Characters 4: Mark Holt - The Relentless Builder

Jul 4, 2013
by Riley Mcintosh  
Riley McIntosh
Mark Holt. Is he the most productive trail builder of all time
Mark Holt


Mark Holt is the most productive trail builder in BC. I’m standing by that. If anyone wants to challenge me, go ahead. I’d like to see who else has built over 40 trails. I’m not sure there is anyone. Not just dinky little trails either; these are monstrous and sharp toothed snaking leviathans wrapping themselves around entire mountains. Mark never stops. He builds before work, after work, on weekends. He skips work to build. His mind is a vault of trail knowledge. As he rides, he files away spots needing repair, and then dutifully returns to upgrade the trail. He is unassuming, intense, committed, humble, and does not need the praise of others to motivate him. His drive is both personal and an act of sharing. His trails have contributed to the happiness of so many riders, both local and from elsewhere. The legends of Nelson, a true BC mountain town, are born and bred on his hand built ribbons of hillside gnarl. His drive to craft tracks of excessive downwardness through the timber strewn Kootenay slopes creates the tales, the stories that are shared amongst those who have given into the call of the mountains. The crashes, the new friends made, the obstacles conquered, the ridge line rides in perfect evening light, are in many ways all because of him. Trails are not just lines through the woods, they are places where people go to experience challenge, face fear, and find flow. Nobody knows that better than Mark.



A very fitting double exposure. Mark Holt with his list of trails which is surely missing many. Mark with a tool of his trade.

What brought you to Nelson?

I’m originally from Montreal and had moved to Whistler in 1989 to ski. I worked in a bike shop there and did a bunch of mountain biking in the summers, although I had already been riding trails back in Quebec. I lived there for three years and then decided in August of 1992 that I wanted to move to Nelson to ski some “Kootenay Powder.”

When did you start the Sacred Ride Bike Shop? Who did you start it with?

February of 1996 with Sean Jang and Jeff Grosch. I had worked with Sean for two years in Nelson at a sports shop and I knew Jeff from Whistler.

Why do you build trails?

I started building trails after I moved to Nelson. I started building Kutcorners in 1994. There were very few trails in Nelson at the time and I got tired of riding the same old trails and logging roads. I like the challenge of building single track. The more the better and the more options there are for riding.

What was the first trail you built in Nelson?

Kutcorners in 1994.

We had Mark make a list of all his trails. He couldn t remember them all. There are just too many. He was forgetting 4 000 foot descents. Shit yeah Shannon Pass He squints his eyes looking at Riley for help. What else Oh the Vein The majority of us have only ever helped out on a few trail days. Mark was forgetting huge massive trails because he has built so many.................
  We had Mark make a list of all his trails. He couldn't remember them all. There are just too many. He was forgetting 4,000 foot descents. 'Shit, yeah, Shannon Pass!' He squints his eyes, looking at Riley for help. 'What else? Oh, the Vein!' The majority of us have only ever helped out on a few trail days. Mark was forgetting huge, massive trails, because he has built so many.


bigquotesEvery time we end up finding a new trail or hearing about a new trail in Nelson it's always pretty much built by Mark. He is a machine. I would say of all his trails the one I have ridden most is Newtsack, I've ridden that trail so many times and never get bored of it. Every Wednesday night all the local dudes gang up and hang out at the Sacred Ride Bike Shop and I never miss it when I'm home. The Sacred Ride is definitely my go-to shop. - Kurt Sorge - Nelson resident and Redbull Rampage Champion


Mark Holt puts the Pulaski to work. How many swings since his first trail Tens of thousands Hundreds of thousands
  Mark Holt puts the pulaski to work. How many swings since his first trail? Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands?

