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July 2014 East Coast DH tour

headed out july 5-11 (or 12) with some buds in an RV for an East Coast tour. hitting up: Burke, Killington, Bromont, MSA, Highland. Any of you Monkeys gonna be up in those parts for some weekday riding? I'm pretty pumped about riding Bromont and MSA.

I think save Burke, all the other resorts listed should have lifts spinnin' weekdays by July.

Pointers, off mountain points of interests appreciated. any good nudie bars between montreal and quebec?:D
 

canadmos

Cake Tease
May 29, 2011
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Bromont brew pub...do it.

I think the actual name is Le Brouemont Microbrasserie. You might not even need to visit the rippers after that...
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
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May 23, 2002
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If you go to Burke, try not to neglect the rest of the kingdom trails. There are a couple of notable examples that are worth a shuttle, in particular burnham down. Kind of bridgey at the start but turns into a beautiful example of trail building toward the end. And it puts you out close to town.

Tilton is shockingly devoid of good eats and post ride beers, but concord isn't bad and a little further down in manch-Vegas there's a little BBQ joint that's pure gold and right off rt 3, which is a faster way to the pike. You can always eat on the hill at highland, which is nice, but their food is just passable, not great. Beer is cold though.

I dunno what my status will be at that time, so I can't really offer to meet.
 

dump

Turbo Monkey
Oct 12, 2001
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burke mtn question...

anyone know how much vert does the sherburne express lift serve? the website says there are only 3 dh trails? we are considering skipping burke and going to whiteface.
less than half the mountain... 800ft I'd guess. Most runs are in the 3min range. If you're looking for full-on lift-accessed dh, you'll probably be disappointed by burke. It's great with a trail bike. There are roughly 5 trails you can access with the lift: jester, knightslayer, connecter to the lower half of lower jbar, enchanted forest, rolly grail.
 

Sandwich

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I agree on Burke. Those trails are a great break from kingdom trails, but not worth only going to DH on them. Mt snow supposedly has been doing DH trails, and whiteface is definitely worth the trip if you've never been. It's brutal up top but nice and flowy in the middle and bottom, and a single run will take you ~15 minutes. I think 8 runs is a very good day there. I didn't like Killington, too enduro for me, not DH enough. That was several years ago, so it may be better now. I'd rather ride attitash or jiminy than Killington, in my experience.
 

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
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Ottawa, Canada
I know Bromont is already on your destination list, but if you're contemplating Whiteface for a day or two, I'd also plan on Bromont for an extra day or two. Better toughen your hands up though, both those places will lay a severe beating on your hands...
 

canadmos

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May 29, 2011
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Excuse me for cutting in here, but I had never heard of White Face before reading this thread.

Friends and I usually go to Bromont for weekend trips, but it looks like White Face is a tad shorter drive. Are the trails worth skipping a Bromont trip for? Always open to new experiences.....but Bromont is so good. Then again, the drive to Bromont is r-tard boring. Coming from Toronto, for what its worth.

Any super cheap places to stay around there? Or will they kick you out if they find you taking a nap in a car?
 
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Sandwich

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May 23, 2002
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Whiteface is different...maybe not better, but it depends on your perspective. Bromont has a large variety of trails, some are brutal and some aren't, and some are "flow" ish trails, and some are straight DH ballers.

Whiteface is just natural DH. They've put some effort into berms in recent years (since I've been last) but it's still great natural fun. It's not terribly steep, in my opinion, but it can be super fast in certain sections. You won't get much variety at whiteface, but the length of trails is double anything that you've ridden before.

It's worth a shot, for sure, but Bromont is more well-rounded.

You can get cheap lodging on www.downhillmike.com, Lake placid has some cheap off-season options, but it's pretty "white people ski town" so you may have to head 15 minutes away into redneck country to sleep in the back of your VW.
 
You can get cheap lodging on www.downhillmike.com, Lake placid has some cheap off-season options, but it's pretty "white people ski town" so you may have to head 15 minutes away into redneck country to sleep in the back of your VW.
there's a KOA campground that has primitive campsites, RV hookups, and cabins very close to whiteface that's pretty inexpensive.



Better toughen your hands up though, both those places will lay a severe beating on your hands
riding gnarly trails on the dirtbike has helped with this alot!

thus far, the working itinerary is: killington, whiteface, bromont, plattekill. with the option to cut plattekill and ride 2 days at bromont if it's good.
 
