RidingAgain Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 (edited) It hasn't been long since we heard the news of the closing off of some of the land that made up the Kingdom Trails system in Vermont. Now this about a trail system just outside of Minneapolis... I think it's just another indication of changing times... Mountain biking getting more popular, attracting a wider variety of people, many of whom do not hold the same core values and disposition towards the culture of mountain biking as those who've been around it longer may have. As the lyrics in an Eagle song go... Call some place paradise, kiss it goodbye. Or in this case... A sporting activity and its original culture. Something I think also happened to some extent with surfing. It's just the nature of the beast. https://mtbparks.com/Mountain-Bike-Park-News-Events/News-Events/Minnesota/Welch-Village/SAD-NEWS-FROM-MINNESOTA-Welch-Village-Ceases-Bike-Park-Operations-Moving-Forward.html?fbclid=IwAR0Gnz7ldvW-_Y_mFWKIQTozU1akabkp9Ot8Nmvw9aBdHe_zmPOQY6I29_k Edited May 12, 2020 by RidingAgain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
olddbrider Posted May 12, 2020 Share Posted May 12, 2020 55 minutes ago, RidingAgain said: I think it's just another indication of changing times... Mountain biking getting more popular, attracting a wider variety of people, many of whom do not hold the same core values and disposition towards the culture of mountain biking as those who've been around it longer may have. It sucks that this place is closing down as it sounds like they had a real passion for gravity and lots of potential. I didn't see anything in the article alluding to what you mention above. While that seems to have been the case for Kingdom Trails, it seems like Welch Village was more a victim of competition from other trail systems than from being overrun with unruly bikers... "The announcement stated that Welch feels that the mountain bike operation is not able to compete with the increased number of government-funded trail systems and publicly-funded downhill bike parks in the state of Minnesota. The resort has been unable to build a customer base that would justify investing more capital into the mountain bike trails." 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidingAgain Posted May 12, 2020 Author Share Posted May 12, 2020 (edited) 6 hours ago, olddbrider said: I didn't see anything in the article alluding to what you mention above. While that seems to have been the case for Kingdom Trails, it seems like Welch Village was more a victim of competition from other trail systems than from being overrun with unruly bikers... "The announcement stated that Welch feels that the mountain bike operation is not able to compete with the increased number of government-funded trail systems and publicly-funded downhill bike parks in the state of Minnesota. The resort has been unable to build a customer base that would justify investing more capital into the mountain bike trails." What got my attention was this... "The legal landscape has changed in recent years in the state of Minnesota, and it has created a situation of undue hardship for Welch Village, a privately-owned small business, to operate a downhill mountain bike park. As you may know, all other downhill mountain bike parks in Minnesota are either a municipal or a non-profit entity in conjunction with a municipal entity. As a privately held small business, Welch Village is at much more risk when it comes to litigation outcomes, and accordingly, this factor weighed heavy on our decision." Specifically... "...Welch Village is at much more risk when it comes to litigation outcomes...". Sounded to me like if they had a few lawsuits brought against them. If so, I don't think the older rider culture was big on bringing lawsuits against folks who were trying to use their land to help mountain bikers. You can find it in the official message on the park website... https://www.welchvillage.com/mountain-bike-message-.cfm Edited May 13, 2020 by RidingAgain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quixoft Posted May 13, 2020 Share Posted May 13, 2020 4 hours ago, RidingAgain said: "...Welch Village is at much more risk when it comes to litigation outcomes...". Sounded to me like if they had a few lawsuits brought against them. If so, I don't think the older rider culture was big on bringing lawsuits against folks who were trying to use their land to help mountain bikers. It's certainly possible but I read it as more likely just a decrease in income from competing trails along with an increase in insurance costs because that's what insurance companies do. Increase costs on a regular basis. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RidingAgain Posted May 13, 2020 Author Share Posted May 13, 2020 20 minutes ago, quixoft said: It's certainly possible but I read it as more likely just a decrease in income from competing trails along with an increase in insurance costs because that's what insurance companies do. Increase costs on a regular basis. I hear you, but they used a very specific phrase... "...litigation outcomes...". That sounds like experience talk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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