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Southern California bike park?

hecktone

hecktone

Monkey
Feb 16, 2004
311
0
Santa Barbara
So we're all ready on this in Northern Santa Barbara County. It's called the Stump Grinder Dirt Club. While we're not calling it a park, it is pretty much going to be just that. We may even some day install a recycled tow rope from a ski hill, if we can find one. Please read the earlier post below that I pasted here and follow the provided links to get all the info. We would love to get the likes of Eric Carter involved with what we're doing. If any of the SoCal's want to come help please contact me, my info is below. Today, the 1st of March, we have a group of volunteers that are building a ladder bridge on Downhill Course #4. Eventually we'll have 4 different short but really fun DH runs that can be shuttled all day long without a hiker in site! We'll be here tomorrow as well.

It’s was an awesome day out at the Stump Grinder Dirt Club outside of Los Olivos (directions http://www.ridesb.com/syvclassic_mapdirections.htm) yesterday. This weekend is going to be just as nice and there are no races! What a perfect time to come help build a private mountain bike riding area! This is the site of the second largest mountain bike race west of the Rocky Mountains, the Santa Ynez Valley Classic presented by Platinum Performance the weekend of May 15th – 18th http://www.ridesb.com/syvclassic.htm, and we’re again the second stop on the National Mountain Bike Series (NMBS). Online registration is open now at https://www.sportsbaseonline.com/Item.aspx?id=2070. This is our local race that just happens to have become an important race internationally as well since the pros will be vying for very important UCI points for the first time! Remember that while we at SG Productions organize and promote this event, we do so because this area deserves a mountain bike race of this caliber and because YOU deserve a race of this caliber, THIS IS YOUR RACE! Please volunteer to help on the weekend of the race we really need you. To volunteer please email both me hecktone1@cox.net and Drew Hunter at watair1@earthlink.net.

Perhaps you have heard that the Stump Grinder DC (SGDC) is going to become an exclusive, private, membership driven riding area or club starting June 1st. The rumors are true! (http://www.ridesb.com/sgdc_activities.htm) To this end we are out there almost every weekend building sustainable trails, designed by mountain bikers, for mountain bikers. These trails will be of all varieties, DH (4 Runs by ‘09!), 20 miles of XC, our NEMA International Dual Slalom Course is built and ride able right now! We have plans to add a pump track as well as several North Shore type ladder rides and features. To join the club and to read about all the benefits of membership go here http://www.ridesb.com/sgdc_activities.htm & here http://www.ridesb.com/images/formsmaps/sgdc_app.pdf.

This is pretty exciting stuff, a 100% private “club” that mountain bikers can go to and ride in peace, without conflict with any other trail user groups, and no bells needed! The SGDC has even received coverage in national mtb publications and has the ear of the bicycle industry. There will be skeptics, but we already have sold our first few memberships so this is going to work. Don’t worry if you’re not a member you can still visit by paying a “gate fee” of course if you join you get clothing, event discounts, free camping, discounts at bike shop sponsors and many other perks.

So if you want to see what we’re doing and check the place out, or if you just want to help, please come out this Saturday and Sunday March 1st and 2nd and help us build the new DH course for the National and work on the new XC addition. Work for only a few hours then you’re free to ride the courses and have a good time. There will be BBQ Hotdogs and refreshments as well being served at 12 noon both days. The gate opens at 7:30 AM we hope to be heading off to the work zones by 8:15. Please bring a flat head shovel or other digging tools, water, sunscreen, etc., etc.

After this weekend the next build weekend is Easter Weekend March 21, 22 & 23. If anyone wants to have a three day camp out, building in the mornings and riding in the afternoon, just let me know.

Hope to see you at the SGDC this weekend or in the future!

Thanks,

Mike Hecker – Owner
Stump Grinder Productions
(805) 896-0673
Hecktone1@cox.net
 
R

RANOACLAN

Chimp
Feb 27, 2008
3
0
Sounds promising out there at Vail. Just wanted to stop in and give my support to your efforts! Whatever I can do to help please let me know. The SoCal Scene could sure use a good shot adrenaline.
By the way I agree with Stickman about the petition. I think that would be a great way to show support and keep the attention on the bike park.
I went ahead and created a forum specific for the thoughts and ideas of all the bikers. Please check it out and join in and post. The more activity we present the better for the park!
www.socalendurance.com
www.dhatvaillakeresort.blogspot.com

Thanks again EC,
Jason Ranoa
"12 Hours Of Temecula "
 
B

BC VAN

Monkey
May 4, 2005
624
0
RANOACLAN said:
Sounds promising out there at Vail. Just wanted to stop in and give my support to your efforts! Whatever I can do to help please let me know. The SoCal Scene could sure use a good shot adrenaline.
By the way I agree with Stickman about the petition. I think that would be a great way to show support and keep the attention on the bike park.
I went ahead and created a forum specific for the thoughts and ideas of all the bikers. Please check it out and join in and post. The more activity we present the better for the park!
www.socalendurance.com
www.dhatvaillakeresort.blogspot.com

Thanks again EC,
Jason Ranoa
"12 Hours Of Temecula "
Click to expand...
It was good to talk with you the other day out there, i can't take all the credit for this thing getting off the ground...there are a host of people, including yourself that have created the MTB atmosphere that is currently out there....
as i said to you the Owner wants everything that is currently running out there to continue and for this new gravity venture to co exist with all that is going on......i think He likes the idea of me heading it up due to my position in the industry and knowledge of trails?

i agree with both you and Stik, the petition deal is great but like i said before....He is now convinced that there is interest, and excited about the potential......if this thing gets off the ground i would do something more for gathering a mailing list to send opening day info to

who knows?...in the end it is the owner who has to make it happen.
 
Bullit21

Bullit21

Monkey
May 14, 2003
198
0
Socal
EC,

I have a strong finance background and would be happy to help with any data gathering or financial modeling/presentations that will allow the owner to get more comfortable with the income prospects of the park. I sent you a PM.

-Josh
 
cheetaprowlerDH

cheetaprowlerDH

Turbo Monkey
May 24, 2006
1,001
0
surviving the hell of the living deceased... VIST
wow, i just actually realized where exactly Vail Lake is... i though it was a bit north of temecula!
tell you the truth, this weekend, i was scoping all of that area out from atop Rainbow Heights!!! awesome potential out there! good LONG DH if the work is really done!!!

if it all works out, i'd be more than excited to help build and design trails or whatever! i live pretty close...
 
PatBranch

PatBranch

Turbo Monkey
Sep 24, 2004
10,451
9
wine country
I was just looking at it on google earth. The hills gradually rise, so like he^ said we could have some long runs.

Is it the first/500' hill the wide plataeu like one to the left of the driveway, driving in? That looks like a good starting place.
 
soulrider77

soulrider77

Chimp
Mar 12, 2008
6
0
RSM
This would be great. I know at least 10-20 people that would be stoked on this place.I am sure there would be a lot of people to help build if they needed.
 
B

BC VAN

Monkey
May 4, 2005
624
0
update: we have one "traditional type"DH run Burned in but will need a bit of tune up to be ready for it to be bike park worthy....I've been running a skid steer the last 3 days and have 4 more days left....We will have 2 More runs finished by May 1st, one of which will be more of a jump DH line....the overall plan will call for 8 to 12 runs, a dirt jump/pump track area and all of the existing XC network....sorry but i have no true time line on this complete build out or opening day....but I'm 99% sure it's going to happen!

we did runs today and aside from the dry conditions of building without water the course had fun flow and everyone seemed to like it.

i have actually advised the owner not to open until fall when we get some rain so we don't erode the hill side but he wants to do everything he can to get it open sooner then that.

I'm going to put together a few pics of the park and stuff we are working on to bring to the Sea Otter ....you can check it out at my clothing company's booth...the name is Division 26, we were lucky enough to get positioned by the Bathrooms and food court so stop by and check it out.
 
S

SoCalDHer4

Chimp
Apr 10, 2008
2
0
EC,

Is there anyway you can post pics up on here? By the way this would be the best thing that could happen to me.
 
B

BC VAN

Monkey
May 4, 2005
624
0
TKCastle said:
Can you say alternate site for SRC races. That will be bad ass.
Click to expand...
i actually would like to have my own series of events that are non conflicting with what Donnie and his SRC crew are doing,

SRC owns the winter stuff so Possibly a fall series?

It actually has been a dream of mine for a long time to do a race series and festivals.

Fontana is a fun series and it has done a bunch to keep our sport moving in so cal.
 
Zark

Zark

Hey little girl, do you want some candy?
Oct 18, 2001
6,254
7
Reno 911
Fiending so bad. That place looks great, this is gonna be so good for So-Cal DH. EC, Thank you!
 
cheetaprowlerDH

cheetaprowlerDH

Turbo Monkey
May 24, 2006
1,001
0
surviving the hell of the living deceased... VIST
holy crap!!! i had no idea that it would be done so quick!!!
:drool::drool::drool::drool:
EC i view you and your crew as So.Cal's(San Diego:biggrin:) DH saviors!!! awesome job jumping at the oppourtunity, i'm in awe:biggrin:

i think my grandparents will be seeing more of me in the latter half of the year and into the future! considering that they live like right there:banana:
 
-BB-

-BB-

I broke all the rules, but somehow still became mo
Sep 6, 2001
4,254
28
Livin it up in the O.C.
stiksandstones said:
Lame analogy and a weird dig on the business I own. Your analogy would mean I raise prices at my store, HIGHER than other stores are charging to attract a more douchier customer. Would not work and sounds absolutely insane. We have never charged more than MSRP on our goods. If I want a higher end customer, I provide higher customer service and amenities-we tried it and it works, no need to raise our prices, thats called gouging.

Go ahead and do not do a petition, an organized list of real names couldn't possibly help.
Click to expand...
I'm not sure what "dig" you were referring to. I didn't see one, but then again, I dont even know what your "business" is. All I know is that you were a Wrench and were/are married to Leigh.

