In this episode of The Localist, host Carrie Rollwagen is joined by Emile Hughes, co-founder of RideBHM, a downhill mountain biking park in Birmingham. Emile delves into the challenges and rewards of establishing the park on a 200-acre plot allocated from the Red Mountain Park’s 1500 acres. This land posed significant difficulties in terms of clearing and remediation, necessitating expensive heavy equipment rentals and substantial manual labor. Despite these obstacles, RideBHM has grown into a community that offers trails for all skill levels and enhancing the biking experience with amenities like shuttles and electric bikes.
Emile discusses the importance of balancing social impact with profitability, explaining how RideBHM’s status as a B Corporation fits into this vision by preventing purely profit-driven decisions. He also highlights their future plans to expand transportation options within the park, and emphasizes the need for better infrastructure and facilities to attract and retain visitors. Beyond the park itself, Emile calls attention to the burgeoning community of bikers, the supportive atmosphere cultivated among members and the potential for mountain biking to forge connections across diverse backgrounds.
Mentioned in this episode:
RideBHM Website: https://ridebhm.com/
RideBHM Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ridebhm
Kanuga Bike Park: https://ridekanuga.com/
Red Mountain Park: https://redmountainpark.org/
Dialed Dirt: https://dialeddirt.myportfolio.com/
Thomson Cat: https://thompsontractor.com/
Ruffner Mountain: https://ruffnermountain.org/
Turkey Creek: https://turkeycreeknp.com/
Ohm Jiu Jitsu: https://www.ohmjiujitsu.com/