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We build, protect, and advocate for trails you can ride your bike on.

 Our Employees

SWMMBA was an all-volunteer organization for over 3 years as we grew the nonprofit from a simple grassroots effort, into the organization you see today. The Board of Directors recognized that we could not continue to grow the organization without some significant effort, effort that the Board could no longer expand to complete. The Board decided to open a position and hire our first employee in March 2019, in an effort to grow our organization to better serve our mission statement.

SWMMBA Employees are the biggest supporters of our mission to build, maintain, and advocate for trails which you can ride your bike on. They are here to serve that mission and help us ensure our sport and our experiences live on. They also love having fun on their bikes, ask them to go for a ride with you some time! And please remember to thank them for their service to protect cycling in Southwestern Montana.

 Operations Manager

Zach Bailey

Zach grew up in central Colorado where he found his passion for the outdoors that eventually led him to Montana a decade ago. Since, he has immersed himself with backcountry snowboarding/snowmobiling and exploring much of Montana’s prime biking trails.

As Cofounder of the Bozeman Splitfest, an annual GNFAC fundraiser, Zach values community growth and inclusion. Zach spends his winters teaching both motorized and non-motorized avalanche education along with snowmobile guiding in the Big Sky area.

Zach grew up riding bikes with his family where he has spent much time on a saddle chasing down his two younger brothers Ian and John. With his drive to explore and a keen eye for trail flow/design, Zach is thrilled to join the SWMMBA family and continue its great efforts in the growth of the Southwest Mountain bike community.

2025 Summer Staff

Charlie Harrison

This summer, Charlie spent a lot of days swinging tools in the Northern Gallatins, Bridgers, and Bangtails.

"I'm particularly proud of the clearing and brushing that I accomplished on many overgrown trails," he says. "Clear sight-lines make a huge difference to the experience of all trail users, and especially mountain bikers."

It's not quick work. "Depending on the level of growth and encroachment, these days can be long and involved with constant on-and-off the bike transitions and tool swaps, but the finished product is always super rewarding and helps us stay ahead of the game in future seasons."

Even when he's just riding, the trail work doesn't switch off. He finds himself thinking about the surface under his tires on every climb and descent: is there strong erosion control, does the support underneath match the difficulty, what would he change?

"It's exciting to imagine positive changes to trail and later implement them."

For him, the reason to keep showing up is simple.

"Trails can't fix themselves, and there will always be a gap between the number of trail users and the number of trail stewards. As a community member, performing trail work and volunteering helps so much to close that gap and keep our growing trail networks functional and special for all."

Ian Tuttle

One trail Ian really enjoyed working on this year was Gnomadic at Bridger Bowl.

"I am stoked on the trail itself, so when working on it I constantly have visions of what I want to do while riding it, and try my best to shape the trail in a way that can help make those visions become a reality."

His part was small, he says: "All I ended up doing was re-surfacing a couple berms that looked rough, and adding some lip to a few jumps that lacked the boost I felt necessary."

But the work that matters most is the kind riders never see.

"There are many attentions to detail you pick up on while working on a trail that a rider won't see. The biggest one I notice is drainage. While water can help pack in dirt, it can be the trail's worst enemy in large amounts, so it's important to make sure that all low spots have a way to drain and keep the trail dry."

It takes planning and a lot of time staring at the ground, and when it's done right, nobody notices. Ian says.

"It's unlikely a rider will notice all the drainage going on while riding a trail."

For Ian, that invisible work is exactly why volunteers matter.

"SWMMBA's volunteers act as the backbone which helps keep trails in good condition. Without them, the trails you love to ride would cease to exist. It is very important to get out there and do some trail work. It's a great, fun way to give back to the community."