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February CORBA Kids Ride – Cheeseboro Canyon

Monday, February 25th, 2013

On February 2nd, four kids and and four adults rode Cheeseboro Canyon through Sulpher Springs and to the first big wall. New riders Josh and son, Zachary joined us again, and Joy and RJ came back after several months. Larry hiked along side son, Elliot who was determined to ride on training wheels, and he did!

It was a perfect day; the weather warmed up gradually, and the kids had lots of opportunities to practice trail ettiquette as the canyon was very busy with runners training for the upcoming marathon in March.

Click here to see pictures from this fabulous ride.

Next ride March 2 at 9 a.m. Sullivan Canyon, Brentwood side. Hope to see you and your kids there!

Tags:cheeseboro canyon, CORBA Kids Club, Kids Mountain biking in Los Angeles, Take a Kid Mountain Biking
Posted in Rides and Events, Santa Monica Mountains, Youth | Comments Closed

COSCA Spring Trailwork Day March 23th

Monday, February 25th, 2013

Come out and join the Conejo Open Space Conservation Agency (COSCA), CORBA, the Santa Monica Trails Council and other volunteers for the Annual COSCA Spring Trailwork Day. We will be building a new trail in the Western Plateau/Conejo Canyons area.

At noon, following the morning of trail-building, workers will be treated to hamburgers/vegi-burgers, chips, fruit and drinks while enjoying the camaraderie of fellow trail enthusiasts!

Wear protective clothing (long-legged pants, long-sleeved shirts, sunglasses), sturdy shoes, gloves, hat and sunscreen.

No experience necessary. Tools and instructions on how to use them safely and effectively will be provided. Must be 18+ years of age. Beware of poison oak, ticks & rattlesnakes.

Follow directions of park rangers and trail crew leaders at all times.

Pre-registration is required so that COSCA will have enough tools, crew leaders and food!

Directions to the meeting place and other details are included on the online registration page.

Posted in Conejo Valley, Trail Building and Restoration, Trail Crew | Comments Closed

Lots of brush removed from Backbone Trail west of Kanan during Feb 23 trailwork day – and photo gallery

Sunday, February 24th, 2013

During a joint trailwork day, CORBA and the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council trail crews cleared brush (lots and lots of it!) and fixed drainages on the 2.5 mile segment of the Backbone Trail west from Kanan Rd to Zuma Ridge Motorway.

: CORBA volunteers are knee-deep in cuttings that have fallen into the trail

We split into two teams to tackle this trail. 15 CORBA volunteers grabbed loppers and saws to take on the overgrowing brush. The tread along this segment is in pretty good shape, so a small group of four SMMTC and CORBA volunteers took earth-moving tools to clear out the drainages so rain water wouldn’t cause ruts in the future.

It’s important to clear brush from the trail not only to keep it from becoming so overgrown that it’s impassible, but also to increase the sight distances so approaching travellers can see each other from further away and have time to react/respond to the other’s presence. In the case of mountain bikers approaching hikers or equestrians, this should mean slowing down and preparing to stop, if necessary, to yield the right-of-way.

This trail had been worked by the SMMTC crew twice in the past few months so much of the brush had already been cut back, but there were two very bad sections. One was about 2/3 miles east of Zuma Ridge Mtwy where the brush has not been cut back for several years and both sides had grown almost to the middle. The other was on the switchbacks near Kanan Rd where the heavy branches overhead were drooping down so low that riders need to duck a lot of them.

We started from Zuma Ridge Mtwy and worked our way east, cutting back a few bushes to improve sight distances until we came to the major section that was overgrown. We spent most of our time there and now it’s very easily passible. And we created a huge pile of cut branches off the side of the trail!

Volunteers enjoy lunch at the Urbane Cafe after the workday is finished

Once that was done, we hiked east, pausing at the bridge for a snack and to enjoy the pretty area. We had hoped to clear the overhanging branches near Kanan Rd, but we only had time to clear some other problem spots we passed on the way there. Overall, we worked on 2 miles of the 2.5-mile long trail segment.

