Il Ciocco to host 5th Italian Trail Building School (13/14 April)

IMBA Italia announces its 5th consecutive Trail Building School making Italy one of the most active European countries in training bikers and trail builders on the sustainable trail concept. The first edition took place in Porretta Terme in the Reno river valley near Bologna and it was hosted by ASD Happy Trail MTB. The second edition took place in Turin (2016) in collaboration with the Park Authority Ente Parco Collina Po. The year after. IMBA Italia organized the 2017 TBS in the region of Trentino with APT Val di Sole and Val di Sole Bikeland, and in 2018 the 4thedition  was organized in concert with Garda Trentino S.p.A. and AGBA Alto Garda Bike Arena. And here we are in 2019 celebrating with a double milestone: 5th edition of TBS and an iconic location: Il Ciocco!  Il Ciocco hosted in 1991 the first UCI Mountain Bike World Championship in Italy, and first in Europe as well, with both the cross-country and the downhill.  That event rightfully stapled Il Ciocco Estate into mountain bike history. The goal is now to kick-off things again in 2019 with a specific bike area: Cioccio Bike Circle. New trails, courses for every ability level, a cross county loop, pumptracks, not to mention a gym and a pool to forge a fresh and deep mountain bike identity. Ciocco already features the largest indoor Pumptrack of Italy with a total length of 200 mt with three tracks where to train and ready for entertainment and to organize events year round. The grand vision is to offer bikers more. New trails but also a calendar filled with international events with the new Bike Resort at the center to create a bicycle lovers’ heaven. It all comes together with all of the services and amenities that make the estate a champion in hospitality excellence. 4Guimp has once again confirmed its support to IMBA Italia with one of the brands that it imports: EVOC.  Enrico Guala and Andrea Balli, 4Guimp co-owners, commented: “We are delighted to see il Ciocco back into the mountain bike game. Both Andrea Balli and I made it for the first – and only – time at Il Ciocco in 1991 for the second UCI World Championship in mountain bike history. We were wearing different hats because he raced and I was a team manager. We didn’t know each other back then. That World Championship race marked an important moment for us and seeing that now il Ciocco hosts a TBS, after almost 30 years, puts the spotlight to the changes and the growth of the sport and to the importance of trails for the movement and for the industry.” NOV.ITA Srl is the Italian distributor of Buff® and it has confirmed its support for the fourth year. Buff® and IMBA Italia share the same values: respect for the environment, the preservation of trails and facilities that allow to enjoy the outdoor, no matter the sport. Buff® belongs to EOCA (European Outdoor Conservation Association) and it promotes projects to protect nature and to safeguard life in general. This mission is carried out in the production process, with promotional events, and in any other activities purposely consistent with that “green” approach. IMBA Italia could not hope for better partners to stress the importance of sustainable trails -that are also well managed – and to educate bikers towards trail etiquette. Participants will learn all of the basics of trail maintenance and construction according to IMBA’s curriculum (the international standard for over 30 years). TBS’s are possible thanks to the support of IMBA Europe, and with the logistical help of Happy Trail MTB. The Trail Building School (TBS) course will last one week-end. Instructors will be Shane Wilson, professional trail builder, and Edoardo Melchiori, VP at IMBA Italia and IMBA Europe board member. Shane Wilson will lecture in English while Edoardo Melchiori will translate into Italian both the theory and the practice so that everyone will be able to follow along.  The format involves 4 hrs of theory to study the fundamentals of trailbuilding, and 12 hrs of practical work on actual trails. Forty will be the participants from Italy and other European countries.  These are some of the things participants will learn: Characteristics of a sustainable trail The importance of a good design How and where to use rocks, How to design with the right gradient Criteria for multi-use trails Water shading and erosion Tools and safety How to deal with trails that are not sustainable. All participants will receive the slides of the course in electronic format (Italian or English). Upon completion, participants will receive a TBS IMBA Certificate. Price of the course € 170. Reduced price for IMBA Italia members and supporters € 153.  To register follow this link. Read the accounts of other participants (in Italian only). You can find here accommodation packages (hotels are not included in the course fee).  [[{“fid”:”1254″,”view_mode”:”media_responsive”,”fields”:{“format”:”media_responsive”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false},”link_text”:null,”type”:”media”,”field_deltas”:{“1”:{“format”:”media_responsive”,”alignment”:””,”field_file_image_alt_text[und][0][value]”:false,”field_file_image_title_text[und][0][value]”:false}},”attributes”:{“height”:497,”width”:680,”class”:”media-element file-media-responsive”,”data-delta”:”1″}}]]