Give us a rundown of your biggest and baddest trails:

The Vein: We could see the ridgeline from the Sacred Ride…my mechanic said “…we have to put that one in”….We named the trail after an old friend….he had an incident with his too tight snowboard binding that resulted in a twisted blue vein at the top of the foot…in the summer when we were putting in the trail he would come up the mountain and we would yell “the Blue Vein!”….hence the Vein as the trail was long and torturous….

Paper Bag: It was a wicked ridgeline visible from town. It had lots of slabs (it had the first granite rock slab lines ever in Nelson). It was named after a road trip up North when I saw a rock on the highway and my buddy who was driving said: “Nahhh it’s just a paper bag.'' He proceeded to bend his car’s frame as he drove over it.

Frog Jam: Needed a single track climb up Svoboda. While skirting around a wetland a huge chorus of frogs were just going off the week I was building. it took about seven or eight days before they stopped croaking.

Elephant: First big mountain descent in Nelson.

Placenta: Obvious ridge line to Morning Mountain ski hill (when it was still operating), this trail was the “rebirthing” of a new area of trails in Nelson (Giveout Creek).

Bedframe: Alternate to Placenta with a nice view of Nelson and Kokanee. I built a bridge over a miner’s sink hole using my old bedframe.

Goldmember: First trail up Gold Creek Service Road. This was the era of Mike Myers' Austin Powers movies, seemed to be a good fit.

Shannon Pass: The Baldface trail system had no valley bottom (3000 feet). It took 70 days to put it in.

Slabbalanche: An “avalanche of slabs” presented itself after exploring this ridge line. Two years after I built the trail it was logged so I built it again.

What was in Nelson before you showed up? What trails? Who had built them?

Nothing and almost nobody riding. The only trails were Long Svoboda, Legalize it, and Space Junk.

Another example of the evolution of trails. Here Garett carries speed and airs over a spot where in the old days a slow motion bridge led to a skinny log ride still visible on the bottom left corner of the photo.

Who built Spacejunk?

Kuba! He was such a savage dude. He was way ahead of his time, that trail was so aggressive for that era, it was just roughed in. It was named after a weather balloon that was crashed in the bush up there. Unfortunately Kuba passed away up at the ski hill.

Did you ever live at 719 Latimer? (A legendary house rented and lived in by pretty much everyone in the Nelson riding scene it seems like).

No but I hung out there lots, met my wife there. The 719 gap up on Mountain Station was named after that house.

Who built 13 Steps To Doom? That is another trail that is just so gnarly, especially for the era it was built in.

The 719 guys built it, Brain Bell, John Broi, Chad Smith.

Who are the most original local dog dudes still riding and living in Nelson?

Mike Seniak, Chris George, Ramin Sherkat, Jon Broi, Derek Westerlund, Scott Dikson, Carey Boxser (RIP)...

Garett Beuhler through some of Mark s berms. Mark has put tools to every kind of soil variance found in the Kootenays. Sandy loamy clay alpine duff you name it.
  Garett Beuhler through some of Mark's berms. Mark has put tools to every kind of soil variance found in the Kootenays. Sandy loamy clay, alpine duff, you name it.
The Pulaski or Fire Man s Axe is probably the most quintessential trade building tool.
  The pulaski, or fire man's axe, is probably the most quintessential trade building tool.

How many days roughly would you say you've spent trail building in the last 20 years?

Close to 1000 days.

Have you ever ran into problems with land owners, government, etc?

No.

What is the most frustrating thing about trail building for you?

Getting ready, loading the truck, getting the gear together, getting to the location. Once I’m there and start building I get into the zone.  

What is the most rewarding thing about trail building for you?

Having a fresh trail for me and my buddies to ride. 

What is your style: quick and dirty? Elaborate?

Get the trail in, find a good entrance and exit. Try to stay on high ground. Tweak it later. Trail building is done whenever possible, after work 'till dark, weekdays at 5:00am before work, telling my wife Kirsty that I was going to the store and squeaking a few hours in...  

Knowing the trails of Nelson quite well, I can only assume you did some insanely massive hikes just to get to where you were working?

