[uzziman]

Hey guys! there has been some talk about the Cataloochee ski place allowing a lift assisted bike park. I just want to see how many of you guys would favor it, and what you all would want to see, trail and feature wise, if this were to happen. Im not making promises, just gauging the amount of support for it.

 

[subycar]

Here's my 2 cents:
I would like to see more of a bike park. Like the Ballhooter side of Snowshoe with drops, elevated features, wall rides, and wooden jumps. Some good flow trails like the famous a-line with high speeds and dirt jumps. Just seems like there is nothing like this south of Snowshoe.

 

[uzziman]

im in the same boat. i think a nice A-line style trail would be nice and draw a solid number of people. thanks for the input!

 

[?????]

A downhill dirt jump trail would be fun. So would natural trails. I can do without riding wood.

 

[ncfreerider5001]

I'm in total support of a mountain bike park over in cataloochee. Although it is a bit far from me (winston-salem), it would sure beat having the drive to Snowshoe.

After I heard that 26 West closed I was pretty bummed out about no lift assisted bike park here in NC. I'm sure I speak for a lot of people in saying that I'm in total support of another place to legally ride with the bonus of having a lift to get you to the top.

 

[Metal Dude]

I agree with ???? not that into wood features but, I would come to ride whatever is built there.

 

[uzziman]

Excellent! make sure the post up here. the more people we get on here the better the chances

 

[brokeONE]

It would be nice, but do they have enough land to build long enough trails?

 

[Jeremy R]

Ha, the one time I went and raced there, they ran us at 40mph through a cow pasture with high wet grass. It was foggy as hell, and all they had for course markers was 12 inch high orange flags. I remember in my race being pinned out on a hardtail with v brakes. I couldn't even slow down. I lost the orange markers and about that time I heard................
Mmmooooooooooooooooooo!
Dodging cows at 40 mph.
That is the kind of trails I want.

But yeah, that place is close enough for me to support it for sure, especially if a lift is involved.

 

[uzziman]

as far as land size, thats one thing we are looking in to, from what i can gather there is enough to have 3-4 trails, right now. were just gauging support for it.

 

[bizutch]

what's the status of the massive unused slope that never gets used in winter? It's usually a pasture in the summer (the one Jeremy refers to) and the best place to have a lot of trail.

Let me know if you need a trail designer.

 

[Trilliamiano]

If they want to do the bike park right they need to have a dedicated (paid) trail crew to construct and maintain their trails. The resorts in our area don't have the tons of usable acreage so each trail must be built well with allot of features (berms, rock gardens, jumps, rollers etc) to keep people satisfied and having fun. This is crucial because there's no way any of our resorts could have as many trails as snowshoe so we've got to get quality over quantity. The trail crew is also key. You can't have a one man show and expect pimp trails to get built. You also can't have an unpaid trail crew and expect pimp trails to get built. Building fun, fast, and SAFE trails on a bike park scale takes allot of man hours. Too much time for the crew to commit if they aren't getting due monetary compensation. If the trails are bada**, the lift is running, and marketing is done correctly then there's no reason this area couldn't support a bike park (or multiple, but that's just in my dreams).

Well thats my two cents. Hope it helps and I do support downhill biking at the Cat

 

[roperacer]

i go to the looch snowboarding cuz they have the closest terrain park,,2.5 hours,, better than 4 hours to beech or sugar, im down!!!! after my shoulder heals.

 

[milohead]

As long as the trails are built right you'll get plenty of support. Especially when folks here the words "lift access"

 

[profro]

I did a race there BACK in the day. Same one Jeremy went. Cataloochie is only an hour from Knoxville area so I'd support it. But you'd need a couple good trails that are maintained with high fun factor. Maybe even run a race to gauge interest.

 

[MTB_Rob_NC]

740' of Elevation is pretty decent compared to Sugar, Beach Hawksnest etc...

 

[hotrodmarlin]

I'll go.

 

[drkenan]

I would totally support this. Learn from others' mistakes: you NEED to have a variety of trails. Tech, jump, etc. And they need to be well maintained.

If you really want it to succeed and be a destination-oriented bike park, I would talk to these guys: http://www.whistlergravitylogic.com/.

 

[bizutch]

I would totally support this. Learn from others' mistakes: you NEED to have a variety of trails. Tech, jump, etc. And they need to be well maintained.

If you really want it to succeed and be a destination-oriented bike park, I would talk to these guys: http://www.whistlergravitylogic.com/.

who will say immediately that unless you have a high speed quad, you will not succeed mathematically. But if we believe everything we're told....

 

[bizutch]

740' of Elevation is pretty decent compared to Sugar, Beach Hawksnest etc...

see that big red slope over there? Get access to build on it, you're golden.

 

[drkenan]

who will say immediately that unless you have a high speed quad, you will not succeed mathematically. But if we believe everything we're told....

Well they're probably right then. Think about it - a bike park/ski resort will be successful depending on capacity. That's why Sugar will NEVER work for a bike park (I can't believe people go there in the Winter either).

You could have something half ass like that but if you want a sustainable business, talk to those guys. Plain and simple - when experts are available, tap into their knowledge to become more successful. This applies in all facets of life.

 

[NCrider5]

I think its safe to say that asking a question like "Would anyone be interested in a lift assisted bike Park in NC?" is a dumb one. Of course we would. But talking about it is not going to make it happen. Grab a shovel and go at it.

And to those that are saying "oh yeah that would be sweet! just make sure you have a lot of flow and jumps on the trails" Keep in mind the amount of work it takes to build such a thing. If you want this to happen, then you will need to do more than just say you will support it.

 

[uzziman]

I think its safe to say that asking a question like "Would anyone be interested in a lift assisted bike Park in NC?" is a dumb one. Of course we would. But talking about it is not going to make it happen. Grab a shovel and go at it.

And to those that are saying "oh yeah that would be sweet! just make sure you have a lot of flow and jumps on the trails" Keep in mind the amount of work it takes to build such a thing. If you want this to happen, then you will need to do more than just say you will support it.

I understand what you're saying. but just sneaking in and building is a sure fire way to get it to not happen. One of the fellow people in this is the owner of bryson city bicycles, a kona dealer. apparently if we show enough support, and it gets approved kona will help greatly with the trail building. im going to talk to him and get him on here to help clear up some questions i have yet to know the answers to.

 

[Chromejesus]

I would support this anyway I could seeing as its thirty minutes from the house.

 

[Mulestar]

And to those that are saying "oh yeah that would be sweet! just make sure you have a lot of flow and jumps on the trails" Keep in mind the amount of work it takes to build such a thing. If you want this to happen, then you will need to do more than just say you will support it.

...Building trails takes work???


Nevermind, I'm out.

 

[uzziman]

...Building trails takes work???


Nevermind, I'm out.

man!!!!! now i have to find some other way of doing this

as profro mentioned about a race. i think that would work great to show the mountain what can be done. keep the ideas coming guys!!!

 

[bizutch]

Links to pics of buckow trailbuilding threads too.

Tell them to buy a walking digger too:

http://ridemonkey.com/forums/showthread.php?p=3422017#post3422017

 

[uzziman]

those things look fun! ill have to give the guys at cataloochee the word on these things!

 

[Jeremy R]

I understand what you're saying. but just sneaking in and building is a sure fire way to get it to not happen. One of the fellow people in this is the owner of bryson city bicycles, a kona dealer. apparently if we show enough support, and it gets approved kona will help greatly with the trail building. im going to talk to him and get him on here to help clear up some questions i have yet to know the answers to.

That is some good info, and it would be great to get a bike company involved.
I have to admit though, after many years in the game, I am OVER the whole
"grab a shovel and go at it" deal when it comes to building free trails for ski resorts. I have built my share of free courses for ski resorts over the years and have good friends who do it as well, but without a financial commitment from the resort itself, they will never succeed as a bike park.
Look as the success of some place like Diablo where they have a organized trail crew. That is how you run a successful bike park.
If Cataloochee wants a bike park that will turn a profit, they need to hire proper trailbuilders, invest in running the lift for sure, and approach it just like running any other business. No Brah shovel days.
I will support the park by showing up and paying for my lift ticket and plopping my butt down on the chairlift.
I don't show up at Disney to help them build free roller coasters. They let me ride them when I pay my admission free.
If should be no different for a bike park.

 

[tgaines72]

I came to the conversation late, but I just wanted to add my support. If you build a good bike park at Cattaloochee, I'll buy a season pass. I'm in.

 

[M41fuNcT10n]

I'd drive from 30 miles west of knoxville to ride at a "real" bike park that close to home. Something quality like snowshoe, but obviously on a smaller scale. Windrock is 15 min. from the house, but having some diversity in DH riding would be great, as I have never been to snowshoe, but will eventually, however distance will make it a rarity in terms of frequency.

 

[jwdirtbag]

If you build it they will come!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[OldSkool]

Ha, the one time I went and raced there, they ran us at 40mph through a cow pasture with high wet grass. It was foggy as hell, and all they had for course markers was 12 inch high orange flags. I remember in my race being pinned out on a hardtail with v brakes. I couldn't even slow down. I lost the orange markers and about that time I heard................
Mmmooooooooooooooooooo!
Dodging cows at 40 mph.
That is the kind of trails I want.

But yeah, that place is close enough for me to support it for sure, especially if a lift is involved.

I did that same race as well. Cows move pretty fast when you're heading straight for them with a blood curdling scream. Anyway, I would also support lift supported trails at Cataloochee. I always thought it is a great mountain and wished something had been created there for bikes. The fact that it is less than 2 hrs away helps also.

 

[bizutch]

I did that same race as well. Cows move pretty fast when you're heading straight for them with a blood curdling scream. Anyway, I would also support lift supported trails at Cataloochee. I always thought it is a great mountain and wished something had been created there for bikes. The fact that it is less than 2 hrs away helps also.

You guys forget the funniest part. The cows thought the orange survey flags in the ground were electric fence. Depending on what side of them they were standing, they lined up along it to watch us.

I'm pretty sure we all fell victim to the Scott McClain/Hal Sumpter/Eric Buck rule of racing "if it ain't taped, it's track"

That weekend I raced the DH and slalom on Saturday in a blinding fog and Sunday raced the XC in ankle deep mud. Such an awesome weekend.

 

[kiponga]

I know that its winter now but was there ever any progress with this? Any Kona research or approval or whatever