As far as his analogy, have you ever heard of a store called Nordstroms? They do exactly what he is talking about, and do it quite sucessfully. I've been a Marketing professional for almost 12 years and that is one (of many) proven strategies.
:cheers:


Oh, and if this thing happens, I'll be out there at least 10x a year.
My in-laws live in Falbrook, which I assume is only about a half hour or so from Vail lake.
 
stiksandstones

stiksandstones

Turbo Monkey
May 21, 2002
5,078
25
Orange, Ca
-BB- said:
I'm not sure what "dig" you were referring to. I didn't see one, but then again, I dont even know what your "business" is. All I know is that you were a Wrench and were/are married to Leigh.

As far as his analogy, have you ever heard of a store called Nordstroms? They do exactly what he is talking about, and do it quite sucessfully. I've been a Marketing professional for almost 12 years and that is one (of many) proven strategies.
:cheers:


Oh, and if this thing happens, I'll be out there at least 10x a year.
My in-laws live in Falbrook, which I assume is only about a half hour or so from Vail lake.
Click to expand...
Holy old thread....

To clarify, I was road manager/mechanic for mongoose, manager for intense team and developed 2 intense tires while there, team manager for GT. Been with my wife Leigh since 1993.

I pray to baby jesus that you are kidding when asked if I have heard of Nordstroms-as they are the store we modelled our store after. And they have never sold anything with an unnecessary markup. At most they go to a designer and have them make a nordstrom only line of products that can only be bought at nordstrom, usually with a different name.

Do not even try to get in an e-battle with me about nordstroms or designer clothing-you will lose.

Kind of stupid to bring this point of all the points back up in this thread, but you did it, so I responded.


At any rate, I hope everyone heard EC's interview about this place, it answered a lot of questions-kudos to Eric.
 
hecktone

hecktone

Monkey
Feb 16, 2004
311
0
Santa Barbara
-BB- said:
I'm not sure what "dig" you were referring to. I didn't see one, but then again, I dont even know what your "business" is. All I know is that you were a Wrench and were/are married to Leigh. ....

Hey Stickman, don't let guys like this get under your skin. People who just don't know, just don't know man, ya know what I mean? Or if they think they know all the answers, they don't. Any business regardless of what it is requires tons of thought and trial and error. I know, as a race promoter, I'd encourage anyone who thinks people who promote the sport do it for the money, to wear that race promoter hat, and give it a shot. If they do promote one race, odds are they'll never bitch again, about a long push from the Shuttle to the DH start, or that the venue is a dust bowl, or that the schedule sucks, or the entry fee is too high. In my racing years I used to be that know it all guy, but after 10 years of being of service to cycling as a race promoter I have a much larger appreciation of the service we provide the racers. Even if some of them don't. :shocked:

I'm sure its the same in your biz too. So how are you and Leigh doing? Hey, if you can, you guys should come up to Santa Ynez in a few weeks.

Mike Hecker - Event Director & Owner
Stump Grinder Dirt Club - http://www.ridesb.com/sgdc_activities.htm & http://www.ridesb.com/images/formsmaps/sgdc_app.pdf
Santa Ynez National - May 15 - 18, 2008 http://www.ridesb.com/syvclassic.htm
Click to expand...
 
M

mullarks

Chimp
May 9, 2008
33
0
Soo its been a while now since we first heard about Vail Lake opening up to DH, does anyone have any new info or an ETA when this might be open to the public??
 
B

BC VAN

Monkey
May 4, 2005
624
0
crazy how things work....i just got home from the resort...doing a night time water truck run, and this was up.

things are coming along but not as quickly as we would have liked, we really wanted to open it in the spring but there was no way it could get done in 2 months and we didn't even try for a summer opening...

we would like to hit a early November date but it's gnarly out there right now....the dirt is so dry it's like working in a bag of flour! after a good storm we can do a ton of work in a short time and the dirt will set up quick, this project is a lot of work...more then i had anticipated for sure,

but the owner is still very excited about the park...he attended the National at Fontana and sea otter and like the vibe....i would be really surprised if it isn't open in some capacity by December at the latest.

mullarks said:
Soo its been a while now since we first heard about Vail Lake opening up to DH, does anyone have any new info or an ETA when this might be open to the public??
Click to expand...
 
M

mullarks

Chimp
May 9, 2008
33
0
Awesome thanks for the update EC and thanks again for all the hard work that has gone/is going into making this a realilty . I know a bunch of us are eagerly awaiting the grand opening and if you ever people to do manual labor out there just say the word and I know more than a few people would show up.
BC VAN said:
crazy how things work....i just got home from the resort...doing a night time water truck run, and this was up.

things are coming along but not as quickly as we would have liked, we really wanted to open it in the spring but there was no way it could get done in 2 months and we didn't even try for a summer opening...

we would like to hit a early November date but it's gnarly out there right now....the dirt is so dry it's like working in a bag of flour! after a good storm we can do a ton of work in a short time and the dirt will set up quick, this project is a lot of work...more then i had anticipated for sure,

but the owner is still very excited about the park...he attended the National at Fontana and sea otter and like the vibe....i would be really surprised if it isn't open in some capacity by December at the latest.
Click to expand...
 
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