northstar closing rumor

[SBDHrida]

I'm sorry if this has already been posted, but i couldn't find anything. I heard rumors at Sea Otter that Northstar would not be opening for biking in 2006 because they will be redoing the midstation. If so, that makes me really sad. What have you guys heard?

[punkassean]

it is true, not a rumor.

[J_B]

Confirmed Kill....

[Tattooo]

I know a guy on the board there, no N* this year, and from the tone he came at me with, it may be no bikes at N* ever again. The way it was explained was a two part thing.

1. Golfers, soccer mommies and their oh so hot jail bait daughters don't like our "element" up there.
2. We don't bring in the money that other groups do, but we do cause a lot of problems.

As such, we may have to get somewhere else to play.

[OGRipper]

Argh. For the last couple years it has been increasing difficult to spend money there in the summer, so it's frustrating as hell to hear that. :mad:

[Acadian]

If N* really doesn't open for 2007 - then I'm seriously gonna have to re-think this entire DH thing. Give it up – or more for a more DH friendly area.

[Slugman]

WTF... looks liek I have to move back to New England to find good mountain biking.

Resorts keep openeing up there while CA keeps shutting them down.

[OGRipper]

Resorts keep openeing up there while CA keeps shutting them down.

We are so far ahead, we're behind. :mumble: :banghead:

[Total Heckler]

Downieville is a lot of fun. Also anything in the Santa cruz area is nice. =]

[amydalayna]

WTF... looks liek I have to move back to New England to find good mountain biking.


that's just silly. i feel lucky to live in south lake and have access to all of the trails that i do. that is.... if the snow would ever melt.

[Slugman]

that's just silly. i feel lucky to live in south lake and have access to all of the trails that i do. that is.... if the snow would ever melt.

You're right... it shoud have read "good DH mountain biking".

[amydalayna]

You're right... it shoud have read "good DH mountain biking".

there are plenty of shuttle runs in town too.
if i wanted just good xc mtn biking i'd move back to new england.

[dfinn]

there are plenty of shuttle runs in town too.
if i wanted just good xc mtn biking i'd move back to new england.

Resorts with good DH runs are popping up every season on the east coast. I will have a handful of places to choose from just a little bit further of a drive than it was taking you to get to N*. It looks like passes/tix are cheap too.

[OGRipper]

Resorts with good DH runs are popping up every season on the east coast. I will have a handful of places to choose from just a little bit further of a drive than it was taking you to get to N*. It looks like passes/tix are cheap too.


You're just trying to convince yourself. :)

[dfinn]

You're just trying to convince yourself. :)

I'm convinced. The little bit of EC DH I got to see last summer when I was home had me looking for more. I'll be sure to send pics ;)

[amydalayna]

You're just trying to convince yourself. :)

i know.
do you remember the muggy summer days? i forget about them until I go back to visit.

dfinn, when you moving back?

[OGRipper]

i know.
do you remember the muggy summer days? i forget about them until I go back to visit.

dfinn, when you moving back?

Haha, yeah I sure do. Was in NYC last August and got a little taste. I actually miss the warm summer nights and a few days in the fall but that's about it.

DFinn, just giving you crap. For no reason other than I'm bummed about the star. :)

[dfinn]

i know.
do you remember the muggy summer days? i forget about them until I go back to visit.

dfinn, when you moving back?

june'ish. Dealing with the humidity will probably suck the most. But I did it for 20 some odd years and I never really complained about it that much until I moved out here and would go back to visit. I'll be able to get in a ton more biking but it will suck to be leaving a real winter.

[Tattooo]

dfinn, where back here are you moving to?

From where I am in Va Beach I can get to six DH areas within 4 hours. Not as nice as having the * 45 minutes away, but its cheaper here, and by august its not all dust.

[dfinn]

back to MA

[amydalayna]

Dealing with the humidity will probably suck the most.

I'd only move back east for 2 reasons: to buy a house WITH LAND. and family. other than that i'm loving it here. i can't bike as many months out of the year, but there is so much around.

Maybe the snow will melt before you leave and we could do xmas DH. You should do that before you go. It's one of my favorite rides down here.

[IronJim]

go to september, does this mean that theres hope or only just one race there? http://www.teambigbear.com/pdfs/General_RaceSchedule.pdf

[dfinn]

I've been having a great winter but I really hope it stops snowing soon. I'll be pretty bumbed if I can't ride any of my favorite trails before I have to leave. xmas dh sounds good, definitely let me know if/when it melts off and I'll be down there. did mr amydalayna get cleared to ride?

