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I've been busy building...

buckoW

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,786
4,727
Champery, Switzerland
...in a Swiss resort on the Italian speaking side of Switzerland called Monte Tamaro. They had a World Champs in 2003. Claudio Calouri built the DH tracks and I built the Bike Park at the middle station. I gotta go build in Morgins right now so here are some pics in the meantime.

I did all the dirt work myself with the help of a walking digger. I am very tired now.









first tests on the new wallride



I don't have much time right now but there are many more good photos I need to show you guys.
 
richgardiner

richgardiner

Monkey
Aug 19, 2008
224
26
That looks sick! Are you the guy called ben who knows scott bannister? When i was staying with him a couple of years ago he was telling me about someone he knew who does a load of building around the swiss area.
Cant wait to see what else you are building around morgins :D
 
haromtnbiker

haromtnbiker

Turbo Monkey
Oct 3, 2004
1,461
0
Cary, NC
Got any more pictures of that machine in the third picture? I've never seen anything quite like it. Are there wheels attached to the outriggers that are just hidden out of view?
 
buckoW

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,786
4,727
Champery, Switzerland
I only have this one of the starting step down and very beginning of the track. I was busy down at the middle station when they were building up top. I rode it a bunch and it is a super fun track. Plenty of drifting and different lines.

 
buckoW

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,786
4,727
Champery, Switzerland
Morgins opens this weekend so I am riding my wife's new little KTM 85 SX all over the mountain trying to get the signs and tape up in certain spots and then tonight I have to go back to Monte Tamaro for 2 last days of digging to dial things in over there then back here to ride Morgins and Chatel for opening weekend. I would like to share more but I just don't have much time right now. So, I will just post up some more pics and explain them later.

In the center of Rivera


The sun dial is so accurate.


The train station is called Locarno Fart, hehe.


This little goat came to check out the building every night. She kept trying to tell us something and when we left she would rip up freshly shaped and drying lips.


Stefann.ch killed it with this beauty of a start house. The thing looks so stylish and reminds me of the photo just after.


I love the typical construction around here.


Almost done


I am going back there tonight after work in Morgins so I will get some photos of everything all finished. The action shots are soon to come but for now I am just running all over Switzerland building and only get to ride to test stuff and then get back to digging.
 
dump

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
8,213
4,462
Great work. The park looks amazing. One of these days I may have to come and visit you. I have friends in Zurich & Lausanne.
 
blender

blender

Monkey
Oct 19, 2006
642
0
MDR
well done man!
that is very beautiful work.

major respect for taking pride in shaping those lips to perfection, that takes serious dedication!
 
buckoW

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,786
4,727
Champery, Switzerland
Thanks for all the kind words. I had a lot of fun building over there and Italian is such a cool language to speak. I had to learn very fast because my machine driver and dumper drivers didn't speak anything other than Italian. In the beginning I did a lot of Spanish and French with an Italian accent and it didn't work out so well so I had to get some technical vocabulary fast. I like the word for landing which is something like es-car-pata. Such a fun language to speak.

I just got back last night from putting the finishing touches on everything and will be going back with some friends for a big session at the end of the month. We had a sweet little session after work yesterday and the the park flows so well. I hate leaving a freshly shaped spot without a couple days of sessioning but oh well.

Now it is Morgins and Chatel time! I will put up more pics of the Monte Tamaro Park soon but now I gotta go ride opening day in the Portes du Soleil.
 
buckoW

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,786
4,727
Champery, Switzerland
Muttely said:
So Ben, do you do this as work for a dedicated company? or is it a more freelance system?
Click to expand...
It depends on the job. I am independent and work for myself but this time I was hired by Claudio Calouri's company Velo Solutions. He didn't have time to build the DH track and the part so he contracted out the park to me. I am freelance most of the time and trail building is only a part of my business. All the other stuff is bike related as well.
 
P

pastcaring

Chimp
Nov 22, 2006
55
1
i'll be in morzine in a coupler weeks. always make it over to chatel and morgins for at least one day each when i'm there. i haven't been to the portes du soleil since 04. looks like things have stepped up. last time i rode the morgins dh track? it had been pissing rain for a week:crazy:
look forward to riding some new stuff.:cheers:
 
buckoW

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,786
4,727
Champery, Switzerland
Come on over. There is plenty of new stuff since 2004.

Here is a shot from when I put in a bunch of drainage. I am standing on the bigger of the three starting drops drops.


I drove home over a pass to avoid some long tunnels.


Some cows grazing by the park.


This was on the drive there.


My brother giving me a hand on the last day of building for a little while.
 
CBJ

CBJ

year old fart
Mar 19, 2002
12,874
4,214
Copenhagen, Denmark
Agree favorite poster. Amazing nature and riding spots. I love the Alps unfortunately I have only been there once but at least I was riding.
 
Daver

Daver

Monkey
Jun 1, 2005
390
0
Shiddeny
Did you do much work in other areas of the Portes du Soleil? Can't wait to get back there, hopefully next year.
 
buckoW

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,786
4,727
Champery, Switzerland
Daver said:
Did you do much work in other areas of the Portes du Soleil? Can't wait to get back there, hopefully next year.
Click to expand...
I start tomorrow morning with a walking digger to re-do the trails in Les Crosets. Morgins is running very well right now and my planned new trail there is taking a bit longer to get the OK from the ecologists.

I will take some Iphone pics tomorrow of the building to share with you guys.

P.S. We had a great day in Morgins today. Everything was dry and fast.
 
buckoW

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,786
4,727
Champery, Switzerland
Yesterday, I started working on the old Swiss Champs track in Les Crosets.

Here are some pics.

The digger is an old Kaiser but the driver can still lay the butter. This is the beginnings of a landing into a berm from a hip jump.


I've been going to work on my wife's little KTM SX85 lately. That thing is pretty fun but I am hopeless on a 2 stroke.



Big steep berm to berm line.



Les Crosets



I am going up right now so I will get some more shots today.
 
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