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Spider Mountain Sticky Icky Improvements


WhoAmI
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Here's a video of a test ride of a small change we made on Sticky Icky at Spider Mountain.  The trail rose up quite a bit at this point and led to a small root drop and was sloughing off the downhill side, so we gave it a full bench with a slight rise leading to a boot-able roller. We also touched up the catch berm below this, re-cut the bench after this, and built up the LH berm.

 

This trail crosses a small doubletrack a little later after a hard left turn to a steep descent down the embankment.  After that, you had to make a hard right turn back onto the trail. The embankment and turn was on privately owned land, and the owner asked us to move it, so we back the trail up a bit and built this, which lines up nicely with the trail across the road. We even armored the trail below and built up the catch berm.  There are multiple lines down this new section.

 

Here's a video of a rider testing that next exit to the road.

Here are a before and after picture of the bermed turn.

2019-04-08_15_21_22.jpg

2019-04-08_15_20_59.jpg

 

If you ride it this weekend, look out for more changes, as we have done some bench and flow work from top to bottom.  The work will be completed by the race!

Edited by WhoAmI
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Totally appreciate work done on the trails out there but as a high frequency user I would really appreciate some type of warning when a trail has changed significantly. A buddy and I were the first to hit it today and I’m pretty sure we both suffered minor concussions in a significant crash. 

Werd.

 

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On 4/12/2019 at 7:03 PM, unsub1 said:

Totally appreciate work done on the trails out there but as a high frequency user I would really appreciate some type of warning when a trail has changed significantly. A buddy and I were the first to hit it today and I’m pretty sure we both suffered minor concussions in a significant crash. 

Werd.

 

That sucks. Maybe first runs of the day should be scouting runs?

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1 hour ago, Bamwa said:

That sucks. Maybe first runs of the day should be scouting runs?

We were just taking it easy down a run we’d done dozens of times. Went around a corner and suddenly nothing was recognizable and I was pointed straight down. Unmarked/unannounced changes are not typical bike park policy.

 

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On 4/14/2019 at 2:49 PM, unsub1 said:

I’m honestly not sure what I could’ve done any differently to scout the trail. The park dropped the ball on this one.

I know this will not satisfy most people, but a sign at the top of the mountain specifically states to "Be aware of changing conditions on trails and features. Inspect features before use and throughout the day."

 

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6 hours ago, WhoAmI said:

I know this will not satisfy most people, but a sign at the top of the mountain specifically states to "Be aware of changing conditions on trails and features. Inspect features before use and throughout the day."

 

^THIS

On 4/14/2019 at 2:49 PM, unsub1 said:

I’m honestly not sure what I could’ve done any differently to scout the trail. The park dropped the ball on this one.

sorry to hear that you crashed man but its rider responsibility to ride/inspect trails that are not yours and you didnt build as if they are always subject to change. because they are

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I'm not freaking out or anything. Other bike parks post signs clearly indicating changes to trails. That's all I'm saying. I lived. Still not sure what I would do differently moving forward though. I guess I'll find out tomorrow morning.

EDIT: I guess I'll walk it first?

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We would walk motorcycle motocross tracks before we rode the first lap. The first lap was generally slow. Only after several laps would we pick up the pace. I can't say that would have prevented your crash. We crashed a lot even after walking and 'slow riding' the track.

Back then there was a thing called "enduro" races where the rules were you were not allowed to see the course before you rode it. The point was everyone had to 'read' the trail at the pace you were riding. If you crashed because you misread the trail - it was your fault. Always. Since the course was about a hundred miles - NOBODY could "memorize the course". Even those that consider the course to be their local trails - they always threw in some new/changed sections.

Besides that - sorry you were injured.

 

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Yeah, my dad raced enduro in the 70s when we were stationed in Arkansas and New Mexico. Great format. He had some epic stories.

I kind of wish the park had a small window at the start of the day for trails to be walked without holding up riders. I've ridden this .37 mile trail over 50 times in the last 2 months so I was caught off-guard to say the least, even going pretty slowly. Too slow? Anyway, thanks man.

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1 hour ago, unsub1 said:

Yeah, my dad raced enduro in the 70s when we were stationed in Arkansas and New Mexico. Great format. He had some epic stories.
 

You mean like - 

Riding the Post enduro ( near Post Tx). Been whipping along the single track thru the brush for a while when I come around a corner and find the 'edge of the world'. Why do I call it the 'edge of the world'? Because about ten feet in front of your front wheel all you can see is the horizon way way WAY off in the distance. At that point there is not time to even get that cold sweat on the back of your neck - much less hit the brakes and not go off the edge. In an instant you are airborne. Now you get that cold sweat. And you look down about a hundred feet (felt like a mile or two) and start preparing for what ever the "landing" may be. Then you notice in the sand at the bottom somebody has written in great BIG 10 foot letters "OH SHIT!". I rode that enduro a couple of years later and people were still talking about OH Shit Hill. (Just for reference - I pushed the front wheel down to match the transition at the bottom of the hill and stayed on the motorcycle. Bottomed the suspension and my legs but rode it out.)

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6 hours ago, unsub1 said:

I'm not freaking out or anything. Other bike parks post signs clearly indicating changes to trails. That's all I'm saying. I lived. Still not sure what I would do differently moving forward though. I guess I'll find out tomorrow morning.

EDIT: I guess I'll walk it first?

am sorry you got hurt.  I didn't mean to come off as dismissive of your injury.

I have worked on a resort building trails for a summer (Tamarack Resort; RIP,) and they did not post signs indicating changes because the signs would be permanent.  Also, they had a big sign at stating that it is the rider's responsibility to pre-ride reach trail.  With a full time crew at Spider Mountain, there is always work being done for drainage, rider flow, feature enhancement, feature additions, etc.  In my experience as a professional trail builder since 2004, people don't read signs.  I'm guilty of that.  I didn't stop to read the huge signs at the bottom or the top of the lift; I just rode, understanding that I was unfamiliar with the trails the first time; the second time I went out there, I took my first ride on each trail easy to scope it out.

The feedback is appreciated, as we definitely want to make this a destination park that makes people want to come often.

(My opinions and statements are mine and not in any capacity those of Spider Mountain or MCP.)

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Right on. I appreciate it. I don’t think it would take much. I definitely was taking it easy ( I have GoPro video to prove!) and totally got sideways and ate it. I know Angel Fire post a sign after any changes and keep it posted for one calendar year. Maybe a little excessive but why not? 

 

Anyway, a little heads-up to really treat it like I did the first time I rode it last Fall would be awesome. I’ve ridden these trails more than almost anyone and am totally down for helping in any way possible.

 

-steven

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