I had heard the lifts would be opening for bikes on July 3rd just wanting to make sure before Driving up there. Is it still the same trail it used back 5 years ago or have they added more?
Is Sugar Mtn running lifts July 3rd for bikes?
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don't know if they're running the lift but the trail changed drastically for the 2007 national.
http://www.skisugar.com/liftrides/
I finally found it on the web site and it says they will be running. Going to try and make it out there.
I finally found it on the web site and it says they will be running. Going to try and make it out there.
You might try to call them to make sure they are allowing bikes on the lift before you go.
On the contrary, I believe the trail has gotten better over the years, with the exception of a little extra roughness in the section under the lift, but its not that big of a deal. Still love it and am always down to ride it.
On the contrary, I believe the trail has gotten better over the years, with the exception of a little extra roughness in the section under the lift, but its not that big of a deal. Still love it and am always down to ride it.
What's the deal with Sugar? On their website it only talks about scenic lift rides. Is it just 1 trail? what do they charge? still a little new to all this....
22$ all day ride. There is a dh and super D.Both super fun. Don't expect a fast lift ride. It takes around 20 minutes to get to the top because of the non bike riders. I will be there friday evening and maybe sunday evening.Hope to see you there.
Right on! Friday it is!.......my Sunday is in 1000 pieces.....but if the stars align, who knows.
thanks for the info- can't make it this weekend but I'll try to get up there soon.
the creek gap at the bottom has been filled in fyi.
lame. I guess enough people have missed that illusive "gap" sign. haha
Yep. Went yesterday and nothing new exept they filled in the creek gap (like that was needed). Sugar does not really cater to bikes but it was fun for the day. The line under the lifts was in bad (rutted out) shape but the rest of the 2 trails were OK. I hope Beech has success and opens the lifts to riders soon because the south really needs a good lift access park near my house.. HA.
Lets bust out the freelap timer and you can put your money where your mouth is on your six incher...
Thanks for your input...bashing on trails you didn't help build and weren't invited to ride.
If you knew anything about trailbuilding you'd know that sugar once looked like beech and hawksnest...loamy and soft and not-too-tech. It takes TIME and traffic for a track to get rough like sugar.
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You fail on sssooooooo many levels. These guys are busting ass (for free) to improve the SE racing scene and all you can do is talk sh1t.
Fortunately it doesn't matter what YOU think - if you don't like it, go and build your own trails or try to work with Sugar management to put on your own race and see how far you get.
EDIT: Hawksnest peeps - don't think that ANYONE else feels this way. We are all very appreciative of your efforts. I especially like the way that this race is geared towards having fun and nothing else.
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goes to.................
Im not sure they were bashing the trail. Thing could have been said a different way. I think he was trying to express that Sugar is a longer truer downhill trail. From what everyone has heard, Hawksnest is around a 1:30 run. Hawksnest should be fun though. I am interested to see where DH goes in the coming years in NC. It would have been cool to have 3 races at the three venues though.
Yeah it really would be cool to have a race at each venue. The track at sugar is a lot of fun as always. The reason the hawksnest track sounds short is because it was built with no pedaling in mind. We definitely could have made it longer, but we just decided that we wanted a fully pinned, no-pedaling track for this one.
Agreed...didn't mean to get on his case so hard but we're understandably defensive of our hard work.
btw...1:30 is turbo pinned. Chris Herndon's fastest time was 1:37. Most people will have a hard time breaking 2:30...no pedalling...all business. Beech and sugar both have loooooong grass/road sections.
When is the Hawksnest Race? Stoked about all the stuff going on up here and want to help support all events. Thanks to all that have been trail building at Beech and Hawksnest.
We are lucky to even be at a stage that allows to compare them. I hope all 3 will open the lifts up for MTN biking & I am glad that there are people working on this because if they make this work then there will be plenty of trails to choose from..
Any mtn bike event in our area is a step in the right direction and we should be thankful for all the hard work that goes into them. There is a whole lot more to putting a race on than digging and making a few jumps. Like moto said it takes time for a track to wear in like sugar. Liability is a huge issue for landowners and resort managers. Managers and landowners need to see that they can make a safe profit from mtn biking so we need to support all the hard work that is currently going into mtn biking in our area. Any negative comments regarding track length etc is a step in the wrong direction. These tracks are already sick and will only get better with time. But we won't be able to enjoy them unless we stay off of them except for the scheduled dates.
On that note you guys know why there are currently no races at sugar? Maybe because windows were busted out of the lodge,people tried to make fake tickets and race plates, medical equipment was stolen from our top patrol building(and someone managed to defecate in the corner of the top patrol building...guess who cleaned that up?...), and flags were stolen from the top of the lodge. I hope that racers have cleaned up there act this year because we don't have a very good image from a manager's point of view.