Paper Bag was built top down with bike and chainsaw and then hiking back out, until it got low enough. Then I rode the rail-grade for six kilometers or so to get to the bottom. Massive hikes to get to Slabalanche and the Vein at least 2500ft to the top of each, with a chainsaw and mattock, gas, oil, three or four liters of water, food, first aid, tools, rain jacket, ear protection, and a six pack of Kootenay True Ale! Pretty much every trail takes about 70 days. Slabbalanche was tough because I built it, and then it got logged shortly after. So I went back in there for an ‘anger build’ and put it back in. It lost a few amazing rock slabs, but I found more.

An awesome feature of many of Nelson s trails are all the granite protuberances to be found and utilized for two wheelers. Traction for days due to a gritty surface on this rock. Mark Holt is quick to incorporate these boulders and slabs into his trails. The telltale lines of rubber left behind reveals the passage of many mountain bikers.
  An awesome feature of many of Nelson's trails are all the granite protuberances to be found and utilized for two wheelers. Traction for days due to a gritty surface on this rock. Mark Holt is quick to incorporate these boulders and slabs into his trails. The telltale lines of rubber left behind reveals the passage of many mountain bikers.


bigquotesMark is definitely the father of the Nelson riding scene: that guy built like every trail! I've been riding his trails since I was about 10 years old and he just keeps adding them! It's pretty crazy if you stop and just think about all the work he has done out there. Mind blowing actually. - Garett Buehler - Nelson resident, BC's Big Mountain Badass


You're known for climbing any trail on any bike. Were you ever a big shuttler?

Big shuttler over the years for sure, but no matter what I was still climbing, quick rides, solo rides, etc. I never stopped climbing. I rode to the top on big bikes: Brodie 8 Ball, Banshee Scream, Rocky RMX, what else... the Marin Wildcat Trail which was a 10-inch bike! I pedaled all those things up the mountains.

With riders like Joe Schwartz, Mike Kinrade, Robbie Bourdon, Garett Buehler, Kurt Sorge calling Nelson home, what was it like watching so many big names come up out of Nelson over the years?

It was awesome. All those guys were just riders in town who rode a lot and I think our trails shaped them into the riders they are today. Those guys went into filming situations, and things like the Redbull Rampage, and were used to riding gnarly fall line terrain. Joe and Robbie were super keen riders, they would ride with us lots in Nelson, and we used to take them to Rossland and stuff when they were still in high school. I remember finishing riding and making them wait outside the pub sitting on the curb while we drank a bunch of beers. Joe and Robbie built the Gimp in 1995 and that was a pretty solid piece of scary steep as shit trail to add to the area, it's likely still one of the steepest trails in BC.

I noticed when I first moved to Nelson, there were always tons of broken bikes and injuries. Did Nelson go through a period of almost being ‘too gnarly?'

Yeah in the early 2000’s lots of people were getting hurt and bikes were getting broken a lot. I think our riding was basically super rowdy shit, and when you add in the fact so many of the trails are 2500-3000 ft vertical descents, that much vertical makes people super tired, especially when the gnarl doesn’t stop and they are getting too tired to make sure their front wheel goes where it needs to go!

Do you think Nelson had a heyday bike tourism wise?

Absolutely, in 2005-2008 Nelson was super hyped up, we just had so many trails so close to town. Since then so many other places have become really developed trails-wise, places like Williams Lake, Revelstoke, Vernon with Silver Star, lots of those places are drawing tons of visitors. But in terms of a single town with 125 trails that will test any rider’s limits, I think Nelson is still the place to be.

Riley and Garett outside Mark Holt s bike shop the Sacred Ride. Downtown Nelson BC.

What's the Nelson Cycling Club all about?

Well the Nelson Cycling Club has been getting some money - government funding through forestry initiatives and also from the Regional District of Central Kootenays. Rounding that out are trail map sales, the bike swap, memberships, and events, like the toonie race we had this spring raised 1000 bucks in one night for the Cycling Club.