After putting the tools away, CST tires, 26″ and 29″, were distributed to everyone who wanted one, as a “Thank-you!” from CORBA, IMBA and CST Tires for helping out. Then we retired to Ubane Cafe for lunch.

We’ll have to have another trailwork day to clear those other low hangning branches, but they’re close to the trailhead so it will be easy to get to them. Stay tuned for news of future trailwork days to clear out this section!

Check out our trailwork photo gallery to see photos of this trailwork.

Posted in Santa Monica Mountains, Trail Building and Restoration, Trail Crew | Comments Closed

Southern California National Forests Land Management Plan Amendment, Draft Supplemental EIS Available for Review

Thursday, February 21st, 2013

This was recently recieved from the Forest Service, regarding the Land Management Plan Amendment, which will guide the management of land in the Los Padres, Angeles, San Bernadino and Cleveland National Forests. We previously commented on the process, but now everyone is encouraged to look over the draft to see what might affect our access to trails, and the protection of the lands we love.

CORBA (and I’m sure many other local advocacy groups from the mountain biking world and beyond) will be reviewing the drafts and posting our comments after the public meetings.

——————————————————————————————–

Dear Interested Agencies, State and Local Governments, Tribes, and Public:

On behalf of the Angeles, Cleveland, Los Padres, and San Bernardino National Forests, I am pleased to announce the release of our “Draft Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS), Southern California National Forests Land Management Plan (LMP) Amendment” for review and comment. The proposed amendment would revise land use zone allocations for select Inventoried Roadless Areas within the four forests and amend LMP monitoring protocols. The Draft SEIS considers alternatives for the land use zone allocations and monitoring, as well as the No Action alternative. The Notice of Intent for this SEIS was published in the Federal Register on April 27, 2012 (Vol. 77, No. 82, page 25128).

The Draft SEIS is available for review and comment on the project website at:
http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/fs-usda-pop.php?project=35130

The purpose of this comment period is to provide an opportunity for the public to provide early and meaningful participation on a proposal before a decision is made. Additionally, those who provide substantive comments during this comment period will be eligible to file an objection to the proposed amendment pursuant to the 36 CFR part 219 subpart B regulations at the time the Final Environmental Impact Statement is released.

How to Comment and Timeframe

The Environmental Protection Agency published a Notice of Availability (NOA) for the Draft SEIS in the Federal Register on Friday, February 15, 2013. The opportunity to provide comments and thereby establish eligibility to object under 36 CFR Part 219 Subpart B ends 90 days following that date. The publication date of the NOA in the Federal Register is the exclusive means for calculating the comment period for a proposed action documented in a Draft SEIS. Those wishing to comment should not rely upon dates or timeframe information provided by any other source. The comment period will close on May 16, 2013.

Comments may be filed through the project website at:

http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/fs-usda-pop.php?project=35130

or send via e-mail to:

socal_nf_lmp_amendment@fs.fed.us.

Send written comments to the Cleveland National Forest, 10845 Rancho Bernardo Road, Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92127-2107, ATTN: LMP Amendment. In cases where no identifiable name is attached to a comment, a verification of identity will be required for objection eligibility.

It is the responsibility of persons providing comments to submit them by the close of the comment period. Only those who submit timely and substantive comments will have eligibility to object to the proposed decision under 36 CFR Part 219 Subpart B. Persons providing comment should also note that if they wish to file an objection during the pre-decisional review process, their objections will have to be based on their previously submitted substantive comments unless their objection concerns an issue that arose after this comment opportunity.

Comments received in response to this notice, including names and addresses of those who comment, will be part of the public record for this proposal. Comments submitted anonymously will be accepted and considered; however, anonymous comments will not provide the Forest Service the ability to provide the respondent with subsequent environmental documents.

