LAKE PLACID — The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism is promoting the growing network of mountain bike trails in the region and it’s recruited content providers to assist.
YouTube personalities Mo Assoum and Hannah Binder, of Awesome MTB, visited the region at the start of the summer with a writer from Singletracks. Assoum and Binder produce travel-related mountain biking and paddling videos they share on their YouTube channel, blog and social media accounts.
The two visited the region to ride trails in Lake Placid, Wilmington and Elizabethtown. They also spent time paddling, exploring the communities and speaking with local residents to learn what makes this area special.
The mountain bike duo rode the Hardy trails in Wilmington with a group of local mountain bikers and the Blueberry Trail System in Elizabethtown a few days later with riders from that community. “I think the Blueberry trails are our favorite in this part of the Adirondacks,” Assoum said. “But the Hardy trails were incredible, too. The entire mountain bike community here is pretty special.”
Assoum and Binder are seasoned mountain bikers with a significant social media presence. Their YouTube videos have been viewed more than 8.9 million times and they boast thousands of Instagram followers. Their audience comprises mountain biking, paddling and travel enthusiasts that are engaged and keenly interested in the information they share.
Matt Miller, features editor from Singletracks, also visited the trail systems in Lake Placid and Wilmington. Singletracks, a digital media and news outlet, has a significant online presence comprising social media, podcasts and a website.
Singletracks is one of the most popular sources of mountain bike information. With over 17,000 subscribers and 3.5 million views, the site is referenced by mountain bike enthusiasts when learning about local trails, travel, gear and news.
Miller also spent time exploring the villages of Lake Placid and Wilmington, along with local restaurants and natural attractions, so that he can share in-depth information about the local region with Singletracks readership.
According to Jane Hooper, communications manager at the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism, the organization works with reporters, travel writers, and those with a significant social media presence to develop travel-focused stories about the Adirondacks to assist with promotion of the region, its activities and its prominence as a desired travel destination.
“The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism is excited to partner with Singletracks, along with Mo and Hannah, to share information about mountain biking throughout the Adirondacks,” she said. “Their YouTube and social media followers are the type of outdoor enthusiasts we hope to attract. Mountain biking is such a niche sport, but many of their passions overlap with other activities that the Adirondacks offer such as paddling, skiing and hiking – these influencers speak directly to that group.”
Marketing the Adirondacks is an important aspect of ROOST’s work, along with its support of community-based initiatives. “The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism works to create a tourism economy that sustains itself over time,” Hooper commented. “Mountain bike groups in our area have worked very hard to build trails in their local communities. Our research indicates that mountain bike enthusiasts are willing to travel to mountain bike destinations throughout the nation, so we are happy to share information about our local community initiatives.”
The Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism is the destination marketing and management organization for Hamilton and Essex counties, along with the communities of Tupper Lake and Saranac Lake, all located within the Adirondacks in New York state. ROOST is also a community member of the Leave No Trace Center for Outdoor Ethics.
