July 30, 2022
Sean Christopher and the Build Crew held a meeting on Sunday, July 30th to solicit feedback from the community on the project. The meeting was well attended by a cross section of riders from multiple disciplines (XC, Enduro racers, Freeriders/DJ, and BMX) as well as by representatives of Friends of McAllister Park (FOMP) and San Antonio Parks and Recreation (SAPAR). We got a lot of great feedback about the kind of design people are looking for as well as some practical advice on erosion control and armoring to aid in preserving the trail and the jumps. It was great having FOMP and Parks representatives there with us, so they could see the passion the community has for the location and that we are sensitive to preserving the natural area and using it responsibly. Sandy Jenkins (SAPAR) took some time to explain the miscommunication within Parks that led to the demolition before a rebuild plan was in place and assured us that Parks is looking forward to seeing the completed design. Marjesca Brown from FOMP was also supportive, especially when we started talking about preserving some of the trees damaged from erosion and the demolition. Most importantly, the rider attendees were engaged, active, and had great ideas to get the build designed and moving forward.
So, what’s planned for the Mac Jumps Project? First – let’s be clear, it’s more than just the jumps. We also need to armor certain areas of the trail to prevent further erosion, and see what we can do about sustainable use of the entire section of the trail where the drops are. It’s going to be a big project. The biggest part of that project is rebuilding the jumps themselves. For that we are planning at least four directional lines, plus a return. There will be signage at the site indicating these are directional trails and signs at each drop-in showing the name and degree of difficulty of each line. The lines will run downhill into the creek as they used to, with easier features to rider’s right facing the drop. We are planning on working with the terrain of the creekbed versus massive reshaping, which means most of the jumps will look like tables. On the largest jump line (the far left) we are planning multiple connected features of varying sizes after the initial table. This should provide potential to build gapable rollers for more advanced riders. The returns will be sculpted to include rollers similar to what you would see on a pump track to avoid the need to pedal back to the hill.
Those of you who asked for a chairlift – that is not going to happen. You know who you are!
Sean is drafting revisions to the drawings for the site plan and should post those within the next week. We’ll update this spot with the link and want to get feedback from the community prior to submitting to the City and conducting a walk-through. If all goes well, we hope to have that done by mid-August, and be ready to break ground shortly after. There’s a lot of logistics we have to work out – how to shape the flow of runoff away from the drop ins, and deal with ponding in the creek for instance – but we think we can be ready by then. More info will follow here as things develop, so please stay tuned! Updates can also be found on the STORM Trail Projects page.