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Manly Dam Volunteer Trail Maintenance Returns!
After being put on hold since 2008, volunteer trail maintenance is at last about to return to Manly Dam.
The first day will be this Saturday 8 September 2012 from 9am-3pm.
Numbers are limited, and will be on the basis of first in, best dressed. 
You will need to complete and sign some paperwork, and attend a short safety briefing at the start, so being punctual will be important (note to self!).
BBQ afterwards courtesy of Trail Care.
Please RSVP to Spindog (http://nobmob.com/user/2162) with name, email address and mobile phone number.
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Wow...4 years of hard work to get to this stage, top stuff
Here is some motivation for the volunteers on Sat
http://www.hobartcity.com.au/Recreation/Bushland...
Awesome video and big respect to Hobart Council and all involved
Will let spindog know if i can make it asap
I did a trail maintenance day back when they were on.
Without boring everyone, one of the tasks I was given was flawed from the start, I offered my experience but as soon as I was advised the trail manager of the day knew best I backed off and did my task.
These days riding past my "input rejected" part of the trail I smirk at the proof in my ignored advice. (yes I know, Blah Blah!!!)
I just hope that this time the Council staff have consulted professional trail builders for the long term betterment of Manly Dam.
The return of the maintenance initiative is praised
Greg
Signed up for a couple of hours. See you guys there.
Pretty interested to see how this will work out viz long term benefits for the track.
The ranger has done the IMBA course, and based on my interactions so far he seems a pretty decent bloke and open to ideas.
However, while consensus is something to be aimed at, there's no guarantee we'll all agree for one thing, so in that situation somebody's going to be disappointed. Someone needs to make a call, and that will fall to the ranger. Sometimes he'll/we'll get it wrong, too. That's called an opportunity to try things and learn.
The key thing is to keep egos out of it and accept that people need to try things out and learn from the results.
The area we're looking to rock armour has been a long term problem, the sources of which aren't fully understood, so I expect there'll be a bit of suck it and see.
Hawkeye - any chance you guys can take a look at the log steps on the way down to the 19th hole. The first one in particular as you enter that section is getting huge.
I have ridden the dam for ages, but the other day that first step almost caught me out. I would hate to a beginner trying to negotiate some of the lower speed steps.
I am all for technical challenges and dislike the idea of dumbing down the track, but I do believe appropriate A, B lines need to be in place for the new comers to our sport.
D
I've OTB'd many times there and hate that last bit.
Unfortunately, I'm busy this Saturday and can't make the it but hopefully I'll be around for the next one. The Dam has great potential and I'd love it to be a favourite place to ride rather than a last resort.
Good luck with the work and take plenty of before and after pics
Does this mean the track will be closed to riders during maintenance ?
@Dicko + Brian: The section above 19th Hole is out of scope for this maintenance day unfortunately, but yes I agree there are safety issues emerging there.
Are you guys talking about the section just as you turn off the firetrail above the first section of boards, or the double log drop-off just after it? The latter got me good last time when the landing bounced me off into the scrub.
Let me know and I'll mention your concerns to the ranger.
For the longer term, we'd like to see whether realigning that section is feasible - a re-route (and rehabilitation of the old section) so that it snakes around before getting to 19th Hole and doesn't just barrel staight down the fall line like set of rapids when it rains.
The whole trail won't be closed, just a very short section that's maybe 100m long. There's a very easy road detour.
Are you turning over those stone cobbles that were laid next to Wakehurst Parkway the apprentice trail builder must have put in upside down a few years ago?!
Actually I was thinking of the first step on the final run to the hydrolab.
Hawkeye - I'm thinking of the double log drop off right after it. You don't have a lot of speed there, so it make that drop worse then the others further down the line where you have a little more speed.
@Brian - those stairs lower down near the hydro are not eroded it just requires a little more technique - removing the wooden stairs to the left hand side would be a +ve, but I can't see that ever happening given the effort it would have taken to put them in.
If you know in advance what is going to be "rock armoured" - don't you think it would be a good idea to get a little feedback before the event?
I say this because trail maintenance in the past has, in some instances, to phrase it politely, been "less than 100% effective".
In addition there are quiet a few people with significant expertise available - many of whom are lurking at this site.
So if the proposed trail mods were posted *before* they happened then maybe a bit of discussion here would ensure a happy outcome for all concerned. Surely a bit of input from "the customers" - especially those with expertise - wouldn't hurt?
Obviously at this point The Ranger has final call on what happens and what doesn't.
Just a few questions regarding manly dam maintenance days.
