Trail EAffect

For Episode 212, we've got Udo Blenkhorn and Pat Pero out of Quebec Canada. Both Pat and Udo are heavily involved with volunteer trail building, so much so that they decided to create a nonprofit organization called Dig !t for the purpose of helping other volunteer trail-building organizations. Dig !t serves many purposes for both individuals and trail organizations, with the central theme of orga...

For episode 211, we've got Willie Bittner, founder of Great Lakes Trail Builders, and current President of the Professional Trail Builders Association. Willie has been trail building nearly his entire life, starting out with Boy Scout projects, then working for various Conservation Corps organizations on, and alongside various trail builders before Founding WisCorps, and Great Lakes Trail Builders...

For episode 210, we've got Berne Broudy and Greg Durso back on for a follow-up conversation about their film, Best Day Ever. Berne and Greg were first on in episode 201 back in October of 2025, and since then they've been rallying hard on the film tour circuit, racking up an impressive 22 awards and showcasing the film in multiple countries. Best Day Ever has been making a real impact on how every...

Evan Walterman & Doc Savage | Black Hills Bike Hub – Rapid City, SD | 209 For episode 209, We have Evan Walterman and Doc Savage representing the Black Hills Bike Hub based in Rapid City, SD. Doc is the current President, and Evan is the Director of Trails. We discuss all things mountain biking and trails in Rapid City which has some very unique trail systems. Rapid City was also just named an...

For episode 208, we have Ethan Edman, the Director of Trail Construction and Maintenance at the OZ Trails Bike Park. If you want a real understanding of how one of the most anticipated bike parks in the country is coming together, this conversation delivers. Topics Include: Ethan on Gravity Based Bike Parks Ethan on his role as the Director of Trail Construction and Maintenance Bike parks he’d vis...

For episode 207, Phil Waidner is our guest – Now if you read the title, it says West Virginia Mountain Biking and the Arrowhead Bike Farm – This is where Phil Lives and what Phil does, but how he got here is a whole lot of different stories. Phil took us from Indiana to Ashville, to China to Bolivia, to Vail Colorado and finally to Fayetteville, WV. He’s had a lot of different roles in the mountai...

For episode 206, I’m joined by Mark Eller from Leave No Trace. This might sound like a straightforward conversation. It isn’t. Mark is a veteran of the outdoor industry, with more than a decade at IMBA during a period of major program expansion, and he continues his work today at Leave No Trace. His background includes climbing, mountain biking, and decades of time spent outdoors. This episode sit...

For episode 205 we have Charlie Riou and Cullen McMorrow – the President and Vice President of the Austin Ridge Riders Mountain Bike Club. While Austin may not be on everyone’s radar as a ride destination Austin certainly has a very deep history around mountain biking, mountain bike advocacy and trails. Both Cullen and Charlie provide some excellent stories about the history of mountain biking in...

Nick Ryan | Copper Harbor Trails Club Trails Coordinator | 204 Topics Include: Giving Tuesday for Copper Harbor Trails Club Looking back at the 2025 achievements by the Copper Harbor Trails Club Looking forward at the 2026 goals Wrapping up the Keweenaw Point Trail in 2026 Winter Trails around Copper Harbor that the far east end of the Keweenaw Peninsula More than double your donation through the...

IMBA Trail Towns and Ride Centers™ with Joe V. and Marty Caivano | 203 For episode 203 we have Joe V. and Marty Caivano back on to discuss the recently launched IMBA Trail Towns Designation and the recently relaunched IMBA Ride Center™ Designation. We covered everything from the importance of these designations for your community, how to get these awarded these designations, and even provided some...

For episode 202 we have Miles Ramsey the creative director for 52Eighty Creative. Miles has been working with the PTBA, American Trails, along with others in the Trail Space to improve the marketing game on the outdoor infrastructure we all love to build and use. Miles also the person behind the Outdoor Marketing Boot Camp which was created as a way to help bring new and creative ideas to the outd...

For episode 201 we have Berne Broudy and Greg Durso. Berne is an outdoor journalist, storyteller, and happens to be the president of Richmond Mountain Trails a Non-Profit Trail Organization. Greg is an adaptive athlete and senior program director for the Kelly Brush Foundation. Together Berne and Greg helped to create the new film titled “Best Day Ever” a film about adaptive mountain biking, trail...

