[mattmatt86]

I'm hoping setting up a tent is possible? Cause that's what I'm doing....

there's no official camping at the mountain. per the ESC email blast for the event.

The two years I went they said there was no camping in the parking lot of the mountain, so myself and buddies all split a house right at the bottom of the hill. However, both years there was multiple tents set up in at the very bottom of the parking lot. I think they really don't WANT people to camp but if it's just a few tents they don't bother making a fuss.

 

[CrabJoe StretchPants]

I went a few years ago (2010 maybe?) and set up a tent in the lot and everything was fine. However, that was just me and and a few buddies. This year I was going to be taking the girl, so the idea of catching sh1t if we can't set up in the lot and get booted is really, really offputting.


Fvckers.

 

[TrumbullHucker]

me and the boys are crashing at devils tombstone or wahtever campground


will be wearing awesome merican and loud ****.... just like everyone else

 

[Jim Mac]

Is there camping in the Platty lot? just 20 minutes down the road.

 

[schwaaa31]

Consider it done. Where you staying?

Day tripping.

 

[CrabJoe StretchPants]

Given the parking lot tent situation, and the fact that the group I thought I was going to be camping with are now not showing up/day tripping Sunday....I don't know WTF I'm doing.

 

[jonKranked]

Given the parking lot tent situation, and the fact that the group I thought I was going to be camping with are now not showing up/day tripping Sunday....I don't know WTF I'm doing.

we're in the same boat now. p-kill camping is an option, ~40 minutes away.

 

[jonKranked]

joe do you still have my email address?

 

[Sandwich]

~40 minutes away.

???

 

[jonKranked]

speeding + the backpack or more of beers consumed during the race = bad idea

 

[CrabJoe StretchPants]

we're in the same boat now. p-kill camping is an option, ~40 minutes away.

The girl and I (and our friends) are officially bagging on the trip. Not worth the drive + potential headaches of having to find a place to stay. Kinda sucks, but if the weather is going to be as nice as it says it will be, I'd rather spend that time riding, sitting on the beach and hanging out with friends.

And yes, I still have your email. Where else am I going to forward my boner pill emails?

 

[jonKranked]

that was you? i flagged that as spam

 

[CrabJoe StretchPants]

This is why we can't have nice things.

 

[jonKranked]

just out of curiosity i checked lodging @ windham... they've got a few rooms. cheapest option is sleeps 8 and would be $40/person for the night if we filled it

 

[captainspauldin]

Claudio's course preview is up! http://www.redbull.com/us/en/bike/stories/1331669500119/sending-it-in-windham-claudio-goes-stratospheric

 

[TrumbullHucker]

sounds alot more gnarlier then all the e-reviews im reading everywhere

pinkbikers make me ****ing nauseous

 

[Sandwich]

it looks great up top, but it kind of opens up at the bottom. looks like it could have zipped through one more woods section.

 

[jonKranked]

Is there camping in the Platty lot? just 20 minutes down the road.

yea, i know a couple people going this route.

 

[jonKranked]

it looks great up top, but it kind of opens up at the bottom.

 

[jackalope]

 

[mattmatt86]

sounds alot more gnarlier then all the e-reviews im reading everywhere

pinkbikers make me ****ing nauseous

it looks great up top, but it kind of opens up at the bottom. looks like it could have zipped through one more woods section.

The course is gnarly, I won't debate that. My gripe, along with people who know what they're talking about, is the lack of line choice and the length of the course. And it's not that they have a lack of elevation, it may not be Schladming but they still have 1600 feet of elevation drop, they just use it very poorly. There are chunks of the course where you lose probably 50-100 feet of elevation in the course of a couple of seconds. If they had stretched some of that out with switchbacks and some wide single track at 6-7% grade for parts of the course they could have easily added 30-60 seconds to the course.

 

[kidwoo]

if they had stretched some of that out with switchbacks

Go to your ROOM! Now!

 

[mattmatt86]

Go to your ROOM! Now!

