Almost 200 people filled a room at the Grand Traverse County Civic Center Monday night to debate a new use for the Vasa Pathway.
A new type of bicycle has exploded in popularity, and for the first time cross-country skiers are sharing their trails with fat-tire bikers.
Emotional Topic
The Vasa Pathway and the ski race named after it are the pride of skiers who had been raising their voices long before this meeting. The Department of Natural Resources had already received 750 emails from both sides on the topic—passionate enough at least one state official says he wondered whether to come to this meeting in a bulletproof vest.
But Steve Schnell—both a biker and a skier—told DNR officials that emotion had clouded the facts. Schnell, from Boyne Falls, is president of Top of Michigan Mountain Bike Association.
"I have full faith you’re going to make this decision based on a lot of input and a lot of data, not just the emotion," he says. "But I also trust that this emotion is very real here because a lot of people feel very passionate about their sports."
Many have voiced concerns about the safety of sharing the trail between bikers and skiers. But DNR officials say there have been no accident reports and safety won’t factor in. Some skiers had started an online petition to ban the bikes, citing safety and damage to the trail as concerns. DNR officials said neither skiing nor biking damages the Vasa.
Schnell says he was more dangerous on the trail as a new skate skier than as a fat-tire biker.
"I would have volunteered to have the DNR ban me from the VASA my first three years of skate skiing because every time I fell I was a whirling dervish ninja of pointy things," he says. "I’d rather be passed by a fat-bikers than a person like me my first three years of skate skiing."
But more than half of the 25 or so people who spoke disagreed. They suggested bikes not be used on the existing ski trails.
State-wide Issue
The issue goes beyond the Vasa. In fact, some people traveled several hours to attend the meeting in Traverse City.
Skier Roger Hopkins grooms the Cadillac Pathway. He worries about how policy for the Vasa would affect his trail. He wants fat tires banned there.
"If we don’t get this, it’s going to decimate our cross-country skiing," he says.
Because fat-tire biking is a brand new trend that’s quickly becoming popular, this is one of the first test cases for trails across the state and beyond. Officials are weighing how—and if—the bikes should share the trails with skiers.
Tim Schreiner is with the DNR. He says officials across the state are watching this decision, but they won’t take a one-size fits all approach.
"What we decide here will have somewhat of an impact (across the state)," he says. "One size does not fit everything…So what we decide for the Vasa cannot be the same mold for the Cadillac Pathway."
Compromise
The answer for the Vasa might just be to keep bikers and skiers on separate trails.
While many may have braced for a battle, the meeting tone was friendly and cooperative throughout. The divided crowd seemed to unite when an unlikely duo spoke. Skier Mark Esper stood to speak alongside Glen Ruczynski, a biker. Ruczynski is past president of Northern Michigan Mountain Bike Association. Esper is president of North American Vasa. He says people are ready to build a new trail for fat tires and fast.
"There are volunteers who are bikers, there are volunteers who are skiers who are ready now to go out and start doing what’s necessary to make this happen in time for next year," he says. "Maybe not an entire system in one year but a darn good start on system in one year."
The informal group of fat-tire bikers, skiers and TART trail representatives was so persuasive, the DNR decided to let them form a committee to help them take the next steps.
And Esper seems ready to get things started.
"Pick up a shovel, pick up a pick, pick snippers, pick up whatever it takes. Let’s just go out there and make that thing happen."
The DNR says the next step is to meet with the committee.