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question for New England Monkeys...

dan-o

Turbo Monkey
Jun 30, 2004
6,499
2,805
Highland (new hampshire) is about 3hrs north of Newport.
Sunday river (maine) is about 4.5 hrs
Bromont (canada) is about 6.5 hrs.

All rent quality bikes and are worthy of a visit.
My choices in order would be Bromont, SR, Highland.

There is also Mtn Creek in new jersey but I'm not a fan of the place.
Probably 3-4hrs depending on traffic.

Nothing in RI proper.
 

jnooth

Monkey
Sep 19, 2008
384
1
Vermont Country
agreed. bromont may be far but its worth every extra mile. highland is your next best bet. probably the closest as well. Killington and sugarbush in vermont are also options. It really all depends on what you want to do. If you wand jumps and berms, go to Highland. If you want some of the best tech riding around with a little mix of jumps and berms go to bromont. If you want some raw DH go to killington.

but yeah 3 hours is probably as close as you will find
 

Huck Banzai

Turbo Monkey
May 8, 2005
2,523
23
Transitory
agreed. bromont may be far but its worth every extra mile. highland is your next best bet. probably the closest as well. Killington and sugarbush in vermont are also options. It really all depends on what you want to do. If you wand jumps and berms, go to Highland. If you want some of the best tech riding around with a little mix of jumps and berms go to bromont. If you want some raw DH go to killington.

but yeah 3 hours is probably as close as you will find

Raw DH Killington?

Wow.

Bromont, MSA, Plattekill, even MCBP get raw DH, Killington not so much.

Raw freeride, hope you've got good cardio - maaaybe.


No one says Jiminy or Attitash, but Killy sneaks in? eww..

[/hate]
 

downhill mike

Turbo Monkey
Mar 23, 2005
1,286
4
Newport, RI to the Whiteface Mountain Bike Park is 5 hrs 54 mins / 330.11 miles.
Not that bad for 30 minute dh runs of raw downhill!
Bike n Stays (lift pass, breakfast and a nice room) start at only $59.00 per night!
 
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Jun 20, 2007
349
9
Lots of quality suggestions here. Highland is awesome. Given the distane to RI and the fun of Highland, that gets my vote. Quality rentals too.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,920
borcester rhymes
Highland three hours, jiminy 3.5. Highland has great rentals, jiminy does not. Highland is worth going to if you haven't been. Great jumps n berms, but lacking natural DH. Jiminy is all natural, flowy DH and relatively beginner friendly. Its cheaper and open from 12-6, I think.
 

k8piranha

Chimp
Nov 30, 2010
30
0
Your best bet for a day trip from RI would be Highland. It's mostly groomed/bermy/jumpy but there is some raw gnar stuff too on Threshold, Maiden Voyage, Eastern Hemlock... They've also got a big air bag thing you can practice hucking into... and a foam pit as well... awesome dirt jumps and really nice rental bikes. Plus, since they seem to come up with a new trail almost every month they'll probably have even more variety by the time you get there next summer.
 

SuspectDevice

Turbo Monkey
Aug 23, 2002
4,157
359
Roanoke, VA
Highland is waaay more beginner friendly than Jiminy, especially right now since Jiminy is a big dust bowl.

I was there yesterday, the mountain is running the best it has in years. Stoked!
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,920
borcester rhymes
Highland is waaay more beginner friendly than Jiminy, especially right now since Jiminy is a big dust bowl.

I was there yesterday, the mountain is running the best it has in years. Stoked!
yeah, highland has some great beginner trails. just not a lot of natural DH junk, but I suppose in reality a beginner doesn't want shale and roots.

were you at jiminy or highland? I hate that jiminy takes so long to open, been dying to get out there.
 

SuspectDevice

Turbo Monkey
Aug 23, 2002
4,157
359
Roanoke, VA
were you at jiminy or highland? I hate that jiminy takes so long to open, been dying to get out there.
Jiminy. Darrel did a lot of trail work this season and if it wasn't for recovery and re-works ongoing from some of the mountaincoaster/windmill etc. construction and severe weather the mountain would have more high-quality terrain than ever right now. Blown out trails have been closed and re-routed. It was getting bony out there, for sure.
I brought an entry-level friend to Jiminy this weekend and he quickly fried his breaks with the combination of steepness and glassy moondust covering everything.

