On 24 and 25 October, the Torre Valleys hosted the sixth edition of the IMBA Italia Gathering, organised by IMBA Italia in organisational collaboration with Maglia Nera APS, with the support of the Comunità di Montagna del Natisone e Torre and under the patronage of the Municipalities of Nimis, Lusevera and Tarcento. The event also marked the tenth anniversary of IMBA Italia.
“Trails as a common good: local communities and outdoor practice for new territorial identities” was the theme of the two days. It placed at the centre the value of trails not only as infrastructure for sport and tourist appeal, but as a shared resource, capable of creating relationships and opportunities for local communities. IMBA Europe addressed the topic by highlighting the societal value of trail based recreation and what makes a MTB friendly community. Not only addressing the trail infrastructure you see from the outside but also the partnerships, funding arrangements, outreach programs and trail stewardship programs behind it.
Talks, debates and discussion sessions brought concrete experiences in sustainable trail management, cooperation between associations and institutions, and the development of mountain bike destinations. With presentations and participants from Slovenia, Italy, Austria, and Croatia, the gathering got an Alpe-Adria touch.
It was a chance to see how, through good practice, planning and participation, a shared passion can become a project of territorial development with benefits that go well beyond tourism alone. Even if severe access challenges like in Austria and Slovenia have to be overcome first or are still lingering. The resilience of local and national trail and MTB organisations was evident here and appears to be indispensable for the future of mountain biking.
Despite less than ideal weather on day 2 of the Gathering, 40 participants rode the trails of the Bernadia Trail Area, accompanied by the IMBA Italia and Maglia Nera APS staff. Alongside the rides, IMBA Italia offered two hands-on workshops on the ITRS (International Trail Rating System) and on trail building, exploring the tools and methods for creating and managing sustainable, safe and shared trail networks.