[amydalayna]

he went to the doctor today. 2 months till it's 100 percent. he's bummed to say the least. arm is healed, but not the wrist.
and i would like to go back to pine nuts, but he doesn't want to shuttle me if he can't ride it. can't really blame him.

i am soooo sick of the snow. even if n* was going to open this year, i can't imagine when it would be clear to ride. if we get a ton of back to back warm days here chinese DH would melt fast, but i keep seeing chance of snow in the forecast.
i wonder when mammoth would be able to open? i think they've got even more snow than us.

[dfinn]

I don't think mammoth will be until after July 4th. They are open for skiing until at least then.

[amydalayna]

mr. amydalayna just called me from n*. he had a big meeting with construction people there. not open this year. but definitely 2007. everyone who got a letter last year with 50$ off a 2006 pass should be getting a letter saying that we'll get $100 off a 2007 pass. (which seems like a nice gesture).
the reason for not opening this year isn't to do with the money mtn biking makes, but the liability involved with the work they'll be doing.

he also said that east west is putting alot of money into the mtn bike park for 2007, so it should be new and improved.

just thought i would throw this out there.

[OGRipper]

mr. amydalayna just called me from n*. he had a big meeting with construction people there. not open this year...

Ahhh crap. Crap crap crappity crap crap. :dead:

[amydalayna]

even he wasn't quick to believe all the rumors that have been floating around. he had to hear it straight outta the mouths of east west.

it'll be ok. we can start a support group or something.

[OGRipper]

we can start a support group or something.

Yes. I am worried about Kidwoo. And I think Partsbara is gonna kill somebody.

[BIGHIT8989]

Common people ! we don;t need to rely on N* for good riding! Yes its an extremely fun place to ride, but we can still ride our trails ! Pacifica, Santa Cruz, UCSC, Sand hill, Juaquin miller, Oakland trails, Side-o in berkeley, Carlmont, shells, aptos, mabe even in the future calabazas again, marin, Mount Tam, Mt.Diablo, Sand hill ranch, Pleasenton bike park, Carniegie, and all the local secret trails that are scatered about the bay.

If the closure of N* really devestates u that much, orgonize sum friends, find a place to build and get diggin! You don;t need a lift or a shuttle, or have pre-made trails to be happy. I don;t know about other people but part of the reason why i love Downhill/Freeriding is the actual effort in makin it to the top of a trail, or building one. It gives a sense of accomplishment and then you are rewarded with an awsome ride down the hill!! Sure a shuttle is aways nice and there's nothin wrong with it, and we all enjoy being shuttled, especially up hard climbs. But we gotta have some challege in getting to the top, it build character, and makes you really apprieciate the decent. after i hike up a long trail, on the decent i try to make the best of the time i have down the trail, even stopping to session a section. When you shuttle, there is no need to stop at a section that you just messed up on and session it, because u know in the back of your head you can just catch a ride back up. And even when you do go back up and you get it wrong again you still have the same "i;ll have another try at it next time" mentality.

when you hike up a long trail, there is no next time because that next time will probably be next week or in a few weeks. I;m gonna stop now because this rant is prolly getting annoying, but i hope i got my point across.

peace

Jerott

[3D.]

I think 2007 is going to be a good year. I was on the job the other day when another contractor was talking about Nstar this summer. He said, of course, that it’s going to be closed. He also said they had purchased one of those smaller Bobcat style trail building machines. I haven't seen this machine yet, but apparently it is a narrow chassis machine with a hoe and blade, specifically designed for working with tight/steep trail applications, much different than a normal Bobcat skidder. Supposedly, Nstar's plan is to use this machine this summer for a series of "new" trail builds.

Don't lose hope with them yet, they know they have the potential for what could be (example: Whistler). I think we're going to have to be patient with them for now, and hopefully they won't let us down in the future.

[Tattooo]

I trust N* about for about as far as I can bust a nut, which at my best is about 5'.

[matt12]

I trust N* about for about as far as I can bust a nut, which at my best is about 5'.
I'm with this guy, except I can go a bit farther.:rofl:

But it would be sweet if they did devote this summer to building efforts.