FWIW, Mt. Snow is having an offical "re-opening" this upcoming weekend. They are trying SO hard in West Dover right now- 3 new surfaced beginner/intermediate trails this year and a new "introduction to slopestyle" trail off the top of the lift that's opening this weekend. The Jamis demo trailer will be there too and we all know it's fun to break other peoples bikes. I have plenty of fun trying to spin out my 38t ring on the new groomed-out stuff, so I'm cool with trying to build ridership organically, because I still have plenty of kicks.

It's great to see them working on rebuilding their mtb program from the ground up. If we are going to increase rider days at all of these mountains and keep them in the game, we need higher numbers every weekend at every mountain and that means building more trails that are ridable by almost anyone, but still fun for you and me.
 

Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,920
borcester rhymes
FWIW, Mt. Snow is having an offical "re-opening" this upcoming weekend. They are trying SO hard in West Dover right now- 3 new surfaced beginner/intermediate trails this year and a new "introduction to slopestyle" trail off the top of the lift that's opening this weekend. The Jamis demo trailer will be there too and we all know it's fun to break other peoples bikes. I have plenty of fun trying to spin out my 38t ring on the new groomed-out stuff, so I'm cool with trying to build ridership organically, because I still have plenty of kicks.
good to hear. Last year the freeriding was kind of dismal, and I didn't see anything marked when I tried to do a post race fun run. All I hear is how fun mt snow USED to be, so I'm hoping they can reclaim that magic.

As for Jiminy, the windmill side CAN be pretty beginner friendly, but the opposite is death to your braking fingers. Still some of my favorite trails to ride.
 

SuspectDevice

Turbo Monkey
Aug 23, 2002
4,157
359
Roanoke, VA
Mt. Snow, honestly, has never been all that fun to ride DH bikes at. It just held the second biggest race in the hemisphere after Mammoth.

It's always been great for trail/xc riding though.
 
Thanks lads.

so far Jiminy sounds like the best option if I bring the big rig, Highland if not going by the rental situation.

would it be worth bringing the trail (probably Nukeproof Mega) bike and earn my turns closer? (get away for a few spins as opposed to just one days riding)
 
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Sandwich

Pig my fish!
Staff member
May 23, 2002
21,031
5,920
borcester rhymes
I personally am not a HUGE fan of the riding around Boston. I haven't poked around too much on the south shore except for Arcadia, which I really didn't enjoy. I've managed to find a few really good areas but I think for just a little further in the car, you'd be at highland or jiminy coming from RI.

Also, I'm not the biggest fan of highland because I like "gnar" rather than berms and jumps. If you like berms and jumps/slopestyle/bike "parks", you cannot miss highland. I just think it takes some of the "piss and vinegar" out of DH riding to berm every single turn on the mountain. I also get bored of having one or two trails that match my skill level but are really freaking burnt out. If you're a higher skilled rider and enjoy/can clear everything on the mountain, then you'll be happy, as the more difficult trails are less populated and have less braking bumps. At highland, my first choice wouldn't be a DH rig, but rather a 6" bike. Most of the trails are not steep so the quick acceleration of a smaller bike works well, and they do a good job with landings and such that 9" of travel isn't ever used. The only time you really really need suspension is for the braking bumps and trail washout in between the perfectly manicured berms.

Jiminy on the other hand is virtually the complete opposite. really steep and almost totally natural. no "built" trails, though there has been a renewed effort to keep the trails in top shape. the lift is super fast and there's never a line as you'll probably be one of three people on the mountain. It's not really well marked but with a map you can find your way around, if you like exploring. The nearest shop is quite some distance away, so you have to be prepared for that.

