Underexposed Charlemont, MA

Underexposed is a self-filmed and produced series by Pivot Cycles athlete Brice Shirbach dedicated to showcasing trail advocacy and stewardship while exploring a variety of trails in places that may be unfamiliar to many. Join Brice as he explores the personal motivations behind the effort that goes into mountain bike advocacy while sampling the trails they work so hard for.

“I feel like I’ve made it pretty clear over the years just how much I love spending my time in the great state of Vermont, which might explain my infatuation with Charlemont, Massachusetts. The very same mountains that cover most of the Green Mountain State also cover all of western Massachusetts, they’re just called the Berkshires once they cross state lines. You can call them whatever you want, I just know that the same magical terrain that lends itself to world-class trails up in Vermont is also abundant down in the Berkshires, as is the community’s willingness to embrace it.”

– Brice Shirbach

It’s awesome it’s like it’s kind of like the Shire around here you you there’s all these little hilltowns that are connected and quiet little valleys um it’s an overlooked part of New England this 1740 Route 2 opened and that was the primary pathway between Albany and Boston and but then the interstates came

In in the 1950s and 60s and Southern Berkshire County was discovered Route 91 brought people to Vermont New Hampshire and this little northwest corner of Massachusetts has been overlooked in certain ways since then my name is John schaer my family runs Burk skaria The Warfield house in uh zor outdoor just

Down the hill which is a whitewater rafting and zipline business uh we also run Catamount skir and Big R cats in British Columbia uphill downhill gravity powered uh activity business and tront and the burkers of Western Massachusetts are one of the best places in New

England if not the East Coast the US to pursue those Sports um within five or six miles of me you can have class three four white water all right [Applause] [Applause] man not great fly fishing awesome bike trails both public and at thund Mountain Bike Park great skiing great activities and a nice little local athletic culture that supports it all it’s funny how much highways affect the way we see the world isn’t it so often we use them to get

From point A to point B as quickly and efficiently as possible I mean that’s why they exist so it makes a ton of sense the problem with highways is that when we stick to them we miss out on some pretty sell pockets of the world case in point charlmont Massachusetts

Getting in and getting out isn’t exactly a rapid Affair but that’s part of what makes this place so special oh plus the people oh yeah and also the Lers I Now my family’s originally from Michigan but I was born here my dad bought Burk shes behind me for a dollar in 1976 and he you say he bought it for a dollar a dollar yeah it was a bankrupt skaria I grew up helping him run the mountain doing anything from picking

Rocks out of the parking lot to trash and cleaning toilets to making snow and now I’m in charge it’s a group of hardworking people that that love our community and love the businesses that are in it both ours and others and realize what the area has given them I’d

Love to see more places lean into is where you have a business that sees the value in having all these other opportunities that are adjacent to it because then they start to sort of become a singular uh attract that’s something that you guys are intentionally cultivating it’s in it’s

Intentional building a series of bike trails is a two decade proposition if you’re going to build them properly anybody can go build a trail it it takes time vision and diligence to maintain it and turn it into a network we are blessed with the Holly State Forest

Which is just off the top of Thunder Mountain Bike Park uh which we’re just now making connectors into and out of you’ll be able to take a bike to the top of the mountain ride off the top go straight into Holly you got the Warfield house here which is a little more Ury

And maybe a little more Progressive style of riding uh that’s awesome too beyond that there’s more opportunities so I think there’s we estimate there might be 65 miles or so of non Thunder Mountain Bike Park trails essentially around Us why do I care so much about bikes uh what else are you going to do I am blessed to have grown up in an awesome place like tront with a lot of great people that have inspired you know I was just talking to Tyler Hamilton right

Former US Postal racer he insert you know he grew up on my couch um and I was eight and he and my brothers were 16 you know or 17 ski racing at Burkshire e so you have great people around you um your whole life um and honestly they

Just want to go ride bikes so why the hell Not see you from the upside down my mind Str [Applause] I I feel like I’ve made it pretty clear over the years just how much I love spending as much of my time as possible in the great state of Vermont which probably explains my infatuation with this place sure it is just a few miles

South of the state line but more than that charlmont is nestled in the very same mountain range that covers most of Vermont when the Green Mountains cross a line into Massachusetts there suddenly called the burkers you can call them whatever the heck you want I just know

That the same magical terrain that lends itself to world class Trails up in Vermont is also abundant in charlmont as is the willingness to embrace it ah