I haven't said anything to anyone.. hopefully they are tuning into forum threads like this one.. I think we have all seen a number of riders eager to jump on board and enjoy the new terrain but were just not prepared for it.. hopefully I'm just being paranoid a bit but I could see this blow up, especially if they are going to build serious kickers on narrow trails, and call it intermediate. In my opinion without even riding it yet, that opening bridge down into paved bank followed by those 2 tabletops is enough to give it a black rating.. even if people don't agree it's truly black, so be it, at least you won't have families out for a Sunday stroll getting run down or stuck blocking the trail and creating potential hazards for the world cup wannabe's who are lurking behind them at a rate of speed..
Westridge at Snow Summit - oh, yeah
- Thread starter herzalot
- Start date
I haven't said anything to anyone.. hopefully they are tuning into forum threads like this one.. I think we have all seen a number of riders eager to jump on board and enjoy the new terrain but were just not prepared for it.. hopefully I'm just being paranoid a bit but I could see this blow up, especially if they are going to build serious kickers on narrow trails, and call it intermediate. In my opinion without even riding it yet, that opening bridge down into paved bank followed by those 2 tabletops is enough to give it a black rating.. even if people don't agree it's truly black, so be it, at least you won't have families out for a Sunday stroll getting run down or stuck blocking the trail and creating potential hazards for the world cup wannabe's who are lurking behind them at a rate of speed..
DMAG310
New Member
This is westridge, you have to ride cruiser to get to it.
Reedster
Active Member
Yep. At about the 4:08 point the trails split. Cruiser stays left and goes under the Westridge bridge, the rider stays left and rides on the bridge that starts Westridge. You can see him almost immediately hit a banked turn with pavers and then the two big tables are immediately following it. Nice footage. And it looks like he clears both doubles, but not by much.
mxvet
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just got back! it was awesome as usual...they added a whole new section on blue velvet that you're gonna love. thankfully i didnt need the supplemental insurance you told me about.:beer:
herzalot
Well-Known Member
So, as luck would have it, I rode the lift with a SS trailbuilder today. We discussed this thread and how stoked we all are for the new trail. I bent his ear about the severity of the lips, vault and carry and he seemed genuinely interested, especially when comparing to Whistler's blues. He talked about building some ride-arounds, but I said "I don't want to ride around, I want to jump some appropriate jumps and build my skills." When it comes to jumping, I am a target intermediate. He got it.
We also talked about Gravity Logic's philosophy on grade reversals, which provides that trademark flow that is evident all over Westridge. Very cool. He said "thanks for the input" and said he would pass it along to the crew and upper management. He was psyched that we were psyched on all the work they are doing.
I saw lots of STR peep up there today, including 420 (Jay) who overshot the last jump on Westridge and met the trail wall with a sickening thud. Seriously bruised ribs for Jay, but he soldiered on for a few more runs. Heal quickly Jay!
:beer:
oh and @MXVet - no you don't need a DH rig to enjoy SS.
We also talked about Gravity Logic's philosophy on grade reversals, which provides that trademark flow that is evident all over Westridge. Very cool. He said "thanks for the input" and said he would pass it along to the crew and upper management. He was psyched that we were psyched on all the work they are doing.
I saw lots of STR peep up there today, including 420 (Jay) who overshot the last jump on Westridge and met the trail wall with a sickening thud. Seriously bruised ribs for Jay, but he soldiered on for a few more runs. Heal quickly Jay!
:beer:
oh and @MXVet - no you don't need a DH rig to enjoy SS.
Awesome.. always good to not need to use that insurance.. glad to hear it. On the new section of Blue Velvet, I am looking forward to hitting that alot.. isn't it what used to be the Black Velvet section they reworked and extended it as a continuation of BV??
monstertiki
New Member
Rode westridge today. imho is that those tables after the bridge are fun but if you short the tables those lips on the landings can make you feel it. The paver berms can be a little sketch at higher speeds, the step downs have potential to get inexperienced riders into trouble if they are not hit at the right speeds and the last table top on the bottom pitches you kind of weird. I ended up doing an unintentional one footer on my last run down.
If you ride this trail at slower speeds I can see it being a blue because everything can be rolled and there really isn't any rocky sections. But where's the fun in that? At speeds fast enough to clean the tables and step downs the trail gets more advanced and I wouldn't consider it a blue run. I think its a pretty fun trail but I have to agree with others that this trail is not a blue, not at the speeds required to clean the features on it. Novice riders expecting an easy run could easily get in over their heads.
My suggestion is to build the bigger features on miracle mile and cruiser, as they are marked black and people expect stuff like that on those trails. For Westridge, if you wanna call it a blue, soften those takeoffs and get rid of the lips on backside of the jumps and step-downs maybe even turn those tables into a smaller fun quad pack of tables.
If you ride this trail at slower speeds I can see it being a blue because everything can be rolled and there really isn't any rocky sections. But where's the fun in that? At speeds fast enough to clean the tables and step downs the trail gets more advanced and I wouldn't consider it a blue run. I think its a pretty fun trail but I have to agree with others that this trail is not a blue, not at the speeds required to clean the features on it. Novice riders expecting an easy run could easily get in over their heads.
