Trail etiquette. Which direction should you ride a trail?

[Kangr]

I was talking today and mentioned that yesterday we had ridden some off piste trails in both directions and one the guys i was talking to almost through a wobbler cause emtbers were riding up a trail that might of been considered to generally be ridden as a descent.
Ok i thought, he's over reacting a tad. But he brought up a good point. how would it look on emtbs in general if there was a accident involved in a ebike going up a trail whilst someone else was riding down. Ok so this does sometimes happen with normal bikes (meeting people coming the other way, not crashing) nobody would pay much attention with two normal bikes. but throwing ebikes into the mix could raise even more anti-ebike feelings.
what do you think/do? is it ok to ride a trail that is primarily used as a descent as a climb or should we avoid this?
I am talking about off piste trails here, not trail centre way marked trails.

 

[Gary]

"Off piste" is a relatively new term and tends to mean handbuilt enduro descents round here rather than established shared (both direction) trails. And comes from the newer generation of mtb rider who constantly refers to trails by grading/strava names etc.
Very little of what locals here call off-piste would be fully climbable even on an Ebike.

Just use common sense really.
If a descent has really good line of sight to ride up it and it's not super busy, you're not putting anyone in danger and feel it's safe to do so go ahead.
I've been riding up trails people think of more as descents and down climbs for decades (since well before trail centres were even thought of). Infact BITD we'd spend an entire weekend pushing our bikes UP DH tracks. (while all the time using your senses to listen out and look ahead for any sign of another rider descending)

a lot of the DH tracks round here were originally motrcycle UPHILL trails. including one of the main graded DH tracks at Innerleithen and a lot of the enduro tracks up the Golfie. A lot of younger/new riders don't have a clue about the herritage and history of trails, shared trail use or trail building. This isn't just a local thing. it's true of most places.

If you built the trail ride it however you want. if you haven't ever built/repaired or helped build trails. Start doing so.

 

[Ron]

I think it is ok to ride up a trail normally considered a downhill trail as long as you are courteous to other riders. If for instance looking up the trail you see no riders, why not ride up. If on the other hand it was obviously a busy trail like we have in spots here in California, it would be rude to insist that you had a right to ride up against the flow of other riders. If you see no riders and start up only to encounter downhill riders, just pull off the trail a moment and let them pass. Common sense and common courtesy required.

 

[All Mountain Coaching]

Think it's just common sense. A lot of the trails I've built are bi directional. Then again they're really quiet and hidden essentially. Way I see it is that it's public land where anyone can go in any direction.

 

[galaga187]

Worth considering as you ride around eg am I going to be a surprise to other trail users.

 

[Krisj]

I think common sense pro vales here .
I nearly took someone out on our local downhill track the other day , I literally had to jump his back wheel to avoid him the best thing he looked pissed off at me for the speed I was going at. The thing is the trails I’m talking about are clearly marked with signs showing the direction to ride and ️ Signs at the bottom of the run.
But on the flip side I’m in the middle of building some trails in our local woods myself and I do ride these either way , but now they are getting more use I am cautious when riding them in reverse now.
Like Gary said if you’ve grown up building and riding you have a little more insight of trail etiquette,
Just keep riding keep smiling
use your loaf and all should be good ??

 

[Gary]

I'm actually just back from my local (10miles off road riding away) DH tracks. it's not the steepest place but it has 6 tracks ranging in difficulty/style from flat out with big jumps to tighter more technical tracks where holding speed is key over pedalling and there are two push up tracks (both rideable on a normal bike but not a DH bike) 10-15 years back I used to build there with the locals (Still do bits of maintenance every time I'm there but haven't built regularly there for a good 5 or so years now). So anyway I know the place really well and still know all the (older) locals. There's been a new crew of young-uns coming through and building a lot again which always happens and is cool. They've closed off a few of my old tracks in favour of berms and jumps. Don't get me wrong I love a good berm and jump but I also like flat loose corners and cambers so between runs I did a bit of clearing and opened up a few old corners to link in with the new stuff. Being half term here I wasn't sure if there'd be anyone there or not. turns out not and I had the hill to myself and one runner all afternoon/evening. But as I was on the Ebike I rode UP two DH tracks I'd normally push up. While pushing up I always scope lines as I don't ride there all that often anymore and a combination of weather, seasonal debris, riding and new building means there are usually lines that weren't there before. I'm pretty experienced at line spotting and find I can still do it pretty well while riding UP and making sure I wasn't ever in danger of being in anyone's way. Occasionally stopping to get off and take a proper look and try a couple of options to see which actually does work best.
Anyway. My point is Ebikes can be a great tool for practicing DH and Enduro. Just be sensible about what and how you ride up. Bear in mind any DHers that take issue with you riding the "wrong" way will themselves have pushed UP many a DH track.
Sadly a lot of DH/Enduro guys don't quite get E-bikes (yet). The tragic irony is a lot of them are waiting until they feel they're too old before considering one.