What bike are you on this year?

Intense Carbine 650b, which for living in Nelson isn’t quite beefy enough. I also ride an Intense Uzzi. People here are dropping down a bit to shorter travel climbable bikes but for the most part everyone is riding full on DH bikes, you just have to with our terrain.

Garett follows Riley into a steep granite roll characteristic of many of Mark s trails.
  Garett follows Riley into a steep granite roll characteristic of many of Mark's trails.


bigquotesHolt showed me how awesome mountain biking could be. He let me, a 15-year-old punk, tag along on group rides up Idaho Peak or Rossland, he'd drive me to races all over the Kootenays, and put up with my little crew spending hours in his bike shop, poring over catalogs and bike movies. He eventually relented and gave me a summer job wrenching on bikes. Mark showed us how to build bike trails, and instilled in us the importance of giving back to the community you live in. My first awesome (and to this day my favourite) bike I bought from Mark was a custom painted Dekerf Team hardtail, with matching painted Judy DH forks. I didn't think it could get any better than that. Simply put, Nelson mountain biking would not exist without Mark Holt. - Joe Schwartz - Born and bred in Nelson, legendary freerider and mountain guide


Which trail are you most proud of?

Not one specifically. Shannon Pass for connecting to the upper goods, creating one huge descent from the top of Baldface. Paper Bag because it’s so unique; all the slabs and just a wild ridge, and also Slabbalanche because its radical and off the radar. I’ve built over 40 trails in Nelson and like them all and still ride them all. I don’t get stuck riding one trail over and over, I really like to keep it diverse and ride them all.

Tell us more about the Paper Bag. In my opinion it is the coolest trail in Nelson.

The Paper Bag was built in 1995/1996. I had noticed that there was a pretty unique ridgeline flowing off the Svoboda area down to Troupe Beach. I basically started hiking it from the height of land and walked a line that turned out to be the trail pretty much. Jon Broi, a Nelson local was involved on that one a lot, he came out there pushing the limits, finding tons of wild rock slabs and just pushing the route to include them all, which lead to a lot of weird awkward climbs but we just didn’t care. Back then some of the rock slab roll-downs were really pushing the limits, there are lots of stories of sheared head tubes, frames held together just by the cables. A gnarly dude named Darrel was out there too and he was the first one to ride the Dirty Crack which to this day is one of Nelson’s most enigmatic and well known moves.

Which trail would you consider to be your masterpiece?

I don’t have a favorite trail. Once I’m finished building a trail I’m already thinking about the next one.

Bruno Long goes black and white for cedar against sky. Riley flows some Kootenay bridgework on a trail he has enjoyed over and over for years.
  Bruno Long goes black and white, for cedar against sky. Riley flows some Kootenay bridgework on a trail he has enjoyed over and over for years.


bigquotesMy favourite thing about a Holt trail is how you know it's a Holt trail. The man likes to make you work. He's not afraid to put some tech side-hill into a DH run, or a climb for that matter. His trails take you places, not just the path of least resistance, and he still does that without losing flow. His trails work by making you work. - Mitchell Scott - Nelson resident and mountain biking's most prolific writer


Which trail do you get the most compliments about?

Always the latest and greatest! Some of the trails, like Upper Sitkum, have sort of faded away, now people think it’s too steep, but it's gnarly and great in my opinion. Fall line gnarl. A trail that makes you second guess your line and you have to be on it. Nowadays I am building more across the hill type stuff but at the end of the day I still love the burl, the fall line stuff.

You never stop digging, have you had much in the way of trail building injuries?

Ohhhh ya. Tennis elbow, rotator cuff strain, ankle sprains, claw hand, and some delayed onset muscle soreness. Otherwise feeling pretty good these days. Never stopped building, maybe just a few light duty days when I'm sore.

