Bikeworks
Well-Known Member
Few more pics
These are from the heli ride to Hidden Peak, and Top of the World at Whistler. We did ToW first as it was supposed to be a good gauge of what to expect the next day at Hidden Peak. The front end of ToW was as difficult as advertised. I had a lot of trouble with some of the lines, even doing a little hop, skip, and jump down the side of the mountain after misjudging one and getting bucked. Rest of the ride was pretty good, but it definitely lives up to the black diamond rating.
The heli ride was a monster. I found it significantly more difficult, and would classify it as double black. The front end was indeed similar to ToW. However, parts of the alpine section, and much of the lower section, had a seemingly endless amount of berms. The alpine berms were mostly manageable (some were too tight and technical for me). However, the lower section berms were monsters! Shale, loose, and INSANELY steep! So, I unfortunately found myself having to walk/slide most of that section.
The park itself was a lot of fun. The dusty, loose conditions made full commitment tough at times, but overall it was good riding. I didn't do any blacks, but had plenty of fun on the blues (jump lines and tech). I progressed a lot on my comfort level on berms, as well as taking som wall-sized jumps as tabletops (an accomplishment for me). I didn't really do many drops, but some step down jumps allowed me to treat them like drops, so I like my progression there as well.
The bike was more than adequate for what I did, and that would hold for a more-skilled rider as well,. Black tech would have been ok for it, but I feel it would have been overwhelmed on the bigger jump lines.
The tires performed well, never felt like they were being overwhelmed. The rear with a Tacky Chan had some (predictable) drift, the Magic Mary was like a rail on the front. The new XT brakes paired with ceramic pads from Discobrakes were excellent.
These are from the heli ride to Hidden Peak, and Top of the World at Whistler. We did ToW first as it was supposed to be a good gauge of what to expect the next day at Hidden Peak. The front end of ToW was as difficult as advertised. I had a lot of trouble with some of the lines, even doing a little hop, skip, and jump down the side of the mountain after misjudging one and getting bucked. Rest of the ride was pretty good, but it definitely lives up to the black diamond rating.
The heli ride was a monster. I found it significantly more difficult, and would classify it as double black. The front end was indeed similar to ToW. However, parts of the alpine section, and much of the lower section, had a seemingly endless amount of berms. The alpine berms were mostly manageable (some were too tight and technical for me). However, the lower section berms were monsters! Shale, loose, and INSANELY steep! So, I unfortunately found myself having to walk/slide most of that section.
The park itself was a lot of fun. The dusty, loose conditions made full commitment tough at times, but overall it was good riding. I didn't do any blacks, but had plenty of fun on the blues (jump lines and tech). I progressed a lot on my comfort level on berms, as well as taking som wall-sized jumps as tabletops (an accomplishment for me). I didn't really do many drops, but some step down jumps allowed me to treat them like drops, so I like my progression there as well.
The bike was more than adequate for what I did, and that would hold for a more-skilled rider as well,. Black tech would have been ok for it, but I feel it would have been overwhelmed on the bigger jump lines.
The tires performed well, never felt like they were being overwhelmed. The rear with a Tacky Chan had some (predictable) drift, the Magic Mary was like a rail on the front. The new XT brakes paired with ceramic pads from Discobrakes were excellent.