MTB Project trail finder app gets an update

Courtesy of the International Mountain Bicycling Association:

The MTB Project website and mobile apps have been updated and improved with new functionality. The apps are available in both Android and iOS versions, and are completely free.

MTB Project continues to grow in popularity, with a catalog of user-generated content that now exceeds 34,000 miles of trail. All of the trail reviews, photos and video on the site are carefully reviewed and curated to ensure high quality.

The latest app versions offer several notable enhancements:

• Vertical profiles show average and maximum grades, and are color-coded along the entire trail to highlight more/less challenging segments
• Users can select metric or imperial units
• Improved functionality for reporting trail conditions
• The maps are much closer to matching the layout and appearance of the website, improving navigation in the field
• Parking lots, viewpoints and other symbols are more prominent with zoomed-in displays
• Users can share a trail with a friend using the built-in share tools (email, text messaging, Facebook and more)

Users of MTB Project now benefit from data contributed by Strava, the popular platform which allows athletes to track each others’ workouts.

“Strava allows other websites to access some of its stored information— we have found several ways to use this data to enhance MTB Project,” says Nick Wilder, the site’s co-founder. “Strava does a great job measuring where people ride, cataloging their ride times and other functions. For our users, who are generally more interested in finding trails and planning great rides, the Strava data reveals how long a ride might take and how much traffic it sees—very helpful things to know.”

MTB Project remains committed to providing the best trail info available online for mountain bikers. A recent interviewwith Paul Stahlschmidt, president of the Northwest North Carolina Mountain Bike Alliance, reveals how MTB Project’s emphasis on quality content enhances the work of local mountain bike groups. “It’s great to have the high notes for the local trails accurately represented in write-ups,” said Stahlschmidt. “It’s nice to share some of my routes and experiences in the woods with others.”

IMBA’s mapping efforts are generously supported by Shimano and PeopleForBikes. This work includes both MTB Project and other GIS services that benefit mountain bikers, local groups and land managers. IMBA Mapping Specialist Leslie Kehmeier recently posted a blog about IMBA’s expanding role in the world of online mapping.