there is nothing fun about being lucky... [Archive]

WestCoastHucker

06-25-2008, 06:10 PM

people always tell us how lucky we are for our jumps. i'm not so sure i would call endless amounts of shoveling lucky, but hey, whatever you want to call it. instead of whining about conflicting schedules between our riding clique, we usually end up handling business alone. makes hanging out with the crew more fun because you are usually riding. today was a my turn at work day(i have many, but usually never take progress pics). for those in the know, you will appreciate the work that went into this landing....

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm306/WestCoastHucker/landing3.jpg

because we've been trying to steepen our landings a little, we've been recently told that our jumps are starting to resemble dirt halfpipes. not quite a halfpipe, but very steep looking when descending from above...

http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/mm306/WestCoastHucker/landing3sd.jpg

now get your lazy asses out and dig something instead of complaining that you don't have any good riding spots. you have to make them happen...

basikbiker

06-25-2008, 06:20 PM

for sure, im a solo digger, its actually what im doing all day today, im takin a break right now. been re facing all the lips, some landings, sweeping, adding a roller. ill take a pic later, those look sweet by the way

WestCoastHucker

06-25-2008, 06:42 PM

we all throw it down when it comes to overall shovel time. we just usually end up doing a bunch of it on days when no one else can make it out. not really any fun to ride alone anyway...

brycexlighthall

06-25-2008, 06:44 PM

You did a phenomenal job keeping that squared edge I put too many hours into yesterday. I am very stoked to ride, my sunburn doesn't even hurt today. Now we have to develop The Super Bowl before number 5.

WestCoastHucker

06-25-2008, 06:50 PM

the new hut provides full shade as early as 11am, it was sweet...

yesimaddicted

06-25-2008, 06:58 PM

trees are always nice. sweet dirt mounds...

jamesdc

06-25-2008, 07:07 PM

nice job wch

mikeG

06-25-2008, 08:11 PM

Nice work...those steeper landings make for some nice pop off those lips.

Savage_Animal

06-25-2008, 08:29 PM

we all throw it down when it comes to overall shovel time. we just usually end up doing a bunch of it on days when no one else can make it out. not really any fun to ride alone anyway...

I ride alone every day... :(

don

06-25-2008, 09:30 PM

That's a pretty steep landing - more like dirt spines w/ gaps now. That's a text book landing and it should be checked out by the builders in training on the board.

I agree - no luck - just a sh!tload of hard work. Things like rain and poachers certainly don't help any. Right now I'm the solo digger at my spot. A couple of the crew have big projects on their own houses so I can understand. I try to get "power hours" as much as I can. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about - you'll be surprised how much dirt you can move in 1 hour if you move fast - better workout in than the gym...

redtaco

06-25-2008, 09:46 PM

mmmmm:beerjam: looks fast. wish..oops said wish, but posts like yours give me great ideas for my set!

brycexlighthall

06-25-2008, 11:13 PM

I took no less than 5 naps in the hut when I put in that 10 hour day. I don't know if Jeremy would rate that at high effeciency. I MAY go out tomorrow early, we'll see. Friday for sure.

the new hut provides full shade as early as 11am, it was sweet...

Zach Dank

06-25-2008, 11:19 PM

lucky.

Cru Jones

06-26-2008, 12:17 AM

That's a pretty steep landing - more like dirt spines w/ gaps now.

You should see the lip. That's the way we like it... so cal stylee.

Yeah, good work on the landing wch, I just got back from there. That thing is over 7 feet tall now from the bottom of the bowl. I kept carving out after the roller... it's getting closer. I'll probably be out again on Fri.

Cru Jones

06-26-2008, 12:20 AM

Now we have to develop The Super Bowl before number 5.

Getting there... I shoveled out all of the mud.

WestCoastHucker

06-26-2008, 12:37 AM

i poured a bunch more water in it before i left. i wasn't expecting anybody to be out digging in it until tomorrow at the earliest...

kidwoo

06-26-2008, 01:20 AM

You guys are so lucky you have cameras to take pictures of the jumps you're lucky enough to have.

I wish I had an internet connection to post things I was lucky enough to have from the lucky luckness of my luckitude. :(

Defenestrated

06-26-2008, 01:54 AM

look at that big pile o' luck!

v-digit

06-26-2008, 08:35 AM

nice jumps.
i got lucky last night AND this morning, cuz i got it like that.

grom-dom

06-26-2008, 11:54 AM

ayeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

solo dig sesh's. put in 2 hours this morning, built the new lip, gonna let that start to settle and harden a bit before i finish shaping the face, and clear for the landing and start on that. not knowing what you're doing when you build means it takes a bit longer to do. good work for sure though.

and mike, i was just thinkin, can you do compulsive trails checks for me? :D

aeffertz

06-26-2008, 12:16 PM

nice nice ice.

opjones

06-26-2008, 12:36 PM

good stuff, that's movin' some dirt

WestCoastHucker

06-26-2008, 12:40 PM

...can you do compulsive trails checks for me? it would be easy enough, every couple of days we change something up at least a little on the quest for the most continuous flow. right now me, brycexlighthall and cru jones are in the middle of a trail overhaul...

