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One Guy. 60+ Miles of trail.
- Sascha Chesler
- Oct 6
- 5 min read
It sounds like the start of a bad joke, but it’s real life… The Copper Harbor Trails don’t magically appear in perfect riding condition. Behind every sexy berm, cleared corridor, and rock feature is our hardworking trail crew.
Well… less of a crew, more like a guy. One guy, sixty miles of world-class trails.
Meet our trails coordinator
Nick is the only full-time trail crew for over 60 miles of trail in Copper Harbor. That means every berm you blast, every root section you survive, every view you stop to soak in, it’s Nick behind the shovel. But before those trails ever reach Nick’s hands, they have to be built, and that’s where our trusted contractors come in. Over the years, Copper Harbor Trails Club has partnered with professional builders like Rock Solid, and more recently, Far North Trails and Ebb & Flow Trailworks, to bring our network to life. These teams handle the construction and expansion of new trails,s culpting the lines, moving the dirt, and shaping the vision.
Once the tools are packed up and the crews move on, the responsibility of maintaining, refining, and caring for those trails falls to Nick. From hand-finishing features to managing erosion, clearing storm damage, and keeping the ride experience consistent, Nick is the one who ensures every new mile continues to meet the high standard Copper Harbor is known for.
As much as we love to imagine Nick cloning himself, that’s not happening (yet). To keep Copper Harbor trails at the level you know and love, we need your help.
Donations = more crew = more miles maintained, more features built, and more stoke for everyone who rides here.
So if you think these are the best trails in Michigan, the Midwest, or maybe even the entire country…
Let's get to know Nick...
Tell us about your background
“I grew up in Saginaw, Michigan, the son of a high school athletic director,
spending summers and holidays in the U.P. bouncing between Iron Mountain and Houghton. I fell in love with bikes totally by circumstance. After growing up playing football, hockey, and lacrosse, I suffered six concussions before the age of 16, which left me with cognitive issues ranging from processing difficulties to constant migraines, anxiety, depression, and more. Being forced to medically retire from sports really derailed my life for a while.
During high school, I missed 183.5 days of school, yet still managed to graduate a year early. In those tough days, I found inspiration watching ski films, and eventually fell in love with bike films. Movies were an escape, and they, along with the support of friends, family, and my medical team, helped me get back on track. Once I got the chance to ride bikes in Houghton and Copper Harbor, I was hooked.
From there, I went through the stereotypical MTB journey: buy a low-level bike, break it, fall off a lot, walk a lot, enter a race, fail to finish, then get a job at a bike shop so I could afford a better bike. That upgrade allowed me to fall truly, hopelessly in love with mountain biking. I started digging trails at my grandparents’ place before moving to Marquette to study Digital Cinema and Outdoor Recreation.
When the pandemic hit, my girlfriend and I moved to Utah to work in the outdoor industry, do freelance media, and experience the West. While there, I realized I wanted to make an impact on the outdoor community back in the U.P., so we moved home. After working at Quick Stop Bike Shop for a year and a half, I got my foot in the door with CHTC, and the rest is history.
P.S. Don’t worry, my head is all good now! Thanks to revolutionary treatment, I no longer have symptoms and was even cleared for contact sports… though these days I prefer to avoid contact with the ground, rocks, or trees.”
What’s Nick’s Role on the CHTC Crew?
I do it all, from full overhauls to veg removal, drainage work, future trail planning and design, landowner relations, construction management, long-term sustainability planning, and everything else in between. I like to think of myself as the ultimate Swiss Army knife, with a hand in just about everything we do here, always with a focus on protecting the community investment known as the trails.
What is your Favorite Trail in Copper Harbor?
There are two trails that blow me away after every ride. I think by a slim margin Thunderbolt takes the cake. It has a little bit of everything, from optional loamer lines to tech, jumps, and finishing on the citrus rock rolls, which makes for the perfect nightcap. However, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Highlands. With a mix of scenery, a challenging climb, and elite two-way flow, you know you’re on a good trail when the adrenaline giggles kick in at the bottom and you’re just cackling from the high. Thunderbolt and Highlands give me that juice every time, no questions asked.
What is your favorite part about trail work?
For me, it’s the ability to leave a lasting impact on the trails I love to ride by enhancing the user experience. In a way, the work is kind of selfish, I want to ride the best trails in the world, and we have all the ingredients to curate that experience here. Maintenance is a huge part of creating that experience, and it’s the little details that add up throughout the trail. They might seem unnoticeable, but they’re what lead to that big smile on your face when you hit the bottom. I really enjoy dialing in those details.
Give us a fun little fact.
Being from downstate but spending summers in the Houghton area, our family would take day trips up to Copper Harbor. As a kid, they were some of my least favorite days of summer—it felt like a full day of driving around just to end up at some beach full of black flies (Bete Grise), snag ice cream in town, and stop at the gift shop on top of Brockway. Obviously, that changed with age, and now it feels almost strange to imagine myself anywhere else in the summer and fall.
Other quirks: I’m a big water skier, football fan, and graduated high school a year early. I also dropped out of college four times, used to crochet hats, built a solar-powered race car, won an award for woodworking, did freelance media, and, fun fact, have won multiple “Most Improved” awards in my life.
What are your trail career and education goals?
I’ll actually be heading to Switzerland this October to get certified as a trail rater in the ITRS International Trail Rating System, while riding in some of the best places in Europe, including Portes du Soleil, France, and the Valais region in Switzerland. This ties back to my goal of creating the best user experience in Copper Harbor. It can be frustrating when a black trail means very different levels of difficulty in different places. While there will always be some subjectivity in trail ratings, this system is more measurable and, in my eyes, creates the most consistent standards. It has the potential to bring some much-needed consistency to the “wild west” of trail ratings.
Why trail work Matters
Trail work is often unseen but makes all the difference in your ride experience. Whether it’s prepping features for Trails Fest, maintaining year-round flow, or shaping new lines on East Bluff, our crew, volunteers, and donors are the heart of the Copper Harbor Trails Club.
Next time you’re flying down Flo’Rion, sessioning a berm on Bermasaurus, or taking your first lap on some of our new trails like Ebbs or Log Jam, remember the hands that make it possible.
Want to support our work?
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