Gravity Pirates First 'official' DH Dig Day

A little over a year ago, my buddy Steve decided it was time to rally up downhillers in order to improve our image and promote our sport. He formed a private group where like-minded riders and diggers could get together to meet and support his cause. In the last year he and his wife have worked non-stop to set up group rides, offer us alternatives to the very limited racing scene here, secured us our own private land for a DH trail system, and even coordinated with officials to open up another lift park.

We have since grown to over 200 members, and while change takes time, good things are starting to happen. We coordinated with a local builder (private land) and 35 guys put in some real work reopening an old trail and finishing a new one for an upcoming race. Thanks to ISO for sponsoring it, many other GP members for donating cash for tools and lunch, and it was awesome to see a prominent advocacy group leader come out and help.

Not here to promote our group, but instead suggest that if your love your sport (whatever it is), get out and get involved. Good people to meet and great times to be had by all.

This is a little video my friend Eric put together of our first 'official' dig day:

[video=youtube;z0FEzWSOGrw]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z0FEzWSOGrw&feature=g-all-u&context=G25d17ceFAAAAAAAALAA[/video]

 

Thanks for your work. New trails are needed in SoCal, especially those designed for riders.

Glad you explained the whole process; mainly that the work was done on private land and with the landowner's permission. Hopefully we can get some new trails on public land and in parks, too, though that can be harder to arrange.

Anyway, thanks for doing it the right way, and how about another video with top to bottom footage?

 

There should be a few helmet cams on during the race, I'll update this thread with them.

And thanks!

 

So many great guys on GP! Leading by example. Supporting DH is tough in a state like Ca. No ride, no dig....get out and help the guys who build the trails you love.

 

Props. That's a lot of back breaking work there, especially since you're mostly using shovels. Besides the shovels, I saw 1 mattock, 1 mcleod, and 1 machete... Did it rain much down there? It's nice to see funds going into some good food and some useful & quality swag though. It's hard to get many volunteers when you don't make it worth their time and effort.

I think the Rogue or Adze Hoes work most efficiently for bench cutting new trails in this area. Shovels did well for building the jumps at least. In NY, we had days where a mattock and mcleod chaingang did miles of full bench cuts within a day, running out of marked trail, with some log/brush and rock groups working ahead of them and building some bridges, and we only got fed Luna bars & apples, and had an optional XL t-shirt for swag. Needless to say that there weren't many returnee volunteers, except for the few core folks that actually like doing trail building and didn't need a reward, besides the results from the work.

Reminds me that I need to find out who's the land manager for Sycamore Canyon in Riverside. It would've been a nice day yesterday to [legally] reroute the 2nd part of Rattlesnake up the hill to the left, for a grade reversal that slows down riders naturally and adds some flow, and make it ease into the right turn and allows riders to carry more speed into the dip and the climb back out. Rode that on Saturday with some others and I think I was the only one that didn't go straight off the trail, missing that right turn, due to that straight being full of braking bumps and that turn being too tight. Supposed to rain next weekend too.

 

downhiller are bad, umkay! shhhh dont let everyone know we are actually hard working, tax paying respectable citizens. i liked being an outlaw! lol

 

Excellent...

Dean

 

proud pirate myself. come to big bear and lets push/ride, theres no snow. haha

 

Nice work guys! Not just the trail work, but turning a tide when there were a lot of people trash-talking your efforts. You have a lot to be proud of.

Oh, btw Sean, you'll be happy to know that while you were toiling in North County, Los Pinos was being worked for your return engagement. Come and get it

 

That's awesome Cal, that is a long way to drag tools, much respect!

 

Awesome!!! I dont know exactly where that olis, but thanks to GP for helping to give gravity riders another place to ride! Feel free to keep me in the loop for the next ride/trail build/whatever.

 

The Pirates have been working towards something great. I should get the plank because I have yet to help but I have been busy. They say it takes something outside the norm for change to happen, and well. Lets just say the Pirates have it taken care of.... LOL. Its cool to see MTB History unfold in front of us. Even if its just breaking dirt.

 

things will always be the same unless we change it ourselves for the better. next on the list is big bear, more pressure on them and then we have a mecca less than 2 hours away!

 

Good luck.

 

thanks alot GP. Id like to get in on the group. Its great to have you guys paving the way for the downhillers. or is it plowing???

Where is this trail you guys just cut?

 

it will happen, i can almost guarantee it. they are counting the money still from last season! living in town and knowing all the players cant hurt either. i see the same liftees almost everyday. pressure from the inside!

 

Lets put it this way, You've got to earn that.....

 

Those look like nice fun launchers - something even a novice like myself wouldnt be too afraid to hit...hats off to all your hard work and i hope to see the final product some day

 

I know but then again the last person to put lots of pressure on BB didnt really get anywhere and almost made things worse.

BB may make rules to let big bikes on again but as for trails on there leased property I wouldnt hold my breath.

 

last summer new features started popping up. if a logs falls across the trail, its just easier to make it a jump than to cut it up and remove logs, that seems to be happening all over. the valley is big though, whos to say trails arent already being built on the N shore? just maybe just need to shuttle or push.

total thread derail. my bad. back to regularly scheduled program!