Topic: Log Rides

[RiskEverything]

We get plenty of downed trees, any chance we can turn some of them into a log ride?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVTpWzcOrw4

[BillT]

Here's a better log ride photo:



The issue with log rides is that they are fun once or twice and then you just end up skipping them.

[Gregg]

That video caused me to spend the last hour on YOUTube.

[chisel]

That guy did not make that look fun at all!

[RiskEverything]

The issue with log rides is that they are fun once or twice and then you just end up skipping them.

It's still better than not having the option at all.

[BillT]

The issue with log rides is that they are fun once or twice and then you just end up skipping them.

It's still better than not having the option at all.

I can kinda see your point, but when you factor in the time and effort in creating and maintaining the log ride along with the additional liability, I'd question if it was worth it.

The log ride in the picture I posted is on a trail called Shotgun at Mammoth Mountain in California.  We always hit that trail several times when we go out there but only hit the log ride once just to say we did it.  In this case, the log ride really takes away from the flow of the trail and is best skipped. 

Here's a link to a video of a race they held on that trail from last week:  http://www.mountain-biking-mammoth.com

[chisel]

That trail looks fun but not very tech. It looked like all you would need there is a cross country bike and you could do very well! The lines at snowshoe are so much sicker.  Well, east coast versus west coast.

[BillT]

That trail is only considered a single black at Mammoth and not one that they would usually use for races (the race they show in the video is the Mammoth Village Championship where they don't announce the trail until the day of the race and it is typically one of the double black trails on the hill so these guys were a bit over-geared for the trail).  One could easily ride it on a hardtail if they wanted, but you'd be much faster on something in the 6" travel range to better soak up some of hits at speed on the trail.  I tore that trail up back in 2000 on a Truth, but it was more fun on my Bullit and even better on the Uzzi VPX that I took there last year.

Here's a link to some pics of the double black trails there:
http://www.mammothmountain.com/gallery/gallery.cfm?gallery=71

Some other double black pics:






The riding is different out there - less in the way of roots, but more rocks.  The downhill trails tend to be longer (one can string together almost 15 miles of 99% DH singletrack at Mammoth) and more open than East Coast stuff.  Mammoth also has some interesting trail composition - most of the upper mountain is pumice which can get very loose and deep so you have to learn to 'surf' it. 

[chisel]

Now those are some good lines! Thass what I'm talking about! I would definatlely want a big hit on those baby's!

[EllsRider]

That looks like fun. I think I would be wearing elbow  and knee pads though if I rode that stuff. Great pics to look at.  I need to downsize and simplify my life so I can go out west and ride stuff like that.

[BillT]

When I go out there, I bring my full face helmet, elbow/forearm armor, and lower leg/knee armor along with a bunch of long sleeve jerseys.  The added protection really helps with the confidence.  One of the nice things about Mammoth is that if you do take a spill, the landing is generally soft provided you don't nail a tree or a rock

I wasn't a planning a trip out to Mammoth this year due to the birth of my 2nd daughter, but as luck turned out, I have a business trip out to Vegas in early September that will require me to stay over the weekend, so a friend of mine is coming into Vegas that Friday and we're going to head over to Mammoth to ride Saturday and Sunday.  Trips to Mammoth can be done somewhat inexpensively especially if you can get a group of 3-5 people together to share costs.  You can get a dirt cheap flight into Vegas and a relatively cheap car rental and then drive there (about 6 hours but very scenic).  While in Mammoth, the summer lodging is dirt cheap - nice 2 bedroom condo's can go for as little as $500 for 6 days or you can stay at one of Mammoth's properties for as little as $70/night and it'll include a lift ticket.  Food can be a little pricey, but that is to be expected in a little resort town in California.

[CrazyWhiteGuy]

Ok, now I'm totally kicking myself for not going INTO the resort when I was there. There was however a nice trail running from the ski resort down to the village that had super good flow.
I think a log ride would be something that some would avoid. If it was out in the open then people could choose to ride it when they want. I personally think it would be sweet.

[BillT]

Here's a cool video from Mammoth that shows some people on the log ride along with some footage of some of the harder trails there: 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3954959338308409994&hl=en

Also  http://www.mountain-biking-mammoth.com has footage (2 parts, 2nd part starts after the first finishes) of last weeks DH race there on Velocity which is a sick trail.