Zach Dank

06-26-2008, 02:11 PM

in the middle of a trail overhaul...

Those trails were in serious need of it. Good thing you are a trail Jedi Mikey. See you in a couple weeks broham.

WestCoastHucker

06-26-2008, 03:49 PM

...See you in a couple weeks broham.

http://home.sc.rr.com/bisscuit/funny/werd_dawg.jpg

Zach Dank

06-26-2008, 04:04 PM

http://home.sc.rr.com/bisscuit/funny/werd_dawg.jpg

Timmy is coming up on the 12th of July to shred all the trails with me. You should roll with him homie. You know you ain't got $hit else to do.
Come on bro, you know you want some of this.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t185/zachdank/s4.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t185/zachdank/jesse4.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t185/zachdank/mp-gold6.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t185/zachdank/bechelli-1.jpg

chipper

06-26-2008, 04:20 PM

i am a solo digger as well and the trail seen in the sac area is really week. there are a bunch of guys who want to ride but not really help build and to top it off someone came out and destroyed the first two lips on both lines last week. i think they tore them up cause i locked the trails up but i have to or they just destroy them when im not there by riding them and not doing any maintence. hopefully they will be in good shape this weekend.

WestCoastHucker

06-26-2008, 05:33 PM

..there are a bunch of guys who want to ride but not really help build...
we straight give those fools the boot...

Defenestrated

06-26-2008, 05:41 PM

Cru Jones

06-26-2008, 06:00 PM

Hard work or not, anyone else get some satisfaction when building?

Building something yourself makes it 10x better when you ride it, something like working for money as opposed to being given it. More rewarding and overall a big part of the experience.

For sure. That's definitely a big part of why we do it.

And then there is the never ending quest to make the trails perfect. Somebody asked me once when we were going to be finished with our trails. I laughed. Finished? Trails are never finished. Even if we run out of room, everything can still get dialed, get bigger, and get better.

chipper

06-26-2008, 09:49 PM

if i found out who was destroying the trails there would be consequences. also now anyone who comes out that is some what a local they have to do work before they can ride. if you live far away you just have to water. we have a super good spot. its in the trees and we have a water house from a neighbors house that is about 1000 feet away and the pressure is awesome. Just wish i had more time to go out there. I only get to go like once a week now that i have a kid but i might start going a few more times a week with it staying light out so late now

Mr Ridiculous

06-26-2008, 09:57 PM

brycexlighthall

06-26-2008, 10:16 PM

You've gotta DIG the holes/bowls/trenches to BUILD trails. Maybe if you were using a tractor and purchased dirt you could call it "building", but then I wouldn't really call those "trails". Trails don't have to be built by hand, but I personally prefer no machines.

don

06-26-2008, 11:30 PM

Very cool. Not much of a DJ'er (mostly cause I have no nads when it comes to jumping) but I've built some freeride/DH trails and I know the work that goes into building a decent line.

Random n00b question: Why is trailbuilding generally referred to as "digging" in the DJ circle? I always thought that building would be a better term, since you're building up jumps, rather than digging holes.

Because all a good builder needs is a square nose shovel - and you mostly dig with shovels. We save the mattox and those other fancy tools for you freeride guys :D

Who knows really - I think it stems from old terms - we call DJ's spots "trails" and the people that dig at them "locals". You can't be a local and not dig if that makes sense. And if I think about it the process is mostly digging w/ some sculpting mixed in for the final stage. There is some bromming and raking but 90% of a good jump is just sticking a shovel in the ground and piling dirt...

don

06-26-2008, 11:32 PM

Timmy is coming up on the 12th of July to shred all the trails with me. You should roll with him homie. You know you ain't got $hit else to do.
Come on bro, you know you want some of this.

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t185/zachdank/s4.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t185/zachdank/jesse4.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t185/zachdank/mp-gold6.jpg

http://i160.photobucket.com/albums/t185/zachdank/bechelli-1.jpg

Besides being lucky, Zach must be magic too. No human can build stuff that looks that good.

don

06-26-2008, 11:36 PM

For sure. That's definitely a big part of why we do it.

And then there is the never ending quest to make the trails perfect. Somebody asked me once when we were going to be finished with our trails. I laughed. Finished? Trails are never finished. Even if we run out of room, everything can still get dialed, get bigger, and get better.

