Cady Hill Adaptive Assessment

On May 24, STP staff met up with folks from Vermont AdaptiveKelly Brush Foundation, and VMBA to conduct an adaptive assessment of the trails in Cady Hill. The goal of the day was to identify opportunities to retrofit the trails and make them more adaptive-friendly without changing the character of the trail. Greg, Kelly Brush’s Program Director, led the group around just about every trail in Cady Hill to show how an adaptive mountain bike (aMTB) handles certain features and terrain.

This was an incredible learning experience for all. Sections of trail that were believed to be challenging for aMTB riders ended up being fine to ride, whereas other sections that priorly were not considered to be an issue proved to be highly challenging for an aMTB rider. For example, we dig drainages on the trails where water sits to help keep the trails dry. But where water likes to go, so does the tire of an aMTB. Greg helped us identify certain drainages that could be built or covered in different ways that would make an adaptive rider’s experience much more fun and smooth.

The hope is that adaptive assessments like this will occur all over Vermont to help make trail networks more friendly to adaptive riders. We are honored to have been the first VMBA Chapter to partake in this assessment and are looking forward to further upgrading our trails to accommodate aMTBs!

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