Adaptive MTB (Jim Beck & Michael Hanson)
“Adaptive MTB and Trail Design” will explore different types of handcycles, their capabilities and how they influence trail use. Presenters will discuss the Kootenay Adaptive Sports Association (KASA) standards and trail rating system, and how to build more inclusive trails. They will also provide a brief overview of adaptive-friendly trails in southcentral Alaska and where the sport is heading in Alaska and beyond.
Bio: Jim Beck has been involved in nonprofit human services and state government in Alaska since 1985. Paralyzed since the age of 21, Jim is an avid adaptive mountain bike (aMTB) rider and uses an offroad handcycle to access Alaska’s bountiful trails and recreation areas year-round. Jim is passionate about developing inclusive mountain biking and advocating for adaptive trails that bring the stoke to all cyclists.
Bio: Michael Hanson came to Alaska ten years ago as a pilot. His life changed drastically in a collision with a hillside; as a result, Michael has been paralyzed from the waist down for seven years. Having grown up enjoying all the opportunities offered in rural Oregon, Michael was eager to get back to outdoor adventures. He participates in Challenge Alaska’s programs for sled hockey, mono-ski, wheelchair basketball and lacrosse, fishing trips, and more recently adaptive mountain biking.
Flow Trail Design (Lee Bolling)
A round of applause for our 2nd MTB Summit Presenter Lee Bolling, President – Singletrack Advocates (STA)
Topic: Designing the Dream Mountain Bike Trail:
Let’s dig into the specifics of designing amazing mountain bike trails with slopes, jumps, berms, and fun times! Lee led the development of Anchorage’s premier singletrack trails and shares his knowledge on lessons learned throughout the last 13 years of designing, building, maintaining, and shredding these trails. In this presentation you’ll learn the importance of trail slopes, good jump and berm design, and how to harness the trail-force for your own dream trail.
Lee’s Bio:
Lee is a major driving force in the development of mountain bike trails in Anchorage, Alaska. Since 2010, Lee has led the development of over 26 miles of singletrack trails at Kincaid, Hillside, and Chugach State Parks. His volunteer efforts through Singletrack Advocates have been a huge part of making Anchorage one of the best places to live, work and PLAY! The trails that Lee has conceived are some of the most popular bike trails in the area, such as Lee’s Train and Bolling Alley (which are named after him), Middle Earth, Jeff’s Whoop Whoop, Eh-Line, Hemlock Burn Trail, and many, many more. All in all, Lee has led the creation of 27 different trails in Anchorage, with the help of amazing STA board members, volunteers, sponsors, and trail builders. Lee is the president of STA and volunteers his time with ongoing trail maintenance, fundraising, or tackling the next new trail project. If you have ideas for trails, give Lee a ring. He loves to help others see the vision for great bike trails in their community.
Wayfinding & Design (Aurora Hablett)
We’re excited to have Aurora Hablett presenting WAYFINDING AND DESIGN at the 2nd Alaska MTB Summit!
Aurora Hablett is an avid mountain biker with over 16 years of experience in branding and graphic design. Join her for an overview of creating connection and accessibility through design. She will guide you through considerations for real-world projects such as kiosk design, trail maps, organization branding, and other ways to increase visibility and add value to riders’ biking experiences.
Aurora has produced award-winning work for clients across the state of Alaska. In the bike community, her work includes maps and wayfinding for the Mirror Lake Trail System, Singletrack Advocates’ newest Hillside maps, and the Alaska Pacific University trail system. She has also worked with advocacy groups including Mighty Bikes and Chugach Mountain Bike Riders, to establish strong and versatile branding for their organizations.
Risks & Liability (Pam Weiss)
We are happy to have Pam Weiss teaching a session on MTB RISKS AND LIABILTY at the 2nd Alaska MTB Summit Oct 14-15th in the Mat-Su!
Pam loves all things bikes. And she spends a lot of time on them – bikepacking, commuting, cyclocross racing, coaching Mighty Bikes, fatbiking, xc racing, and leading women’s rides. But she also spends time working as a lawyer focusing on civil litigation and risk management. For 15 years she worked at the Municipal Attorney’s Office and her favorite part of her job was inspecting the new bike trails before they opened to identify potential issues that could be fixed before problems arose. Now she works in private practice, where a substantial part of her practice is defending individuals and organizations in lawsuits for personal injury.
Mapping Your Trails (Cameron Sanders)
Cameron Sanders is a relentlessly curious lover of all things bicycle and the sole proprietor of A Lens For Wanderlust. Informed by 13 years as a career National Park Service public affairs agent, alongside a decade of professional content creation with a multitude of short films on international film tours and debuts in the likes of Redbull and beyond, he works with government and non-profit entities to celebrate outdoor recreation.
His specialty is blending public information campaigns and media into geospatial formats. If you have a map project – print or digital – he has beautiful solutions.
When he’s not bikepacking or working with non-profits, Cameron works as an engineer for a number of cycling companies designing products to help us explore our public lands.
Learn more about his life and the work he’s done in his Bikes or Death Podcast – episode 83.
IMBA Sessions (Anthony Duncan)
Raised in a small town in the Southern Appalachian mountains of Virginia, Anthony grew up with an appreciation of the outdoors and the adventures it provides. Anthony came to IMBA in 2014 after an eight-year career in marketing and PR as a graphics project manager and a former president of SORBA Tri-Cities, an IMBA/SORBA chapter straddling the Tennessee/Virginia border. Anthony is based in Tennessee.