 

[Kangr]

Pure coincidence but as i just putting the bike away today and a biking friend came past, we were talking about how we swap trail news, where theres new stuff and what not. He started telling me that his best approach to find new trails is to spot an exit and ride up it the wrong way, this is often a approach ive used before now. Now where ride Cannock Chase off piste, there is rarely anyone else around and unless its a Sunday morning its very rare to run into anyone else on a trail even going the same way as you.
So im thinking yeah just be sensible, and if you are riding up a trail that is normaly ridden the other way just try and be extra aware in case someone is riding down it.
I think with the popularity of Ebikes growing all the time, we will see a lot more uphill trails being built. then we will bump into people going the wrong way, this time down a trail.

 

[Slowroller]

Anything marked DH only, or obviously DH only, a jumpline for example, I'd not ride up, but anything that is a normal 2 way trail, even if it's commonly ridden in just one direction I think is fair game. Just be careful for everyones sake.

 

[Kernow]

Most of my trails are built by sheep cows and ponies and miners , and a few by motorbikes back in the day . generally whistling lets them know Iam coming down , some sheep , decide to run directly down their trail in front of me slowing me up , I can never work out if they are being territorial or just stupid . Only sheep and animals are allowed to make trails here , but I do trim the gorse and bracken down ?
The other day I was lining up for what I thought was a nice shaped natural rock to jump off , to find half of it was a very grey coloured sleeping sheep

 

[Kangr]

Most of my trails are built by sheep cows and ponies and miners , and a few by motorbikes back in the day . generally whistling lets them know Iam coming down , some sheep , decide to run directly down their trail in front of me slowing me up , I can never work out if they are being territorial or just stupid . Only sheep and animals are allowed to make trails here , but I do trim the gorse and bracken down ?
The other day I was lining up for what I thought was a nice shaped natural rock to jump off , to find half of it was a very grey coloured sleeping sheep

That's one sheep that wouldn't of made a good jumper

 

[Doomanic]

Surely the answer to to this question is "The fastest"

 

[R120]

Randomly i decided yesterday to climb up one of my local DH tracks yesterday. I had gone on a bit of a rambling ride, without any real route planned, and going up the DH track was the quickest way to get back up top of the top of the north downs. The track is basically built around a bridleway, so the straights are the bridle way with the corners/ interesting bits crossing over and around it.

Its not an official trail, and from time to time you will find a stray dog walker on it, but you average about 20mph down, and nearly 30mph on the straights, so i was pretty conscious of someone else coming down it could be a problem, especially as a good 200m section of it averages about 30% incline. I was pretty much wheeling up that part as keeping the front wheel down was proving difficult! Given the time of day and it being a weekday i figured there was very little chance of anyone coming the other way.

On a normal bike it would never have occurred to me to ride up it, but as on the Vitus i though f-it let give it a go. the thing i took from it, as @Gary has said, was that riding up the track gave me a brand new insight into the track, and i realised that there where quite a few different options to getting back down it in terms of lines that i have never picked up going down the track before, so when i got tot the top i turned around and went straight back down, found some new fun ways to approach it, and an old track that i found fun to just go fast down came alive again with some new challenges realised from riding up it, all thanks to being on an e-bike.

The best thing for me about my time of EMTB ownership is how it has totally refreshed my local area, which whilst in the Surrey Hills is not in a part known for trail riding, but the bike has allowed me to put together routes that link all the little tech stuff that has been built by locals into some good rides, which previously i would not have been able to do.

 

[Dax]

It's common sense really. There's plenty of trails around that you would be an idiot to ride up because they're so busy with people riding down them, there are others, at other times it's fine. Most of the off-piste (we used to call them natural, but I think I prefer off-piste) trails around here are widely known to be downhill only, we don't have many bi-directional trails.

 

[R120]

Yup, on a Weekend or early evening i wouldn't ride up that track

 

[Kiwi in Wales]

"Off piste" is a relatively new term and tends to mean handbuilt enduro descents round here rather than established shared (both direction) trails. And comes from the newer generation of mtb rider who constantly refers to trails by grading/strava names etc.
Very little of what locals here call off-piste would be fully climbable even on an Ebike.

Just use common sense really.
If a descent has really good line of sight to ride up it and it's not super busy, you're not putting anyone in danger and feel it's safe to do so go ahead.
I've been riding up trails people think of more as descents and down climbs for decades (since well before trail centres were even thought of). Infact BITD we'd spend an entire weekend pushing our bikes UP DH tracks. (while all the time using your senses to listen out and look ahead for any sign of another rider descending)

a lot of the DH tracks round here were originally motrcycle UPHILL trails. including one of the main graded DH tracks at Innerleithen and a lot of the enduro tracks up the Golfie. A lot of younger/new riders don't have a clue about the herritage and history of trails, shared trail use or trail building. This isn't just a local thing. it's true of most places.

