EWS Aspen

[Shredhead]

Hopefully the afternoon thunderstorms hold off and they can get in all six stages.
Some of the stages are gnarly.

[mfa81]

hoping graves, richie can do well! they both seem super nice guys and are having a bad season so far!

[toast2266]

Course seems a bit bullshit-ish compared to the other courses in the series. Looks like a fair amount of racing down partially mowed ski runs that don't really have a discernible trail. And a bunch of "trails" that only exist for this one race. With all of the good trails around, seems like they could've come up with something a bit more compelling.

[grskier]

Course seems a bit bullshit-ish compared to the other courses in the series. Looks like a fair amount of racing down partially mowed ski runs that don't really have a discernible trail. And a bunch of "trails" that only exist for this one race. With all of the good trails around, seems like they could've come up with something a bit more compelling.

Most trails around aren't really that worthy for an enduro of this caliber. They are a bit pedally for guys like this.

There are definitely parts that are just mowed sections of ski runs and some new trail built... probably looked a lot different after practice was completed. A few others are not always ridden trails on Snowmass with links across the runs on the mowed sections.

[Shredhead]

There are definitely parts that are just mowed sections of ski runs and some new trail built... probably looked a lot different after practice was completed.

The two stages that end at Two Creeks, are the most blatant examples.

I'd like to see those stages in town. One down the Ute and the other down the West Side.

Nobody wants to go to Two Creeks to watch.

[Lindahl]

Money gets what money wants? Aspen has always been the low end of the EWS totem pole

[grskier]

For the $ question... I don't get that.

For the 2 creeks conversation, the trail that's burned in has some history for a downhill in 2009 ish... the other stage uses trails that are some of the few that are fall line enough

[bagtagley]

Aspenites are smart and don't want the good trails to get destroyed?

[westoxified]

Course seems a bit bullshit-ish compared to the other courses in the series. Looks like a fair amount of racing down partially mowed ski runs that don't really have a discernible trail. And a bunch of "trails" that only exist for this one race. With all of the good trails around, seems like they could've come up with something a bit more compelling.

I always thought the Aspen stage was legit and scary fast. A little bit of everything.

[summit]

BiL is racing

[toast2266]

Rude switches to a 29er and finally has a good day. I'm sure Damian is sputtering.

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[The SnowShow]

Looks pretty sick to me.

[Lindahl]

Looks pretty sick to me.

Yeah, they really stepped it up this year. Looks like a great course actually.

[grskier]

Aspenites are smart and don't want the good trails to get destroyed?

Good trails are too pedally

[funkendrenchman]

I didn't race but rode all the courses. I agree that the grass mowed trails are kinda weird but snowmass has been doing that with DH races for 15 years. It does allow for more line choices. The riders seemed super stoked on the courses especially compared to last year.

[summit]

"Super challenging but super fun" was the description I heard

4 of 6 of those mowed in trails are not to be ridden again, but two of them I think will become permanent trails

[WaistDeepGroomers]

From the photos it looked a little BS but seemed like the pros were stoked... maybe just cuz the trails were dry?

At any rate, it must have been fun/scary to be going 45 mph after spending the entire season falling off the bike at 2 mph on wet roots.

[grskier]

Curious that which photos made what look like BS?

[jm2e]

Sam

Motha Fuckin

Hill

Bitches

[jm2e]

And yea, just about every EWS race makes me want to get on an airplane and go ride there or maybe move there permanently. Not so much the State Side races. Sad Sad Sad. Glad the racers had fun.

[westoxified]

And yea, just about every EWS race makes me want to get on an airplane and go ride there or maybe move there permanently. Not so much the State Side races. Sad Sad Sad. Glad the racers had fun.

Yeah. Aspen and Snowmass suck for biking, don't go there. But they're the best for winter sports. Good moguls and party.

[jm2e]

I'm definitely not saying the AssPan suck. But the EWS coverage definitely does NOT put their best foot forward. Ski slopes and catwalks? Temporary kicked in fall line descents that clearly didn't exist a week ago? Not impressive from an outsiders view.

[adrenalated]

4 of 6 of those mowed in trails are not to be ridden again, but two of them I think will become permanent trails

Do you happen to know which ones?

[summit]

Do you happen to know which ones?

I heard Stage 2 would become permanent, but I don't really know

[grskier]

Stage 1 was mowed in, it was a previously used as a DH track for nationals.. it ends in a base area not open for the summer.
Stage 2 was an existing trail on Ajax... They just don't run the gondi up there. It's basically what they have as the end of the Power of 4 race (correct me if I'm wrong Funken et. al.).
Stage 3 KAR and Luge are seldom ridden trails on the west side, which probably got mowed in b/c of how overgrown they can get. But their are trails there.
Stage 4 Snowmass SUPER D is a new downhill trail that gets a little more work before it's open to Joe Public to existing trails with maybe some mowed in sections to connect... not sure
Stage 5 Mowed in trail across scree to existing west govy
Stage 6 Bonzai DH is the OG DH course on Snowmass... part of which get's mowed before a race bc almost nobody hikes their DH bike up there to ride it from the top.


So, yeah, they mowed around the course.. not sure what all the bs is about?