Public Meetings

The Forest Service will be hosting multiple open house meetings during the comment period. The content and format of each meeting will be the same. Meetings will begin with an open house where Forest Service staff will be available to answer questions about the Draft SEIS. A brief presentation will begin 30 minutes after the meeting opens, followed by an opportunity to ask questions. Maps of the alternatives will be available for viewing. The meeting times and locations are:

March 26, 2013, 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Angeles National Forest Headquarters, 701 North Santa Anita Avenue, Arcadia, CA 91006
March 26, 2013, 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Alpine Community Center, 1830 Alpine Blvd, Alpine, CA 91901 (Hosted by the Cleveland National Forest)
March 27, 2013, 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Palomar Ranger District Office, 1634 Black Canyon Road, Ramona, CA 92065
March 28, 2013, 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Santa Clara Mojave Rivers Ranger District Office, 33708 Crown Valley Road,Acton, CA 93510
March 28, 2013, 5:00 PM to 7:30 PM, San Bernardino National Forest Headquarters, 602 S. Tippecanoe Ave., San Bernardino, CA 92408
April 9, 2013, 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Mt. Pinos Ranger District office, 34580 Lockwood Valley Road, Frazier Park, CA 93225
April 10, 2013, 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM, Southern California Edison, 103 David Love Place, Goleta, CA 93117 (Hosted by Los Padres National Forest)

For Further Information Contact Bob Hawkins, Project Manager at socal_nf_lmp_amendment@fs.fed.us, or visit the project website at http://www.fs.fed.us/nepa/fs-usda-pop.php?project=35130.

Sincerely,

WILLIAM METZ
Forest Supervisor

Posted in Angeles National Forest, Environment, Trail Access | Comments Closed

GirlzGoneRiding Feb 9th Open Ride Report

Thursday, February 14th, 2013

From Wendy Englelberg: Today was the 1^st of many I hope of GirlzGoneRiding (GGR) OPEN RIDES. A GGR Open Ride is a cross country mountain bike ride open to ALL levels…… especially encouraging beginners. EVERY GGR ride is a NO DROP ride at ALL LEVELS…NO ONE GETS LEFT BEHIND. We have a sweeper on EACH ride to make sure of this.

We had well over 50 riders signed up between the GGR event page and private emails, and with so many girlz being sick with the flu, we had many cancel. There were 38 riders respectively still!

The intermediate and advanced riders started at Caballero Canyon single track (“Cabby”) while the beginners started at the TOP of Reseda. Goal was for all levels to meet at the HUB for group photos, announcements and BLING YOUR BIKE contest winners at 10am.

Cabby definitely could use some work. Some of the ruts are very, very deep and the narrow side to ride on is getting more eroded all the time. Not sure how we can repair those huge ruts though without hauling up a ton of dirt…….. Always a hoot to descend…but a rough one to climb in parts!

At last we all made it to the HUB and did some mingling and photo’s. It was a beautiful day with no wind and the views being clear. Funny, the few men at the HUB didn’t know what to make of all these women on the trails! I love it when we leave men speechless! Of course we made them take our pictures!

Taking FIRST place in the BLING YOUR BIKE contest was GGR Ride Leader Ojai Ruth who did one outstanding and creative job blinging up her rig! She took home a gift card from CYCLE WORLD.

2^nd place was the fast and furious DESI who also took home a gift card from CYCLE WORLD. And 3^rd place was one of our beginner ride leaders LISA who went home with some CORBA socks!

So after some more fun photos, we split up into our respective groups. My group, the intermediate and advanced riders all went down Rogers Road (Back Bone) to the Old Oak Tree. Trail conditions were absolutely 100% perfect! We had 24 women and teenager girlz on this trail and they all ROCKED IT! Everyone was all smiles.

Now time to turn around and ride Back Bone back out. Some of the grades are very steep and rocky but these girlz ate them up for breakfast! I pulled over once on the longest climb to get my heart rate down…then started back up and was fine. I really enjoyed this trail with the girlz and especially knowing how happy they were, made me happy too.

