Switchbacks Blocked

This could have been incorporated into my last post, but I wanted to make it separate. I need to vent.

SIMBS has done it again. Another trail at the dump is drastically changed, and in my opinion, not for the better. Snakes and Ladders has been a favorite trail of mine for a very long time. It is a downhill trail full of switchbacks. There have been a couple Dh races on it, and I know that trail like the back of my hand. It is my go to trail when I want to show new people the dump, or I am just looking for a fun trail to ride.

Today I was railing the trail grinning like normal when all of a sudden the trail turned left when it should have went straight. A new trail had been cut and the old one was blocked off. The bottom half of Snakes and Ladders is gone. SIMBS was revamping a trail called Torpedo Run, and I think they rerouted Snakes and Ladders as a byproduct.

The new section links to an older trail, and makes Snakes and Ladders way shorter. Also, the new section is not nearly as fun. Finally, I am left wondering what happened to the old school trails called Shar’s choice and the Gay Terrace that lay below the blocked off section. I’m hoping they are reachable from Torpedo Run, but I fear they are no longer able to be ridden.

I know SIMBS must maintain the trails, but it angers me when something this drastic is done. I’m hoping there is a sound and scientific reason for the changes. I also know that unless I get involved in SIMBS, I probably shouldn’t complain too much, but I really felt the need to vent. One of the reasons I no longer join SIMBS is that I don’t feel they represent my interests as a mountain biker. This is just another example of that. No, I don’t want to join SIMBS and try to change them from the inside. I know it is a difficult thing to do because of their relationship with the CRD.