2021 Grinduro California Cancelled Due to National Forest Closures
It’s with heavy hearts that we share with you that the 2021 Grinduro California has been cancelled.
After two years of planning an amazing event, we’re gutted to have to make this decision and not bring the Grinduro to Mt. Shasta this year. Sadly, we know that cancelling now is the only option and the responsible thing to do for everybody involved. Between forest closures, wildfires, unsafe air quality, and the Delta variant of COVID, the situation has simply stacked-up too many barriers for us to ensure everyone's well-being and provide the good times that this event has to deliver Grinduro riders and our community.
Here is some background to help you understand how we came to this decision:
On Friday, August 20, the USDA Forest Service announced a temporary closure of nine National Forests in Northern California due to extreme fire conditions and strained firefighting resources. The entirety of the new Grinduro California course in Mt. Shasta is located within the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, which is included in this closure. The Forests will be reevaluated on September 6 to determine whether or not they can be reopened. However, based on precedent, we accept that it is highly unlikely for the forest to reopen in time for Grinduro. Last fall, a similar closure lasted through the end of October, and we anticipate that this closure could be on a similar timeframe. Without access to the wonderful trails and dirt roads in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, we simply cannot put together a route worthy of Grinduro.
In addition to forest closures, Siskiyou County continues to face unhealthy or possibly hazardous air quality. Over the past few weeks, the AQI in Mt. Shasta has been over 150 (“unhealthy for all groups,” and our threshold for cancelling the event due to bad air quality) far more often than it has been at safer levels.
The Forest closures and air quality issues are on top of an already challenging COVID-19 situation and the worsening spread of the Delta variant.
Given all this, we were left with two options:
Continue moving forward with planning in the hopes that the forest would reopen and the air would be clear, risking a very last minute cancellation; or
Cancel the event now to give everybody (participants, vendors, sponsors, volunteers) time to hopefully cancel travel plans and other event related expenses.
In the last week, two great events had to be canceled at the last minute with people already standing in the venue: one due to unsafe air quality, the other due to tightening COVID restrictions. We simply don’t want to put anybody in a tougher situation than this already is, and cancelling the event now feels like the most responsible decision to look after the well-being of both the Grinduro and Mt. Shasta communities.
About 2022…
The reality is that late summer and fall events may not be feasible now. We were not able to host Grinduro earlier this calendar year due to COVID, but we have already started the work to move Grinduro to an earlier date on the calendar in 2022. Imagine blue skies, fresh air and how good the dirt will be in the Spring…
We appreciate you!
We had such an amazing event planned for the riders and Mt. Shasta residents: incredible artists, prestigious frame builders, a ripping fun course, delicious food, a whole lotta beer, awesome live music, a party with the mayor, and even a 100-foot long slip ‘n’ slide. So many people have poured their heart into this event already, and while we’re crushed not to bring it all to life in Mt. Shasta this year, we’re even more excited for 2022. Three years of Grinduro fun crammed into one awesome weekend?!?
We are so grateful to the community members, local businesses, and volunteer groups who have been involved with Grinduro California so far this year. We would not be able to pull off this event without their support.
Mt. Shasta Recreation and Park District
Shasta-Trinity USFS
City of Mt. Shasta
Siskiyou County Flood Control District
Lake Siskiyou Campground
Rick Florendo at Siskiyou County Community Development
The Fifth Season
Owens Health Care
Timberworks
Berryvale
Grocery Outlet
Mt. Shasta Ski Patrol
Mt. Shasta Race Association
Mt. Shasta Ham Radio Club
Mt. Shasta High School Ski Team
Mt. Shasta Ski Park
Alua's Thrive Bar
Oven Bakery
White Mountain Café
Shasta Gravity Adventures
Discover Siskiyou
Handsome John’s
Pyroclastic Chocolates
Casey Glaubman and Friends of the Mt. Shasta Avalanche Center
Shasta Taiko
Anna Repetto
Shasta Live Sound
Mt. Shasta High School
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please contact us at info@siskiyououtdooralliance.org.
- SORA and the Grinduro CA Event Team
