Why do people pronounce CBMBA as Simba (a la The Lion King)?
Tradition! Well, really, it just rolls of the tongue better.
Is 401 open?
Check the trail report! It usually opens in June, though you often have to hike bikes over the snow-plug for at least another 3-4 weeks.
Is CBMBA a 501(c)(3) nonprofit?
Yes. We are a fully recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit charitable organization. As such, all donations are tax-deductible. We are not a government entity. We are not a program run by the town of CB or Crested Butte Mountain Resort. We are the oldest mountain bike club in the world! We are partially funded by grants from our government partners, but the lion’s share of our funding and the heart of our club is our members.
Why should I become a member?
As a non-profit, members are the financial backbone of our club. We are funded predominantly by individual donors, so whether you purchase a $30 adult membership or make a $500 donation, that money pays the work our club does to fulfill its mission. Your money stays local and goes right back into the trails. So, you should become a member because your money helps us build and maintain the trails that we recreate on every day!
One of our members recently compared it to buying a ski pass. In the winter, he’s happy to pay $700 to be able to ski all season; that amenity is worth $700 to him. In the summer, he thinks of his CBMBA Membership Dues in the same light–a “ticket” he buys to enjoy riding all season. For him, the trail work we do is an amenity worth supporting. Besides the goodwill and good karma you earn by joining or donating to CBMBA, you also get some Member Perks!
Getting trails built and keeping them maintained takes a lot of time, resources, and partnerships with other organizations in the Valley. Your membership money goes to all of these things and more:
- Funds the full-time trail and stewardship crew, the Crested Butte Conservation Corps (CBCC)
- Setting up volunteer work-days and events (facilities, bathrooms, permitting, planning, promoting)
- Tools!
- Materials (culvert, road base, fabric, etc.)
- Rollovers, walkovers, and bridges
- Food and grilling for the masses
- Commercial Insurance, workers compensation, liquor license, and administrative needs
- Trail planning and development (permitting, routing, mitigating impact on water)
- Long term Planning with Government entities (US Forest Service, Town of Crested Butte, Town of Mt. Crested Butte, City of Gunnison, Gunnison County, BLM)
- Community Collaborations and Partnerships ( CB Land Trust, Town of CB, Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Private Landowners, Ranchers, 1% for Open Space, High Country Conservation Advocates, CB Devo, Gunnison Public Lands Initiative, and more!)
- Website development and upkeep – featuring Trail Report & Trail/Ride Information
You can become a member today! Or, if you have questions, email our Development Director at development@cbmba.org.
I already have an IMBA membership. How is CBMBA different from IMBA?
CBMBA is a local nonprofit. We are unaffiliated with any national organization. IMBA is a national (well, international) organization of mountain bikers that does quite a bit of trail/bike advocacy on the national level. Some bike clubs are IMBA chapters, in which case they pay a certain amount to be part of IMBA and get IMBA benefits. We are not an IMBA chapter. We are a home-grown, down-in-the-dirt, hard-riding, Pulaski-wielding group of riders who love the Gunnison Valley. All of our money, time, and energy goes right back into this Valley–not to national dues or far-away projects–to help keep it as beautiful as ever to and to make it even more fun to ride.
I'm a hiker. Why should I care about CBMBA?
Well, that’s a good one. We get it. We are a Mountain Bike club: it’s even in the name. That said . . . the work we do is almost entirely focused on trails. Trails for all users. Do you like to walk the Lower Loop? We help maintain that trail to counteract erosion. Do you appreciate the Happy Hour connector to CBMR? We helped build that trail. Do you notice when all the deadfall has been cut out from the Upper Loop in the spring? It’s likely our trail and stewardship crew (see CBCC) or one of our members cut it out. The beauty of the work we do is that it is for TRAILS more than it is for a specific user group. So, whether you hike, run, horseback ride, or bike the trails–you’ve probably seen what we do. If you appreciate it, we’d love it if you’d become a member. We can’t do this work alone.
What is the difference between CBMBA and the CBCC?
The Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association was founded in 1983. It is the oldest mountain bike club in the world! As a club of riders who love trails and nature, though, we recently noticed that the backcountry around CB was seeing a lot of heavy impacts from increased visitors. So, in 2017, we founded the Crested Butte Conservation Corps (CBCC)–a full-time summer trail and stewardship crew. They are helping CBMBA fulfill its mission by being boots on the ground, 6 days a week. We gave them their own name because: 1) they are focused more on conservation work than building new trail, and 2) they work on more than just mountain bike trails. They also work on hiking trails, moto trails, equestrian trails, at trailheads, and even in Wilderness. They are a trail and stewardship crew for all backcountry users! CBMBA is the overarching organization, and the CBCC is one of our initiatives.
