[dwnwrd]

Any recent news, solid or otherwise, about N* opening this year?

Is it freaking June yet? :mumble: I think about N* every morning when I'm riding to work.

mmm icons... :love:

 

[matt12]

I haven't heard anything. I heard a *rumor* a while back that Northstar was going to have a Slopestyle comp, but that was the last I heard of that idea. Other than that, not much news. I've also heard they are going to build a new trail called Nomad or something.

I'm hoping to get some more information on this too, even though I already have a season pass.

 

[captainpolution]

haha they have no place to build a slopestyle course


uh, there was a thread a while back about this new road gap double thing i guess

 

[matt12]

haha they have no place to build a slopestyle course


uh, there was a thread a while back about this new road gap double thing i guess

They have places to build a slopestyle course. I don't know if you've been to the same Northstar I've been to. How about Village Run? How about the area to the right of where the halfpipe goes when you are looking up the mountain? They have plenty of room.

Yeah, there was that thread on the road gap they built.

 

[Tattooo]

N* is never real solid with anything until the season gets going.

Besides, isn't it still covered in an ever increasing glacier these days?

 

[TheMontashu]

N* is never real solid with anything until the season gets going.

Besides, isn't it still covered in an ever increasing glacier these days?

N* isn't solid even once the season has started.

 

[Tattooo]

What, like last season when they cut things 2 weeks short? Nothing like honoring season pass comittments. I know they gave everyone who got screwed a cheap pass this year, but none the less...

They need to hire Hacksaw to come up, do the build on the trails, the watering set up and the maintence schedule. That place turns into dust midseason with all the heavy handed visitors. It could be killer, but they don't seem to be all that dedicated to it.

If the city of Reno had 1/2 a brain among the entire parks and rec department they would use Sky Tavern over the summer to compete with and beat N*. $10 tickets, season passes for labor, it would be a great investment.

But, as it stands, we just stand and jerk our bottom bracket splines until they get it going again at the beloved *...

 

[chicodude]

If the city of Reno had 1/2 a brain among the entire parks and rec department they would use Sky Tavern over the summer to compete with and beat N*. $10 tickets, season passes for labor, it would be a great investment.

Yea, The city of reno will never do it though...

 

[Tattooo]

Mostly because the city council and the parks and rec department collectively have the vision of Ray Charles when it comes to future uses of the resources of that area.

They'd rather approve really cool things like developments over trials and limiting the scope of constructive easements allowing free access to the mountains.

It pisses me off as to how much they have pissed away a really nice area in six years.

 

[kidwoo]

Interesting.......

I was lucky enough to get on a chairlift at alpine two weeks ago with northstar's marketing/mountain manager. Of course the first thing I asked him was if he was involved with the bike park. Yes.

He said there were no plans whatsoever to do anything new this year as far as trail construction since they STILL haven't finished their little village project. He did say some of the lower trails would be closed all summer due to road access for the construction trucks.

There are at least a few new jumps though. They had the piles up after closing last fall. "hawgs" will be a little more interesting.

 

[OGRipper]

I have looked up the hill at that halfpipe many times and said it would be fun to go to town on that slope...the existing trails don't have room for slopestyle but to say there is no room on the mountain is silly, there is tons of room on the open slopes up there...

 

[amydalayna]

He said there were no plans whatsoever to do anything new this year as far as trail construction since they STILL haven't finished their little village project. He did say some of the lower trails would be closed all summer due to road access for the construction trucks.

my husband is part of the team that designed the village project, so you think he would be able to get info on what is going on with biking. nope. your info seems to be more than anything anyone wants to tell him.

 

[kidwoo]

my husband is part of the team that designed the village project, so you think he would be able to get info on what is going on with biking. nope. your info seems to be more than anything anyone wants to tell him.

As expected, this guy reiterated that the winter was still SOOO much more of a priority. But we knew that already

I brought up some of the mountains in BC canadia and he went through the ususal fear of litigation BS keeping them from really investing in building good terrain. As if northstar on a three day weekend in the winter is a safe place to be.:redhot:
He claimed that if they ever got sued, that would destroy their budget.

So I asked him if they'd ever been sued over winter accidents: of course. I then asked him if they'd ever been sued over a biking accident: never as far as he knew.

Sounds like fund allocation per season is the culprit more than anything.

I can't help but feel like I want to be in this sport 10 years later than now when people get over this stigma. Like having 50 foot tables and handrails 8 feet off the ground is safer to someone as a winter activity than cutting some bike trails.

 

[amydalayna]

As a whole I just don't like the direction n* is going in the way it prioritizes the condo owners over anyone else.