I'm glad I'm not the only one with that quest. It's like Close Encounters - people all over just have this vision (actually that could make a cool bike movie - WCH making sick mini jumps in his living room like Dryvis did)...

I'm sure you guys have done what I have - built what you thought would be a dope set - ridden it for a day and relized you had to totally revamp it or even take it down and start over... sucks but I'd rather dig than ride crappy stuff.

chipper

06-26-2008, 11:48 PM

is that second picture the bechelli trails i have had friends there but have not been there personally but hopefully over the summer i will come up that way ant ride bechelli and pow. i have people who ride my trails that have been to both and have nothing but good things to say about them. hopefully the nor cal trail scene will get back to its roots and be to what it was in 1999 when there was trails everywhere

basikbiker

06-27-2008, 12:41 AM

I'm glad I'm not the only one with that quest. It's like Close Encounters - people all over just have this vision (actually that could make a cool bike movie - WCH making sick mini jumps in his living room like Dryvis did)...

I'm sure you guys have done what I have - built what you thought would be a dope set - ridden it for a day and relized you had to totally revamp it or even take it down and start over... sucks but I'd rather dig than ride crappy stuff.

yeah i must have moved a new berm like four or 5 times today, then to realize i need to make a following roller bigger, then.... yeah its a constant quest for the ultimate flow, my place is startin to really come together nice

grom-dom

06-27-2008, 01:58 PM

it would be easy enough, every couple of days we change something up at least a little on the quest for the most continuous flow. right now me, brycexlighthall and cru jones are in the middle of a trail overhaul...

word, i'm in the middle of trying to figure out how to build this lander for a right hip. angles and stuff are confusing. you inspired me though, so i went and dug today
:D

opjones

06-27-2008, 02:33 PM

word, i'm in the middle of trying to figure out how to build this lander for a right hip. angles and stuff are confusing. you inspired me though, so i went and dug today
:D

Have your buddy jump it, where ever his body splats onto the ground, use him as the base :busted:

Defenestrated

06-29-2008, 06:27 AM

The soil I have to work with is this red clay, which is always turning into pea gravel and loosening up even after a good pack/water. Seems to have a limiting effect on hit size as well, although it's chill because I'm not building anything insane. I envy your perfect dirt sometimes hehe...

Cru Jones

06-29-2008, 02:24 PM

I envy your perfect dirt sometimes hehe...

Our dirt is FAR from perfect. If it was perfect, we would have a hell of a lot more than a simple 10 pack after two years of solid digging. The top layer is filled with thick roots and the next layer is filled with rocks. Add that to the fact that is forever dry in so cal and there is no way that this land should have dirt jumps on it. Not saying that your dirt is any better, but the stuff we got is sh!tty.

The quality and build-ability of the dirt is definitely one of the first things you should look at when picking a new spot. Unfortunately, we just don't have that many options in the desert that is southern california.

WestCoastHucker

06-30-2008, 12:03 AM

word. our dirt really sucks, dedication keeps it together...

jebfour

06-30-2008, 12:22 AM

Wow. Those jumps look incredible man....

roamingoregon

06-30-2008, 12:11 PM

word. our dirt really sucks, dedication keeps it together...

What are you talking about? We are so lucky! Our dirt is killer! In a few spots on some very special days you can push the shovel in the dirt and miss all the rock, roots, and grass. I think I've had at least 5 shovels full in a row once where I didn't have to break out the pick. Lucky doesn't even describe it!

(Actually I think I'm more lucky that there is a dedicated group of guys that care to work and maintain trails in numerous places just in case one goes "bye-bye")

Cru Jones

06-30-2008, 04:16 PM

I am lucky that this lip got magically shaped to perfection. And that there is always paparazzi like RO and Tater around snapping snaps. And that flying bicycles is fun.

http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/2900/skelhugecropqp6.jpg

opjones

06-30-2008, 04:20 PM

whew, boost me up! That's an awesome summer time shot.

Cru Jones

06-30-2008, 04:25 PM

Thanks, yo. Jake (roamingoregon) got that one.

My 2,000th post... uh oh... does that officially mean that I am on the internet waaaay too much at work?

opjones

06-30-2008, 04:50 PM

Thanks, yo. Jake (roamingoregon) got that one.

My 2,000 post... uh oh... does that officially mean that I am on the internet waaaay too much at work?

When did they install internet kiosk's at Hell Track?

roamingoregon

06-30-2008, 09:26 PM

Solid work on the crop. I like it. Now I need to shoot it without need for cropping. I want a bunch of dust in the air from the take-off too, maybe a little more whipped, I dunno... nice crop. Give yourself another 2 feet too since I'm up above you based on the angle.

Boostification!