So is your building almost obsessive? Do you ever get tired out?

No, it’s been 40 trails now and I just never stop.

Are you going to slow down with the building now that you have kids?

Yeah I hope so, please make it stop.

What many people don t realize is that the job of building a trail is never done. The trail will always need touch-ups rocks moved slippery roots dealt with. On top of establishing all these trails Mark is also always taking tools along for the ride fixing up the little things. He never stops.

That concludes this edition of Characters. Thanks: Mark Holt, Bruno Long, Garett Buehler, the Hume Hotel, Sacred Ride Bike Shop, and Tourism Kootenay Rockies for helping put this one together. Check out: www.hellobc.com



Riley on home turf.
Riley McIntosh is a mountain biker from the Cowichan Valley on Vancouver Island. He has done a fair bit of trail building and has dabbled in writing. He loves interviewing interesting people and learning more about them. He hopes that Pinkbike’s readers enjoy the Characters series.

Bruno Long at home in Revelstoke.
Bruno Long is a Revelstoke-based professional adventure photographer.  A self-taught photographer who spends his winters chasing deep powder and steep lines in the backcountry, he also thoroughly enjoys the summers, shooting mountain biking and staying considerably warmer than the winter months.  Look for his work in the upcoming Deep Summer photography competition, where he will be putting his work up against a stacked field of fellow professionals during Crankworx.


Characters #1 - Thomas Schoen
Characters #2 - Bill McLane
Characters #3 - Tig Cross and Sasha LeBaron




Posted In:
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Member since Apr 24, 2008
22 articles

66 Comments
  • 139 1
 Trailbuilders don't get credit as much as riders being featured on edits. Without a good trail no rad riding can be done.
  • 4 1
 not to forget trailbuild. is as hard as riding... quite difficult to figure out how to make a turn or corner driftable so you stqy on the line while your drifting. you kinda need to know what line a bike will follow and then carve or dig out that line... as a biker and a heqvy smoker i know how hard it is to get something done and keep on working on it... and ze can only thank the people for their passions that give us riders the oppurtunity to ride without needing to work to hard xvwx or just xd
  • 7 1
 Have you ever ran into problems with land owners, government, etc?

No.

damm i am jealous..
dont go to europe Frown
  • 1 0
 yes, bc parks are quite annoying
  • 1 0
 Its unfortunate that mountain station is owned by a logging company and no new trails are allowed to be built there. there is a polygon on morning mountain that is available to build on. with the cycling clubs perission.
  • 53 0
 Never heard of him before. Now I'm his fan.
  • 7 0
 +1

At age of 23 I've build quite some trails myself but seeing what Mark did totaly blows my mind. Also great thumbs up to pinkbike for making such an amazing articles and, as mentined before, exposing guys who make the sport what it is!

Last but not least: is there any Nelson local here who knows background of naming hill Svoboda (word for freedom in Slovenian, coincidence or not)?
  • 1 0
 was wondering the same thing. "Svoboda" stands for freedom not only in Slovenian, but in pretty much any slavic language. Could the hill have been named by immigrants?
  • 1 0
 could be to do with the huge Russian presence in Nelson's past?
  • 1 0
 The trail is built off svoboda road. And there's a long svoboda and short svoboda.
  • 31 0
 That guy is a legend
  • 1 0
 Holt is da bomb!! (the googler says that means bigger than legend)
  • 15 0
 That's dedication right there. Jeans, flannel, full face helmet while carrying a chain saw, axe and god knows what else. Respect.
  • 11 0
 Wow! I've chatted with Mark a few times when I've been in the Sacred Ride during visits to Nelson and I've always come away thinking that he was a genuinely helpful bike shop type guy. I had no idea of his contribution and work ethic though. Now I know that I've ridden and enjoyed so many of his trails, I'm gonna drop off a bunch of beers on my next visit.