Now off to retrace our tracks to the HUB for decision time! Having virtually all the riders back at the hub…we split up yet again. All but 8 riders opted to start heading back. So myself, Lisa and Ojai Ruth took the 8 riders for some extra credit. We opted not to go all the way to the other side for another 15-20 miles, yet decided on the Eagles Rock Loop which was more managable time and energy wise. It was a good call. All 8 girlz were still riding fresh and strong!

So after a quick rest after the Eagles Rock loop and a few more photos, us extra credit girlz headed back to Cabby. Once we got to the trail head at Cabby, Desi and Laura decided to keep riding while the rest of us were ready for some food! We all were having a great time on the descent. We stopped at the fork where you can descend on the short, steep hills or go to the left were the big, deep ruts are. I descended 1^st down the steep part so I could get my camera ready. All did a great job and looked amazing!

Then as I was getting my camera put away, 2 very nice gentlemen stopped me and asked about the group since we were such a nice, friendly group of girlz! Love hearing that! Well, if you know anything about me, you know I’m not shy……so……..I stayed and chatted with these two cute, adorable men. Anyways, we ended up having lunch at the same place and come to find out one of their girlfriends had no other girlz to ride with…didn’t seem to know anyone! HA HA HA HA………..Well, he came to the right place now didn’t he! I gave him my GGR card and told him to make sure his GF signs up on GGR.

I wanted to thank each and every one of you that joined us today. I can’t begin to tell you how honored I am that you joined our group of women and was so stoked to ride with every one of you incredible ladies. I so much enjoyed riding with you and I hope that you all had just as much fun as I did and met some more women you can ride with!

We had a wonderful group of teenagers come out that race on one of the local high school teams which was awesome to have them join us so they could also see how many women of ALL ages and levels there REALLY are out there and all we have to offer!

Big huge thanks to our ride leaders today: Kimberly Cofield, Lisa Granata, Ojai Ruth, Michelle Friend and special mentions to Cystal (I made her go 1^st all the time because she is the fastest and I trust her), and Charlotte for staying with the girlz so I could ride the extra credit with the others.

Also a thank you and much respect to the high school team that came out today. I was very leery of having high school kids on our women’s ride. I have to tell you that these girlz conduct was outstanding! I think I was worse behaved than them! Thank you young ladies! You are welcome anytime to join us for all future GGR events.

Please keep a look out for the Wenches with Wrenches workshop and the next GGR Open ride which will be at Sycamore Canyon in Newbury Park. Yet another amazing area that welcomes ALL levels of riders!

You can view more pictures of the event at the GGR Open Ride Photo Gallery!

Posted in GirlzGoneRiding, Rides and Events, Santa Monica Mountains | Comments Closed

Backbone Trailwork Scheduled for February 23

Monday, February 4th, 2013

Join CORBA and the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council as we fix up the section of the Backbone Trail between Zuma Ridge Motorway and Kanan Road. We’ll mostly be cutting back overgrowing brush, especially branches that are hanging down and make riders duck as they go by. After the trailwork is finished, CORBA will have prizes for some (or all) lucky volunteers, and treat you to lunch afterwards.

Riding the Backbone Trail between Kanan and Zuma Ridge

No experience is necessary to help out with trailwork. Tools and instructions on how to use them safely and effectively will be provided. Must be 18+ years of age.Be sure to wear protective clothing (sturdy shoes, long pants and sleeves, hat, golves) and bring snacks, sunscreen and water. CORBA will provide the tools and training.

We request that you pre-register (by RSVPing “Yes” on our Meetup event) so that we’ll know how many tools to provide. Remember, by pre-registering, CORBA will treat you to lunch afterwards, and enter you in the drawing for mountain biking prizes! We have some great 2.25″ CST tires, for both 26ers and 29ers.

