This Iconic Trail Was Poached—The MTB Community Is Fuming

This week, someone chose to ignore a trail closure at Whistler Mountain Bike Park (WMBP) and rode ‘Crabapple Hits’, one of the biggest jump lines in the park. This behavior not only endangers the riders but also trail builders who could have been working on the trail at the time, which has happened in the past.

When I asked about the incident, WMBP laid things out clearly in saying, "Accessing closed terrain at any time is not tolerated. It will result in pass suspension and the loss of biking privileges at the resort."

Respect the builder, respect the trails, respect yourself, and don't be an ass, or as my mom always says: Have fun, be safe, make smart choices.

In a reel posted to the Whistler Bike Park Instagram on July 24th, Cameron Howell, a Whistler Bike Park patroller, discusses the unfortunate situation with WMBP trail builder, Mick Svajgr, who says that riders poaching a trail will typically set the team back about five days, sometimes longer, depending on the length and damage. That means much more work for the trail crew, who then need to hike machines and tools up to the affected location and repair the damage. This can lead to extended closures of trails that would have otherwise been open to other riders.

Although the damage caused by the unnamed individuals was relatively minor, it still led to three days of skilled work for the trail crew at WMPB, who are already stretched thin with maintaining and preserving the incredible trails in the park.

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When I asked about the incident, WMBP gave me the following statement: "The Whistler Mountain Bike Park is a complex network of world-class mountain bike trails offering a wide range of terrain and difficulty levels, and our team works hard to provide a safe and enjoyable experience for all guests. Just like in winter, we expect our guests to respect and observe all signage and trail closures for the safety of everyone on the mountain – a top priority for all guests and employees of Whistler Blackcomb. Accessing closed terrain at any time is not tolerated. It will result in pass suspension and the loss of biking privileges at the resort." It basically says "be an ass and you lose your pass", but in a much more diplomatic way. 

The community is also showing up in defense of the builders and trail crews, with comments flooding the post on Instagram. One comment reads: "Guaranteed the same people poaching the soft trails are the ones complaining when there are holes in the berms on A-Line!" and another comment singing praises for the man packing on the tools in the video, "Bro in the back just casually packing the cleanest looking lip of 2025." Some comments are also curious what trail poaching is...

What is MTB Trail Poaching?

Poaching a trail is the act of riding a closed trail that is under construction and clearly marked as not to be ridden. 

Poaching trails is never a great idea, no matter how fun it might seem. Trails are closed for a reason. Whether it's for maintenance, a race, or sensitive conditions, the closing of a trail should be respected, and in the best-case scenario, you’ll ride a trail that isn’t ready to be ridden, which won't be fun. In the worst case, you’ll end up seriously injuring yourself or someone else.

At BIKE, we don’t condone trail poaching, full stop, but we also acknowledge that people will still poach trails. While poaching trails in less populated riding areas have less potential for catastrophe, poaching a trail at what could be considered the best bike park in the world is just plain stupid.