Grantee Spotlight: Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association
The myriad ways one organization shapes local land
The name Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association (CBAC) may suggest the organization focuses on human-powered wheeled adventurers, yet the Oldest Mountain Bike Club in the World does so much more.
“We work on snow trails, motorized trails, campsites, we work on everything,” Executive Director Dave Ochs said. “Anyone who strolls Lower Loop or walks a dog up Red Lady uses trails that CBMBA maintains. Everything we do is completely free and open to any and everyone at all times.”
Dirty work beyond dirt work
Under the CBAC umbrella sits the Crested Butte Conservation Crew (CBCC), formed in 2016. This group of nine patrols more than 480 miles of trail, educates visitors on backcountry etiquette, extinguishes rogue campfires and collects a whole lot of garbage.
“Without a stewardship crew, our backyard would be destroyed,” Ochs said.
The crew works hard to clean up after recreators unfamiliar with Leave No Trace. They are the ones finding and removing couches, commodes and poop—a lot of it—from local backcountry.
In 2024 CBCC picked up 1,030 human waste piles, put out eight unattended fires and found over 100 illegal campfire rings. In 2025, waste piles dropped to 43, unattended fires fell to six and crews recovered just one toilet. Across the 2025 season, crews also monitored 1,728 campsites and hauled out 2,654 pounds of trash.
Sharing backcountry best practices
Part of the reason for such improvement year-over-year is CBMBA’s focus on visitor education.
The Backcountry Outreach Crew (BOC), a subset of CBCC, posts up on weekends at popular public land attractions—like Snodgrass, Judd Falls and Lake Irwin Day Use Area. The group engage and educate visitors on how to have fun while respecting the land.
Human power, human connection
From 1983 to 2016, CBMBA ran on volunteer power alone. While the organization now has a handful of employees, the culture still centers on community members getting together to dig around in dirt.
Each summer, weekly Wednesday Work Days show off the generous spirit of this community. They’re much like a barn raising, Ochs said.
Both Tony’s Trail and Lupine 1 were created exclusively with volunteer power n 2001 and 2011 respectively. The community continues to show up. In 2025, 225 volunteers logged 2,178 hours building new trail.
“That’s my religion there,” Ochs said. “It’s amazing to see what this community does when they come together.”
