I've been wanting to explore new places to ride this season. Excited by a great visit to Pine Hill Park a few weeks ago, I ventured to Wilmington this past Thursday. Carrying my camera to capture my day led to this mini video recap...
The Hardy Road trails have had a lot of recent work on them. The trails are marked very well at every intersection, however to get a trail map you need to join the BETA. There are about 3 miles of established trails on the west side of the road. Southwest leads up and around the backside of a hill to a summit with an excellent view. Heading down the other side of the summit loops back to the trailhead or another loop thru a well spaced pine forest. The east side of the road, according to a DEC person I ran into, has 3 more miles of new trails. I did not ride these.
The Flume trails were in very good condition. There is some fairly easy singletrack. And there are challenging trails too. Cedars was fast, tight and smooth. Ridgeline is good in both directions with hills at either end. There were lots of roots and tricky turns between rocks, trees, and dips. Marble Mountain was similar to Ridgeline but not as difficult. Rock Garden is a punishing trail. It is short but there is an intense section for about .1 mile that inspired the trails name. Once you lose your rhythm here you're done. Keep your speed up and hammer down as much as possible to make it thru. Sadly, I did not. Next time I will try this trail much earlier in my day!
Overall both trails were fun and interesting. Together they have a nice variety of terrain, views and challenges. They offer a rewarding day, a nice change of pace, and a spot in my new rotation of places to visit.
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Gore Feb 3-5
Lost track of which ski day i'm on..
Here's a mini vid of riding at Gore on Thurs Feb 3 and Sat Feb 5 after receiving about 12" of snow on tues and wed.
We definitely earned our turns in some glades in BR and Chatty on both days. Had to unstrap two times from the north quad down Pipeline after bombing Tahawus past the chair. Once you reached the pump house it's pretty fast with no flat spots all the way to BRQ.
One day we hit Burnt Ridge then worked our way across from Chatty to Dark Side. The other day we boomeranged from Hawkeye out to Dark Side and back to Lies -> Topridge Triple and across to Tahawus/Pipeline/BRQ/Tahawus glades. Avoided lower mtn each day except for one Showcase run.
Our sequence of terrain pod choices as we rode each day worked out really well.
Here's a mini vid of riding at Gore on Thurs Feb 3 and Sat Feb 5 after receiving about 12" of snow on tues and wed.
We definitely earned our turns in some glades in BR and Chatty on both days. Had to unstrap two times from the north quad down Pipeline after bombing Tahawus past the chair. Once you reached the pump house it's pretty fast with no flat spots all the way to BRQ.
One day we hit Burnt Ridge then worked our way across from Chatty to Dark Side. The other day we boomeranged from Hawkeye out to Dark Side and back to Lies -> Topridge Triple and across to Tahawus/Pipeline/BRQ/Tahawus glades. Avoided lower mtn each day except for one Showcase run.
Our sequence of terrain pod choices as we rode each day worked out really well.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Gore 1-22-11
I tried 3 different songs with the same video. I think I like the Kamikaze Hearts one the most for lyrics and feel. However, the drum fill in the slayer one when greg hits that lip is pretty sweet also, and the lyrics in Rising Son i liked too.
Slayer -
Kamikaze Hearts -
Rising Son -
Slayer -
Kamikaze Hearts -
Rising Son -
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
2010 Year End Video.
Well, here it is... 2 software applications, 3 start overs, and endless program crashes later, I present, my crowning video achievement thus far..
'Ezy Riders: Winter 2010'
All footage in the video is from Gore, Whiteface, and Jay Peak and was filmed by me, Greg, and Chris on my old Canon SD600 Elph. I must say this video took quite a bit of effort, mainly because my computer is junk and everything I did took forever, but also because I worked hard at piecing it all together and coming up with a nice flow, fitting music, and an overall entertaining viewing experience. I really enjoy making these videos. It gives me great pleasure to create something from scratch that I can enjoy with the others who made it possible and never forgetting some really great life memories.
I hope to gain more experience using my newest application, Adobe Premiere Elements. It seems to be pretty robust with features and is overall fairly intuitive. Next year I would like to include some interviews with friends and others at the mountain to share their experiences and make the video more varied.