[keen]

Common people ! we don;t need to rely on N* for good riding! Yes its an extremely fun place to ride, but we can still ride our trails ! Pacifica, Santa Cruz, UCSC, Sand hill, Juaquin miller, Oakland trails, Side-o in berkeley, Carlmont, shells, aptos, mabe even in the future calabazas again, marin, Mount Tam, Mt.Diablo, Sand hill ranch, Pleasenton bike park, Carniegie, and all the local secret trails that are scatered about the bay.

If the closure of N* really devestates u that much, orgonize sum friends, find a place to build and get diggin! You don;t need a lift or a shuttle, or have pre-made trails to be happy. I don;t know about other people but part of the reason why i love Downhill/Freeriding is the actual effort in makin it to the top of a trail, or building one. It gives a sense of accomplishment and then you are rewarded with an awsome ride down the hill!! Sure a shuttle is aways nice and there's nothin wrong with it, and we all enjoy being shuttled, especially up hard climbs. But we gotta have some challege in getting to the top, it build character, and makes you really apprieciate the decent. after i hike up a long trail, on the decent i try to make the best of the time i have down the trail, even stopping to session a section. When you shuttle, there is no need to stop at a section that you just messed up on and session it, because u know in the back of your head you can just catch a ride back up. And even when you do go back up and you get it wrong again you still have the same "i;ll have another try at it next time" mentality.

when you hike up a long trail, there is no next time because that next time will probably be next week or in a few weeks. I;m gonna stop now because this rant is prolly getting annoying, but i hope i got my point across.

peace

Jerott


Well it would be nice if I didn't have a job, family. and a boat load of responsibilities so then I could spend time building, exploring new trails. I just don't have the time to build or pedal all day. Sure there are some ok bay area spots but most border on illegal or give you a couple runs for a days worth of riding / drive time. N* worked for me - drive straight to the mountain for 6-7 runs then home for bed that evening. I don't mind pedalling but the DH reward is minimal.

[morethanjake543]

Just curious, but for all of you tahoe residents, how well does that dirt mold?

I mean, from my experiance at northstar, everything seems really sandy and I'd have serious doubts as to whether a jump / groomed trail at northstar could hold up for more than a weekend. It looks more like all the work would blow away in a few days.

Aaaand. . . how are the DH and FR trails up there? You don't have to stop riding tahoe when northstar closes.

[sanjuro]

Common people ! we don;t need to rely on N* for good riding! Yes its an extremely fun place to ride, but we can still ride our trails ! Pacifica, Santa Cruz, UCSC, Sand hill, Juaquin miller, Oakland trails, Side-o in berkeley, Carlmont, shells, aptos, mabe even in the future calabazas again, marin, Mount Tam, Mt.Diablo, Sand hill ranch, Pleasenton bike park, Carniegie, and all the local secret trails that are scatered about the bay.

If the closure of N* really devestates u that much, orgonize sum friends, find a place to build and get diggin! You don;t need a lift or a shuttle, or have pre-made trails to be happy. I don;t know about other people but part of the reason why i love Downhill/Freeriding is the actual effort in makin it to the top of a trail, or building one. It gives a sense of accomplishment and then you are rewarded with an awsome ride down the hill!! Sure a shuttle is aways nice and there's nothin wrong with it, and we all enjoy being shuttled, especially up hard climbs. But we gotta have some challege in getting to the top, it build character, and makes you really apprieciate the decent. after i hike up a long trail, on the decent i try to make the best of the time i have down the trail, even stopping to session a section. When you shuttle, there is no need to stop at a section that you just messed up on and session it, because u know in the back of your head you can just catch a ride back up. And even when you do go back up and you get it wrong again you still have the same "i;ll have another try at it next time" mentality.

when you hike up a long trail, there is no next time because that next time will probably be next week or in a few weeks. I;m gonna stop now because this rant is prolly getting annoying, but i hope i got my point across.

peace

Jerott
People are not going to throw their bikes away because Northstar is closed for a season. However, there are a lot of people on this site who went there at least 25 times last year, as well as every race. This screws them entirely.

[amydalayna]

However, there are a lot of people on this site who went there at least 25 times last year, as well as every race. This screws them entirely.

i'm not throwing out my DH bike, but n* being closed is (as you know), making me reevalute my trail bike needs for the season.
which wasn't really in my bike budget for the year.

right now i'm less concerned about n* this summer and more concerned that it will NEVER stop snowing up here.
Current weather forecast:

http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b60/akadelski/Capture4-14-2006-11.jpg

[Scrub]

Well I got my 100$ discount letter in ther mail, bummer

[Acadian]

Well I got my 100$ discount letter in ther mail, bummer

same here :(

Do you think they would exchange it for some Whistler gas money? ;)

[matt12]

same here :(

Do you think they would exchange it for some Whistler gas money? ;)
It says gift card on it. I'm sure they will be opening a chain of Northstar gas stations soon.:rofl: So, it looks like you may get your wish....