All the day parking close to the resort is going to go away. They are putting shuttle lots in near the gas station and are going to shuttle day use people in from there. What kind of mountain experience is that? The only people who can 'conveniently' walk to the mountain are the ones who can afford to buy there.

I wonder if the disinterest in the summer market is n*'s doing, or Booth Creek's?

 

[OGRipper]

Like having 50 foot tables and handrails 8 feet off the ground is safer to someone as a winter activity than cutting some bike trails.

That dude was either applying an ignorant double standard or just not being truthful.

 

[kidwoo]

That dude was either applying an ignorant double standard or just not being truthful.

Terrain parks made of snow generate more money than terrain parks made of dirt and wood. Just a simple fact. It's harder to say no when so many other mountains in the country provide competition in that if you don't build winter terrain....someone else will be happy to do so and take your tourism dollars. The viability of that concept in summer/bike terms just isn't real enough to a lot of mountain managers. You'd think in northern california which has one of the highest density of mountainbikers in the country it would be so difficult to drive home the potential market. At least mammoth got of their asses a little bit last year and built some new trails.

We all know that whistler still makes buttloads of money in the summer because they provide what is still a very unique experience. The momentum just hasn't gathered yet.

Hell I remember back when I was snowboarding in high school we had to steal handrails and take the to the mountain for contests.

 

[Tattooo]

Woo is right about the whole progression thing. I too remember those days when a terrain park was, well, terrain given by the mountain. Anyone remember the roots of jibbing?

The reality is beginning to set in that maybe, god forbid, should I ever have kids, that perhaps they will enjoy the benefits of the work done today.

Then again, they'll more then likely just want to have dirt bikes and big trucks...

I wish the idea I gave to the City of Reno would have worked. They own Sky Tavern, it just sits dormant over the winter and is a tax hole, but yet they don't want to use it. Lack of vision, I tell you what.

 

[OGRipper]

Terrain parks made of snow generate more money than terrain parks made of dirt and wood. Just a simple fact. It's harder to say no when so many other mountains in the country provide competition in that if you don't build winter terrain....someone else will be happy to do so and take your tourism dollars. The viability of that concept in summer/bike terms just isn't real enough to a lot of mountain managers. You'd think in northern california which has one of the highest density of mountainbikers in the country it would be so difficult to drive home the potential market. At least mammoth got of their asses a little bit last year and built some new trails.

We all know that whistler still makes buttloads of money in the summer because they provide what is still a very unique experience. The momentum just hasn't gathered yet.

Hell I remember back when I was snowboarding in high school we had to steal handrails and take the to the mountain for contests.

I definitely agree with all of that and am very aware of the financial reality, I was just saying that dude was not being straight up, which sucks. Not that I would expect anything less. Ahh well, it makes sense that they want to focus on the Village - clearly they stand to make more dough in all seasons if there are more places to spend your money when you come off the mountain. (Resorts often charge their tenants a percentage of revenue as part of the rent.)

 

[sanjuro]

my husband is part of the team that designed the village project, so you think he would be able to get info on what is going on with biking. nope. your info seems to be more than anything anyone wants to tell him.

I thought the construction foreman calls Mr. Amydalayna a college-boy fairy. You wonder why he doesn't get any inside info...

 

[amydalayna]

I thought the construction foreman calls Mr. Amydalayna a college-boy fairy. You wonder why he doesn't get any inside info...

i guess that could be it.
when ben got his choice of cast colors, he steered clear of the pink. he thought that would be just asking for more "you're such a homo" comments.

but it just seems weird that no one there has any interest or desire to share information on what's going in the summer. I guess I'm not going to start thinking about it until I'm done playing in the snow.

on another note... i also think it's weird that n* put in this new village and didn't put in snow melt. it looks like crap. the last time we were there we were checking out the ice skating rink, etc... but there is slushy snow all over the place. why would you install all these high end pavers, but cheap out on heating it. dumb dumbs.

 

[kidwoo]

but it just seems weird that no one there has any interest or desire to share information on what's going in the summer.

I honestly do beleive they don't give one iota of thought to it until the snow melts.

 

[sanjuro]

I definitely agree with all of that and am very aware of the financial reality, I was just saying that dude was not being straight up, which sucks. Not that I would expect anything less. Ahh well, it makes sense that they want to focus on the Village - clearly they stand to make more dough in all seasons if there are more places to spend your money when you come off the mountain. (Resorts often charge their tenants a percentage of revenue as part of the rent.)

Whistler was a visionary, no BS. They recognized the DH/FR market before there was a market, and now people from as far as Europe and Asia travel there.

N* can keep building those condos and hope their 18-34 year old customers who ride, snow or dirt, will switch over to golf in 10 years and want a place next to the golf course. Or they could cater to bikers now.

