2025 Trail Skills Training–Water Management | VMBA Cohort

Are you a prospective or current paid staff member of a Vermont organization, business, or municipality who works on the maintenance or construction of natural surface trails in the state?

This free 2-day training is designed for those entering or currently employed in trail jobs involving trail construction and/or maintenance in Vermont. The training will develop skills in reading the landscape to determine drainage patterns and how to accommodate them to create or maintain sustainable natural surface trails. In a mixture of classroom and field time, participants will learn and apply skills in identifying and assessing drainage patterns and learn best practices for how to plan and accomodate for adequate drainage using a variety of methods and structures.

The training curriculum is anchored in Professional Trail Builders Association’s (PTBA) skills competencies and the applicable multi-use Best Management Practices (BMPs) from Vermont Mountain Bike Association’s BMPs for Maintenance and Construction. Instruction will be provided by veteran professional trail builders from Sinuosity, LLC, L&D Trailworks, and/or Apex Trailworks.

With increasing frequency and severity of climate-related hydrological events in Vermont, designing and maintaining trails with adequate drainge structures is key to the resiliency of our trail networks and communities. Professionalize and prepare your crew and self to meet this challenge head on by learning the necessary skills through this free training.

More information and registration may be found here.