[stiksandstones]

Buddy of mine is going for Vet nats in XC in vermont....I have been to mt snow 15 years, but stopped going in 04'....my memory is if the track is a real rooty one, no tire is ideal for the slippery crap, etc...

Looking for insight on an ideal tire for him and if anyone knows what course they are using (elevation, how much tree sections, etc..)
Any help would be great.
Thanks

CG

 

[stiksandstones]

XC forum rules!

 

[skinny mike]

i guess it depends on the weather, but a front tire that will give good grip on the rooty, rocky downhills would be a good idea. i think last year i ran a 2.0 specialized resolution and a 1.95 maxxis larsen mimo with good results.

 

[indieboy]

i always enjoyed the phytons there, mostly b/c of the large volume low psi. the new small block 8's would probably do well there. that is if its dry. the wet stuff there can get tricky. otherwise it's not to bad.

 

[Mike B.]

I know last year Small Blocks were not the tire to run. The course was mostly dry but there were enough wet spots to pack the SB into a useless mess. Mary McConneloug won her race on Karmas and Sauser/Killeen came in 1-2 on Fast Trak LKs. All were standard tires setup tubeless - Mary at about 19-20psi Christoph & Liam at 26-29psi. Don't know if they've changed the course much but I wouldn't expect them to really.

 

[stiksandstones]

Thanks fellas, good info

 

[speedy stin]

nevegal

 

[SuspectDevice]

The kenda small block 8's don't work well in Moisture up here. Depending on what brands of tires you can get for free here are my reccomendations.

1. Kenda- Karma 2.2/2.0

2. Maxxis- Highroller/highroller typeR

3. Michelin- XCR AT OR Dry2 (the dry2 will be fine in all but the wettest stuff)

4. Specialized fastrak

5. Hutchinso Mosquito(spider), Python or Pirrana

I have raced XC at Mt Snow since 1994. The only time the course changed it was minimal, and it was due to them building a halfpipe. You have never really needed a full on mud tire there because when it is wet, it tends to be very wet, never had any real problems with packing. A low knob tire works the best there, as it clears more, gets a better contact patch on the rocks/roots, and tends to have a higher air volume. Not to mention even on the wettest years, you spend a solid 60-70% of your time climbing on surfaced trails and fire roads.

 

[TreeSaw]

I'll second (or third) the Kenda Karma and add the UST Kharisma. I just ran them this weekend and really liked them....low rolling resistance with good traction

 

[auntesther]

not much to add on tires ( I have always used Pythons at Mt Snow and never had any problems or concerns)

But regarding course info, try email gfisher@mtsnow.com ( name is Greg goes by Fish). He is the marketing and event director at Mt Snow and a good guy. He can probably shed some light on course info for you