Winter Digging 2015: Garden Berms

Archie’s garden is undergoing a transformation at the moment. Under the eyes of his parents (who seem a lot more tolerant than mine in terms of having their garden dug up), he’s got a series of berms worked out and is planning to link it all up with some doubles and maybe even a wall-ride. Literally a back yard track! Here’s what he had to say:

I am situated in Northern Ireland, just outside Belfast, my closest trails are about a 20-minute drive away and my closest uplift centre is an hour away (Rostrevor). These berms are in my parents garden, I got permission for them as long as there was room for the lawnmower to get by!

I plan to build a few doubles before the berms, and a double and rollers after the berms, especially for a longest manual competition! With the weather being so shit here, I have been struggling to get back out to build them with exams as well. No exciting plans yet, but sticking a few pallets on the fence for a wall ride sounds like a good idea!

What motivated me to build this was the fact that being a 16 year-old I have to rely on lifts from parents and friends to get to the trails, and with this being my GCSE year, I thought having something fun to do in revision breaks would be a good idea.
I mainly ride downhill, and I’m waiting on arrival of my new enduro bike, so hopefully I’ll be able to cycle to my local trails. I built this as a place to practice my general skills – cornering and jumping, even if I can’t get to the trails I still have something to ride! There will also be a few sessions and mates’ races in the summer, but for now the plan is to get the track finished and the weather to dry up as its currently too wet to ride!

Cracking work Archie! If you’ve got a winter project, send it in to [email protected]