New Mountain Bike Skills Area At Winding Walks, Fochabers
Specialists are putting the finishing touches to a new Mtb skills facility at Winding Walks, Fochabers but local bikers are being urged to stay away – until the New Year (12 January 2016).
The call has come from Forest Enterprise Scotland, the team behind the £60,000 facility, because even though construction work will be finished soon, the trails and features need time to bed down and stabilise.
The skills loop has been designed and built by the people behind a number of great trails - including those at the Crown Estate Glenlivet – and will let mountain bikers and BMX riders of all levels practice and hone their skills.
Calum Murray for the FES team in Aberdeenshire said;
"We've invested £100,000 in developing and upgrading the Moray Monster Trails this year and the skills loop is the final piece in this programme of works.
"It's a fantastic resource for the area and will give mountain bikers of all ages a focal point for their sport but it's important that the trails are given time to properly settle and bed down.
"We know it's a tough ask, but riders need to resist temptation if they are to get the best use out of the trails. Using the skills loop too soon could result in the tails being damaged before they've even been properly opened – and that would be a huge shame."
The new skills base has something for everyone, from the more challenging routes where more experienced riders can take their skill level that few notches higher, to an area where beginners can practice basic techniques and skills.
Calum added;
"The skills area is ideal for family, school, or outdoor education groups because they can safely enjoy a mountain bike experience on trails and features that have a progressive approach to skills development and can be easily supervised.
"We're sure it's going to win a lot of fans and it's a fantastic addition to the Moray Monster Trail upgrades that we carried out earlier this year."
Funded through the Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund, the facility has made the most of the natural landscape and has been fitted into the woodland with minimal tree loss.
The facility includes a pump track - an area of small rolling bumps and banked corners (berms) in an area roughly the size of a tennis court – and three main downhills gauged to beginner, intermediate and expert ability levels.
Between them the downhills contain 'rollable' bumps n jumps, different height drop-offs and three lines of jumps. The jumps will be aimed at the intermediate to expert level riders, with the options allowing riders to choose the line they are comfortable with.
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