Paging NE/NY monkeys - good places to try DH?

[Barbaton]

Can anyone out there suggest good places to try DH accessible from either the Boston area or NYC?

Some friends and I are experienced xcers but thought it'd be fun to try DH. I guess somewhere with rentals since I'm not sure riding my blur would be a great idea. A good mix of easier terrain would also be helpful...

[sanjuro]

Plattekill, Mt Snow and some resort near Vernon, NJ. Does anyone know the name of that place?

[sanjuro]

BTW, I am sure you can find plenty of drops and stunts in the NY/CT/MA area...

[jonKranked]

diablo is the place in vernon, NJ. that and platty are the closest. I'd recommend Diablo to start off.

[Barbaton]

Any opinions on Attitash?

[Rockland]

Any opinions on Attitash?

Attitash is my home hill. It's not the best starter DH mtn, but I think most mtn bikers could find certian trails well within their limits. One good thing about the place are the trails are not real long. If you try a trail only to find it's not your thing, bailing onto a fire road is not a forever and a day ride to the base.

[TreeSaw]

I would definitely recommend Diablo (Mountain Creek in Vernon, NJ) and Plattekill is very close to there, but very difficult. I think you would have fun at Diablo because they have quite the range of trails & features to play on.

[Barbaton]

yowsah. looking at the rental rates a DH bike starts to look more affordable. ;-)

[dogwonder]

Another vote for Diablo. Well maintained and a lot of options. For Boston area, is Lynn Woods more XC/FR than DH?

[jbogner]

From Boston, head up to Highland Mountain in NH. Excellent trails up there, and they're doing rentals this year. Their easiest trail is something you could ride a XC bike down.

From NYC, Diablo is great, and I took a few guys on 5" travel trailbikes there last year. By the end of the year, all had stepped up and bought DH/freeride rigs. It's definitely more fun on a big bike. Big sketchy rock gardens in places that are way easier with a slack bike and big fork.

If you're looking for a place where you can ride your own bike, try Hunter Mountain in the Catskills. It's way more XC-friendly than any of the other lift-served mountains.

[douglas]

also Jiminy Peak in western Mass

[jonKranked]

i forgot about JP. now that i'm in RI, that's actually going to be a reasonable trip for me. what town is it in?

[DHRFX Joe]

also Jiminy Peak in western Mass

my vote. best variety of trails IMO (along with diablo)

highland will be putting in alot more beginner friendly trails this year. not great for beginners as of the end of last year, as its the most stunt-oriented mountain i know of.

attitash it very slow and tech, not the best to start DHing on.

plattekill has decent variety as well, stay away from the rocky trails however

bromont up in quebec is an awesome place, tons of fast and flowy trails. some rocky tech stuff however (WC course)

jiminy, lots of smooth flowy trails great for starting dh. lots of really steep stuff near the lift however, can get tricky (especially in the mud)

diablo has a lot of smooth trails to the right of the lift if you're looking at the mountain.

[DHRFX Joe]

i forgot about JP. now that i'm in RI, that's actually going to be a reasonable trip for me. what town is it in?

hancock, ma supposedly, yet mapquest says it doesn't exist.

[jonKranked]

plattekill has decent variety as well, stay away from the rocky trails however

you mean all of them? :rofl:


also, google maps doesn't seem to have a problem:


http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=hancock,+ma&layer=&ie=UTF8&z=12&ll=42.977274,-71.984825&spn=0.132373,0.243073&om=1&iwloc=addr

edit: wait, thats hancock, NH.


edit#2: looks to be about 3 hrs from me (pawtuck, RI)

[Jim Mac]

Has anybody been to the 'updated" Killington now that it's become an official Kona bike park?

[in the trees]

Has anybody been to the 'updated" Killington now that it's become an official Kona bike park?

I went to Killington quite a few times last season. The new trails that they added offer some better singletrack DH riding than they have had in the past (Trails numbered in the 30s). And I believe there is plans for more as well as some stuff they are working with Kona on.

It might be a good place to try DH. There are a lot of easy trails that consist of gravel access roads and easier singletrack. Once you're more comfortable, the harder trails can tried. Just ask about the DH trails when you get a lift ticket. And be aware that a lot of the trails are XC singletrack with lots of climbing. A wrong trail choice, can make for a long push with a DH bike.

toby

[Echo]

plattekill has decent variety as well, stay away from the rocky trails however
:rofl:

[Jim Mac]

:rofl:

The rocks move faster down the trail then I do there! "Dude, the rocks are gaining on me!" I have so many downtube dents from Platty shale!

[DHRFX Joe]

:rofl:

i guess every trail is pretty rocky:imstupid:

however, the collegiate sport course that was there 2 years ago wasn't very rocky if i recall correctly (maybe the concussion i got there is clouding my memory):busted:

can't be as rocky as BMW however!

[McGRP01]

Has anybody been to the 'updated" Killington now that it's become an official Kona bike park?

I was at Killington one day last year one day when in the trees was there. I thought it sucked, except for one or two trails. Unless there are some super-secret local only trails that I couldn't find... Just one man's opinion though...

[TreeSaw]

i guess every trail is pretty rocky:imstupid:

however, the collegiate sport course that was there 2 years ago wasn't very rocky if i recall correctly (maybe the concussion i got there is clouding my memory):busted:

can't be as rocky as BMW however!

:think: Well, BMW's rocks are really large and don't move but still try to kill me and the Platty rocks move with and against me on the trails while trying to kill me ;)

[jonKranked]

The rocks move faster down the trail then I do there! "Dude, the rocks are gaining on me!" I have so many downtube dents from Platty shale!

every run is a race!


yo jim i think we met once upon a time, i seem to recall fire being involved. i have the red draco and the white tacoma?

[NJ Jess]

It has lots of XC and Freeride stuff. It will improve your skills for DH. Just ask all the DH rig guys at the parking lot on Sunday mornings!

[Jim Mac]

every run is a race!


yo jim i think we met once upon a time, i seem to recall fire being involved. i have the red draco and the white tacoma?

Yeah......With Bunkerchucks and the fire pit and the pet squirrels in November! Bunkers is an old highschool friend of my wife (rides the black/orange SC VP Free).

[douglas]

for JP > http://www.jiminypeak.com/

there's rocks at Platty?

http://www.douglas1.com/images/plat312.JPG
~
http://www.douglas1.com/images/plat322.JPG

[Toshi]

come to the dark side, Barbaton

:busted: :pirate2:

[jonKranked]

for JP > http://www.jiminypeak.com/

there's rocks at Platty?

http://www.douglas1.com/images/plat312.JPG
~
http://www.douglas1.com/images/plat322.JPG


mmmmmmm i can't wait to get back there. t minus 2 weeks and counting!

[downhill mike]

You could come to Whiteface too.
We do have awesome rentals this year but your Blur would be great on all of our lower trails serviced by our shuttle bus.
The shuttle bus doesn't go nearly as high as the gondola (which services the harder runs) but still goes almost as high up as the other places mentioned.
We also have great -x-c trails, possible new pump track and dual slalom course, tons of camping options, discounted lift ticket days, etc.

Note. The picture of the shuttle bus courtesy of Jim Mac's wife.

[dogwonder]

We also have great -x-c trails, possible new pump track and dual slalom course, tons of camping options, discounted lift ticket days, etc.

Tell me more about this pump track...

[downhill mike]

We will no more on Thursday after our pump track and dual slalom course proposal.
www.downhillmike.com will be the best place for all Whiteface info.
Once approved I will have complete page, pictures and eventually videos of everything mentioned on the web site.

See ya at the face