Meeks Ridge

Jess & I are giving $250,000 to TAMBA towards building the Meeks Ridge Trail. I’m hoping I can explain why I’m so excited about this trail, what it means for the future of mountain biking in Tahoe, and what it means for the future of TAMBA.

I started mountain biking for a somewhat silly reason — I was looking for ways to keep my quads in shape for the winter, and I hated running. I bought a cheap death-trap of a bike, searched for the closest trails on Trailforks, and pointed my bike in that direction. Whenever I had an hour or two to spare, I’d roll my bike out of the garage and rip around Tahoe Mountain. At some point it hit me that I was having a ton of fun — I’d grab my bike, climb up a wildflower-packed mountain with views of Tallac and the Carson Range — then descend down a mountain with epic lake views to the end of my street. I’ve been addicted ever since.

View from Tahoe Mountain

Over the years, I’ve seen first-hand how trails provide refuge to so many. Turn your phone off, go for a short hike, bike, or ski and come back grounded in a better reality. I’ve always been amazed at how much nicer people are on the trails — everyone’s out trying to have a good time. And how special is that? A place where everyone is trying to have a good time.

That magic is why so many call Tahoe home. It’s the excessive access and love for the mountains that surround us. We’re all a few minutes from an opportunity to hike, bike, paddle, ski, climb, or stroll through some of the most magnificent landscapes on earth. It brings us together and gives us something we can all love and treat with respect.

Meeks Ridge Illustration

Illustration by Jeremy Collins.

Meeks Ridge is a new trail being constructed on the west shore that will connect Meeks Bay to Lost Lake. It’s a tremendously beautiful trail that will open up a 12-mile loop with General Creek and Lost Lake trails once it’s finished. But what makes Meeks Ridge special isn’t the trail itself — it’s what it represents for the future of TAMBA and the future of mountain biking in Tahoe.

In January, the Forest Service approved something called the Basin Wide Trails Analysis Project. This is a really boring name for a very exciting opportunity — 45 miles of new singletrack around the lake. It opens up dozens of new loops and rides from almost any starting point around the lake.

Living at the base of Tahoe Mountain, I came to fall in love with the idea of building loops to fit my appetite that day. I could do a quick ten-mile loop over lunch, double back up Tahoe Mountain to do both descents, or connect to Angora, Mule Deer, or Lily Lake for any amount of climbing I was in the mood for. What if we could do that all around the lake?

Building that trail network isn’t going to be easy. We still need to flag out final alignments, raise money, purchase equipment, hire pro crews, and get people out there to put shovels in the ground. TAMBA has built plenty of trail in Tahoe, but the scale of this project is bigger than anything they’ve tackled before.

They’re going to have to learn how to manage multiple projects at once, how to manage multiple paid crews, raise more funds, organize more volunteers, and drive down the cost per mile along the way. All while maintaining the singletrack we already enjoy and keeping traditions like The Triple Crown and Rose to Toads alive and thriving.

I know TAMBA can do this. They’ve become one of my favorite organizations to work with over the years. I’ve loved watching them grow, bring our community together, celebrate mountain biking, and keep the singletrack flowing.

That’s why we’re giving this gift. I’m hoping it provides the support for TAMBA to learn, grow, and build the systems needed to build that next 45 miles of singletrack. I’m hoping it shows how much we believe in them.

TAMBA always needs donors, but it also needs advocates, volunteers, people to spread the message, and of course, people to ride the trails. If this message does anything, I’m hoping it gets you a little more interested in ways you can help be a steward of Tahoe.

Kyle Aster
kyle@thoseasters.com