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canadmos

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May 29, 2011
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I'm not wearing any panties :D

I might have ridden Bromont more in the rain than in the dry and its still good. Sketchbag central on the rocks under the main lift, though...
 
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I live in WA State & have ridden at most of the Bike Parks in the Western-States & Western Canada. I'm planning a big EastCoast-US road trip this summer. There's loads of great info. & details about the bike parks in the Eastern States and throughout the world at WorldBikeParks

It's a good reference with all the trails (%green-vs.-blue-vs.-black), vertical, video, pics, reviews, Q&A etc...

Hope that helps,
Cheers!
 

Huck Banzai

Turbo Monkey
May 8, 2005
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Whatever you do, skipping Plattekill shouldn't be an option; especially if you find someone who really knows their way around - there are more 'forgotten' trails than most mountains have total...
 

Sandwich

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May 23, 2002
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thus far, the working itinerary is: killington, whiteface, bromont, plattekill. with the option to cut plattekill and ride 2 days at bromont if it's good.
Is highland out? I used to not be a big fan of the place, but they keep adding trails that actually cater to all skill levels and it just keeps getting better and better. Little in the way of natural DH, but lots in the way of jumps berms and braking bumps.

I would have a very, very hard time putting killington above Plattekill, Whiteface, Highland, or a second day at Bromont. That's like making a bacon double cheeseburger and topping it with quinoa. As far as ranking, Bromont, Plattekill, Highland, Whiteface.............Killington, for me. Bromont brings the variety, Plattekill brings a great vibe and terrain, Highland brings the best built trails in America, Whiteface has the longest trails in America. Killington has...a fast lift.

Plattekill is an interesting place to ride, probably my favorite within 5 hours from Boston. It's probably not the best in terms of terrain nor accouterments, but it's got a vibe that's super natural, and you can sit in the parking lot and toss back a few before the next chair, and there's rarely if ever a line. You do need a chaperone though, as some great trails are very hidden, and the signage is ****. It's the kind of stuff that's just fun to ride, and it's surprisingly not as brutal as you would think.
 

daisycutter

Turbo Monkey
Apr 8, 2006
1,651
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New York City
Plattekill is an interesting place to ride, probably my favorite within 5 hours from Boston. It's probably not the best in terms of terrain nor accouterments, but it's got a vibe that's super natural, and you can sit in the parking lot and toss back a few before the next chair, and there's rarely if ever a line. You do need a chaperone though, as some great trails are very hidden, and the signage is ****. It's the kind of stuff that's just fun to ride, and it's surprisingly not as brutal as you would think.[/QUOTE]

Platty has great terrain? Last week Platty staff where talking about putting up trail signage. I nearly fainted.
 
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MSA Rider

Chimp
Jun 26, 2014
10
1
You should go to MSA on July 7th and Bromont on July 8th because MSA is closed every Tuesday and Wednesday.
I'm a local DH rider at MSA.
It would also be a good thing if you can hit Bromont the weekends because on weekdays only one side of the mountain is open (there is some good flow and jump trails on the other side).
 

wiscodh

Monkey
Jun 21, 2007
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Getting close. Our proposed (but we will be flexible) itinerary:

July 5 travel day
July 6 whiteface
July 7 bromont
july 8 MSA
July 9 Killington
July 10 MCBP/drive home

hope to meet and ride with some of you monkeys!
why killy? few better places to spend your day in the area.... highland
 
You should go to MSA on July 7th and Bromont on July 8th because MSA is closed every Tuesday and Wednesday.
I'm a local DH rider at MSA.
It would also be a good thing if you can hit Bromont the weekends because on weekdays only one side of the mountain is open (there is some good flow and jump trails on the other side).
Thanks for the heads up, we are adjusting our itinerary accordingly.
 
Ive ridden all the places you listed except MSA. MSA rider can clarify but im pretty sure its only has a couple of trails.
By all means i would cut Kilington out and try to do 2 days at Bromont and yes be sure to ride bot sides.
Plattekill is great and yes you need a ride guide local whatever to not miss stuff.
Highland is a small hill yet lately has come on real strong.
Whiteface is big but ive never been that impressed with it.

Have fun
 

jnooth

Monkey
Sep 19, 2008
384
1
Vermont Country
Ive ridden all the places you listed except MSA. MSA rider can clarify but im pretty sure its only has a couple of trails.
By all means i would cut Kilington out and try to do 2 days at Bromont and yes be sure to ride bot sides.
Plattekill is great and yes you need a ride guide local whatever to not miss stuff.
Highland is a small hill yet lately has come on real strong.
Whiteface is big but ive never been that impressed with it.

