Rusty Edges Posted May 14, 2020 Report Share Posted May 14, 2020 Mtn biking is like the very early days of snowboarding, circa 1980. Hiking up the local hill around the ski area boundary.... You gotta earn your turns! (Excepting for those rare days when the injured buddy or loving wife offers to drive you to the shuttle point) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunSurfer Posted May 17, 2020 Report Share Posted May 17, 2020 On 5/14/2020 at 12:04 PM, Rusty Edges said: Mtn biking is like the very early days of snowboarding, circa 1980. Hiking up the local hill around the ski area boundary.... You gotta earn your turns! (Excepting for those rare days when the injured buddy or loving wife offers to drive you to the shuttle point) Don't have to "earn your downhill turns" in lots of places now. Uplift by chairlift (Cardrona), gondola (Queenstown) and by truck/trailer (Dirt Farm locally) is available at a cost. Lots of ski fields e.g. Whistler/Blackcomb, around the world are doing the same thing to generate summer income from their capital investment. My workgroup's uplift day at the Dirt Farm in February 2020 resulted in 27 downhill rides for me with about an hour off for lunch. The thigh workout on my hardtail, with the seat dropped, wasn't as much as a hard days snowboard carving (only approx. 2,500 metres total descent, somewhere between 90-120 minutes descending) but the exercise was similar in terms of balance reflexes and centre of mass maintenance/adjustment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRAZZ Posted May 17, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 17, 2020 Oh I have Trestle, Keystone and Steamboat. All a couple of hours away. Tried it. Did not like it! Don't get me wrong, taking the magic flying couch up to the top is really easy. It's the downhill that scared me! I'd much rather pedal my way around a green trail and explore new areas than bomb down sharp rock gardens wearing body armor. I get why it's fun but it's not my cup of tea. To me there's something amazing in just getting out and being alone in the "wilderness". I like the touring aspect of it. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st_lupo Posted May 18, 2020 Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 Definitely love to earn the turns and get out into the solitude, but a trip to the bike park a couple of times a year is a great way to practice a lot of technical descending in a short time (albeit with sculpted berms, gaps and tabletop jumps). I really love 100% pedal-power trail biking during the spring/summer/fall, and while the gear is getting really really good (shocks/tires) the safety margins are getting paper thin (if you want to keep up with the latest biking trends). Compared to what I was riding 30 or even 20 years ago, you can really open the throttle on the descents and do so with a lot more control and comfort. But a tree is a tree and a cliff is a cliff and crashing now typically happens at a LOT higher speeds. It's a bit scary how casually folks talk about broken collar bones, ribs, wrists, ankles, etc. I'm conservatively stupid when I ride. I know better than to try keeping up with the 20/30 year-olds that I ride with, but I still often wind up coming home with plenty of blood shed and the occasional weird thing getting squeezed out through a cut, that would probably be better if it was still inside my body. Luckily I had a camera on my ride after work on friday so I can prove once and for all, that yes, I do fly down the mountain... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freezer Posted May 18, 2020 Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 Caption: I should look into a getting a full-face... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st_lupo Posted May 18, 2020 Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 58 minutes ago, Freezer said: Caption: I should look into a getting a full-face... Fair point. I've got a convertible Bell helmet with all of the right certifications that I use at the park. Otherwise I don't usually bring that one along on rides at the local trails. Might be time to reconsider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottishsurfer Posted May 18, 2020 Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 It's a High risk disapline but i do very much credit my experience riding and racing downhill for my ability to snowboard and not really care about the the steepness of a slope. I have it in my head if i can make it down on the DH bike in terms of gradiant i can easily make it down on the board. At the momment were still restricted in where we can travel in terms of recreation and what is open so I'm going to be doing trail riding for atleast a another month or so until i can break out the big bike again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freezer Posted May 18, 2020 Report Share Posted May 18, 2020 3 hours ago, st_lupo said: Fair point. I've got a convertible Bell helmet with all of the right certifications that I use at the park. Otherwise I don't usually bring that one along on rides at the local trails. Might be time to reconsider. I got a Troy Lee Stage and pretty much use that full time now. I figure I have enough scars on my chin, and the Stage is so light and cool that I basically forget about it. I see more guys with full face on trail rides these days anyway. Sort of like skiing/boarding 25 years ago; people looked at you funny if you had a helmet and look where we are now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lordmetroland Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 7 hours ago, st_lupo said: Luckily I had a camera on my ride after work on friday so I can prove once and for all, that yes, I do fly down the mountain... You’re lucky you came out with both UCLs intact with those big yellow thumbs all exposed! That seems to be the en vogue injury in our neighborhood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunSurfer Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 Anaesthetised a local rider in their 40's last week who has enormous experience and Strava'd some near KOM descents. He had multiple rib fractures, bleeding in his abdomen, and a broken humerus, plus cuts/grazes after making a mistake on a 2 metre drop and going over the bars. He had resolved to just roll down stuff from now on, once he's recovered. Discretion is very much the better part of valour as I get older. Ride to be still able to ride tomorrow. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRAZZ Posted May 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 You guys are not selling me on DH... Strictly XC for me! And really that's what I really love. Just getting flow on a mellow trail. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allee Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 DH is awesome. I'm cleaning up pictures off my old laptop right now and found a bunch from when I was hitting Whistler and Silver Star a few years back. Those was good times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
big mario Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 It's not the lift off, its the reentry that can be problematic. at least for me, just ask ink. I think I will be rolling more things in the future. My perceived age is close to 5 decades younger than my actual Mario 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JRAZZ Posted May 19, 2020 Author Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 1 hour ago, big mario said: It's not the lift off, its the reentry that can be problematic. at least for me, just ask ink. I think I will be rolling more things in the future. My perceived age is close to 5 decades younger than my actual Mario I see you as inspiration for my riding. If I see a new obstacle I think "would Mario send this?" If the answer is yes I go around it. If the answer is no then I turn back. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SunSurfer Posted May 19, 2020 Report Share Posted May 19, 2020 1 hour ago, big mario said: My perceived age is close to 5 decades younger than my actual Mario Age is just a number. Some things are so much fun you should only stop when you absolutely have to! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnasmo Posted May 20, 2020 Report Share Posted May 20, 2020 On 5/18/2020 at 7:19 PM, SunSurfer said: Anaesthetised a local rider in their 40's last week who has enormous experience and Strava'd some near KOM descents. He had multiple rib fractures, bleeding in his abdomen, and a broken humerus, plus cuts/grazes after making a mistake on a 2 metre drop and going over the bars. He had resolved to just roll down stuff from now on, once he's recovered. Discretion is very much the better part of valour as I get older. Ride to be still able to ride tomorrow. Ahh the memories. It's the drops that get ya. (I can't upload new attachments, but I can recycle old ones.) Funny thing is... that's my "good" shoulder now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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