1. Who is in charge of short and long term goals and direction in terms of making manly dam a world class mtb trail.
2. Who is making sure the trail is not dumbed down,but rather
improved during maintenance days.
3. Has there been discussion to make manly dam mtb trail into a real mtb trail with mtb challenges, such as optional challenges like woodwork,log rides and jumps etc?
4. Is someone going to be able to look at sections of trail and say for example, this is not working,lets redirect for better flow, or lets change this section from fire trail to single trail.
5. Can the maintenance days be changed to maintenance and improvement days (or something of that nature) to better reflect long term intended outcomes?
Thoughts?
The section to be armoured is a non-technical section that has ongoing drainage issues, and is pretty straightforward and non-controversial. It can't possibly be dumber than it already is.
The reason I'm not publicising the section at this point is that this is very much a trial of the volunteer engagement process as much as trying out what's been learned from IMBA's course, and we want to keep the scope of the day small and manageable.
Please understand we're not trying to keep people out of this, we just want to make sure Council comes away with a good feeling from this as well as riders. Rest assured that Trail Care and Council will consult more widely on future changes. It is, after all, why Trail Care was formed, to help manage the communications.
There are a number of experienced riders and trail maintainers/builders that will be there on the day, and we are as anxious to avoid dumbing down as you are. So far as I can see Council now "gets" the dumbing down issue more clearly, and there are other projects being considered for the beginner end of the spectrum that will alleviate pressure to reduce challenge on the current Dam circuit.
@nrthnben, some of those are very big questions that are still being worked on. With regard to the Dam specifically, what can and can't be done will be controlled by the new plan of management that you have had input into (and which is due out from State govt "real soon now") but Councillors have seen what goes on in places like Rotorua, the ACT, and so on, and want a part of that action for Warringah.
I hope that helps.
Hi guys
We are getting there with Council and as Hawkeye says this day is a trial to get the day itself working.
There are a few more planned before the end of the year.
What I would like to see is the Dam being broken down into sections. And then these sections set up as a forum topic so that everyone can highlight/post photos of key issues and everyone can offer suggestions.
It may be that the contributors get first dibs on helping out too.
Thats great
I'm an out of towner for Manly Dam, Been there once over a year ago and revisiting for my second time later this month after you work day. Is there any talk with council to have new track and remove the need to ride on the road/footwalk.
That would be part of making it a proper mountain bike trail, and due to it being a mountain bike trail it should be in the bush,not on the road or on the footpath.
Hawkeye/Simon, some feedback on this maintenance day:
1. I rode through the lot of you yesterday standing on the quagmire site - thanks for the applause - there were no warning signs on the track.
2. I rode across the work today - there is an "under construction" sign on the track. Either the work is not completed or somebody is one sign short back at the depot: normally there are checklists and supervisors for these things. I'm thinking it isn't completed.
3. I can make some gratuitous comments on the works design, but I think I will leave that for a rainy day
4. Re the volunteer engagement process I am a Trail Care member and I check their web site for anything new about Manly Dam. I didn't get an email from Trail Care (or anybody) about the maintenance day nor is there anything about it on their web site, nor anything on Warringah Council's web site or Facebook page - the only place this was mentioned is NoBMoB. And here it was mentioned in mysterious terms with incomplete information. Was all this deliberate?
1. It was genuine applause. And there where warning signs when we started work. There will be a clearer "dismount" sign soon also.
2.Its not finished, thats why the signs still there.
3.True it will need looking at in the rain, however its not finished and there will be tweaks made until its perfect.
4.Volunteer days are in early stages, so it was deliberate, and the ranger can only manage so many people.
Maybe Hawkeye or Simon can add to this if there is more detail.
Pics?!
@cambo, if you were the guy we clapped through, it was because you were first to ride the new trail tread.... you christened it for us ... congratulations!
(So long as you weren't the guy in white lycra on the Spesh 29er that refused multiple requests to dismount and rode several times straight through the work site while the mattocks were swinging... in which case your father smells of elderberries, your mother was a hamster and we fart in your general direction!
)
As ben said, the work is still not 100% complete, but at a stage where it can be ridden. A follow-up session to finish off is planned for 2-3 weeks' time. Work to be done is to finalise the rubble drains, contain each end of the tread to retain the material, and add more tread material up to the level of the timber.
Signage I agree needs work.
Not completely convinced re: the timber myself, that was a bit of a surprise, but we'll see how it goes. We wouldn't have achieved as much with the alternatives. We'll provide feedback on the design & consult process.
If wait until we get the process or the design for a particular site perfect, a) we'll never get anything done and b) we still won't please everybody.
Yesterday had a high concentration of "suck it and see". So maybe it sucks. We'll see.