Put it this way: does any golfer volunteer to dig holes?

 

[amydalayna]

I honestly do beleive they don't give one iota of thought to it until the snow melts.

even then.... i'm not sure they think about it when summer comes.

one other thing that is interesting about n* in the summer vs. n* in the winter is the quality of first aid they have. i've hurt myself at a resort in the winter. ski patrol was awesome. knew what to do and took care of things all speedy-like.
this past summer a friend smashed his his face/head at the end of boondocks. ended up needing 13 stitches. it looked pretty bad (as faces have a tendency to bleed).

first aid gave us a band aid.

 

[kidwoo]

Put it this way: does any golfer volunteer to dig holes?

I've seen golfers building mad pirate 4 pars out here. Totally stealth........you have to know someone to show you the first green or you'll never find it.

They're really pushing the progression of the sport. You wouldn't believe some of the creativity I've seen in the "new school" putting greens popping up out here in the woods.

 

[matt12]

So, does anyone think there is anyway to get Northstar to open their eyes to DH/FR biking? How would we go about doing it?

How about other resorts like Alpine and stuff? Alpine seems like they might do it since they haven't evolved into the big village and all that, but I have no clue to everything involved in putting a big bike park together.

I guess Northstar can do it since they own the land or something? I dunno, can't remember what was said....

We have to figure out a way to make them realize that DH/FR is a big dollar, or atleast a dollar market.

 

[sanjuro]

I've seen golfers building mad pirate 4 pars out here. Totally stealth........you have to know someone to show you the first green or you'll never find it.

They're really pushing the progression of the sport. You wouldn't believe some of the creativity I've seen in the "new school" putting greens popping up out here in the woods.

I think they should knock down those illegal golf courses. If anyone has a problem, find me a golf course in Southern California and I will bet $5000....

 

[amydalayna]

n* owning their land is a huge factor.

and i don't see that biking will be big enough dollar for n* to get excited over. winter brings in way more money. not just lift tickets, but food, lessons, rentals, etc...
a bunch of boozer dh'ers sitting back at their trucks drinking beer isn't going to bring them the money they want.
they much prefer the bay area ski moms shopping for winter jackets and drinking hot toddies

 

[sanjuro]

Seriously, I heard a rumor (from the Amydalayas) about a Nevada ski mountain opening summer lifts. Without mentioning any names, can anyone confirm?

 

[amydalayna]

I think they should knock down those illegal golf courses. If anyone has a problem, find me a golf course in Southern California and I will bet $5000....

those illegal courses don't last long. too many bay area people read about them on some forums and then tell all their friends. soon USFS catches wind and comes out and chops down a billion trees.

you should see what those course do to lake clarity.

 

[sanjuro]

n* owning their land is a huge factor.

and i don't see that biking will be big enough dollar for n* to get excited over. winter brings in way more money. not just lift tickets, but food, lessons, rentals, etc...
a bunch of boozer dh'ers sitting back at their trucks drinking beer isn't going to bring them the money they want.
they much prefer the bay area ski moms shopping for winter jackets and drinking hot toddies

Obviously, winter will always take priority over summer activities. I bet even Whistler spends more Nov-Apr.

But it should not be either/or for biking vs snow sports. Investing in the trails is the way it should be seen, not catering to bunch of boozy blue collar jerks.

 

[sanjuro]

those illegal courses don't last long. too many bay area people read about them on some forums and then tell all their friends. soon USFS catches wind and comes out and chops down a billion trees.

you should see what those course do to lake clarity.

btw, that is a mrclean joke...

 

[matt12]

n* owning their land is a huge factor.

and i don't see that biking will be big enough dollar for n* to get excited over. winter brings in way more money. not just lift tickets, but food, lessons, rentals, etc...
a bunch of boozer dh'ers sitting back at their trucks drinking beer isn't going to bring them the money they want.
they much prefer the bay area ski moms shopping for winter jackets and drinking hot toddies

But, biking brings in a huge amount of money to Whistler. I can't remember the exact figures, but I know its a lot, even compared to winter.

I think that mountain biking would do well at N* if they gave it a chance. I mean c'mon, they had a little fridge in the bike shop last year with crappy sandwiches, drinks, and candy. They would make more money if they atleast had someplace to sit down and eat rather than sitting on the stairs. The fact that we had to go around construction, bring our bikes up flights of stairs, get yelled at, etc isn't exactly enticing people either.

I doubt that summer will ever be bigger than winter for northstar, but they could make a lot of money in the summer if they cut a new trail every year, maintained the ones they have, and had a place to sit and eat. I don't think thats too much to ask.

