Westridge at Snow Summit - oh, yeah

herzalot

herzalot

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Westridge was opened yesterday. It is phenomenal. It is not Intermediate.It starts with a bridge that has a 2-ft drop onto a 30 degree ramp. Fly it with speed and you'll drop 8-10 feet. Into a paver-reinforced right berm into two abrupt, sharp, advanced-level table tops. I clear all of the tables on Crank it Up at Wistler - I won't even attempt to clear these. After that the trail is just a masterpiece of berms, roller coaster, pump track, and a few more jumps. The crew had it watered, and there were no braking bumps yet. The trail is long and absolutely fantastic. If they toned down the jumps to match the trail gradient and the intended riders, it would be one of the best flow-style bike park trails I've ever ridden. Wow!
 
herzalot said:
If they toned down the jumps to match the trail gradient and the intended riders, it would be one of the best flow-style bike park trails I've ever ridden.
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Thanks for the report

What is the trail rated at (ie what intended riders)? Sounds like they intend it for advanced riders. We need more of that. I'm sure we would still see every rider and their grandmother trying to ride it though hopefully they figure it out after the first lap!
 
They need to build the beginner and intermediate trails with features to allow beginners and intermediates (like me) to learn/grow their skills, and so that everybody (like me) and their grandmother aren't forced to ride the advanced stuff. :clap:
 
evdog said:
Thanks for the reportWhat is the trail rated at (ie what intended riders)? Sounds like they intend it for advanced riders. We need more of that. I'm sure we would still see every rider and their grandmother trying to ride it though hopefully they figure it out after the first lap!
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It is rated blue - intermediate. The jumps are bigger and more challenging than anything on either of the two black diamond runs. An intermediate run should have relatively easy, small tables with less abrupt lips. These felt more like A -line kickers than Crank it Up rollers.
 
riiz said:
Whats the length compared to Miracle Mile?
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Much longer. Perhaps another 1/4th to 1/3rd additional. You access it halfway down cruiser. It starts with the bridge you've seen documented in other threads, just above the big step-up section of cruiser.
 
Go figure it would take mere minutes for someone to get their panties in a bunch :lol:

rschroeder714 said:
so i take it when you first got on a bike you could do every jump, drop and feature right?
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No. If I could have ridden every jump, drop and feature when I first got on a bike I would have soon gotten bored and moved on to a different hobby. I hope there are always trails beyond my current skill level so I always have room to improve.

Herzalot commented on toning down the advanced level jumps to match the intended riders. I asked out of curiosity what skill level the trail is rated for. If its rated an advanced trail then hell no they should not dumb down those jumps, they are there for advanced riders. Tone it down and they no longer have features appropriate for their skill level. If you can't clear it then you have incentive to improve. Improving and having fun are the two reasons people go to bike parks, right? Sounds like Herzalot still loved the trail even if he couldn't clear the jumps. And the day he finally does clear them will be a pretty awesome day.
 
rschroeder714 said:
so i take it when you first got on a bike you could do every jump, drop and feature right?
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There's something to be said for a more advanced trail that novices can ride. For example, I think it's B-Line at Whistler that has a lot of decently sized jumps that my wife can roll at speed - and she even accidentally jumps up one of the step-up jumps (she didn't know it until I told her), but more advanced riders can still have fun on the bigger tables. Some well designed trails can be really fun for novices and experts.
 
herzalot said:
It is rated blue - intermediate. The jumps are bigger and more challenging than anything on either of the two black diamond runs. An intermediate run should have relatively easy, small tables with less abrupt lips. These felt more like A -line kickers than Crank it Up rollers.
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Interesting. I'd still leave them as is though. If people have to roll a couple jumps I don't think that's the end of the world.

Now that they are actually building some legit trails we will start to see skill creep. As riders get better features will seem easier and easier and the builders will be able to make the trails harder for a given trail rating. At Whistler they used to make the jumps on A line a bit bigger from season to season, and even within a season. That is why a blue trail up there is a black trail anywhere else.

I guarantee you can clear those jumps if you work up to them.
 
Looking forward to it.. we leave next Wednesday for Whistler, so this talk of B-Line, A-Line and Crank it Up has me very stoked, but also very much looking forward to hitting up Westridge once we're back..
 
Rode Westridge today. Had a lot of fun. The tables after the wooden drop/rollin are pretty big for me, so I did not jump them. It wasn't so much the distance or speed, but it was the steepness of the lip. I'd say Westridge is slightly tougher than the other two trails. It has some fun other jumps and drops. I like the two drops in a row (step downs).

I'd did see some guy throw a big suicide no hander off the first table on Westridge. It kind of made my day. :bang:


2wheel_lee said:
There's something to be said for a more advanced trail that novices can ride. For example, I think it's B-Line at Whistler that has a lot of decently sized jumps that my wife can roll at speed - and she even accidentally jumps up one of the step-up jumps (she didn't know it until I told her), but more advanced riders can still have fun on the bigger tables. Some well designed trails can be really fun for novices and experts.
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Lee, there is no rolling these jumps at speed. They are too big to suck the lip up on, yet they are too steep to go fast on unless you clear it. Think of lips that you would find a BMX dirt jump trails.
 
redwoods said:
They need to build the beginner and intermediate trails with features to allow beginners and intermediates (like me) to learn/grow their skills, and so that everybody (like me) and their grandmother aren't forced to ride the advanced stuff. :clap:
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Pat, Have you gone yet? None of the stunts are that crazy and can be rolled even on Miracle Mile. The drops you can either drop 6" or 5' all depending on how fast you hit em. I went with a girl who has only been riding for about a year and she had a blast.

bkeach said:
This is a vid of some kids doing the trail at a very slow pace, video quality is low. It does however give you some glimpses of the trail. (Only vid I could find)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dD7o371SQaY

Looksl fun.
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Holy Carp, that was annoying.
 
herzalot said:
It is rated blue - intermediate. The jumps are bigger and more challenging than anything on either of the two black diamond runs. An intermediate run should have relatively easy, small tables with less abrupt lips. These felt more like A -line kickers than Crank it Up rollers.
Click to expand...


I think the downside to Snow Summit right now is all their trails are about the same exact skill level. They need to make three trails with three different skill requirements.
 
That video is horrendous and those kids have no business on that trail.. but honestly judging by the lips I can see in that video, that trail should be black with the others just to keep marginal riders safe.. those lips are no joke.. even Whistler will rate a trail black if that kind of kicker is involved..
 

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