Me wearing white lycra would certainly be a memorable sight
No, I was the bloke in baggy clothing on a Santa Cruz and you all looked like you'd just arrived for a debriefing as you were all standing on dry quagmire with no evidence of work started. Please don't tell me you also applauded other riders, Ben had me feeling special.
Aah you were the one that good looking bloke started the slow clap for.
...and no, the 2nd lot of applause was when the work was finished.
I do remember the slow clap.
If you didn't receive the TrailCare email newsletter with the info about the day please email me so we can check your contact details.
We also posted on NobMob as volunteer work isn't exclusive to TrailCare members.
The details could have been interpreted as vague but we needed people to contact us to confirm details. People showing up on the day without confirming first would have been an issue.
Again this first day was a bit of a trial. It will be fine tuned both in terms of organisation of people, work plans and trail solutions.
We welcome any feedback and everyone needs to remember there is plenty of opportunity to tweak things later and that the work that has been done was by people giving up their time.
And, Thanks heaps to everyone for all the hard work!!!
I think this is priority especially ppl who aren't regulars , I rode every part of the dam on a 120mm bike I was trying out yesteday & when I came to the 19th the step down thru me & I was on a 29er too , it is the gap between the two rocks that caught me out on the first step down the one b4 the last bit anyway .
I think it's importnt for everyone to remember that technical MTB is supposed to be just that.
There are several possible lines through the 19th hole section. Some will take bark off your body, some are very easy, some people can't ride any of the lines, but they can certainly walk them.
If riders want to ride the technical bits of the dam, but ride there infrequently, I don't see it as a great impost for the trail builders to suggest they might want to get off, scope out a run, then get into it..... Possibly signage would help, maybe saying "technical section ahead. Trail features subject to variation due to use" or something similar.
I'm no liability lawyer or insurance assessor so could be talking out my hat, but some personal responsibility wouldn't go astray...... Hopefully a balance can be brokered between the two ends of the spectrum....
I'm looking forward to riding the Monserra St bridge... I nearly lost a 29er in the bog last wet season!
You mean this one?
http://youtu.be/VrGloB6sp4s
Yeah, a nice little wheel-catcher that gets the locals sometimes too.
You need to stay right. I forgot on this occasion.
We need to find a balance at the Dam which is no easy task. We are also talking to Council about signage and a skills area to help build skills to ride the Dam.
This spot is catching wheels as people are rolling a small drop. A slight pop off the lip avoids this, it doesn't even have to be enough to get both wheels off the ground at the same time. Just enough so the front wheel doesn't just roll down into the hole. With experience riders learn to scan the terrain and judge when to change the weight on the bars or pop the front wheel over stuff. A must have skill for safe and fun mountain biking and when you do this it doesn't matter what wheel size or head angle you have.
We also need to figure out what to do with the built up roll down after this. It's now so big that there is little room for others to jump off the ledge around it.
Checked out the track work today guys. Seems to work well with the current theme around the dam. I don't envy you with the work that is needed.
Keep up the hard work!!
I wish people would stop trying to dumb down the dam!
That is a seriosuly easy section that was ridden badly which caused the crash!
If the ride was riding a little faster and pushed the front wheel out in front or lifted it wouldnt have happened.
People need to remember that XC MTB is not road riding. Rocks and ledges are part of the track.
Instead of dumbing down the track people should be improving there riding skills!
XC riding is not road riding.
I'm concerned at how the track is promoted. Some people expect an easy beginner track. It's not a beginner track but also not a difficult track by Northern Beaches standards. Council also gets conflicting messages. I understand that for an XC race course it may be technical yet for many of us it is a place we only rode for 12 months before mainly moving on to more challenges.
I'm also concerned at how when I was last there even what was previously the 19th hole exit to the c-line and d-line, which is the main lines in that section, now has a roller so big there's almost no room to jump around it.
This area needs some work. Riders also need to know where they can go to improve skills, for beginners now it is much harder as shops no longer have the Sydney Trail Guide with a break down of each section of track for technical difficulty since many of those trails are now out of bounds.
When we started out on rigid frames we followed the natural progression in the Guide, rode fire trails in Lane Cove National Park, single track at Royal National Park, then Manly Dam for a while before buying a hard tail. Followed by Oxy.
Isn't that the whole point of the vid? taking the p*** out of myself for not watching where I was going properly and trying to roll it in the wrong spot?
We finished our work on the raised tread today, and added a bermed bit at the end. We'll see how this stacks up over the next few months
The view coming into the built-up section
Pete R testing out his handiwork
Nice work people. That area was horrible earlier this year in the wet.