[riverside73]

Hey everybody. Our friends at Silver Mt want to meet with me in the next couple of weeks to talk summer MTB events. I can talk to them about logistics but I want to know what you guys (riders/racers) really want to see at Silver, and especially what kind of events it will take to get you West Siders to make the drive over.

I am still sticking with the 8 Hr DH. We pulled it off last year but with a pretty poor turnout. Even so...everybody had a blast. Done differently this year, I think I would try to talk them into doing it on Saturday instead of Sunday. Lot of people hungover on Sunday from the previous days activities. And I really want to push them to end the day with a sick concert in their ampitheater up top. And then on Sunday they could run a one run DH or something.

I think that Silver is poised to do some big things but I really want everybody's input so I know what direction to push them in.

Thanks in advance for the help!

 

[Tootrikky]

I went to the Round & Round DH race last yr but not the 8 hr marathon. The DH was an awesome, an 11-15 minute run that had a little of everything...way fun. I couldn't get excited about the marathon mainly because of the long pedal back to the gondola, and decided not to go. I would prefer a DH race with a dual slalom or mtn-x race any day over an 8 hr marathon at Silver, the 8hr marathon doesn't tickle my fancy at all.

 

[oly]

Can you move Silver about 600 miles west? Sorta too far for my current situation...

 

[MinorThreat]

I couldn't get excited about the marathon mainly because of the long pedal back to the gondola

Awe, the pedal back was just a cruise to get your breath back anyway. You missed an AWESOME event! That, in my mind, was the standout of the season.

Thank you for commiting to that E! Do you have a tentative date set yet? PLEASE don't set it for the Sept. 2 weekend; that's the UCI Masters Worlds at Sun Peaks.

 

[Uruk-hai]

I would be more interested in a few (several) regular dh races rather than a marathon event. I really enjoyed both races I went to last year and would easily commit to traveling over there multiple times for some dh racing, providing that it doesn't conflict with other races, namely Mt Hood at this point.

Silver Mtn. has a lot of potential and it is a lot of fun to ride there.

 

[Tootrikky]

Dual slalom or 4x course....Build it and they will come.

 

[Five]

Dual slalom or 4x course....Build it and they will come.

I would...

 

[riverside73]

OK, I hear ya....

I think that a 4X or DS would be very do-able up there. I'll see if I can get them to buy into it. One problem I foresee, is that everything they dig/build into a ski run has to be bulldozed in the fall so the groomers have a flat surface to groom in the winter time and not kick up dirt into the snow. But I already have a spot in mind to suggest to them that might be able to avoid that problem.

What else? Keep the suggestions coming.

And sorry Oly so far away. If you move to like, Ritzville, I bet you would beg to drive to Silver every weekend!!!

 

[oly]

hm.... anyone got a teleporter handy??

 

[MinorThreat]

If he moved to Ritzville, he may beg to be put out of his misery before the weekend could get there !

 

[Mut]

I think a DS would be a big draw for people. the WIM final last year was one of the best races I've ever done and I've done a lot of races. I would like to see 1 race from top to bottom, and a few on top of the Mt. around 3-5 minutes long. Personally I'd rather just ride all day then do 8hrs of DH. But if you put it on, i will still try and show. Oh, and make it NORBA, so people can qualify for points standing and the U.S. championships. There currently are no events in the NW that can qualify you for the U.S. championship for 4x or DS. With that in mind, if you did a NORBA DS people would make the drive to qualify.

 

[fuzzycatnuts]

I rode silver back in like 99 with a full riged trek 800. It was a sweet ride from the top to ah just out side of kelloge 16 mile downhill. What are the trails like now? I grew up in Cd'A but to get me to come over from Seattle I would need some sort of slope style event with some pros.

What is this 8hr downhill, you bomb down from the top and ride back up for 8 hours? How long is the ride back on pavement? I might head over if there was a good band playing after riding, beer and food would be good too. How about making a aline type trail? If you used the area below the ski hill under the gondola you would not have to bulldose it before winter. I think to draw a big crowd you need a freeride event with big pros, build a set of doubles down one of the ski runs or somthin, I dont think downhill races draw as big of crowds as slopestyle. Maybe have a course were female and amatures would be able to compete, somthing like slopesister maybe....
Hope this helps.

 

[MinorThreat]

The 8-Hour Downhill was eight hours of riding down the "Hammer" super-D trail. The Hammer is a combination of jump-infested course from Mountain House, spitting you into singletrack woods connected by a couple or three short, fast fireroad sections. It's about a (+ or-) 15-minute bomb down. The trail spits you out east of town on the paved Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes, which you ride back to the gondola base (rules were that we weren't allowed to race back on the paved trail - - had to keep a 15 mph speed limit). Then you rode the gondola back up to Mtn House and went down again. Most of the guys completed eleven loops of this. The guy who won (sorry, forgot his name) squeezed in a 12th run.

 

[Secret Squirrel]

The 8-Hour Downhill was eight hours of riding down the "Hammer" super-D trail. The Hammer is a combination of jump-infested course from Mountain House, spitting you into singletrack woods connected by a couple or three short, fast fireroad sections. It's about a (+ or-) 15-minute bomb down. The trail spits you out east of town on the paved Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes, which you ride back to the gondola base (rules were that we weren't allowed to race back on the paved trail - - had to keep a 15 mph speed limit). Then you rode the gondola back up to Mtn House and went down again. Most of the guys completed eleven loops of this. The guy who won (sorry, forgot his name) squeezed in a 12th run.

GAH!!! Man...after 5 practice runs during the first DH race, my arms were toast...not to mention the brakes (i know i know...don't use em...)....12....bleh....

 

[MinorThreat]

GAH!!! Man...after 5 practice runs during the first DH race, my arms were toast...not to mention the brakes

I had to readjust my brake pads on the gondola about every other run. On run #11, about half-way down my knees locked straight; I could not bend them. Had to drag a toe in the dirt until my foot clipped a rock and bent my knee so that I could pedal again. That's how much fatigue had set in.

 

[fuzzycatnuts]

Wow sounds like the trails have really changed, did you say jumps? That race actully sounds fun, I ride whistler non stop, when my friends go grab a beer or food I just keep riding so I might do well in this type of race. If theres a band playing after I might just make the trip over.

 

[MinorThreat]

Yeah, there are jumps - - in the whole upper section down to the bottom of the smaller chairs. At least two different trails swoop down out of Mountain House and zig-zag down the open run areas and cut through the woods separating runs; lots of table-tops, bermed corners and such, just not as 'flow-y' as A-Line . . . yet. And the jumps are a bit narrow, not the huge, forgiving, wide motocross-track-width ones A-Line has. But it's all still a work-in-progress with more good stuff to come. One of the more fun routes is to take the Hammer about half-way, then turn off onto the lower portion of Alhambra, which then spits you out back onto the bottom section of the Hammer again.

 

[bent^biker]

Dual slalom or 4x course....Build it and they will come.

I know of about 20 riders that would go over for that from the seattle area. keep us posted.

 

[geargrrl]

I rode silver back in like 99 with a full riged trek 800. It was a sweet ride from the top to ah just out side of kelloge 16 mile downhill. What are the trails like now?

silver is seriously into summer mountain bike development. Gone are the service roads, they are building really fun trails with the likes of Joey Klein helping to lay them out. Even an on-the-verge XC rider like me can appreciate them... I'm renting a stinky next time out.

geargrrl

 

[thom9719]

silver just needs to step up. they need to understand that riders want more than just squirl watching trail. we want jumps and drops. silver has the land and the build crew to do so. I know all of their build crew last year wanted to build big stuff but they keprt geting shot down.

their little "road gap" shouldn't be the biggest jump at that place, they have so much room to do cool things, they just need to step up an do it.

some actual DH trail would be nice too. some tech with roots and rocks, not "the hammer" (basically fire road the whole way down)

Kyle,

 

[Secret Squirrel]

silver just needs to step up. they need to understand that riders want more than just squirl watching trail. we want jumps and drops. silver has the land and the build crew to do so. I know all of their build crew last year wanted to build big stuff but they keprt geting shot down.

their little "road gap" shouldn't be the biggest jump at that place, they have so much room to do cool things, they just need to step up an do it.

some actual DH trail would be nice too. some tech with roots and rocks, not "the hammer" (basically fire road the whole way down)

Kyle,

Yeah, I agree. Lots of potential for big stuff. I had a blast when I was there last year. I hope that that area can come to fruition....I mean, from Seattle, it's just about (plus or minus an hour...)equal time to Whistler, Sun Peaks, and Silver. Depending on your affinity for certain terrain, the area can do really well!

Props for what's been done, keep on truckin'!!