There are a few guidelines that will help you be careful not to damage the trail while riding it. This time of year the trails don't really get a chance to dry out. It's just too cold and when it warms up above freezing, the ground melts and makes for a wet and muddy surface. If someone rides when the ground is thawed, then a rut occurs and will last all winter and throughout the spring. So please only ride the trail when it's been a degree or two below freezing (32 degrees) for a couple of hours. This will make sure that any softer areas of the trail freeze up before they are ridden. Also, if there has been a significant amount of rainfall, give the trails the standard 36 - 48 hours time to dry up as best they can before riding it. If the trails are super wet from rainfall, they won't freeze solid as fast as they typically do.
If all riders can help care for the trail, it makes life better for riders, trailworkers, and any other trail users. We all enjoy a nice smooth and fast singletrack and it takes only a little effort by all riders to help keep it that way.
The 4 core IMBA principles:
