Silver Mountain, ID DH Races 2007
- Thread starter Uruk-hai
- Start date
How does that place compare to Sun valley or Sandpoint ??????
trails are pretty fun except that there's a super long fire road section that kills your hands/fingers (steep and rocky) and you have to ride for like 5-10 minutes back to the gondola after each run. top to bottom is about 15-17 minutes at race pace, so its long. the top section is pretty fun, mostly tables and berms, although they are constantly building new features (north shore and jumps). further down it goes into a pretty fun woods section for a while, then the long fire road section and into some more wooded singletrack that is more super-d than downhill until the bottom. i've never been to sunpeaks or sandpoint, but its at least worth checking out.
i think the races and the riding all around would be more fun i they ran one of the lifts from the top so you could just ride the top section instead of making the long journey each time. the dh jam using the top lift was really fun, although the lift ran at about a mile an hour because the lift people ripped someone's deraillur off when it was going faster.
i think the races and the riding all around would be more fun i they ran one of the lifts from the top so you could just ride the top section instead of making the long journey each time. the dh jam using the top lift was really fun, although the lift ran at about a mile an hour because the lift people ripped someone's deraillur off when it was going faster.
I really hope silver gets their act together this year. it would be cool to have an idaho resort that is good.
I hear tamarack is the place to be.
Kyle,
I hear tamarack is the place to be.
Kyle,
How much of it is uphill? DO I have to Pedal? I race "DOWNHILL" not race uphill and pedal.
Theres 2 places in Idaho racing that day, and about 4 hours worth of driving difference.
Silver builds for mountain bikers. Joey Klein helped lay out the master plan, as compared to Schweitzer who allows bikes only on services roads and the old NORBA courses.
I met a guy the other day at the Farragut bike fest who said Schweitzer has a new general manager that actually considers mountain bikers a viable user group, unlike the up til now management. So maybe we'll see some biker oriented improvements up there.
Can't speak for SV, I've only ridden backcountry there.
gg
There is no uphill, just a flat section at the bottom to get back to the gondola. It's not that bad. As said above, the top section is jumpy, bermy, and flowy. Pretty fun. The remaining 2/3's is fast double track with sections winding through the woods. Long way to drive, whether it's worth it is personal opinion. I think it is.
there is a slight uphill mid way through the course, right before the woods.
You mean before the last section of woods on the lower part? The uphill that is on the fireroad? It isn't that long....momentum takes you past most of it and then a couple of cranks and you're back in the woods going down.
That uphill can be longer if you continue on the road and then drop into the woods farther down but it isn't mandatory.
That uphill can be longer if you continue on the road and then drop into the woods farther down but it isn't mandatory.
so is the uphill during the race? Or is it after you raced and on your way back to the ride? The race takes you 15 minutes? Or is that round trip? Wheres the info about the race? I need to deceide between Kellogg and Pocatello. Ones 5 and 1/2 hours away the other 10 hrs.
The uphill that Downhillracer speaks of is in the race. Again, it is short and momentum can take you through most of it. It isn't steep but it does slow you down. It is pedalable on a dh bike, again, depending on how much momentum you carry with you. It isn't like it would be an uphill on a xc course with switchbacks or anything like that. And it is short.
The race roughly takes 15 minutes, give or take a couple of minutes for the fast guys to slow guys (like me!) The race ends at the bottom and does not include the 5-10 minute paved bike trail back to the gondola. In my opinion, the course is as fast as you want to go, very flowy, mostly soil but with some loose rock sections. There are no extreme techy sections, no drops, just flowy goodness.
I would compare it to the White Knuckle at Port Angeles, just longer.
The race roughly takes 15 minutes, give or take a couple of minutes for the fast guys to slow guys (like me!) The race ends at the bottom and does not include the 5-10 minute paved bike trail back to the gondola. In my opinion, the course is as fast as you want to go, very flowy, mostly soil but with some loose rock sections. There are no extreme techy sections, no drops, just flowy goodness.
I would compare it to the White Knuckle at Port Angeles, just longer.
There is a small section as you drop into the "Spooky Woods" - -a tight, treed section about 2/3 of the way down the long super-D course - - that flattens out and even has a slight rise. I'd say it's less than 50 yards long. You're basically transitioning off one ridge, out on a knoll before the course starts dropping off the side of the next ridge.
If you are afraid of a short section of pedalling, then ya, you better keep driving to Pocatello
If you are afraid of a short section of pedalling, then ya, you better keep driving to Pocatello
Uphill, schmuphill. Momentum and a couple pedal strokes, it's all over with.
For sheer driving-to-enjoyment factor, I'd go Silver. I raced there a couple years ago when they held the first Enduro DH (the 15 minute one...) and it was an absolute blast. A small branch (prolly 6 in. long) got stuck in my rear caliper (gustav at the time) about halfway down. I stopped prolly 45 seconds after I hit it. Put my bike down and the damn thing caught fire. I used less brake the rest of the weekend. The only downside is the extrodinarily long gondola ride back up. But it is worth it. No worse than the Fitz-Garbonzo combo @ Whistler.
I just wanted to make sure its not like the pedaling at Bridal Trail at MT HOOD Skibowl.
Is there a place to camp?
Is there a place to camp?
I think there is a KOA campground about 5 miles before Kellogg. Can't remember the name of the town.
There are hotels in Kellogg, too, one right at the base underneath the Gondola.
And they might allow camping in the parking lot, but you would have to call Silver Mtn. on that one.
There are hotels in Kellogg, too, one right at the base underneath the Gondola.
And they might allow camping in the parking lot, but you would have to call Silver Mtn. on that one.
So who wants to race at Silver on the 27th? Lets start the carpool.
I'd be down...BUT I'll be in Whistler that entire weekend destroying myself....mostly punishing my liver...it's been bad...very, very bad...
<---The only one whos not going to Whistler. I'll be racing SOMEWHERE.