Have fun
MSA is worth the day for sure, been there a few times and always had a blast. some of the most techy trails ive ever seen. killington is good if you know where to go. If you end up there message me and ill try and show you around but i would have to agree that 2 days at bromont might be more fun.
 
and then?
Trip Recap...

Saturday--driving day. we stopped in a lakeside RV campground in Chazy, NY, about 10-15miles south of the border. curiously, all the boats docked up were gigundo and canadian.

Sunday--easy morning drive to Bromont, about 2hrs. That part of canada is wierd, flat as hell and then a big mountain shoots up. As we were driving up to Bromont, I noted how frickin' steep that front face looked. There's a water park at the base area so it kinda reminded me of MCBP. Park staff and lifties were nice. The bike shop looked well stocked and organized. The RM Flatlines rentals looked sharp. Easy loading bike trays like Snowshoe/Highland, but there was no attendant at the top, you had to basically jump off the chair and run over to the bike to unload yourself. Both sides of the park was serviced by high speed detachable chairlifts so this was a big plus was we just lapped it out all day.

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Bromont terrain is fun and was probably my favorite of the trip. you had flowy berms and jump trails but they retained or worked in alot of the natural terrain/rocks/roots to make it not feel ultra machine made. the fall-line black diamond runs were gnarly and quite steep in spots. my favorite was trails 59 (La Traverse), 7 (BingBang), and 19 (Bonzai). All the cars there were riders from quebec, I didn't see one 'Merican out. Also, everyone had season passes. Only us 3 yanks had the blue day pass wristbands.

Monday -- drove 1hr from our RV campground just outside quebec to MSA. Weather was dicey that day. foggy and misting to light drizzle for most of the day. MSA is apparently more known for their extensive XC trail network. They only have a handful of trails, but man, were they steep, technical, and slippery rooty/rocky that day. Coupe du Monde and offshoots were closed for repairs/prep for upcoming World Cup which was kinda a bummer. My favorite was La Tordue. Their black diamond runs were damn difficult, prob one of the most difficult trails I've ever rode in the wet. I don't think I had one clean run down Tiktak or L'inuk. The gondola ride up was pretty cool going thru the fog and seeing the WC course below. You really appreciate just how steep it is and how the Pro must be carrying insano speed thru the sections that we could see. Because of the crappy weather, we were basically the only people that day. 4-5 cars of downhillers showed up after lunchtime.

0707141007a.jpg

TBC...
 
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Tuesday -- crossed border Monday and drove to Whiteface Tuesday morning. Having been to Whiteface before, much was the same rough/rutted upper trails, but the trails lower down were more manicured/buffed. Steep and raw. It was a test after 3 days of straight riding. The vertical there is an asset, the runs down were long and satisfying. The gondola ride up is fast, but they need to have a more efficient way of loading bikes instead of shoving 2 bikes and 2 riders into one gondola. We had a great meal and brews at Lake Placid Brewery afterwards.

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Wednesday -- drove to Killington in the morning. Sunny day initially and really windy. The bike/rental shop there is pretty impressive. The fleet is top notch with 7-8 Scott Gamblers. The trails there, were underwhelming, as I had high expectations, given the vertical. That being said, the best trails like 30,31,33 were closed so maybe my impression after riding there would have been more favorable. There was a lot of uphill and flat traverses/sections of supposedly black diamond dh runs. I think killington would have been more fun on a 150-160mm AM bike.

Thursday -- MCBP was a nice way to wrap up our trip. I consider it my "home" mountain. I think it's one of the top bike parks on the east coast easy. That girl cashier in the bike shop is smokin'!

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Sandwich

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good deal, glad you had fun. Echoes my sentiments on killington to a T. I can't figure out how a mountain with so much elevation has such little drop in their trails. I think trail 31 was the only one I had any enjoyment on. It was either brutally steep, right down the face, or so gradual you could ride a 29er on it. somewhere down near the bottom of the mountain they found a smooth flowing, singletrack trail in the woods that left a memory. everywhere else was forgettable.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
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I truly hope that happens. If killington invested what highland has...i mean come on. The dedication/funding combined with the vert...sheesh. It's only a little further than highland is from boston.

That video was pretty cool. IIRC the section right around that drop is one of my favorites. Very fast and in the woods. The drop is a bit unnatural but not turrble. I haven't been to whiteface in years...hmmm