in Blackhawk (Moderator: Patrick Remington)

Just in time for the snow: Blackhawk Ski Club will be allowing fat bikes. A few things everyone who rides there should know:

-Stay on marked trails (Roller Coaster, The Pines Loop, Howling Wolff, and the Creek Trail)
-No riding on any ski trails (neither Nordic nor downhill)
-The connection to Pleasant View starts at the far east end of the Creek Trail, and runs under the powerline. This is the Erdman property, so please stay on the trail. (This is not the summer connector; that is a ski trail, which we need to stay)
-You need to be a member.  $25 here: http://www.blackhawkskiclub.org/membership/membership-types/

This is a trial effort. If it turns out folks cannot follow the rules, most importantly stay off ALL the groomed ski trails (some of which will look awfully fun to ride), then it will end badly; don't be the jerk who causes that. If we can manage to play the rules, there is good potential for more trail and grooming in the future. Please pass the word, and have fun!

I tried to ride the new connector trail through the marsh yesterday, but it's a bumpy ice rink and I gave up. I see that the connector ski trail is in rough shape and could easily handle rider traffic on one side, but I didn't dare try it because I want this experiment to work.
Any thoughts about addin in a 2' wide swath alongside the ski trail for next year- like they have set up at pleasant view??

I think a lot of the trails have suffered in the last week or so, so it is not surprising to hear it is in bad shape.  As we learn more and get more equipment, grooming ahead of and/or behind less than ideal weather should mitigate the damage, but snow followed by rain followed by cold is always going to be a challenge. 

That said, it seems to me that the main connector is wide enough to accommodate bikes and skis, but convincing all the concerned parties that this can be done successfully and peacefully will be the challenge.