyone for this work day! The ability to get this phase done quickly will be a direct result of the turnout for this workday. We're beggin' here. Please, Help!

Sponsored by 180 Energy Drink http://www.180.com/ Our good friends have supplied us with plenty of 180 goodness to keep us going for the entire weekend!

KC Cup notes

-The KC Cup weekend is coming up. Please, if you enjoy these trails, plan on coming out and supporting the event. The proceeds from this race will go directly into building more trail. Event website: www.heartlandrace.com

-The race course is 4.4 miles long with expert riders turning 22 minute laps.

-We spent 25 man hours over the weekend doing finish work that we had been meaning to do but hadn't got around to yet. We tweaked lines on 8 Pin and well as Wudchuk Run. We think they flow better without taking away from the spirit of these sections.

-We'll be out over the next couple weeks trimming/grooming the trails for your riding pleasure.

See you out there!

Swope Notes

A couple things in the works and general info.

1. We've scouted and had some corridor clearing help from Skills USA volunteers on phase 3. We will start knocking out new trail in November. The guess is that phase 3 will be around 2 miles. The trail will be similar to the orange rock face trail but will also have a more beginner friendly loop as well. Remember, we have at least 16 miles on tap for Swope as well as the connector to BRP to build in the next few years. Can you say 50 miles of mtb trail in the middle of KC?!?!

2. We've had several questions on how much trail we currently have. According to our measurements we get 3.4 miles (but I swear it feels like more). You results may vary.

3. Heads Up...there have been some break-ins at the main trailhead. Use your street smarts and keep valuables hidden, cars locked, think about checking on your vehicle after finishing laps, etc . If you see suspicious activity make sure to get a make/model and license plate number. There have been reports of a red Ford SUV with large chrome rims in the area around the time of the break-ins. KC Parks has been alerted to the situation and is working on solutions. They are very concerned about this and are doing things behind the scenes to make the area more secure.

4. Shoffner is leading a ride every Thursday night at Swope weather permitting. And on certain Thursdays, he's hosting the "Thursday Night Throwdown". More Info----> http://forums.earthriders.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=9461

5. We will be hosting a MTB, CX, and Trail Run on the Swope trails in September. This will be a fund raiser for equipment, fuel, and supplies for building trail at Swope. If you like riding, running, and/or hiking Swope, please try to make it out for this good cause. More Info---->
http://www.heartlandrace.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=34

6. Trail Names...orange is going to be "Wudchuk Run" after the KC Wudchuks who've been exploring the Blue/435 corridor for years. If you don't know the KC Wudchuks, you should. The super-rocky technical section on blue will be named "8Pins" after the 8 pins that now reside in someone's hand. Otherwise, we're open for suggestions. We're looking for original names, something with some meaning, etc. Email us, and we'll consider it. If you have a story to go along with the name, even better.

Phase 2 OPEN and Party in the Park

Phase 2 is now open and ready for business. The trails are in great shape and ready to rip. We have a few little projects to finish before it's 100% done, but it's ready for summer riding.

Also, this next Saturday is the KCMO Parks "Party in the Park"...come join us for some fun from 8a-11a for rides of all levels. More details to follow.

http://www.kcmo.org/parks.nsf/web/swopeparkday

ENJOY!

Quick Update

We've been quitely working on phase 2 while also doing some 24hr racing in WV. We had a huge workday with volunteers from Skills USA (http://www.skillsusa.org/) last Friday. Huge thanks to everyone who helped out...great folks and hard workers.

Once we finish 2 big sections, we'll get the trail opened. After that we'll just have a lot of little things to refine over the next couple months.

Work Weekend Recap

We had a great weekend of work! Absolutely amazing.

Saturday's Work Crew:
Andrew ?
Ron Acklin
Scott Capstack
Frank Ferguson
Jesse Gross
Greg Rupp
Travis Stephens
Craig Stoeltzing
Charley Viehland

Saturday we had a great crew that destaubed, built 2 creek crossings and did some major bench work. It rides butter smooth now.


Sunday's Work Crew:
Greg ??
Aaron Alderson
Ron Acklin
Scott Capstack
Scott Cotter
Steve D.
Nate D.
Deron Graham
Jesse Gross
Travis Stephens
Craig Stoeltzing
Ben Story
Charley Viehland
Kirby Viehland

Sunday's crew did some work on "the swamp", moved lots of big rock, reworked a couple turns, and built one hardcore monster turn.

Huge thanks to Charley Viehland for repairing our broken tools Saturday night, so we could have them to use on Sunday. Also, thanks to 180 Energy Drink for keeping us hydrated all weekend long.

Trailbuilding weekend this Saturday and Sunday (May 23 & 24)

Get your dirt on!

As previously posted on the swopetrails website, phase 2 is not open for riding due to some safety concerns while we're doing the build out. However, we're making great progress and with a good turnout this weekend we may be able to get the trails to the point where we feel they're safe for public consumption.

Saturday:
9a -1p...Trailbuilding

Sunday:
1p - 4p...Trailbuilding

Meeting Place:
Meet at the regular trailhead at the bottom of the hill. Once we have everyone, we'll drive to the top of the hill. Map of the trailhead is on the right hand side of the page.

Tools:
The usual trail tools...Rakes, Shovels, McLeods, Pulaskis, Rogue Hoes, Weedeaters, Blowers, Handsaws, Chainsaws, etc. If you don't have tools, come anyway...we should have plenty.

Agenda:
We will be working on getting the Blue trail finished. This will include some corridor work, rock work, and benchcutting.

Sponsored by 180 Energy Drink http://www.180.com/ Our good friends have supplied us with plenty of 180 goodness to keep us going for the entire weekend!