Of course you can never have enough action clips and in that regard I would like to include new friends and locals at Gore, WF, and Jay as well. I would also like to get a new computer as well as a much better camera to make next years video even better... We shall see!!
'Ezy Riders: Winter 2010'
Winter 2010 from josh on Vimeo.
All footage in the video is from Gore, Whiteface, and Jay Peak and was filmed by me, Greg, and Chris on my old Canon SD600 Elph. I must say this video took quite a bit of effort, mainly because my computer is junk and everything I did took forever, but also because I worked hard at piecing it all together and coming up with a nice flow, fitting music, and an overall entertaining viewing experience. I really enjoy making these videos. It gives me great pleasure to create something from scratch that I can enjoy with the others who made it possible and never forgetting some really great life memories.
I hope to gain more experience using my newest application, Adobe Premiere Elements. It seems to be pretty robust with features and is overall fairly intuitive. Next year I would like to include some interviews with friends and others at the mountain to share their experiences and make the video more varied.
Of course you can never have enough action clips and in that regard I would like to include new friends and locals at Gore, WF, and Jay as well. I would also like to get a new computer as well as a much better camera to make next years video even better... We shall see!!
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Whiteface 04-03-2010
Final Ski Day
Ski Day 21
Final Ski Day of the year. We decided Whiteface would have better coverage left than Gore. It was already around 60 degress in the parking lot when we arrived around 9:30.
I started the day out in my #5 retro David Wright jersey, and it soon become too warm!
By mid-morning it was already in the 70's! So warm we had to back to the car to remove some layers.. Greg got a good video of me on the way down. It was so warm there was actually a girl snowboarding in a pink bikini top which was nice to see :)
Many people had on shorts or shortsleeves too.
Snow coverage was still actually pretty good. The only bad place was the top wall on Skyward was bare. We had to hike down the rocks to get to the snow about 10-15 yards.
The snow was nice and soft and surprisingly not too slushy for some reason. Greg got some air off a kicker in the park. And we finally had a chance to ride Lookout Below, which Greg is standing at the top of below. It's fairly narrow with many big rocks and steep spots.
Had our final beer of the year on the deck outside then headed into Lake Placid for lunch before heading home.. Man it was a great year for me. Most days on snow in a winter i've ever had and my riding really improved a lot by the end of the year.
Ski Day 21
Final Ski Day of the year. We decided Whiteface would have better coverage left than Gore. It was already around 60 degress in the parking lot when we arrived around 9:30.
I started the day out in my #5 retro David Wright jersey, and it soon become too warm!
By mid-morning it was already in the 70's! So warm we had to back to the car to remove some layers.. Greg got a good video of me on the way down. It was so warm there was actually a girl snowboarding in a pink bikini top which was nice to see :)
Many people had on shorts or shortsleeves too.
Snow coverage was still actually pretty good. The only bad place was the top wall on Skyward was bare. We had to hike down the rocks to get to the snow about 10-15 yards.
The snow was nice and soft and surprisingly not too slushy for some reason. Greg got some air off a kicker in the park. And we finally had a chance to ride Lookout Below, which Greg is standing at the top of below. It's fairly narrow with many big rocks and steep spots.
Had our final beer of the year on the deck outside then headed into Lake Placid for lunch before heading home.. Man it was a great year for me. Most days on snow in a winter i've ever had and my riding really improved a lot by the end of the year.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Gore 03-21-2010
Ski Day 20
The legendary alpacas of Rt 28! I must say those animals are rather ugly. There are also very curious, the whole pack of them slowly filed out of their barn and wandered over toward me...
Met Chris in the parking lot in the 'locals' section at the very far end. It was already a nice temp out and it looked like it might clear up later. Got on the gondi around 10. Pretty sparse crowd for that time, large bare patches on the last pitch of each trail and Walt's bump run was set up with one kicker at the bottom. Turns out mostly little kids did the course and it was single file, kinda liked it better than serious adults. Plus the run was not steep at all and the moguls were small.
Warmed up down Sunway to Quicksilver. Snow already nice and loose. Legs were definitely feeling it after one run. Rode up the gondi again and took Pine Knot to summit chair.
Up top we cycled Upper Steilhang and Cloud to Dell and Headwaters, then moved over to Open Pit a few times, Chatiemac twice, then Open Pit again. Stayed away from Lies and Rumor cause we weren't feelin bumps at all. What we did do was nice and soft and fast. Really was pretty good, it was warm and there was still lots of snow, no bad bare spots.