My suggestion is to build the bigger features on miracle mile and cruiser, as they are marked black and people expect stuff like that on those trails. For Westridge, if you wanna call it a blue, soften those takeoffs and get rid of the lips on backside of the jumps and step-downs maybe even turn those tables into a smaller fun quad pack of tables.
doubleoh7
Called to Creation
marshal
New Member
For those of you that have actually been to SS recently and have ridden these trails: What trail(s) would you recommend for beginners? What advice would you have for them?
Beginner trails listed on the map.. Good luck up there the place is amazing .. Once you get familiar with some of the trails you'll be sure to graduate to bigger and better trails listed .
See attached link : http://www.bigbearmountainresorts.c...tSummerThirteen/images/summer_trail_map_1.jpg
To me it looks like they created that map before they created the actual trails and then decided differently. MM looks accurate on there, but to me Cruiser doesn't look accurate completely, and Westridge is listed as starting at the top above Cruiser, which isn't the case either.. unless I am reading the map wrong, I'd say the map is not correct. Anyone else see what I'm talking about?
mfoga
Intense Whore
I would say there is NO beginner trail on SS property. The two things there are really lacking right now are good green and blue trails. There is blue but with the best jumps on the blue if actually was the busiest trail and as said it really not any easier than cruiser. You see quite a few families in over there heads inside the park.
If I was taking a beginner I would take them off the property but that would require quite a bit more pedaling so that may not be a good option either. I have not rode skyline but something like skyline to pine knot might be a good option but there is good pedal back to the lifts on the road. There are people from summit at the top to help direct people.
The map posted if not right at all.
herzalot
Well-Known Member
I'll define a beginner as someone with very little or no trail-riding experience, and lacks the basic skills of mountain biking.
There are no good trails at SS for real beginners. Unfortunately, there are throngs of true beginners up there asking the same question. The real beginners end up finding their way down a combination of service roads, Cruiser and Westridge - cursing, falling skidding and getting scared most of the way. The well-documented dilemma of Westrige is it is also attracting the fastest and most-skilled riders because of the jumps and flow. This also adds to the intimidation factor for beginners.
SS staff direct true beginners to the forest service roads- 2N10 west to Fern to Bristlecone or 2N10 east to 2N51Y to Towne Trail. Both of these involve a fair bit of pedaling. Skyline is a great option for riders looking for an up and down cross country ride, but those that purchase lift tickets are probably not doing so to go ride XC.
As mfoga mentioned above, the map is not accurate. There is no Long Way Home trail yet, and Westridge only exists from halfway down Cruiser - not from the top. Snow Summit is not for beginners yet.
mfoga
Intense Whore
Just another note , this is all we will see this year. I heard the employees up top saying they have been shut down as far as building by the FS for the year so we won't be seeing anything for a good % of the people who are showing up and aren't ready for what the park offers.
herzalot
Well-Known Member
The trail-builder I talked to yesterday said the Forest Service allows them to build 10 miles of trails per year on SS property, so they are done for this year, other than tweaking and maintaining the existing trails. If that holds true, the 7-mile "Long Way Home" trail they are planning for true beginners will eat up next year's allocation in a hurry.
russell
Member
DH bike is approproate for SS for sure.
I would put it like this. If you are an expert/advanced level rider you will find Snow Summit pretty tame (though still really fun if you go fast) on a DH bike and you will likely want tougher features or you will enjoy the challenge of riding it on a 4-6 inch bike. If you are an intermediate/beginner rider you will find Snow Summit very challenging on anything other than a DH bike. Either way it's a lot of fun, I would recommend a DH bike but it's definitely not needed. We brought a true beginner up there and put her on a proper DH bike and she did fine, slow but fine, she was able to ride every trail with the help of all that suspension. I would not have wanted to put her on anything less. When I go up there I have ridden both DH and trail bike and they are fun in their own right. I prefer the DH bike due to all the braking bumps and I like jumping/dropping on it better.
Dh bikes are overkill in ss imo.....if thats all their building this year that sucks.....instead of a blue trail they shoukd have built a nice wide green trail with blue cut off sections with all types of sizes of jumps and drops, kind of a skills section. That would have been fun
Herz! Great meeting you. Thanks for the healing vibes. Just some bruised ribs, no real worries...
I like the new Westridge trail, fast flowy and has a few features. Nothing at SS is really a "black" trail. Though with Miracle Mile some areas are getting pretty technical due to the erosion and lack of maintenence.
All the jumps have little if any consequence unless your dumb like me and land past the transition into the wall....
Good times and great to ride up there.
I like the new Westridge trail, fast flowy and has a few features. Nothing at SS is really a "black" trail. Though with Miracle Mile some areas are getting pretty technical due to the erosion and lack of maintenence.
All the jumps have little if any consequence unless your dumb like me and land past the transition into the wall....
Good times and great to ride up there.