GMRPTC Update: IMBA Trail Labs are coming to Minnesota!

Below is a message from GMRPTC Executive Director Renee Mattson. You can reach her at renee.mattson@gmrptcommission.org.

After the successful collaboration with the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA) to gain their input and financial support for a portion of the Mountain Bike Trail Development Guidelines, we will once again be partnering with IMBA to host Trail Lab Foundations in 2025.

IMBA Foundations are two-day intensive workshops where IMBA staff, industry experts, and local stakeholders lead participants through the recipe for a model community trail system. The workshop includes learning about planning, design, building, activation, promotion, and how to measure the success of trails in a community. There is also an opportunity for the participants to view firsthand the host community mountain bike trails with field visits.

The IMBA Trail Labs have been hosted almost exclusively in Bentonville, Arkansas, for the past several years, and we are thrilled to be bringing the lab experiences to Minnesota for the next three years. 

We have two host locations for 2025 and 2026. Winona will host the spring labs, the first of which will be held in Winona May 7-8, 2025, and Duluth will host the fall labs, beginning with one on October 1-2, 2025.

The Trail Labs being hosted in Minnesota will not only provide an economic boost in Winona and Duluth when they host the events, but they will also give Minnesotans a chance to attend these awesome sessions without having to travel far to reach one of the locations. Additionally, it provides fabulous exposure for the trails in Duluth and Winona with the support of IMBA advertising and promoting the labs experience.

We will continue to update GMPT members as schedules develop and plans for more of the labs are finalized. For more information, visit the Trail Labs page on the IMBA website.