So yeah, two opposite ends of the spectrum, but I don't want my "anti-bmxtb"-ness to steer you away from something that almost everybody besides me seems to enjoy.
 

epic

Turbo Monkey
Sep 15, 2008
1,041
21
FWIW, Mt. Snow is having an offical "re-opening" this upcoming weekend. They are trying SO hard in West Dover right now- 3 new surfaced beginner/intermediate trails this year and a new "introduction to slopestyle" trail off the top of the lift that's opening this weekend. The Jamis demo trailer will be there too and we all know it's fun to break other peoples bikes. I have plenty of fun trying to spin out my 38t ring on the new groomed-out stuff, so I'm cool with trying to build ridership organically, because I still have plenty of kicks.
That's good to hear. This spring I did a PSIA event at Mt Snow. On one lift ride I was telling the examiner who worked at Mt SNow exactly how much I thought his mtn sucked for riding and what they should do to fix it (forget everything you "know" and start over again). Near the end of the conversation I found out that he runs the bike park there. It's good to hear that they are at least making an attempt to not suck. Maybe me and the 'ol M9 will give Highland a miss on Saturday and come ride Mt Snow for the first time in this century.
 

SuspectDevice

Turbo Monkey
Aug 23, 2002
4,157
359
Roanoke, VA
The coolest thing about Mt. Snow so far the last few times I've gone up there is that most of the people in the parking lot have never ridden anywhere else or haven't ridden mtb's in 18 years and have pulled out vintage death traps in poor working order.
 

epic

Turbo Monkey
Sep 15, 2008
1,041
21
To the OP - I don't know what riding in Ireland is like, but I'm going to guess that it does not include bike park. I'm sure Gnar is on the menu in Ireland. So I'd say just go to Highland and enjoy the bike park and take a vacation from gnar. If you are not used to bike park riding, it might take a little while to get used to that style of riding anyway.
 
Jun 20, 2007
349
9
Thanks lads.

so far Jiminy sounds like the best option if I bring the big rig, Highland if not going by the rental situation.

would it be worth bringing the trail (probably Nukeproof Mega) bike and earn my turns closer? (get away for a few spins as opposed to just one days riding)
If you want to earn it, consider the legendary Lynn Woods in Lynn, MA. About 10 minutes north of Boston, this area has some of the best riding in New England. If you do this, try to hook up with some of us locals for a guided tour.
 
To the OP - I don't know what riding in Ireland is like, but I'm going to guess that it does not include bike park. I'm sure Gnar is on the menu in Ireland. So I'd say just go to Highland and enjoy the bike park and take a vacation from gnar. If you are not used to bike park riding, it might take a little while to get used to that style of riding anyway.
the riding here is Generally wet muddy techy trails something like...


that said I have lived in Whistler so know park riding and how much fun it is.
 

Polandspring88

Superman
Mar 31, 2004
3,066
7
Broomfield, CO
If you want to earn it, consider the legendary Lynn Woods in Lynn, MA. About 10 minutes north of Boston, this area has some of the best riding in New England. If you do this, try to hook up with some of us locals for a guided tour.
:stupid: Lynn is a whole lotta fun for sure.

For XC Harold Parker is fun as is Willowdale. Vietnam in Milford won't be too far away for you so there is always that if you want a mix of riding. Hook up with a local for sure for all those mentioned to find the best trails, stuff around here isn't marked very well.
 

downhill mike

Turbo Monkey
Mar 23, 2005
1,286
4
To the OP - I don't know what riding in Ireland is like, but I'm going to guess that it does not include bike park. I'm sure Gnar is on the menu in Ireland. So I'd say just go to Highland and enjoy the bike park and take a vacation from gnar. If you are not used to bike park riding, it might take a little while to get used to that style of riding anyway.
Vacation from the gnar? My vacations try to include the gnar.
 

Lelandjt

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2008
2,508
822
Breckenridge, CO/Lahaina,HI
Don't bother with DH. Go to a bike shop in RI to get a rental and info on local trails. There's lots of good riding on the RI/CT boarder. If it's late summer hope for hurricane waves and rwnt a surfboard. I moved from that area to CO for lift accessed riding. Being a DHer from souther New England just means lots of driving in traffic.