[TROUT]

north* was sick. better then 05' season. cant wait for them to finish livewire. gypsy is sweet. kinda bummed about boondocks though. its rerouted away for the last rock garden and the last rock drop. oh rocks how i love them . the village looks bada**.atleast there stepin it up. and what is up with a 4 hour beerfest?? seriously!

please add your experiance to this thread.

 

[kidwoo]

Hit the jumps on boondocks and the trail gets better

 

[TROUT]

i didnt say i didnt like it:biggrin: I really appretiate all the work you guys have done! I broke my shifter on saturday and rode singal speed today

 

[marcm]

Hey Trout good to here you had a good time. The race went off real good it was nice to see it so well organized. In years past they had issues. We still need to hook up since we are both in Elk Grove.
And save some money on gas..

I got a broken wrist but should be ok to ride in a few more weeks.
i will hit you up when i get this cast off.

Hey were you in a toyota prius this morning going up to N* ?


late
Marc

 

[kidwoo]

i didnt say i didnt like it:biggrin: I really appretiate all the work you guys have done! I broke my shifter on saturday and rode singal speed today

Thanks man

I've got to be honest, the first time I rode boondocks yesterday, I almost cried. Everything we built was surrounded by baby powder garbage.

By today there were some nice ruts bedded in that if you just trusted the bike to corner through them, actually worked pretty well.

That last wood jump works so well, we're going to build some more things like that. Most of the 'annoying sections' are actually just temporary routes while we get the other stuff built.

 

[TROUT]

Marc! what up man? I saw JB up there. where you chillin at the picnic tables? I actully moved out of elk grove. Im just down the road in Rancho though. I have been spending way to much time on my other hobbiego here. we'll have to hook up and hit auburn or N* when you get that cast off. Later!

edit- No i wasnt in a prius this morning.I stayed on the mountain this weekend.

 

[marcm]

yea i was there with my lame cast on.. watching all the fun.

I checked out that link your in to the rock climbers huhh I used to have a jeep and i have a good friend that is way into wheeling he has a sick tj. And I just got him into DHing.. Hey did you see that there were flyers out in trukee for a rock climbing comp at Donner Ski Ranch july 21st. me and a buddy were thinking of going.

 

[TROUT]

Thanks man

I've got to be honest, the first time I rode boondocks yesterday, I almost cried. Everything we built was surrounded by baby powder garbage.

By today there were some nice ruts bedded in that if you just trusted the bike to corner through them, actually worked pretty well.

That last wood jump works so well, we're going to build some more things like that. Most of the 'annoying sections' are actually just temporary routes while we get the other stuff built.

Sweet! more jumps on boondocks or on other trails? yea the ruts are starting to show and they help a lot. i think some of the berms need to be a tad taller. but thats just my own opinion.

 

[TROUT]

yea i was there with my lame cast on.. watching all the fun.

I checked out that link your in to the rock climbers huhh I used to have a jeep and i have a good friend that is way into wheeling he has a sick tj. And I just got him into DHing.. Hey did you see that there were flyers out in trukee for a rock climbing comp at Donner Ski Ranch july 21st. me and a buddy were thinking of going.

yea Ive been doing that for a long time. Im a toyota guy though:biggrin: . the donner comp was this weekend. i was gonna go but i havent been riding in a long time. And i go crawlin' all the time so riding is more important this time:biggrin:

 

[Brian HCM#1]

N* was a blast, can't wait to go back in a few weeks

 

[Prettym1k3]

I rode up there with some buddies from our club, and with Brett Miller (gonefirefighting). What a great run. I hit the rock drop on Boondocks, and both of the drops on Livewire. Also did the marble drop on Karpiel? Or was that Dogbone? I can't remember.

EXCELLENT riding. Although, as usual, I found myself having to follow either 10 feet behind someone, or 200 feet behind someone, to avoid getting dusted in the face.

What a great weekend. I hope to go back soon.

*bling bling*

Brett! Send me that video of me hittin' that rock drop!

 

[chicodude]

Where are the ****ing pictures?

 

[systmrocks99]

I was up there yesterday for the race but crashed out during practice. Somehow my handlebars made there way under my full face. I'm out for a week with 6 stitches.

 

[Prettym1k3]

Hope you heal up quick, man.

Bummer about the stitches. Speedy recovery!

 

[Internal14]

N* was great this weekend! Stayed away from Saturday htinking that it was going to be a madhouse...and sounds like it was. Sunday wasn't too bad. Lots of people were there for the race...see we rode Livewire-Gypsie and Boondocks untill around 1:30 or so and headed over to the old side where it was pretty empty after 2:30 or so. Was a great time. I had no time getting in the groove of dust-star. Just what I was expecting.
Camped out at Donner State Park and enjoyed a warm shower in the morning(Is this still considered camping??!) and then rolled into N* for another full day of riding.
Rolled over to Big Trees for a first run...only to find the bridge thang roped off. I was at first bummed thinking someone got hurt falling off into the rocks and N* panicked and shut ti down or something. But we rolled through the rocks to find Georga dn Asa taking a much deserved break from building the berm on the exit of the bridge thang.Pretty funny cause a few of use were thinking on Sunday how cool it would be if you could carry your speed off the bridge and into a fast bermed corner. Thanks guys!!
We then went back over to Playground on the next run. That will be a fun trail once it gets finished with a bunch of fun medium sized doubles.

