Here's a link to a thread at mtbr, it just might be worth a trip to vail to check it out; http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=35465
some pics of the new dh trail[s] at vail
- Thread starter Renegade
- Start date
Kinda looks X-C-ish.........Renegade said:
Although I guess I should've expected that. It *IS* Vail, after all.
-S.S.-
looks kinda like fun.... might have to check that out
Definitely not! The new trail is very steep and technical with lots of loose off camber stuff. The old stuff is fast, rutted out and rough. The Sport Legs was working double time the day I rode there, as my arms kept wanted to pump up all day long.
Everyone that can, should go and support Vail and the locals who helped build it. They're making a major push this season to step things up and it's paying off!
Loose? Yick. Me no likey loose.........DHblur said:
-S.S.-
Yea, well Keystone told me they were making new trails last year so I bought a pass for myself and my wift. They built motorhead and let everyone ride about 3-4 weeks before the end of the season. What does this have to do with Vail? Well, I'm not buying anything until I see it. If they want to charge wintertime prices then they need more product.
Dave
Dave
I ride keystone quite frequently, and from the people I have talked to that work there, It doesnt seem like building a trail is as simple as you might think. It's not just a process whereby you get a crew of guys with tools to go up and cut a new trail. You have to get approval from the forrestry department to build the trail and also to open the trail once it's built. I guess it's a whole buerocratic ordeal.DHiDave said:
But on the other hand, I wouldnt be surprised if this story is a load of crap. The guys at bolton valley vermont(also a ski area) are cutting new trails and opening them to the public all the time! Literally every month there is a new trail with new stunts.
I will say one last thing, if you ride keystone more than once or twice a week it starts to feel very small. After a while it seems like the same trail all day long. They definately need something new!
I agree that getting trials approved by the FS is no easy task. My issue is with Keystone telling me at the beginning of last season that they would have new trails for us to ride. I just don't think they should say that if they didn't have approval at the time, which it appears they didn't. Motorhead seems like a last ditch effort to get something new out there to appease the masses. It didn't appease me.
I went up there 10-12 times last season and it got old. I rode all the blues and they are fun but there's really only 2 ways down Keystone. I haven't even been on my DH bike this season as I've already ridden the Vail and Keystone trails more times then I care to think about.
I got a new toy anyway so my motivation to spend almost $30 to ride is low. I'm too busy spending my money on some performance parts for my new ride!!!
If they build it I will come back.
Dave
I went up there 10-12 times last season and it got old. I rode all the blues and they are fun but there's really only 2 ways down Keystone. I haven't even been on my DH bike this season as I've already ridden the Vail and Keystone trails more times then I care to think about.
I got a new toy anyway so my motivation to spend almost $30 to ride is low. I'm too busy spending my money on some performance parts for my new ride!!!
If they build it I will come back.
Dave
I'll bet if you look into it, you'll find that the land at Bolton Valley on which the ski area resides is privately owned as opposed to being leased from the Forest Service like Keystone. Or the FS managers are a bit easier to deal with there.......IronDonkey said:
-S.S.-
Yeah, I wasn't trying to be harsh on Keystone. I think they are doing a good job overall. I would just like a little more variety(2-3 more trails) and perhaps a bit more time spent on trail maintenence. OH, and BIG signs that say "NO UPHILL TRAFFIC!" would be a nice bonus. I always find it ridiculous(and dangerous) to see people climbing up the trails at Keystone when there are numerous WORLD CLASS XC rides like the Colorado Trail 15 minutes away!!!
Doh! I hope this comment doesn't ignite a fuse of fired up retorts like we had a couple years ago here on this subject!IronDonkey said:
I do agree with you. It seemed silly to me that folks wanted to argue with me over their right to climb [or try to] up wild thing, even though they had never seen or ridden the trail!
Hey! Some of us *LIKE* to try to climb gnarly uphills.Renegade said:
For the record - I wouldn't do it at a resort. I don't like those places. Except for Vail. Oh, and Breck. And Keystone.... and Krusty Butt.
-S.S.-
Most of us like to climb gnarly hills too. We're talking about sections of trail that no one, yes, I mean no one, can climb. Pure dh terrain. But because it's a trail, some fanatics defend their right to try to climb it, or to stand in the middle of it, or my right to ride down it without yeilding the right of way to some moron standing in the middle of a trail. Don't get me started!