Trail Holistics — Trail Workshops

workshops & TRAINING

Trail workshops from the Rockies to Vancouver Island since 2011.
We continue to deliver training programs to Land Managers, Park Planners, Rec Officers, Park Rangers, Parks & Rec teams, seasonal work crews, First Nations and an ever growing list of trail associations throughout BC including professional and volunteer builders.

“Practical, relevant, and engaging. Thanks to your course I now look at trails with a different set of eyes and bring a new toolbox of skills and understanding when I hit the trails with my shovel in hand. Awesome training!”
- Level 1 participant, Campbell River

courses

Email us at info@trailholistics.com to receive a course syllabus.

Level I The Foundation - the holistic approach to sustainable trail care and construction. You’ll learn best practices, guidelines and standards, including Rec Sites & Trails BC and BC Parks policies and regulations.
Level I curriculums include; 1) MTB 2) Hiking 3) OHV 4) Multi Use 5) Occupational (for Parks Staff)

Level II Advanced Design & Construction - We build upon skills learned in Level I to delve deeper into effective risk management, trail & network design principles, geotechnical analysis and advanced feature construction, including a 20 page booklet that includes course content and wood structure schematics with a focus on building progressive trails.

aMTB Design & Build - provides a better understanding of SCI and variable capabilities of riders. This course is a
how-to on designing and building aMTB trails as derived from adaptive athletes.

Strategic Planning for Trail Associations uses a globally proven process customized to the non profit society to build capacity and improve effectiveness while creating a road map for your future.

Risk Management for Recreational Trails & Parks provides an in-depth understanding of risk assessment and liability exposure including legal precedence, regulatory requirements, the Occupiers Liability Act and Duty of Care.

Workshop Instructor - click here for more information on our workshop instructor Mark Wood.

course SUMMARY

Click on below links for more information on courses.

LEVEL I - THE FOUNDATION: Our Level I course delivers an ever improving curriculum that evolves alongside current industry best practices, guidelines and standards. We provide both volunteers and professionals the foundation of skills to assess, improve and build creative and sustainable trails with sound risk management strategies. This course includes a summary document of current standards and guidelines in BC. Our curriculum continues to evolve using an experience based approach transpiring over decades.
Level I curriculums include; 1) MTB 2) Hiking 3) OHV 4) Multi Use 5) Occupational (for Parks Staff)

LEVEL II - ADVANCED TRAIL DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION: The science of designing trails to regional factors is explored in-depth with the goal to create diverse offerings in a dynamic network while minimizing maintenance and effectively managing risk. We utilize a holistic approach to design trails that are socially and environmentally sustainable, introducing the concept of Landfulness and Limits of Acceptable Change. Participants are introduced to a wealth of resources to access free online GIS catalogues, assess slope and soils, determine property boundaries and other critical aspects when planning a trail. Participants receive a 20 page booklet that includes quick reference charts for material covered in the course, including best practices, regulatory requirements and professional standards.

We take builders from the visioning process through to implementation with the goal to build trails that harmonize with regional factors. Using iterative principles derived from the A.G.I.L.E. method, we strive to build “world renowned, sustainable trails, with opportunities for all.” In the course booklet, participants receive a series of construction schematics for advanced TTFs and wood joinery techniques.

“Mark Wood did and excellent job of presenting a massive amount of information that is critical to existing and developing bike clubs. The topics built on the Level 1 course and further developed ideas of trail design, developing, and marking for clubs to be able to meet the needs of various regulatory bodies so that we can continue to build new trails to meet the demand of the ever growing mountain bike community. Whether you are new to trail building, or have spend many hours digging, you will learn something from this course!”
- Erik Beiderwieden, Victoria 2022

aMTB TRAILS - DESIGN & BUILD: Working with adaptive athletes including Tara Llanes & Ethan Krueger, Trail Holistics has created a series of guidelines to build sustainable and fun aMTB trails while effectively managing risk and accommodating the varied needs of riders with spinal cord injuries. This workshop will provide participants with an indepth understanding of the particular requirements to design and build adaptive trails. Participants will receive a copy of the 2nd Edition aMTB Guidelines.

STRATEGIC PLANNING FOR TRAIL ASSOCIATIONS: In today's world, volunteer trail associations are becoming more encumbered with an ever increasing workload. This workshop uses a globally delivered system to dive into the Visioning process to identify goals & objectives of the association and then create a prioritized action plan that will serve as the blue print for future success. This workshop has been tailored for the very challenges your organization will face by building both financial and social capital.

RISK MANAGEMENT FOR RECREATIONAL TRAILS: We delve into regulatory requirements and legal responsibility of doing what is reasonable to manage risk on public lands. This is a must for any planner, manager, builder or advocate to ensure you are upholding the required Duty of Care. This half day course is a classroom session with an optional half day field session to provide the foundation to create a sound risk management strategy.

Watch a time lapse above of one of our wood structure builds on a Level 2 course in Nanaimo, BC.

field training

Field sessions provide invaluable hands-on learning opportunities for participants to become familiar with current professional building standards, management strategies and crucial safety protocols. Choose from any of the modules below or we can work with you to customize a session that includes a combination of skills.
Maximum participants: 6

Structure Construction
Trail Layout, Design & Construction
Trail & Structure Assessment
Trail Restoration & Repair
Hazard Identification & Risk Mitigation