You can find the rest of the details, including times and directions, on our Meetup event.

Posted in Santa Monica Mountains, Trail Building and Restoration, Trail Crew | Comments Closed

Skills Clinic Photos for February 2, 2013

Sunday, February 3rd, 2013

It was a perfect day to be riding in Malibu Creek State Park to participate in the free monthly basic skills clinic. This month we had 16 riders and I’m sure eveyone had a great time with the clear and warm weather! You can see the photos in the February Skills Clinic Photo Gallery.

Posted in CORBA News, Free Basic Skills Clinic, Santa Monica Mountains | Comments Closed

Randy Rogers Had it Right

Tuesday, January 29th, 2013

By Mark Langton

When I first met North Ranch Mountain Bike Club (nrmbc.org) founder Randy Rogers, he told me of his simple concept when encountering others on the trail. “You should slow down enough to have a brief conversation with them. Like, ‘How are you? Have a nice day.’” I told him I thought that this was overly courteous, and if you simply slowed down and said “hi” as you passed, it would be sufficient.

Now, 20 or so years later, I have to admit that Randy was right. Because in having that brief conversation, you not only slow down, you also show care and concern for the other trail user. And if we want to promote a backcountry that is harmonious and safe, then we all must act as if we are a family. Sure, like most families we may have our differences, but in the end our goal should be to care for, and be kind to, each other. After all, we’re out on the trails for the same reasons; to enjoy nature and to renew our spirit.

I challenge you to try this simple, easy experiment: When safely passing someone, including other cyclists, slow down to the point you’re almost going their speed (or stop if necessary), and ask “how are you doing?” (or the abbreviation “howdy!”). Pause just long enough to let them reply. If they don’t, at least you initiated the pleasantry. If they do reply, recognize the feeling you get from the exchange. They feel comforted and cared for, and you have done something nice. If that’s not a win/win, I don’t know what is. And at the risk of sounding cliché, you are paying good karma forward, which in most cases is contagious. And please drop me an email at mark@corbamtb.com or post a reply and let me know how it goes when you try this experiment. I’d really like to hear your experiences. Thanks!

(By the way, if you’re already using this method of trail courtesy, Thank You!)

Posted in Advocacy, Angeles National Forest, Conejo Valley, Environment, Los Angeles, Palos Verdes, San Gabriel Mountains, Santa Clarita Valley, Santa Monica Mountains, Verdugo Mountains | Comments Closed

Volunteers wanted for Backbone Trail Ultramarathon March 30-31

Friday, January 25th, 2013

On March 30-31, Coyote Cohorts will be presenting a 68-mile run along the length of the Backbone Trail in the Santa Monica Mountains. About 150 runners in three categories will be challenging themselves to complete this grueling course.

Vounteers are needed to help with logistics and support of this event. If you are interested in helping out, please visit the Coyote Backbone Trail Ultra website for details and contact information.

Posted in Rides and Events, Santa Monica Mountains | Comments Closed

CORBA Kids Club Rides in the New Year

Friday, January 25th, 2013

Despite being rained out last month, and being busy with the holidays, the CORBA Kids Club has been busy riding the trails!

Two new families joined us for January’s ride: Josh and Zachary, and Geoff, his son Oliver, and
Oliver’s friend, Jack. Welcome, and we hope you continue to ride with us!

In January we rode the North Grasslands trail, on a clear but cold morning that
saw frost and some ice on the trail! We had a total of 14 riders — 8 kids and 5 adults. It warmed up to
a beautiful, perfect day.

Next ride will be Cheeseboro Canyon on Saturday February 2nd. Meet in the upper (dirt) parking lot at 9 a.m.

Tags:CORBA, CORBA Kids Club, Family Rides Santa Monica Mountains, Kids Mountain biking in Los Angeles, Take a Kid Mountain Biking
Posted in Rides and Events, Santa Monica Mountains, Youth | Comments Closed

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