What is a CBCC founder?
The CBCC Founders Club is a group of individuals and families that believe in the work the CBCC is doing. They join the Club by making a large donation ($1000+) that goes directly to the CBCC. They are helping CBMBA “found” (i.e. create) the CBCC, but they are also building the financial foundation of the CBCC so that they can do their work into perpetuity. The intention is that Founders will recognize the CBCC with an annual gift to stay in the club, for they understand that it takes continued to support to build a quality program and keep it alive. Founders are acknowledged on the website and with a thank you gift that denotes their annual membership in the Founders Club. You can become a Founder today! Or if you have questions, please email Executive Director Dave Ochs at dave@cbmba.org.
Should I become a founder or a business sponsor?
The CBCC Founders Club is intended to be a way for individuals/families to support a cause they believe in. Individuals/families get some recognition on the website and a thank you gift.
Business Sponsorship is a way for a business to support CBMBA and receive marketing benefits from CBMBA in return. Business Sponsorships come in a variety of levels: Steel ($500), Aluminum ($1000), Titanium ($2000), Carbon ($3000), and presenting ($5000). Different levels of sponsorships come with different levels of perks. All Business Sponsors get their logo on our newsletter and website; all Business Sponsors get to sponsor a trail. Higher levels of sponsorship lead to more premium placement on our website, in promotional materials, and more premium trail selection (higher visited pages). We also direct Visitors towards our Sponsors when they are looking for local services.
Some Business Sponsors choose to sponsor a specific event (National Trails Work Day, Overnight Work Weekend) , instead of the general sponsorship listed above. In these instances, the sponsors fund food, beverages, and other necessities to support our volunteers at these events, and the sponsor gets included in promotional materials specific to that event.
Some people are Founders AND Business Sponsors; some people only choose one. It depends on 1) if you want your donation earmarked for the CBCC, 2) what level you can donate at, and 3) if you want your business to benefit from the marketing perks of a sponsorship. Questions? Want to become a Business Sponsor? Email Development Director Mary Chandler at development@cbmba.org
What is the Women's Work Force (WWF)?
The Women’s Work Force is one of CBMBA’s initiatives. It is a group of women who get together for women’s-specific trail work days, clinics, rides, and other events. It is an effort to bring more parity into the world of mountain biking–to get more women involved in mountain biking, in trail work, and in CBMBA. It is not JUST for riders, though; like all our trail-work days, everyone is welcome! We have a lot of riders, but also a lot of hikers and runners! If you’re a woman who loves trails, join us if you can for one of our upcoming events!
When does the CBMBA Board meet?
The third Thursday of every month at the CBMBA Cache, 744 Riverland Drive #4 in Riverland. All are welcome!
I love digging in the dirt and meeting my fellow riders. When is the next trail party?
We have work days throughout the spring, summer, and fall. Check out the Events calendar for all the happs! Our biggest ones are the Natty (National) Trails Day Work Day in the Spring (usually the first Saturday of June) and the Overnight Work Weekend, which in 2018 is July 28 and 29.
Are dogs allowed on the trails?
Dogs are NOT allowed on Tony’s (at the end of McCormack Ranch Road). On the rec path, dogs must be on a leash. Everywhere else your dog must be under voice control. Please keep in mind there are lots of users out there!
Where do I park for the Lupine trail?
You may NOT park on the Saddle Ridge road or at the top in the cul de sac. Parking there could compromise our access to this trail. You may NOT park on Gothic Road/6th Street/Highway 135. Please park on the Slate River Road side, right after the cattle guard on the right. That trailhead is right at the end of Lupine 2!
Are the trails one directional?
No. All trails around CB, except the Evolution bike park at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, are multi-directional and multi-user. So, when you’re bombing down 401, be aware that some people will be riding up it (or hiking up it, and with a dog). Check out more trail etiquette here.
Why did you take out that really rad section of trail and make it boring?
Because we hate fun.
No! That’s not it at all! The simple answer is that trails need to be sustainable if they are going to last, and that means that some features get changed or some trails get re-routed in an effort to mitigate water damage, to repair erosion, to prevent widening of the trail, or to prevent habitat destruction. The more complex answer is that CBMBA is not the owner of the trails. The trails we ride go through lands owned by the Forest Service, the Land Trust, the Town of Mt. Crested Butte, the Town of Crested Butte, private landowners, and other entities. It is not just “our call” what happens with the trail. Trail changes are decided by a whole host of entities (including scientists that study the impact of the trail on the region’s flora, wildlife, water, and soils). Every trail has its own unique circumstances. Changes are made based on sustainability, safety, conservation, user groups, conflicts (existing or potential), AND fun! Please join us at a board meeting if you want to learn more!