Trailbuilding Experts Descend on Tsali for National Trails Day Gainesville, GA 05/18/07 - The Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association (SORBA) and the International Mountain Bicycling Association's (IMBA) Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew will be at the Nantahala Outdoor Center and the Tsali Recreation Area outside of Bryson City, NC to talk trails, teach people proper trailbuilding technique, and spend quality time digging in the dirt. The visit is one of 70 stops on the 2007 schedule. Everyone is invited to attend the weekend's events.    SORBA is the southeast¹s premiere mountain biking advocacy organization, building hundreds of miles of trails in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee. SORBA works to gain access to trails on public lands and incorporates best practices to build sustainable, multi-use trails. SORBA also holds clinics to educate riders about mountain biking. SORBA is bringing in its fantastic volunteers to work on the legendary Tsali trails, along with the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew.    The award-winning Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew program includes two full-time, professional teams of trail experts who travel North America year-round, leading IMBA Trailbuilding Schools, meeting with government officials and land managers, and working with IMBA-affiliated groups, such as SORBA, to improve mountain biking opportunities. IMBA's Crews have led more than 1,000 trail projects since the program debuted in 1997.    The Crews teach "sustainable" trailbuilding, which means building trails that last a long time and require minimal maintenance. This helps reduce trail damage, protects the environment, and enhances visitor enjoyment.    The Crews travel in 2007 Subaru Outbacks provided by Subaru of America - the company that has been IMBA's leading sponsor since 1997.    The Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew program has inspired great volunteer trail work across the U.S. and abroad - a big help to government agencies and land managers who have limited funding for trail construction and upkeep.    As a direct result, there are now thousands of new and improved trails in all 50 states, Canada, Mexico and several European countries. That's a pretty impressive record.    Coming to Bryson City are Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew members Anna Laxague and Jason Wells. Laxague and Wells hail from the Pacific Northwest. They bring a unique combination of professional experience to the program - both taught environmental education, and have worked at bike shops and as mountain bike guides. They're also committed volunteers who have logged hundreds of hours building trails and performing outreach work with a host of public agencies. They worked as kayak river guides in Hood River for several years and will hopefully find some time to paddle a few rivers on their way around the country, in addition to riding as many trails as possible.    All are welcome to join the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew leaders when they come to town. Below is a schedule of events that are open to the public:    Saturday, June 2, 8:30AM-12:00 Noon, IMBA Trailbuilding School classroom session at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, Kleinrath Hall Saturday, June 2, 12:00PM-1:00PM, Volunteer Lunch at the Nantahala Outdoor Center, Slow Joe¹s Cafe Saturday, June 2, 1:30PM-5:30PM, IMBA Trailbuilding School field session at Tsali Recreation Area Saturday, June 2, 6:30PM-9:30PM, Volunteer Rewards Dinner and "Around the World with IMBA" at the Nantahala Outdoor Center (slideshow starts at 8:30) Sunday, June 3, 9:00AM-12:00 Noon, IMBA Trailbuilding School field session Sunday, June 3, 12:00PM-1:00PM, Volunteer Lunch at Tsali Sunday, June 3, 1:30PM-4:00PM, IMBA-SORBA Group rides at Tsali    SORBA will provide volunteers with free camping on Friday and Saturday nights at Tsali Campground, to those who pre-register for the event. Volunteer lunches will be provided Saturday & Sunday, and there will be a free dinner for all volunteers on Saturday evening at the Nantahala Outdoor Center. You must use the online registration webpage to receive free food and camping. To pre-register, use the following web link: go.imba.com/tsali.    For more information about the SORBA Trail Weekend, contact Walt Bready, SORBA Events and Programs Director at sorba.events@sorba.org or 404-423-7257.    For a complete list of visit dates, photos and additional information on the Subaru/IMBA Trail Care Crew visit www.imba.com.