For Episode 200 we flip the script, and Pete Taylor takes over as the host, putting your regular host myself, Josh into the hot seat. We dive into the backstory how the Trail EAffect Podcast came to be, a mistake or two that I’ve made along the way along with a whole bunch of other topics that Pete had. Topics Include: The Driftless Dirt / Trail EAffect Podcasts Backstory Why Start Trail EAffect W...

For Episode 199 we have Pete Taylor of Vernon Trails, Bluedog Cycles and Camp Bluedog – the largest longest running kids’ mountain bike camp in the Galaxy. There are so many words that could be said about Pete but I’ll leave all of that up to him! Topics Include: Moving to Viroqua, WI to open a bike shop, a place with zero access for mountain bike trails Starting with Single Track - Vernon Trails...

For Episode 198, we’re catching up with Mike Repyak, who’s back on the show for the fourth time, this time with a brand-new role as Director of Development and Outdoor Recreation for the Kocourek Trailhead Foundation in Wausau, Wisconsin. We dive into Wausau’s ambitious trail plans, Mike’s continued work with IMBA, and highlights from the International Trails Summit that was held this past April i...

For Episode 197 we have Adam Yeoman, the Executive Director for the Copper Harbor Trails Club. During this conversation we talk all things Copper Harbor 2025, which includes some past events, future events, new trails, and there is also some intel on what participants of the 2025 Copper Harbor Trails Fest might have in store in terms of both XC and Enduro Course. Adam covers a lot during our conve...

For Episode 196 we have J.T. Horn, J.T, is the Trail Director for the Trust for Public Land. J.T. was also one of two guests on episode 192 where we discussed the Economic Impact that Mountain Biking can have on communities. For this episode we are discussing various ways to bridge the gap between Land Conservation organizations and the Trail Community. This topic can be a rather important topic b...

For Episode 195 we have Chris Stindt as our guest. Chris is heavily involved hosting bicycle related events, all sorts of bicycle related events. During this conversation we uncover the value that events bring to communities, and in many ways these events help to build stronger communities. Topics Include: The Chris Stindt backstory Chris’s role at Smith’s Bike Shop Events as a vehicle for raising...

For Episode 194 Martha Becton takes over again, this time at the 2025 International Trail Summit, which was held this past April in Madison, WI. Similar to when Martha took over last year at the PTBA Conference, Martha is back, and this time she’s got 6 other guests who dive back into the topic of Women in Trail Building. Topics Include: Intro by Martha Becton – Owner of Becton Trails Desi Jarrell...

For Episode 193 we have Uriah Nazario and Brock Wagner who are two of the many personalities behind Beyond the Ashes – An Adaptive Trail Story. Uriah and Brock break down the backstory behind this film, who they brought into the film, along with how Universal Trail Design can be incorporated into trail systems without most people knowing, yet providing access to Adaptive Mountain Bikers. This film...

For Episode 192 we have Jennifer Clinton and J.T. Horn both of the Trust for Public Land. Earlier this year the Trust for Public Land Partnered with IMBA to author a report on the Economic Impact of Mountain Biking. They also presented this report at the International Trail Summit that was held this past April in Madison, WI. We dug into the report itself along with some takeaways from the Interna...

For Episode 191 we have Lars Romig of Sedona, AZ. Lars has been a long-time member of the Verde Valley Cyclists Coalition, along with being a Trail Builder and Mountain Bike Trail Access Advocate. Most Recently Lars led the charge on building the Hardline Trail. This conversation is one that I’ve wanted to have with a Sedona Local for a handful of years now as there is a ton of riding content that...

For Episode 190 we have Chris Riley from Central Maine. Chris is the president of the Central Maine Chapter of the New England Mountain Bike Association, and a board member of the New England Mountain Bike Association. Chris and his organization have come up with some innovative ideas on how to handle both new trail construction as well as handling annual trail maintenance. Maine and the New Engla...

For Episode 189 we have Chase Draper the President of Birmingham Urban Mountain Pedalers otherwise known as BUMP. BUMP is another powerhouse volunteer driven trail organization that falls under the SORBA mothership in the South East region of the United States. Chase provides some exceltent stories about what can be accomplished when you are willing to outwork everyone else, and he’s got a pretty...

For Episode 188 we have Jarrod Harris and Josh Cohan back on from Jarrod’s Place Bike Park. We cover a handful of topics including what Josh & Jarrod have learned since opening Jarrod’s Place Bike Park and we went deep on All things Trail Armor – The first line of defense for protecting your Flow Trails, Jump Lines and Berms. There’s a lot of great things that Jarrod and Josh have been learnin...