[Scrub]

same here :(

Do you think they would exchange it for some Whistler gas money? ;)
Maybe if you went to the village and bought a candy bar with the voucher you could get the change in cash..hehe:sneaky:

[SBDHrida]

N* closing really makes me sad. I was getting excited for this year, and I had heard that last year the mountain bike park grossed more than the golf course. I was expecting improvement, not closure!

On the other hand, if N* really is closed for good and not just 06, I say we start looking for an alternative. I've heard rumors about a small resort in Nevada that is opening, but I'd rather not drive that far (from Truckee). My suggestion is that somebody gets a dialogue going with either Alpine Meadows or Sugar Bowl, as these are the two major resorts which havent created a village. Plus I think California needs another bike park. Thats my input.

[Rye_Bread]

\Sure there are some ok bay area spots


where are you riding?

[Rye_Bread]

last year the mountain bike park grossed more than the golf course


thats kinda cool, I know that Whistler has started to make a lot of money in compared to skiing. Especially during the week of crankworx

[Rye_Bread]

even* compared to skiing

[captainpolution]

Well I got my 100$ discount letter in ther mail, bummer


damn, didnt get mine yet, wtffffffff

[Tattooo]

even* compared to skiing

You're smoking something funny if you think that. There is no possible way that bikes out spend skiing/boarding. Simple numbers + the difference in ticket price.

[amydalayna]

N* closing really makes me sad. I was getting excited for this year, and I had heard that last year the mountain bike park grossed more than the golf course. I was expecting improvement, not closure!

On the other hand, if N* really is closed for good and not just 06, I say we start looking for an alternative. I've heard rumors about a small resort in Nevada that is opening, but I'd rather not drive that far (from Truckee). My suggestion is that somebody gets a dialogue going with either Alpine Meadows or Sugar Bowl, as these are the two major resorts which havent created a village. Plus I think California needs another bike park. Thats my input.

Here's the thing. the golf course isn't in the way of construction. mtn biking isn't on hold this summer because of money. it is a liability issue.

And what n* has going for it is that it is outside of TRPA jurisdiction. You can't just have mtn biking at any resort you want around the lake. They throw a fit over errosion and all that stuff.

[Tattooo]

Here's the thing. the golf course isn't in the way of construction. mtn biking isn't on hold this summer because of money. it is a liability issue.

And what n* has going for it is that it is outside of TRPA jurisdiction. You can't just have mtn biking at any resort you want around the lake. They throw a fit over errosion and all that stuff.



Its like the lawyers and the hippies got together just to screw us on this deal. Unacceptable! I'm calling in Hacksaw!

[amydalayna]

here's a rumor that is good (for me at least!).

the word on the street is that the bottom of mr. toad's is going to be off limits to dirt bikes this year.
and.....
they are going to open up a trail over coral loop.

so, if it ever stops snowing, it's something to be excited about.

[TahoeBC]

here's a rumor that is good (for me at least!).

the word on the street is that the bottom of mr. toad's is going to be off limits to dirt bikes this year.
and.....
they are going to open up a trail over coral loop.

so, if it ever stops snowing, it's something to be excited about.

Not a rumor, this has been in the works for a couple years now as part of the Freel/Meiss Transportationshed Trail Access and Travel Management EA.
http://www.fs.fed.us/r5/ltbmu/projects/fm-atm/ea/

They are going to shut the lower part of Toads for motorized use. But to offset the terrain loss for those users they are going to make a loop out of coral, which will be open for there use. It will probably not be complete till the end of this summer, or early next year.

Another cool section will be a connector trail from Armstrong pass to corral bypassing the road, it will be located on the other side of the road from the creek were they decommissed the illegally built trail (which some people still ride)

Also in case you were not aware early season of this year will be the last chance to ride the X-mas Valley (Dardanelles) trail as it exist today. They are rerouting it, they finished about half of it last year and will complete it this year. It will be a much mellower trail that you will probably be able to ride up.