Thanks to all the hard work you guys are doing, 99% appreciate your effort, especially us locals
On that note you guys know why there are currently no races at sugar? Maybe because windows were busted out of the lodge,people tried to make fake tickets and race plates, medical equipment was stolen from our top patrol building(and someone managed to defecate in the corner of the top patrol building...guess who cleaned that up?...), and flags were stolen from the top of the lodge. I hope that racers have cleaned up there act this year because we don't have a very good image from a manager's point of view.
Thanks to all the hard work you guys are doing, 99% appreciate your effort, especially us locals
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August 22-23. Thanks for your interest in the race. This year is a big one for downhill racing and I hope its just the beginning of good things to come. Now all we need is an Air DH at App Ski Mtn and we're set...
Wow, that's an ugly image. I'll bet all that crap was done by "friends" of racers. Seems to be a theme. Guys will bring up their retarded drinking buddies. They find other activities since they aren't racing. I cought a group of such pricks setting up a little rock sabotage at race 2 at Shoe last year. So, if you have friends who are known to tp bathrooms at the bar, slice tires, or steal stuff in the name of fun....don't bring them to a dh race.
Yeah, thanks guys for all the trail building and progress the SE has made towards Real DH trails this year!
I don't see how this guy says Hawks isn't a real DH trail? But, I guess we could
go back to having all courses like catawba, and other trails we've had in the past. Then Clemson would be the best dh around!
At least guys are trying to utilize real mountains! Hawks is just a different flavor of Ice cream- which I might think taste better than Sugar or Beech.
The length will prob. not seem that short with all that is going on there.
It's all opinionated but, In my opinion I am thankful to have a few diff. flavors to ride and not some BS like in the past you could ride with a hardtail.
If you need a 6 inch at Hawks I would say that qualifies it to be alot closer
to a real dh trail than most we've raced in the SE over the past 10 years.
I don't see how this guy says Hawks isn't a real DH trail? But, I guess we could
go back to having all courses like catawba, and other trails we've had in the past. Then Clemson would be the best dh around!
At least guys are trying to utilize real mountains! Hawks is just a different flavor of Ice cream- which I might think taste better than Sugar or Beech.
The length will prob. not seem that short with all that is going on there.
It's all opinionated but, In my opinion I am thankful to have a few diff. flavors to ride and not some BS like in the past you could ride with a hardtail.
If you need a 6 inch at Hawks I would say that qualifies it to be alot closer
to a real dh trail than most we've raced in the SE over the past 10 years.
Not to bash at all, but...
I think sugar is a bit of a catch22. I know many riders who are hesitant to make a day trip there due to the scenic lift catering and the general trail disrepair. And I would suspect that this lack of interest, in turn, is what keeps the resort from putting money into the program. Sugar is a great trail, and it's a shame to see the potential go by the wayside. If the lift issue was sorted out and a few shovels hit the trails, ridership would increase tenfold
The vandalism is suprising and definately unnacceptable, especially coming from the DH crowd, but I know a handful of snowboarders who aren't exactly saints.
I think sugar is a bit of a catch22. I know many riders who are hesitant to make a day trip there due to the scenic lift catering and the general trail disrepair. And I would suspect that this lack of interest, in turn, is what keeps the resort from putting money into the program. Sugar is a great trail, and it's a shame to see the potential go by the wayside. If the lift issue was sorted out and a few shovels hit the trails, ridership would increase tenfold
The vandalism is suprising and definately unnacceptable, especially coming from the DH crowd, but I know a handful of snowboarders who aren't exactly saints.
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Wow! Didn't know all that stuff went down, I just figured Norba stole the last bit of love you guys had for DH racing? I must say mountain bikers are usually much more respectful of something they should hold so dear!Any mtn bike event in our area is a step in the right direction and we should be thankful for all the hard work that goes into them. There is a whole lot more to putting a race on than digging and making a few jumps. Like moto said it takes time for a track to wear in like sugar. Liability is a huge issue for landowners and resort managers. Managers and landowners need to see that they can make a safe profit from mtn biking so we need to support all the hard work that is currently going into mtn biking in our area. Any negative comments regarding track length etc is a step in the wrong direction. These tracks are already sick and will only get better with time. But we won't be able to enjoy them unless we stay off of them except for the scheduled dates.
On that note you guys know why there are currently no races at sugar? Maybe because windows were busted out of the lodge,people tried to make fake tickets and race plates, medical equipment was stolen from our top patrol building(and someone managed to defecate in the corner of the top patrol building...guess who cleaned that up?...), and flags were stolen from the top of the lodge. I hope that racers have cleaned up there act this year because we don't have a very good image from a manager's point of view.
Thanks to all the hard work you guys are doing, 99% appreciate your effort, especially us locals
Stupid acts like that are not how to show thanks for the hardwork put-into
making that race happen. I put in many hard hours building the slalom there
for that event and hate to hear about punks destroying our future.
And for that matter destroying our reputation as responsible adults!