I guess given that Mark's trails are what has allowed the development of so many great riders in the area, and the contribution of those riders (as well as NWD etc) to the development of freeride (dead or not), Mark's contribution should be considered alongside that of Digger, Dangerous Dan and others from the Shore as a real foundation for what we all love. Great interview Riley and thanks for opening my eyes.
  • 1 0
 +1

you also know what type of beer he likes.
  • 1 0
 Yep, that wasn't lost on me either. He's got good taste too.
  • 3 0
 Great article! Marks trails have nurtured my love of technical bc riding more than any other. I started heading to Nelson on bike trips in 98' and through the Sacred Rides Wednesday night rides got to know many of his trails. I've been on mountain bikes for the last 20 years and many of my most memorable days riding were in the kootenays on his creations. Can't thank you enough. Looking foreword to my next trip to ride some old favourites and find some new ones
  • 1 0
 Thanks riley, good article
  • 5 0
 What a list of trails, and love the detail and the history. Great article Riley. Got to make it back for the Triple Crown this Fall, for a tour of Mark's classics.
  • 2 0
 absolutely great interview, really enjoyed it.
  • 4 0
 Nelson is now on place 1 of places I wanna visit when I finally make it to Cananda - sure looks and sounds like dreamland to me.
  • 2 0
 Awesome, respect dude as a fellow trail builder, I got home from doing 6hrs work on the trails in the forest to read this, props dude, not sure I could go out before work and after, but you have inspired me to try, I like being out they're when no ones around, props dude!
  • 2 0
 Great write up. Without guys like him building level ten crazy trails our sport wouldn't progress like it has. I'm really jealous of how he said he's never run into trouble with land managers etc. Here in Cali you can build a trail today and it can get bulldozed tomorrow.
  • 2 0
 I must admit, I never knew Mark Holt before this post. After reading about him all I can say is he's one fantastic person. His incredible hard work and dedication to his trail building is completely incredible. Hat's off to you Mark, you have a lot to be proud of. MTBikers of Nelson and it's outskirt's are very lucky to have you in the community.
  • 2 0
 As someone who loves building as much as riding, I loved this read! Excellent article! People like this will never get enough credit, the labor and hours are brutal. Its in your DNA, even if nobody ever said "that trail is awesome" they would still build, but knowing just one person loved a trail or section, fuels the fire even more. I salute every builder out there! You ARE the shredders!
  • 2 0
 with the amount of spades ive broken in the past month of building trails, i dread to think how much dedication AND money this legend has gifted the riding community!
what a hero Smile
  • 1 0
 Great stuff. I ride a few of those trails regularly, live in Nelson, visit the shop routinely. Had no idea he was responsible personally for so many. Great vibe at The Sacred Ride too, made many purchases there, and will continue to do so. 719 gap, someday.. someday..
  • 1 0
 Nice to see a real builder. In Switzerland you get killed if you just touch a forest. In here, there is this view: "A biker destroys the forest, make animals have fear and are a risk for hikers. So no building in the forest without 9000 documents of the state and such crap...
  • 1 0
 It might not be worth much but I would like to extend the biggest of thanks to all trail builders around the world!! Although I have never had the opportunity to ride such awesome trails, thanks to web sites like pinkbike I get to see some of the best builds and the behind the scenes makings. You the trail builders have inspired us all, young and old to get out there and ride - build - and have fun! Thanks again for all your blood sweat and beers!!!
  • 1 0
 i built an awsome little trail behind this school no one has ever given me any credit for it and this assholes who walk there dogs go right through my trail and even stomped out a couple jumps which i the have to re build only 20-30 people know about it and even then only 6 or 7 ride it
  • 1 0
 Mark is my old roommate from 'back in the day' in Whistler. 11 of us lived in one big insane party-house. Mark was a really wild n' crazy dude back then - it looks like he's channeled his excess energy very much in the right direction :-) Good on ya' bro!