Went over to LiveWire and Gypsie to find that the upper sections of both were closed. Bummer! But whaaa? why? Oh they're installing an "Over-Under" for LiveWire and Gysie. SAAWEAT! We went and rode a fireroad or two to get to the intersection so we could still continue riding it. They are installing a huge culvert drainage pipe(Like at Auburn) and are routing Gypsie through the tube...and LiveWire will have a monster table up and over the pipe. NICE! Got some pictures of them laying in teh pipe and backfilling a bunch of rocks. Wonder if it'll be ready for next weekend??

Ummm, for whomever mentioned the Prius dh'er...that might have been me. Blue Prius w/Thule T2 rack with a Green Ventana and a White VR-Free.

 

[jimw]

cant wait for them to finish livewire.

Any estimate on when this trail will open? It just says "mid-summer" on the website.

 

[gonefirefightin]

well they were still workingon the top today. they have built a tunnel that gypsy goes through underneath live wire. it looks pretty cool but makes for a very narrow 4x section on livewire. right now you can ride the lower 2 thirds of gypsy, you just have to ride the two track down to spoke and hop on there. or just cruise down under the lift until you get around the construction. the bottom of boondocks is getting super sloppy. speed control got a little tore up fromthe race but karpiel is a little smoother after the race. flameout and the other jump/berm runs on top are getting really deep and hard to carry speed for the jumps. they are still working on the ladder in big trees and the bottom of flameout is getting more solid.

 

[mtbhead]

Blablablablabla... Pictures! We (those of us who can't get up there for a while and are insanely jealous of those who can) need pictures!

 

[morethanjake543]

I'll hopefully be heading up there tomorrow. If I can convince my buddies to bring a camera along, we will be back with pictures. The only problem is that if you're carrying a cam and you fall, well, ****. But then again, no one ever falls at northstar.

I really hope that gypsy is open now. That, and they start to move their watering system further down their jump trails. We need to water the jumps, yes, but the berms would be so much better if we could water them and then pack them in. Yuuuum.

 

[desmo]

here are some pics. from tuesday

 

[FREERDR4LF]

The only problem is that if you're carrying a cam and you fall, well, ****. But then again, no one ever falls at northstar.

Tell that to my bruised ribs and sprained foot!!

 

[Connundrum1]

Tell that to my bruised ribs and sprained foot!!

and they can tell it to your bruised ribs and sprained foot tomorrow when we ride n* again!!! ah i can't afford this but it'll be awesome anyway.

 

[morethanjake543]

Out of everywhere I've fallen, northstar has probably hurt the most. And, to be fair, that was also one of the craziest bails I've seen in a long time.

Desmo -- Was gypsy open when you were up there? Ohh, and I think something is wrong with your camera. It looks like the trails aren't dusty enough.

 

[desmo]

the sign for gypsie says closed up top, but if took "Coaster" (don't laugh, I am a n00b) and jumped on gypsy from it from down the hill.)

Honestly, I didn't think the dust was too bad at all. Maybe it was too loose to be dusty? (wait, that doesnt make sense)

Of course, I am slow, and was alone most of the time. There were more families taking the gondola for picnics than riders.

 

[01yz125]

anyone know of any people taking pics from race #1?

 

[OGRipper]

Had a fun weekend riding the Star this weekend, great to get back up there and see evidence of what seems to be a real commitment to bikes. As usual it took some time to re-learn how to ride in the super loose and dusty conditions but it's always a blast. Great to do some runs with Kidwoo (who was killing it) and some other new and old friends. I had a bunch of fun but personally never really found the zone - next time.

The new trails are still works in progress. Livewire is the new irrigated jumpy trail. So far only the top section is open and the irrigation is not working. My opinion is that the jumps have a lot of potential but I think they need some help with spacing and size, most are too short for the kind of speed you want to carry. Still, cool to see an effort being made and I expect it will get better as the feedback rolls in and the lower portion is built.

The other new trail is Gypsy, which is really fun - kinda wide open with lots of turns and rocky features, a few smallish drops to flat (boo) as well as a couple of rocky things you can roll if you want. Right now it's super loose and dusty, with rocks getting uncovered and kicked around throughout the day. It needs to be ridden a lot more for the lines to get carved down but it is going to be a pinner.

Boondocks is pretty much the same as before for the top 2/3 or so - that is, super fun - but the bottom has been re-routed due to construction. There are some really cool features in progress, including a couple log rides, berms, and some sweet doubles. I wasn't really feeling it yet but that trail is probably going to be my fave once I spend a little more time up there.

Big Trees is a pretty cool, fairly mellow trail with a bunch of smallish tables, some pedaling, and a fun wide wooden ladder feature into a berm lined with pavers.

Major props to everyone working on the trails. It is hot, dry, and dusty as hell up there and clearly there has been a lot of hard work, with a lot remaining to be done. Quit your whining and instead buy those folks a soda or a beer or something, they deserve it.

Didn't really get any pics of the new stuff but here is me happy as a clam on Sticks and Stones. (For those who haven't ridden there, this is one of the few spots that is relatively free of dust.)

 

[FREERDR4LF]

sunday up there was a blast, we had a group of 5 that we started out with and did the last run with myself and connundrum1, the others either had a broken bike or broken body. it was a blast.
wish i had the time to go into detail of all the stuff that happened which made it THE most memorable rides of my life so far.
Northstar is awesome. i can't thank all of the trail builders enough for making it so great. having that place only 100 miles away rocks.

the trails are awesome, OGRipper pretty much summed it up.
the step up after the 3rd table top on Livewire is so nice and so much fun to hit.
here are a few pics that a friend of one of the riders took.
thanks tricia.

what a motley looking crew

 

[FREERDR4LF]

here are some more.

 

[FREERDR4LF]

i saved the best for last.

show mom that you still have all of your pearly whites!!

HOLY BENT LEVER BATMAN!!

that's what happens when you fall off a log

 

[marcm]

Whats up guys dang looks like fun sucks i missed it but i will be back in action soon i get my cast off this week and i should be good to ride by the end of the month..

We will need to plan on the end of the month for a trip up
I can get up to five bikes and five guys that is including me and oh yea I got you on the gas Reed i no the $ is short i understand you just get a lift ticket and leave the driving to me.

Late guys oh yea Freerider4life have fun with the ribs when i broke my wrist i also broke my rib its been 6 weeks and it still hurts..

Marc

 

[Connundrum1]

sunday was a great ride. the dirt was packed a little more then i remember it being on opening day. Livewire was a blast to hit even though i still haven't gotten my speed correct to hit all three tables and set myself up to clear the step up. which just means i need to go back soon. i love the pic of garibay motorcycling of that drop.

 

[quiksilver]

Hey I'm not intending to hijack this thread, but it seems like there is a good deal of local knowledge going on in here...

I'll be driving out to Northstar in August, and looking for a free or cheap place to camp... any recommendations? Also does anyone know how to get in touch with guys on the Northstar trail crew? I met a couple guys out at sea otter earlier in the season, and would like to get in touch with them again for when we get out there..

Any help would be appreciated, so thanks in advance!
-Marc

 

[kidwoo]

There are hundreds of places to camp around tahoe........just depends on whether or not you're a shower/plumbing or poop in a hole type camper.

What do you need from the trail crew peeps?

 

[quiksilver]

We have a pickup truck with a slide in camper, so plumbing is not essential... in fact a legal overnight parking lot is fine!

The trail crew guy I met at Sea Otter, I believe his name was Forrest told me to give him a shout if I was coming out... but I soon realized we forgot to exchange numbers. I'm on the trail crew here in NJ at Diablo Freeride Park.

 

[kidwoo]

We have a pickup truck with a slide in camper, so plumbing is not essential... in fact a legal overnight parking lot is fine!

The trail crew guy I met at Sea Otter, I believe his name was Forrest told me to give him a shout if I was coming out... but I soon realized we forgot to exchange numbers. I'm on the trail crew here in NJ at Diablo Freeride Park.

Just drive up the hill from northstar and turn left or right at the top of the hill and the woods are yours. Just NO CAMPFIRES OR SMOKING!!!!!(seriously)

The nearest campgrounds are at martis lake in the large valley just north of northstar. I'm sure you could sleep in the parking lot at the mountain but drive around and find some of the remote deep parking. There's a **** ton of construction going on that might wake you up.


If you're up there on a weekend, Forrest will be there. He'll be wearing a red EMT shirt though. Rides an old silver Karpiel with a shiver on it.

 

[quiksilver]

Thanks for your help man... We are all about following the rules when it comes to camping, plus none of us are smokers. Can't wait to get out west again!

 

[DUKESofTAH0E]

the freakn rain made the trails sweet (so i was told as i sat watchn everyone ride) so get your asses out and rip it up for the cripples

 

[gideon]

Hi Guys
I'm new to SF and this was my first time riding N*
Def one of the best places I have ever ridden
(in between plattekill and diablo as far loose/vs embedded rocks)
1/2 hour runs were kick*ss

Took a lot of sequence shots on the logs/bridges

http://picasaweb.google.com/gideonkaplan/NorthstarDownhillTrailReport
Riders were Kevin (yelllow v10, scott, his brother, and 2 younger kids and me black body armor and silver helmet). sorry bad with names
They are all on ridesfo.net forums

I had 2 bikes that day, black trek deisel and white cove g-spot
After taking the g-spot out for a few runs, i jumped back on the full dh bike

Heading up there this sat w/ Desmo (Brendan)

Oh yeah, thanks to all the builders!!!!

 

[bdamschen]

Sweet pics. Looking at those is making me re-think which bike I want to bring. I've got a Prophet with a Lyrik on it or a Kumicho R. I was originally going to ride my kumicho, but maybe the prophet would be fun too? Anyone else ride northstar on a shorter travel bike?

 

[gideon]

when in doubt, bring both


PS also bring a good lock, there are lotsa construction crews with all kinds of tools in their trucks