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A Message from CORBA’s President
By Mark Langton
A few months ago we told you about our decision to partner with the
International Mountain Bicycle Association’s (IMBA) chapter program. The process
is complete, and we are happy to announce that the transition is going very
well. However, there are still a few things that were unforeseen, one of them
being the renewal process.
Many CORBA members have recently received a renewal notice from IMBA, which
may be confusing. This is because your CORBA membership automatically became an
IMBA membership when we made the transition. No problem! Simply renew your new
IMBA membership and select CORBA as your local chapter each time you renew. From
now on when you renew, you will renew both your IMBA and CORBA membership at the
same time, with everything being handled by IMBA. If renewing by telephone or
mail,
please make sure to indicate CORBA as your local chapter.
 We encourage you to continue to make donations directly
to CORBA to help support our local efforts of advocacy, trail building and
maintenance, free monthly mountain bike skills classes, Youth Adventures at-risk
youth outings, Kids Club, and our web site www.corbamtb.com. CORBA still receives a
percentage of membership dues though through this affiliation with IMBA, but
dues alone can not support our programs entirely. Our Trail Crew requires annual
tool purchases, and Youth Adventures is in constant need of bikes, parts, and
helmets, as well as snacks for participants because many of these kids can not
even afford a granola bar for themselves or come to the outing without having
had breakfast. Other costs include licensing and insurance for our trailers and
ride programs. It adds up! Click here to go directly to our donation page. http://www.corbamtb.com/join/donate.shtml
Thank you for your support in helping us keep trails open to bicycles!
Fat Tire Fun(d)raiser Announced Save the date! November 13, 2011 will be the
date for CORBA’s annual fun(d) and awareness raising event. This year we
will be returning to Malibu Creek State Park with a slightly different
format than in years past. We’re still working out the details, but you can be
sure that there will be great rides and some great prizes given away. We will be
toning down the festival atmosphere and concentrating on what we love to do
most—ride! We’re also hoping to have a full complement of some of the hottest
bikes available for testing by some of the industry’s best manufacturers. All
proceeds will go to our programs that help keep the trails open to shared use,
and hopefully open up more of the many miles of trails that are currently closed
to bicycles. May CORBA Kids Club Ride
 The CORBA Kids Club monthly ride was held on Saturday May 7 at Cheeseboro Canyon. After a hot week in SoCal, the weather
cooled, and the kids enjoyed perfect riding conditions. Out for the ride were 8
kids (William, Julia, Josiah, Elliot, Ethan, RJ, Nolan, and Sean) and 5 adults
(Larry, John, Joy, Dave, and Dave). As usual, the kids were super excited to see
each other, make new friends, and get their tires onto the dirt.
After Larry reviewed safety guidelines and trail etiquette, we left the
Cheeseboro trailhead with one Dave in the lead and another Dave on sweep. Read
the rest on our
blog about CORBA Kids Club for May. New CORBA Jerseys Still Available
Don't forget to check out our CORBA store
to see our
latest additions. These attractive and comfortable jerseys come in two styles,
club cut (men's and women's) and freeride (baggy, 3/4 sleeve). Free shipping on
all orders has been extended! And don't overlook our new
T-shirts, either!
 Upcoming
and Recent Trailwork
For many years, most trailwork has been done by volunteers because of budget
cutbacks at our parks systems. So come out and help CORBA and
other volunteers keep our trails in top riding shape! You can learn
more about what to expect and what you'll need to bring with you
on our Trailwork
web page. Keep in mind that CORBA now provides prizes and lunch
after the event for volunteers who register
in advance! And by registering in advance, you'll help us prepare
by knowing how many volunteers to expect. If you come out to two
or more trailwork days in a year, we'll give you a cool long-sleeved
CORBA trail crew shirt - be sure to ask for yours!
June 4 - Sunset Ridge Trail for National
Trails Day
Join CORBA and the Mount Wilson Bicycling Association for a day of trailwork on
Sunset Ridge trail in the Angeles National Forest front country. The Sunset Ridge trail is among those that was recently re-opened to the
public after the Station Fire. It is a popular hiking and mountain biking trail in the foothills above
Altadena and Pasadena. It is often ridden as a loop with the Sam Merril Trail or
Mt. Lowe Fireroad.
Read the full details in our blog
article.
April 29 - May 1: Annual Santa Monica Mountains
Trails Days
 The 30th annual Santa
Monica Mountains Trail Days took place on the weekend of April 29 - May
1 at Point Mugu State Park. Organized by California State Parks and
the Santa Monica Mountains Trails Council (SMMTC), the goal is to improve the state of the trails in the
park while having a lot of fun. Along with State Parks, SMMTC, participating
organizations included CORBA, the Sierra Club, California Native Plant Society, National Park Service, Santa Monica Mountains Natural
History Association, Malibu
Creek Docents and Temescal Canyon
Association. Cal Coast Machinery, Inc., loaned State Park a John Deere Gator
for the weekend to haul tools and people around.
When we arrived at the staging grounds at the Danielson Multiuse Area on
Saturday morning, there were a large number of colorful tents errected on the
grass. People had arrived the night before to take advantage of the free camping
that is offered to the trailwork volunteers. Some of these camper left that
evening while others camped over another night and left Sunday, either before or
after the trailwork. Breakfast in the form of bagels, speads and coffee was
provided for campers.
To see the full review of this weekend and links to photos, please
see our
blog entry on SMM Trails Days.
To see all trailwork dates, including those of other groups,
visit the CORBA
trailwork calendar.
General
News
Angeles National Forest Trails Opened May 16
The two questions we have been asked more than any other recently: “which
trails are closed in the Angeles National Forest? and “which trails are open in
the Angeles National Forest?”
According to the Forest Service map of the station fire closure area at http://maps.fs.fed.us/stationfire/ the list below shows the
status, effective May 16 2011, of some of the more popular trails that were
affected by the Station Fire. Keep in mind that even though these trails are in
the newly opened areas of the forest, the individual trails may be signed
closed. Please respect any trail closure signs and stay off those trails for
your own safety and the recovery of the forest.
Many of the trails will not be in good shape, so be prepared for surprises
like downed trees, slides, washouts, ruts, and other hazards. Many trails have
been drastically changed from before the Station Fire. Many fire roads have not
yet been graded and may be much narrower and in very poor condition with ruts
and washouts. All the usual caveats about trail safety apply so use the trails
safely and responsibly, and be especially careful the first time you travel on
one of the newly opened trails.
To see the lists of opened and still closed trails, please see
our blog
article on Station Fire trails.
New on the CORBA Website
- CORBA/IMBA Affiliation Update - May 31
- Fat Tire Fun(d)raiser Announced for Nov 13, 2011
- Sunset Ridge Trailwork, National Trails Day (June 4)
- Third Public Meeting for Topanga State Park General Plan to be
June 14th
- SoCal Racing League Outreach Tour Announced - May 20
- May CORBA Kids Club Ride - May 17
- Angeles National Forest Trails to Open May 16, 2011 - May 13
- Crest to Coast Trail Public Meeting, Santa Clarita, June 8
- Angeles National Forest Opens Some Trails - May 13
- Voice Your Support of Trails TODAY! - May 12
- Eagle Scout El Prieto Trailwork - May 8
- LA Kids 13-18: Take Pictures of Nature, Win Prizes! - May 6
- Fun, Food, Prizes and Improved Trails; It’s all part of Santa
Monica Mountains Trail Days! - May 2
- Photos
of Santa Monica Mountanis Trail Days on Sunday, May 1
- Photos
of Santa Monica Mountains Trail Days on Saturday, April 30
- Santa Monica Mountains Trail Days April 29 to May 1 – Join
us!
- GAO Station Fire Investigation Update - April 28
Recreational
Rides
For a list of upcoming recreational rides, please visit the CORBA
Calendar.
- Next CORBA Kids Club ride will be Saturday June
4.
Details
and registration.
- Next CORBA Meet the Board ride will be Saturday June
4. Details.
- Next Beginners ride will be Saturday June 18.
See our Rides
Calendar for details.
- Another Beginners ride will be Saturday June 25.
See our Rides
Calendar for details.
CORBA’s Recreational Rides calendar provides a full
monthly schedule of mountain bike rides for all skill levels. Mountain bike
rides are organized by CORBA member clubs and led by experienced and
knowledgeable guides. Recreational rides are a fun and social way to experience
a variety of trails in Los Angeles and Ventura counties, and beyond.
Free Mountain Biking
Skills Clinic
 Saturday June
4th is the next skills clinic.
The CORBA free skills clinic is held on the first Saturday of
every month at Malibu Creek State Park.
Mountain biking is a lot like tennis or skiing. Just a few minor
adjustments in technique can make a huge difference in your
control and proficiency. If you want to get better faster,
you need to know the fundamentals of mountain biking technique.
Whether you're just getting into mountain biking or have been
riding for years, you'll learn some valuable tips from our Introduction
to Mountain Biking skills class that is offered each month.
Check out our Skills Clinic
web page for all the information. After the clinic, see photos
of your new skills on the CORBA web site that you can share
with your family and friends!
 Follow
CORBA on Twitter and Facebook
We have set up accounts with Twitter and Facebook to help keep people informed
of the latest developments in our trail advocacy, recreational rides and trailwork days. Follow
us on Twitter at twitter.com/CORBAmtb
and Facebook at facebook.com/CORBAMTB.
Get Our Blog Articles Delivered to Your
Desktop
Have you ever wished you could get our blog articles without having
to check
the CORBA website every day to see if there’s anything new? Well, you
can! Even though our blog software won’t send articles by email, you can
still get them delivered to the inbox of most email readers like
Microsoft
Outlook. You use the “RSS feed” functionality for this. In fact, you can
read
our articles in any software that receives RSS feeds, such as Internet
Explorer
and other web browsers. This
blog
article on RSS feeds shows you how.
Support
CORBA
Join or Renew your membership today on our membership
web page. Join Our Team! Do you have any ideas about mountain biking recreation in the
L.A. region? Would you like to apply your skills and manage projects
that contribute to the sport and lifestyle that you love? Is there
an advocate in you? We are recruiting motivated individuals who
work well with others. Send an email to info@corbamtb.com
or come
to a monthly Members Meeting to find out more about what we do and how you
can help. Check the calendar
for the next meeting.
Other simple ways to
support CORBA
(Click on the links above to get more details!)
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