Does anyone know what Plattekill mountain in New York is like for a beginner. would a newbe be better off going to Plattekill or Diablo Freeride Park in Vernon NJ.
Plattekill mountain
- Thread starter mtnbiker7
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I would think a beginner would be better off going to Diablo in Vernon. Plattekill is an incredible place to ride, but it's VERY steep, the shale moves and the trails are quite difficult. At Diablo, they have trails for all ability levels and it isn't as steep.
the trail network is a little more inviting for beginners at Diablo. Plattekill is more raw and hard core. the trails are pretty much a "choose your own path" up there. if you head up to platty i would strongly suggest grouping up with some locals so they can show you around.
I haven't been to either, but have friends who ride them. From everything I've heard, Mountain Creek can be quite challenging and frustrating for a beginner.
Diablow.
Both have their ups and downs. I took a 'beginner" dh'er to Platty (and who had ridden Diablo the week before). last weekend. Here is what he essentially said -
*Diablo has better marked trails than Platty, but the # of trails for beginners was somewhat limited - he ended up riding the same trails over and over. This might not be a bad thing, though for some people.
*Plattekill is a much more technical place to ride and the trails constantly intersect and are not marked so well, but if you get to know the trails there, you have a wider variey of beginner/intermediate trails to ride, so there is the potential for more diversity. He felt that the loose shale and steepness of Platty made it potentially more techy to ride. Again though, look before you leap. If you do that, you'll avoid rolling off a 10' drop OR down some crazy chute. If both lifts are running, it opens up more beginner/intermediate trails.
Here's my $.02.
Platty is technical mostly do to the moving shale everywhere. It's a great place to improve skill but wouldn't be the first place I'd DH.
Diablo is more inviting to the beginner, but as mentioned before the beginner options are limited. You'll have one or two different options down the mountain. Fun, but not very expansive.
If you want to get the first flavor of lift accessed biking, I may suggest either Killington or Jiminy. Neither are terribly steep or technical, in fact you can do Killington with a good trail bike. I'd send a first timer to Jiminy to get the feel of what it's like.
Platty is technical mostly do to the moving shale everywhere. It's a great place to improve skill but wouldn't be the first place I'd DH.
Diablo is more inviting to the beginner, but as mentioned before the beginner options are limited. You'll have one or two different options down the mountain. Fun, but not very expansive.
If you want to get the first flavor of lift accessed biking, I may suggest either Killington or Jiminy. Neither are terribly steep or technical, in fact you can do Killington with a good trail bike. I'd send a first timer to Jiminy to get the feel of what it's like.
Actually, I totally agree with you - both Jiminy and Killington would be great places to start. The regular/non-race course trails at Mt. Snow aren't bad either, except to the uphill parts of the downhill trails....
Good call on Mount Snow, I completely forget about that one. I only know the sport DH course and the Super D course though, I've never been there for fun before. How about that..
Hunter also has some great beginner/intermediate trails that seem endless at times
Wow, I didn't even know Huntah did mountain biking. The things you find out about your own backyard through the intraweb.
what has more beginner trails Diablo or Hunter ,what are the names of those trails and what is more mellow Diablo or Hunter.
Don't know the name of the beginner trails at Diablo but they are marked blue. All the tougher trails have black trail markers.
What are the beginner trails at Hunter like, how high are the drops, do the stunts have go arounds, how wide are the skinnies. Would I be o.kwith a stock Scott Voltage 2 and a ff helmet, knee/shin pads, and elbow/forearm pads.What days is Hunter the least crowded.
ahha. hunter is only open on weekends. its never even close to crowed, its mellow. very. dont worry. theres very little dh. but what is there is fast or slow what ever you like. youll be fine