[amydalayna]

Also in case you were not aware early season of this year will be the last chance to ride the X-mas Valley (Dardanelles) trail as it exist today. They are rerouting it, they finished about half of it last year and will complete it this year. It will be a much mellower trail that you will probably be able to ride up.

that breaks my heart. seriously. x-mas valley makes me smile so much. making a much mellower version is not something i am looking forward to. but i knew it was happening sooner or later.
i can understand rerouting so that it is not so close to the stream.... but mellowing it out is pretty lame.

do you have a time table on when this is going to take place? i can't imagine the trail will be rideable for quite some time.

south lake tahoe's mtn biking is getting worse with each year. very sad.

[TahoeBC]

I believe as soon as the reroute is complete, they will decommision the old trail, probably some time mid-riding season, depends when they can start working on it again with all this snow. It was closed for a few days back in september for blasting thru a boulder field, I hiked up to check out the work one day when I heard a jack hammer pounding away.

Some pics of the bypass being built

http://home.comcast.net/~j_glass/xmas1.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~j_glass/xmas2.JPG
http://home.comcast.net/~j_glass/xmas3.JPG

[OGRipper]

Dang. I had a couple good tour guides for X-Mas last fall, that shizz is fun. :)

[amydalayna]

Dang. I had a couple good tour guides for X-Mas last fall, that shizz is fun. :)

you could always come out early in the season and give it a go.


i am really really bummed.
1. we just got another foot of snow
2. no n* this summer
3. no more xmas dh (my favorite trail on the south shore)
4. the continuting trend to shut down any non-xc mtn bike trails in south lake. every year a trail get shut down without creating a new comperable one. if you're going to shut down jackie chan's, work with the riders to create somewhere else for them to ride. because if you don't, they are going to create new 'secret' trails that are going to be shut down. when rerouting a trail like xmas dh, move it away from the stream, but keep it fun (and not mellow).

[sanjuro]

I hate NorCal!

[amydalayna]

I hate NorCal!

let's move back to connecticut. where we both worked at insurance companies... and had the lovely weather and sights of hartford. oh what fun we had..

oh wait, maybe not.

[dfinn]

CT sucks. I don't blame you for not wanting to move back there.

[sanjuro]

let's move back to connecticut. where we both worked at insurance companies... and had the lovely weather and sights of hartford. oh what fun we had..

oh wait, maybe not.
Let's compare:

South Lake Tahoe - Hartford
Altitude - The Brickyard
Heavenly - Sundown
I-80 traffic - I-84
Sports LTD - Pig Iron
No downhill in Nor Cal - Mt Snow, Plattekill, and Case Mountain

[amydalayna]

No downhill in Nor Cal - Mt Snow, Plattekill, and Case Mountain

calling you out on this one. i LOVE case mountain in connecticut. it is some really fun riding. you could mix it up and make a ton of loops. but more than that i love xmas valley, hawley grade, mr. toad's, and sayles canyone. the trails out here challenge me more than anything back east.

Plattekill is soooo far from Hartford, CT. So that's not even in the equation. And Mt Snow is just OK.

And you remember what it's like to stop and change a flat back East in the middle of August? The black flys and misquitos swarming? No fun.

[sanjuro]

calling you out on this one. i LOVE case mountain in connecticut. it is some really fun riding. you could mix it up and make a ton of loops. but more than that i love xmas valley, hawley grade, mr. toad's, and sayles canyone. the trails out here challenge me more than anything back east.

Plattekill is soooo far from Hartford, CT. So that's not even in the equation. And Mt Snow is just OK.

And you remember what it's like to stop and change a flat back East in the middle of August? The black flys and misquitos swarming? No fun.
I have no idea. I only did road in Connecticut.

[dfinn]

don't forget about Jiminy Peak and Diablo. Oh god, I had forgotten about the squeeters. Son of a B$%#@

[sanjuro]

don't forget about Jiminy Peak and Diablo. Oh god, I had forgotten about the squeeters. Son of a B$%#@
I rode over Jiminy Peak on my road bike, on my ride from Hartford to Saratoga Springs...

[amydalayna]

don't forget about Jiminy Peak and Diablo. Oh god, I had forgotten about the squeeters. Son of a B$%#@

You'll remember them the first time you flat and none of your friends wait for you....

One of the things I do miss about riding in CT are the night rides. No one out here somes to be into them.

[OGRipper]

Don't forget the Russian Lady and the Hartford Civic Center. Whoot Whoot!! :blah: