Simon French of Dirt Art, Maydena Bike Park and More - Mountain Biking Straight out of Tasmania #84

Trail EAffect Episode 84 Simon French of Dirt Art and Maydena Bike Park in Tasmania

• Rounds One and Two of the Enduro World Series kicks off in Tasmania for 2023
• Simon French Back Story
• Dirt Art Trail Building Company
• Maydena Bike Park Story
  • World Heritage Site / Area
  • The History of this site / tourism venture by the Government
  • Hosting National Championships at Maydena Bike Park
  • The Trail Experience at Maydena Bike Park
• The Planning that went into Maydena Bike Park
  • Permitting and other hurdles
  • Other adversity faced during the build of the bike park
• How Simon dealt with all the adversity when planning and building out Maydena Bike Park
• What it took from a logistics and man power perspective to build out Maydena Bike Park
• Getting additional land access for beginner trails and skills areas
• Lessons, Bike Rental, Uplift, 2 restaurants, and everything else needed for a full-service experience
• Travel Tips for those looking to travel to Tasmania
• Logistics and Trail Building when building around the world
• The Australian Riding scene
• The break down of employees within the companies that Simon is involved with
• Building in the “Walking” / Hiking Trail area – 100 km Trail Projects
• Using Helicopters to deliver materials to remote project sites
• Simon and his current trip to Whistler / Crankworx
  • Working with Global Partners in the industry
  • Networking with the rest of the industry in the northern hemisphere
• The National Ski Area Association Downhill Bike Park Summit Conference
• The advantage and disadvantages of building a bike park that isn’t part of a ski area
• The advantage of having the Mountain Bike Community feel at Mountain Bike Specific Parks
• Trail Communities and what they mean to Simon
• Meetings and what it took to introduce the Maydena Bike Park Concept to the locals and community of Maydena
  • How it has changed Maydena as a community
• Reflecting on where Mountain Biking was in the 90’s vs Now
• Off on a tangent about Kids Bikes today
• Words of Wisdom by Simon
  • The Mountain Bike Experience at Bike Parks
• Trail Building is a legitimate industry and the wages in the industry
• Closing Comments

Links discussed in the show:

Dirt Art: https://www.dirtart.com.au/

Maydena Bike Park: https://www.maydenabikepark.com/

Elevation Parks: https://www.elevationparks.com/

This Podcast has been edited and produced by Evolution Trail Services

Trail EAffect Show Links:

Evolution Trail Services: www.evotrails.com

Contact Josh at evolutiontrails@gmail.com

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