Took Wild Air to bottom for a break. Turns out Chris walked to the bottom from just under the gondola on Foxlair cause his board broke and was unrideable. A seam in the base ripped up. So we ended up gettin him a free rental for the rest of the day!
After lunch went and did Topridge then Cave glades. Topridge was really nice but the glades were tough on boards, snow was a bit firmer in the trees. Just so much better with POW. Chris said the rental board was the most unresponsive board he ever rode lol, a 160 burton cruzer.
Rain had stayed away and the sun was actually out now! I was only wearing a light windbreaker and sunglasses. I think we did Open Pit and Chatiemac a few more times and possibly an Upper Steilhang run too. Snow was getting heavy and slow. Then over Topridge Triple to Fairview which we absolutely bombed and still didnt make it over the hump at the end. Saddle was closed so we took Sleighride for our last run. Had to be careful dodging the bare spots towards the end.
Turned out to be a beautiful day so we had some beers on the deck. Nice crowd for the bump contest prize ceremony as well. Stopped and took some pics of the North River from Golf Course Rd in Warrensburg...
The legendary alpacas of Rt 28! I must say those animals are rather ugly. There are also very curious, the whole pack of them slowly filed out of their barn and wandered over toward me...
Met Chris in the parking lot in the 'locals' section at the very far end. It was already a nice temp out and it looked like it might clear up later. Got on the gondi around 10. Pretty sparse crowd for that time, large bare patches on the last pitch of each trail and Walt's bump run was set up with one kicker at the bottom. Turns out mostly little kids did the course and it was single file, kinda liked it better than serious adults. Plus the run was not steep at all and the moguls were small.
Warmed up down Sunway to Quicksilver. Snow already nice and loose. Legs were definitely feeling it after one run. Rode up the gondi again and took Pine Knot to summit chair.
Up top we cycled Upper Steilhang and Cloud to Dell and Headwaters, then moved over to Open Pit a few times, Chatiemac twice, then Open Pit again. Stayed away from Lies and Rumor cause we weren't feelin bumps at all. What we did do was nice and soft and fast. Really was pretty good, it was warm and there was still lots of snow, no bad bare spots.
Took Wild Air to bottom for a break. Turns out Chris walked to the bottom from just under the gondola on Foxlair cause his board broke and was unrideable. A seam in the base ripped up. So we ended up gettin him a free rental for the rest of the day!
After lunch went and did Topridge then Cave glades. Topridge was really nice but the glades were tough on boards, snow was a bit firmer in the trees. Just so much better with POW. Chris said the rental board was the most unresponsive board he ever rode lol, a 160 burton cruzer.
Rain had stayed away and the sun was actually out now! I was only wearing a light windbreaker and sunglasses. I think we did Open Pit and Chatiemac a few more times and possibly an Upper Steilhang run too. Snow was getting heavy and slow. Then over Topridge Triple to Fairview which we absolutely bombed and still didnt make it over the hump at the end. Saddle was closed so we took Sleighride for our last run. Had to be careful dodging the bare spots towards the end.
Turned out to be a beautiful day so we had some beers on the deck. Nice crowd for the bump contest prize ceremony as well. Stopped and took some pics of the North River from Golf Course Rd in Warrensburg...
Whiteface 03-13-2010
Ski Day 19.
All I remember was very tough conditions until around noon. Lowere mtn was ok early but Little WF wasn't good until then. Didnt even go to summit today. I think I had more beers than runs made.
Conditions were frozen ungroomed slush from the day before. terrible. we parked at the kids kampus area for the first time. saved $15. The pic above was taken from the kids area and it was cool to see the Wilmington trail from that angle, it's the trail in the foreground and it's that last steeper sectin right before it ends.
All I remember was very tough conditions until around noon. Lowere mtn was ok early but Little WF wasn't good until then. Didnt even go to summit today. I think I had more beers than runs made.
Conditions were frozen ungroomed slush from the day before. terrible. we parked at the kids kampus area for the first time. saved $15. The pic above was taken from the kids area and it was cool to see the Wilmington trail from that angle, it's the trail in the foreground and it's that last steeper sectin right before it ends.
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