Part-time trail coordinator hired for Bootleg Canyon

By Jean Reid Norman

Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2009 | 3:52 p.m.

Eight months after the death of Bootleg Canyon trailmaster Brent Thomson, Boulder City has hired his longtime assistant to act as a part-time trail coordinator focusing on special events at the popular mountain biking course.

Dan Haskin, who with his brother and other volunteers helped Thomson build more than 35 miles of trails that criss-cross the canyon, began this month as trail coordinator, Parks and Recreation Director Roger Hall said. His hours will focus on the days before, during and after special events, such as the recent Interbike outdoor demonstration that brought thousands of bicyclists to Boulder City Sept. 21 and 22.

The city had postponed filling the trailmaster position, which was funded in the current fiscal year, when revenue fell more than the city's estimates. The part-time trail coordinator position, which will pay $13.50 an hour, is being paid from extra revenue raised by the special events, Hall said.

Haskin, who has been volunteering his time, said he will work with promoters who have events scheduled or want to schedule events. He will ensure they mark their routes correctly and that the trails are in good condition for the events. Afterward, he will see that the mountain is cleaned up.

Parks and Recreation Committee Chairman Harold Begley said it's good to have some attention on Bootleg Canyon, but he still wants to see the trailmaster position funded full time.

"I believe the trails need to be maintained in between also, not just a day or to before," Begley said. "I don't think that will be sufficient to keep the trail system up."

Despite the lack of attention since Thomson's death, Haskin said the trails have held up well.

"The trails were designed and built from the get-go very well," he said. "There will be a little bit of rubble on the trails, but that's not usually a huge concern. If they were left on their own, though, it could become a concern."

City crews have been taking care of the restrooms and emptying trash cans, but not the trails, he said.

Still, the Bootleg Canyon trails continue to have a reputation as world-class, Haskin said, and since the Bootleg Canyon Flightlines opened, the location has gotten more national media attention.

Two promoters who have events this months say they are committed to keeping Thomson's legacy alive by bringing a regular schedule of events to the mountain.

Francene Johnson is putting on the BT Bittersweet races Oct. 17 and 18 and expects from 100 to 300 bicyclists to turn out for a Super D, or extended downhill cross-country, race on Oct. 17 and a downhill race on Oct. 18.

The event was scheduled as close as possible to Thomson's birthday, Sept. 22, without conflicting with other races in the region, Johnson said, and she hopes to make the event an annual one to remember his birthday.

The event will be geared to amateurs, with prizes for them as well as professionals, Johnson said, and will include spots for spectators to get a good look at the action. The idea is to attract young people to the sport, she said.

The following weekend, Oct. 24 and 25, David "Crash" Collins is sponsoring 6 Hours of Bootleg, which will have a Halloween theme. Collins is expecting at least 100 racers from California alone and about 200 bicyclists on the mountain that weekend.

He has another event scheduled for January with a $20,000 prize that he says will draw the world's biggest pros and thousands of people, and Collins and Johnson said they are planning other events as well.

The idea, both promoters said, is to fulfill the potential that Thomson saw for the mountain.

"Our mantra is to blow this canyon up," Johnson said.