I also don't think that DH'ers are a bunch of boozers for the most part. Who doesn't do that once in a while? But we aren't poor for the most part. A lot of us who frequent Northstar ride $5,000+ bikes, or atleast in the thousands.

 

[amydalayna]

ok. maybe we're not ALL boozers. but for the most part, i'm not the crowd that resorts are looking for (summer/winter). I get a season pass and spend no money at a resort. the younger, local crowd tends to do that. i'm not going to buy a sandwich at n* even if they sold them. nor will i buy a beer if i have them waiting in a cooler back at the truck. I spend money on my bike (though none of my bikes are $5k+), but i'm not willing to buy a overpriced snacks.

i do agree, it is lame that they didn't have ANYWHERE to get snacks last year. Made me want to set up a hot dog cart or something.

As for the construction, it's still there this winter. Due to the cold/snow, major construction has to stop around October 15th. So, come summer they really need to pick up pace if they want to get stuff done.

 

[matt12]

ok. maybe we're not ALL boozers. but for the most part, i'm not the crowd that resorts are looking for (summer/winter). I get a season pass and spend no money at a resort. the younger, local crowd tends to do that. i'm not going to buy a sandwich at n* even if they sold them. nor will i buy a beer if i have them waiting in a cooler back at the truck.

I wouldn't either, and my bike didn't cost 5K, but point being we ride expensive bikes and aren't completely ghetto. I am kind of cheap at resorts too, I never buy anything unless it is absolutely necessary (or my parents give me money) but there are a lot of MTB people who are willing to drop big $$ for a good experience.

I remember I saw a couple old guys there, one on an Uzzi VPX with a Fox 36 and another on some other really nice bike, I rode down and they put their bikes on the rack of their Cadillac Escalade with TV's inside. I'm just saying that there are a lot of rich people in MTB, and there are a lot who work really hard to be able to ride, but there is definitely money in the sport.

 

[sanjuro]

On the flip side, it is not the Mercedes crowd which popularized Whistler, but their presence is proof that ski-lift mtn biking is a money maker.

 

[matt12]

On the flip side, it is not the Mercedes crowd which popularized Whistler, but their presence is proof that ski-lift mtn biking is a money maker.

Exactly.

 

[captainpolution]

They have places to build a slopestyle course. I don't know if you've been to the same Northstar I've been to. How about Village Run? How about the area to the right of where the halfpipe goes when you are looking up the mountain? They have plenty of room.

Yeah, there was that thread on the road gap they built.

yea they have tons of room sure, but think about this. all of their good trails and jumps are in the trees. they rarely make new trails, and when they do make trails it takes them forever cause the people there suck.

i cant see them even thinking about making tons of slopestyle stuff on the actual ski runs. they had a wall ride up 2 years ago byt teh half pipe, nobody rode that, it sucked.

anyways, yea, i know the northstar you are talking about, ive been there probably more times than you and your friends combined.

it will be amazing if they actualy let a slopestyle course/comp go down because it would really be anti-northstar to do it because of their past, like trail wise and stuff

PS sticks and stones will always be god

 

[kidwoo]

Oh yeah......well I've ridden there more 'n all yall chumps.

And I'd gladly pay top dollar for a full bar right at the bottom of vista.......like in that big ass building right there by the gondola........

Plus they need chicks dancing on tables lettin me take body shots, and club lights.....just cuz the sun come up don't mean I'm done partyin...........wooooooooo!!!!!!*


*all of this just as likely as northstar giving a damn about bikes


Hey $5000 says my body armor stinks more than all yall little hucky duck kids.......


Hey matt12: Just so you know. You're engaging in a topic of discussion that's at least 8 years old.

 

[matt12]

Hey matt12: Just so you know. You're engaging in a topic of discussion that's at least 8 years old.

I am well aware of that fact.

To the guy who said hes been there more than me and all my friends combined, I doubt it.... But who knows. I don't really care enough to argue about that over the internet.

 

[matt12]

they rarely make new trails, and when they do make trails it takes them forever cause the people there suck.

i cant see them even thinking about making tons of slopestyle stuff on the actual ski runs. they had a wall ride up 2 years ago byt teh half pipe, nobody rode that, it sucked.

it will be amazing if they actualy let a slopestyle course/comp go down because it would really be anti-northstar to do it because of their past, like trail wise and stuff

PS sticks and stones will always be god

The people don't suck. Its just tough for the builders to be able to do stuff since its hard to get permission for them to do stuff. They want to build stuff, they just aren't allowed to.

I can't really see them making stuff either, but we shall see. I heard it from a guy who told me that Hacksaw told him and then left it at that.

Anyway, lets just hope they don't close. Its a fun place to ride in the summer and a nice place to ride. It could use some improvements, but its good that we have a place.