Andrew
  • 1 0
 I'm heading to Nelson in August and was just looking into the local trails and finding someone to ride with. This article could not have come at a better time!! Sounds like this guy is a top bloke with his priorities in check!
  • 1 0
 When I visited Nelson I started climbing up a road looking for Gold member. Some locals gave us a lift. Good thing as we would not have found the trail and it would have been a 3 hour climb!
The trail was a steep plumb line of pure bliss. Nelson Rocks.
You may come for the pow but the green is just as good or better Smile






t
  • 4 0
 Well, who needs superman? I just found my superhero.
  • 1 0
 I really enjoy this article, I'm now building a new trail with a couple of mates and let me tell you that is very very fun and makes you realize how much effort trail builders put for the love of shred Smile
  • 1 0
 these trailbuilding articles are the coolest things on PB. unless you've built a trail yourself, you've got no idea how rewarding and fun it is when you finally get to ride it.
  • 1 0
 As a rider and occasional digger, primarily build features/jumps on existing trails, I thank you for your building. Our entire sport revolves around people like you and I just wanted to voice my appreciation.
  • 1 0
 Mark's trails helped my riding progress to a new level, but I am still yet to ride the Dirty Crack. It's great to see Mark get the recognition and credit he deserves. Fantastic article!
  • 1 0
 Vwell deserved repect. Mark you have made me and my kids happier people. Youve helped create something to go between ski seasons, that is as much fun as the pow. No easy feat.
  • 4 0
 Nice trail dude...
  • 1 0
 awesome article! words have no way of even coming close to conveying Marks enthusiasm towards biking and skiing! Great Bloke, Great shop, Can drink! cheers Holt
  • 1 0
 Mark is definitely the man! So proud to be from Nelson and I'll always support the Sacred Ride. Great work buddy! See ya soon!
  • 1 0
 Shardsy!!!!!!!!!! Kootenay kritter for life.
  • 1 0
 The question about 719 was classic! We crashed on the floor there a couple times when rolling through Nelson. Nice to see Mark gettin some major, well deserved props!!
  • 1 0
 Great work Mark! It is so good to see a guy so passionate about building trails! Cant wait to come to Nelson and ride some of those trails...Keep up the great work!
  • 2 0
 Love Mark's work, have really enjoyed my time in Nelson since the fall and love ripping all his trails!
  • 1 0
 PB is puting lots of very good articles like this showing how amazing is mtb... the other article of the rasta mecanic is very nice to... thanks!
  • 1 0
 I work with Mark and everything in the article is true... 100%... amazing guy.
  • 2 1
 This guy needs a trials bike for trail building baddly.... nelson biking comunity should pitch in and buy him one Smile
  • 1 0
 I wish the interview was more like "how do you do this" instead of "what do you like the most of"... but whatever.
  • 2 0
 i am presently sending you a virtual case of beer sir.
  • 1 0
 Mark is the ultimate mountain biker, not only does he build the best trails but also rides them all!
  • 2 0
 Nice write up Riley. Keep up the epic trail building Mark!!!!
  • 1 0
 Its been 12 years now... i finally know who built paper bag! Thanks Mark for my first introduction to Nelson riding!
  • 1 0
 Well Nelson just got moved to the top of the list for places I wanna ride...
  • 1 0
 This guy just became a personal hero of mine. Us riders down in SoCal appreciate what you do Mark. Keep killin it!
  • 3 0
 next stop nelson!
  • 1 0
 Same here when I come over.
  • 2 0
 Nelson is a promised land of biking. No lifts just adventures
  • 2 0
 Hi, my name is Mark Holt, and I'm addicted to building trails.
  • 1 0
 Thanks for guys like this !
  • 1 0
 By the way, who gave the name to the Svoboda Trail system?
  • 2 0
 Thanks Mark
  • 1 0
 Great article, can't wait to get out to Nelson!
  • 2 0
 SEVE HOLT!!!
  • 1 0
 Another Mr T shot







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