Another airlift on Ladera Ridge

I have to get out and ride this trail again....I had a lot of fun with TREE when he took us up there. Its a great ride

 

RevalImage, I appreciate your thoughts on this subject. I'm not trying to be confrontational, or anything. You've got 3 people in this thread who have acknowledged that yes, we've almost eaten it there ourselves. I'm not talking the oh, boohoo, I could've broken my wrist kind of eating it. I'm talking a potentially ruining someone's life kind of accident. Yes, we all like features and stuff on our trails. But when you go down the Luge or Rock It, you go in there with your eyes wide open, having signed a mental waiver, knowing that you know there are consequences for mistakes. Your statement about your instinct for self-preservation shows that you are a wise person. But that also shows that you have enough experience to know you are not indestructible, and that you should not take any trail for granted.

This trail is NOT very technical. Many people use it to introduce inexperienced riders to mountain biking. Many inexperienced bikers ride it as one of their first real mtb trails. I think I've made my point that this feature can lull even experienced riders into complacency. Every time I hear that another person has to be airlifted off this trail, it kills me because I know that this hump has taken another victim, and that that hump has no real reason for existing other than to satisfy some momentary thrill. Let's face it folks, it ain't even much of a thrill.

 

think this is it? never been.

 

Yes, this is it. A little before the singletrack (i.e. Firehouse) off the main trail.

 

I hope this rider heals up. That is the same bump that broke my left hip a few years back....fun times. #-o

 

So go out there with a shovel.....what are you waiting for?

 

It used to be twice as high - someone took the middle out of it about a year ago. I personally could care less if the hump is there or goes. As evidenced by that photo above - it is clearly visible from both directions - the direction of launch I think is the shocker - UP and not OUT!!!

 

Melster - I'm not trying to flame you or start something, we have had a VERY life altering rider go down on Rock-it - should we bulldoze the rock garden? I'm just sayin' :?:

http://www.socaltrailriders.org/forum/rider-down/41636-rock-takes-another-rider-today-15.html

(a dear friend broke a collar bone on Rockit and another compound fracture on BlackStar, riding a MTB is not without risk, neither is walking down the sidewalk for that matter.)

It's very easy to vent here, and the Lord knows I've done it too. Please remember this is your OPINION on this trail. Problem is there are land managers and other trail advocates that are NOT mtb friendly that go through this site - another reason we don't talk about illegal trails here. So we need to watch how and what we say in the heat of the moment. I'm attempting some reasoning here, nothing more...

I honestly could not imagine being on a trail and having that happen to someone so close to me - or even a stranger for that matter. Just a note, 'ANYWHERE' on the internet is 'ink' - please be careful and treat it as so.

And for lords sake boys let's not talk about 'shoveling' outside of PM's....#-o

 

That's it, about 6 feet past the single track off shoot (FIREHOUSE or Station 58 I think) - scanning left to right. Coming from the left is a slight downhill that allows you to carry speed as you hit the bump. That sucker kicks you vertical....

 

Due respect to the injured. Sending good vibes.

The pic doesnt make it look like much. Must be the speed being carried into the feature.

 

First off, I hope the injured rider heals fast and gets back on his bike soon.

I ride that trail twice a week and yes the bump does kick you up, but I don't think there is any trail I've ridden that doesn't have some feature or obstacle that has the potential to make me crash. The bump sits in the middle of a straight away. If you are experienced you see the bump and hit it with the right speed. If you're not experienced...you should slow down anyway.
My respect goes out to the injured rider, but if I ate it going down the Luge I would not want someone to put up guard rails and remove all the features. Sorry I had to say something before someone goes out with a shovel and smoothes out that whole trail.

 

we'll see about putting a sign up. I hope it works.

 

please dont put up a sign. Are you looking for the RMV company to completely barb wire off the area like they have tried everytime someone goes down on the jump?

 

I want to see a video of someone hucking that thing and landing it clean........

 

WOW!! I can't believe this bump in the trail is creating so much debate. I agree with Proraptor whats stopping you from going up there with a shovel and taking it out. I can recall some individuals on this site taking out the log jumps that where on the Arroyo trail. Because they where "DANGEROUS"!! I have rode this trail many many times and have had no problems, and also have taken inexperienced riders, but I always warned them about the "BUMP"!!

 

EDIT: Deleted my post cause... well, vid below.



I think this is it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IwGSr0rhEzc&feature=player_detailpage#t=214s

At about 3:48, just let it play. Um, the guy obviously was on the breaks for the turn-off, but still...


IMO that really isn't going to surprise you, even off the brakes is it? I was picturing something much steeper.

 

This is ridiculous.

 

I think it's not such a threat if you're going south. It's a slight uphill so you don't build as much speed as when you're going northbound.

 

thanks for posting the vid.....I can see how someone could get launched if they failed to look ahead and/or they didn't know this feature was there.........someone should definitely put up a sign, but erect it at the trailhead and it should say something like this:

Warning: Mountain biking is by its very nature potentially hazardous. All participants must assume responsibility for their own actions and safety. Always control your speed, especiallly on unfamiliar trails. Wear a helmet, always look ahead and ride within your limits. Seek qualified instruction if necessary to become acquainted with your bike and with proper technique. Have fun.

 

Just to be clear, while I posted earlier that I had almost had a nasty experience on the thing myself, I'm not advocating tearing the thing down. People just need to use common sense and not huck off anything they're not familiar with. It's not the size of the thing, it's the shape, especially northbound. The vid shows southbound, and it's considerably tamer in that direction, plus a rider would typically be going slower southbound anyway.

It's a bump in the trail. It really comes down to using common sense. More of that, and we'd have a lot fewer discussions like this.