Most guys I race with would pick up someone else's litter to sustain good relations with race venues etc. and the last thing they would do is bring on bad Karma by destroying property etc. - like OB1 says most of the time it is other guests doing the damage.
Would love to see Sugar hold another race event! It is prob. the best course I have raced around the country in the past few years!
I think holding an event (non-norba) in the right time of year and set up right would have a much better turn out than the last National - which
Norba scheduled during the rainiest season for Sugar, and ontop of 2 other Major race events that same weekend.
I would like to see Sugar join in with the other races going on in that area for next year, Please????????
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I know many many people that would love to see the Showdown at Sugar return as one of the most fun races around. Those races were the bomb.
Blame it on the conglomeration of a few hundred drunk college kids from around the country who didn't care anything about what happened to sugar mtn last fall at nationals. it got way out of hand.
Blame it on the conglomeration of a few hundred drunk college kids from around the country who didn't care anything about what happened to sugar mtn last fall at nationals. it got way out of hand.
Exactly...we were trying to do something completely new and different. We wanted to mix assets of jumpy flow trails found at bike parks and classic north carolina rocks and roots. You can get down on a hardtail, but don't plan on winning. To do it in less than two minutes feels like 4 minutes because you've just hit about 15 major berms, big flat grass turns, super slick roots, and a handful of jumps and speed by the time you hit the bottom. Why bash on one trail or another? Shouldn't we all be stoked that Banner Elk now has a DH track on each of the THREE ski mountains that surround it?
Paris Mountain was a sub-2 minute track, but I sure as hell wouldn't have raced it on my slalom bike.
On another note...I've been romping/scouting around the woods a lot lately at hawksnest. Have no fear...the gnar is here.
Yeah, that's why I like DH and Slalom so much! I have raced for 20 something years and may compare tracks but, they are all good in their own way.
And that is the good part, when you've ridden as long as I have you have to do different types of riding to keep it interesting enough
to keep riding in some form or fashion after years of the same thing. I like BMX but,
it gets stale to me because they all have
3-4 straights riddled with jumps and then some big banked turns, in essence they are all alike.
It's much cooler to roll up to a mtb event and not know what to expect and have to learn that course, so when something like the Dirty comes along which seems to incorporate alot of diff. elements other than natural DH it just gets me exited to ride something a little different. Looks like you guys have it dialed to me!
And that is the good part, when you've ridden as long as I have you have to do different types of riding to keep it interesting enough
to keep riding in some form or fashion after years of the same thing. I like BMX but,
it gets stale to me because they all have
3-4 straights riddled with jumps and then some big banked turns, in essence they are all alike.
It's much cooler to roll up to a mtb event and not know what to expect and have to learn that course, so when something like the Dirty comes along which seems to incorporate alot of diff. elements other than natural DH it just gets me exited to ride something a little different. Looks like you guys have it dialed to me!
OHhhhh, that race.... I thought the destruction all went down at the Nats.
that explains alot! Kids whose parents foot the bill for college get a weekend
away at a resort to go nuts! I wasn't as productive a member of society at
that age myself. Maybe being part of mtbiking will have the positive effect
it has had on so many in that way.... (considering and respecting other peoples
property and that things cost money to which others have worked hard for)
You know all that stuff you learn when you pay your own way! I'm sure it's like always though, a few ruin it for the rest. There are certainly kids in college that pay their own way, and who know how to party responsibly and still have fun without F'ing it up for everyone else.
Now all we need is an Air DH at App Ski Mtn and we're set...
That would be awesome! Every time I was out busting my ass trying to snowboard there I was looking at those booters thinking how sweet they would be to launch on a bike!
Are they gonn run lifts this sunday 7/12?
Sugar will offer lifts until Sept 4th.
Surprisingly the trail at sugar is running well right now, with noticeable work done. I had the opportunity to get 4 runs in on Saturday. The track is running fast!
if it helps make another race at sugar possible i'll offer up my "expertise" to regulate the punks
Collegiate Natty Champs definitely has a reputation that is true. Banner Elk got raged 2 years in a row, the local law enforcement had no clue what to do with van after van of college students rolling up to rage. There were probably 200 in the gravel lot at midnight this past year, naked people drunk and racing in a circle on bikes and one sugar mtn police car pulled up and everyone just scattered, mass chaos...everyone jumping in cars driving away, running away, riding bikes away trying to clear out of the parkinglot with only one exit and making new ones by going up the waking path in cars getting stuck, etc. Pretty hilarious.
I was thinking about taking a trip up to Sugar but have never been there before. I have a specialized big hit and a rocky mountain slayer with dhx air and freeride fork. Which would be the better bike to carry? I've heard Sugar is big bike only, but I though I could get more riding in on the shorter travel bike.
I have raced it on both a 5" bike and a big bike... I like the big bike better tho.
go with the big bike if you are riding the lift