What would you rather watch in a WC race 5 seconds of a straight shoot down a fall line where everyone is within .000001 seconds of each other and theres 0 line choice? Or 20-30 seconds of a section with some "turns" that requires braking, turning, carrying speed, line choice and bike skill?

Switchback doesn't have to be a dirty word.


Edit: Go to the Vital track walk slide show and listen to EC in slide #8.

 

[William42]

Go to your ROOM! Now!

agreed. switchbacks are the bane of good trails.

 

[kidwoo]

Switchback

Good lord man, Kids read this site!

Have a little class.

 

[kidwoo]

What would you rather watch in a WC race 5 seconds of a straight shoot down a fall line where everyone is within .000001 seconds of each other and theres 0 line choice? Or 20-30 seconds of a section with some "turns" that requires braking, turning, carrying speed, line choice and bike skill?

Actually two completely straight lines of tape about half a mile apart running down the entire mountain with nothing more than 'go nuts y'all' would be pretty cool.

Switchbacks suck. There are better ways to stretch out some elevation that reward riding. Making dh bikes go 5mph is a sin, race or not. I don't like riding them and I don't like watching the best riders in the world on the most capable bikes in the world slow down to walking pace.

I'm only kinda serious btw.....I don't really care that much.

 

[mattmatt86]

Actually two completely straight lines of tape about half a mile apart running down the entire mountain with nothing more than 'go nuts y'all' would be pretty cool.

Switchbacks suck. There are better ways to stretch out some elevation that reward riding. Making dh bikes go 5mph is a sin, race or not. I don't like riding them and I don't like watching the best riders in the world on the most capable bikes in the world slow down to walking pace.

OK, we might be talking apples and oranges. I'm not saying they need to make an IMBA 5 star rated Flow trail the whole way down the mountain. I couldn't think of a better noun for describing how they should have run some of the trails to get a little more distance/skill/line variation out of the elevation. Anyway, EC's quote in the Vital slideshow pretty much sums up my opinion on the course. He's obviously wiser than I am.

 

[William42]

Theres always room to make up time. Doesn't matter if the top 10 are split by 11 seconds or 2 seconds, DH racing always rewards the people who make the best line choices, take the best risks, and make it work.

 

[kidwoo]

It seems like there's a pretty huge variety in the tracks this year. Even with one line, straight tracks, the guy who rides that one line the best and fastest will win. At least it's bumpy.

Shlt tracks like cairns get me more annoyed that one line mountain biking on actual mountain terrain. At least there aren't any of those circus monkey loop de loopy 270 turn things at windham.

 

[jonKranked]

What if they could turn switchbacks into a full loop de loop?

 

[jonKranked]

Daaaaaaamn

http://www.vitalmtb.com/videos/features/Danny-Harts-Massive-Windham-Huck,26633/sspomer,2?utm_source=facebook.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=spotlight

 

[slyfink]

You guys see Brosnan's otb? You'd think he was riding an Evil Undead!!!
http://m.vitalmtb.com/videos/member/Troy-Brosnans-Gnarly-Rock-Garden-Crash-at-Windham,26629/sspomer,2

 

[jonKranked]

Obligatory "650b can't handle east coast rox" comment.


Glad he's OK that was gnarly

 

[scottishmark]

Obligatory "must be to do with the chain stayz length comment"

Good to see the wee man stepping up to take over from Slugger and Bulldog

 

[sethimus]

so, what's the expected spectator outcome this year? 1000? 2000? or will windham finally have a decent crowd?

 

[csermonet]

Troy was obviously thrown off by the immense drive side weight bias of the one sided Demo.

 

[scottishmark]

Nonsense, the shock is asymmetrically shimmed to counter that effect!

 

[sethimus]

Nonsense, the shock is asymmetrically shimmed to counter that effect!

so you're saying he has LESS SHIMZ on one side?

 

[Floor Tom]

so you're saying he has LESS SHIMZ on one side?

No, it has moar shimz on the other side, silly.

 

[TrumbullHucker]

the crowd is usually thin at windham?


are there moar shimz then spectators?

the OTB of troy and hart's huck was gnarly... gunu be so sick to see this in person for the first time

def not bring the dslr.. will break it hah