If you built the trail ride it however you want. if you haven't ever built/repaired or helped build trails. Start doing so.

Just to add,
For sure just use common sense.
My approach is the following:
If you are riding up a trail that is normally used for coming down..... which I do quite often now as my ebike allows me to do so on every single track in my area whether it is a purpose built trail centre track or one I have built myself.
I always listen and look as far ahead as possible and err on the side of caution to be prepared to move to the side of the track and/or dismount to let the rider/riders coming down past.

Randomly i decided yesterday to climb up one of my local DH tracks yesterday. I had gone on a bit of a rambling ride, without any real route planned, and going up the DH track was the quickest way to get back up top of the top of the north downs. The track is basically built around a bridleway, so the straights are the bridle way with the corners/ interesting bits crossing over and around it.

Its not an official trail, and from time to time you will find a stray dog walker on it, but you average about 20mph down, and nearly 30mph on the straights, so i was pretty conscious of someone else coming down it could be a problem, especially as a good 200m section of it averages about 30% incline. I was pretty much wheeling up that part as keeping the front wheel down was proving difficult! Given the time of day and it being a weekday i figured there was very little chance of anyone coming the other way.

On a normal bike it would never have occurred to me to ride up it, but as on the Vitus i though f-it let give it a go. the thing i took from it, as @Gary has said, was that riding up the track gave me a brand new insight into the track, and i realised that there where quite a few different options to getting back down it in terms of lines that i have never picked up going down the track before, so when i got tot the top i turned around and went straight back down, found some new fun ways to approach it, and an old track that i found fun to just go fast down came alive again with some new challenges realised from riding up it, all thanks to being on an e-bike.

The best thing for me about my time of EMTB ownership is how it has totally refreshed my local area, which whilst in the Surrey Hills is not in a part known for trail riding, but the bike has allowed me to put together routes that link all the little tech stuff that has been built by locals into some good rides, which previously i would not have been able to do.

100% agree with you especially your last paragraph, it has refreshed my local trails too and allowed me to create my own ‘more ebike’ specific trails that can be ridden in both directions.

The key thing for me regarding trail etiquette is to use common sense, be aware of what is possibly coming down the trail in front of you and if in doubt just give way or dismount to allow other rider/s past. I do this on all trails, even the ones I have created myself as for me, it’s no big deal to give way to others.

 

[mraven]

I have encountered this phenomenon myself whilst riding down a recognised trail which normally would not be ridden up...it became apparent to me as I was descending that the chap coming the other way had no intention of moving (he was also on an ebike, and i would bet he would never have attempted the climb had he not have been), I made moves to cut speed and had eyed up an escape route. Anyway, my front end gave way throwing me off the trail resulting in me crashing hard and breaking ribs. The other chap just sat there looking at me, complimented me on my bike and made no attempt to help me despite it being quite obvious I was in a bad way. I told him after a couple of minutes to crack on to which he replied that he was just waiting for the trail to clear!! I discovered when I got home that my front tyre had a huge thorn in it and had lost pressure which would explain why I lost control so dramatically. I would definitely agree that a common sense approach and an application of courtesy should apply.

 

[Kangr]

Today we came across a odd problem. The trails were overrun by fell runners.
we first encountered them running up the trails towards us.
these were largely uneducated runners as they were not obeying the normal countryside code of walkers have right of way and riders must slow down and let walkers pass. instead and the cheek of it, the obeyed the "common sense" code of rules and politely moved aside to let us pass. Much shouts of "thanks" and "no problem" were heard throughout the day.
How do we deal with the polite but sadly misguided souls.

 

[Hill Killer]

We shout left and just both keep left if possible, I ride many trails uphill as I find it very skilful ridding DH trails uphill.

 

[Trig]

Is it not on the person going downhill, or anywhere, to ride at a safe speed going round blind corners or blind hills where you can't see what or who is ahead? (I don't mean just on them, obviously common sense applies to the others going up also.)

I don't ride trail centres or marked trails, so maybe that's different. Usually I'm on hill paths etc, shared by walkers, dogs, sheep or cows. If I can see its clear ahead, get the speed up. If not, take it easy so I can stop if required.

Must admit though, despite always slowing/stopping for walkers and ocassionaly waving them on, they pretty much always stand aside and are happy to let me pass.
Always thought it makes more sense instead of the bike giving way anyway, especially on narrow paths where it can be awkward to let walkers past on the path without dismounting.