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Thread: Wasatch 2019

  1. #226
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    Wasatch 2019

    Was having a beer with a friend last night who was telling me how Empire is in really good shape right now. Apparently a friend of a friend has been up there working on jumps and doing some maintenance. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I suppose, I haven't ridden it yet this year to see for myself. Your description of MH sounds pretty normal for summer conditions, it gets surfy. It was really good this spring for a couple of weeks before people knew it was snow free.

    Spun a quick honey tonight. Seems like the first half of the rock garden got filled in with dirt and seems easier while the bottom half had all the dirt flushed out of it and has some moving boulders and big holes.
    Last edited by dfinn; 08-24-2019 at 12:06 AM.

  2. #227
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    Got in an early one on bamberger and it was nice to just go 10 minutes from home. Some fire road, some twisters and some climb. A few technical sections even and that worked for me

  3. #228
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    Quote Originally Posted by SJG View Post
    I can't imagine the misery of Evil Empire the hard way. I always accessed via Guardsman and up the jeep road to Jupiter Peak and Ridge down, which is actually fun.

    It's amazing how the conditions can make/break a trail. I did Evil Empire AND Moosehouse in the same ride 2 weeks ago, and it was as good as I've ever seen it (right after the rains).
    Yeah it was horrendous. I don't mind getting schooled in a technical section and having to HAB but having to do it on a dirt road cause it's so fucking steep and loose is just cruel. At least I've learned that Evil Empire is just too much gnar for me and I'll stay away from it...

    Quote Originally Posted by dfinn View Post
    Was having a beer with a friend last night who was telling me how Empire is in really good shape right now. Apparently a friend of a friend has been up there working on jumps and doing some maintenance. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder I suppose, I haven't ridden it yet this year to see for myself. Your description of MH sounds pretty normal for summer conditions, it gets surfy. It was really good this spring for a couple of weeks before people knew it was snow free.
    I can confirm Empire is riding really well, been on it twice in the past 10 days and it's less janky/brushy than a month ago.
    I still have to ride Moosehouse proper, I get in there, ride the direct option, then keep missing the right turn and end up flushing myself down the dustiest of all chutes and popping up right at the end. I wonder if I (and everyone else) am following the track some poor soul made after straightlined a switchback and not being able to stop until the bottom but it sure as shit isn't a real trail...

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    Anyhow, tonight was sweet. A bit warm at the start but it cooled off nicely and I saw a grand total of 3 people, 2 of whom were cute lady shredders.
    The glorious meadow was glorious:

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  4. #229
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    I keep running into these guys.
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    The bulls were chill, but the mama moose was not stoked and bluff charged me a few times as I tried to find a way around them. I ended up riding back down the way I came as the bush wasn't fun wacking with a bike and dog in tow.

    Riding has been great though. Great temps and the trails are mostly in good shape.

  5. #230
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    Days fork took quite a beating in that storm a while back. Especially the middle part of the trail.

  6. #231
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    That rut could eat you alive.

  7. #232
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    I hadn’t been on this since last year. Was definitely happy to climb up it and get to see all the changes. Riding it blind and fast could be deadly

  8. #233
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    Quote Originally Posted by dfinn View Post
    I hadn’t been on this since last year. Was definitely happy to climb up it and get to see all the changes. Riding it blind and fast could be deadly
    How is it as a climb? Doing it from Soli/Brighton doesn't seem all that appealing to me for some reason...

  9. #234
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    2700' in 4 miles, it's fairly steep and especially right now a good bit of hiking. Coming from Soli is definitely easier and more pedal'able.

  10. #235
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    It's a bit of a sufferfest no matter which way you choose to get up.

    "The Solitude Summit Rd is an enjoyable climb."

    Said no one, ever

  11. #236
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    I've done it from Brighton once via Lake Mary, it was a sufferfest. Had some great singletrack though around and past Lake Mary.

  12. #237
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dantheman View Post
    It's a bit of a sufferfest no matter which way you choose to get up.

    "The Solitude Summit Rd is an enjoyable climb."

    Said no one, ever
    Actually I kind of like that climb. It's good training for BC. And it keeps most people out of there.

  13. #238
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    Quote Originally Posted by dfinn View Post
    And it keeps most people out of there.
    When I rode the loop earlier this month (after the first storm but before the second) I took Queen Bess up the lower half of Soli and ran into a group of guys who had come up Serenity just as we both got to Raptor Rd. I cruised with them across Raptor, and when I didn't follow them onto Kruzr I got some very confused looks.

    The grunty climbs are definitely great training. I don't really mind climbing the Peruvian Gulch road at Snowbird either, but I think I'm solidly in the minority there.

  14. #239
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    LOL, I get the same looks at a different spot. I actually hit Kruzr but then take a hard right up to Lake Solitude (fun single track), then wrap around the uphill side of the lake and scramble up the scree field back to the road. The road sucks, so I avoid whenever possible.

    But at that turn off all the lift bros are like "where's he going?, and it's always either Honeycomb or up to Alta.

    Quote Originally Posted by Dantheman View Post
    When I rode the loop earlier this month (after the first storm but before the second) I took Queen Bess up the lower half of Soli and ran into a group of guys who had come up Serenity just as we both got to Raptor Rd. I cruised with them across Raptor, and when I didn't follow them onto Kruzr I got some very confused looks.

    The grunty climbs are definitely great training. I don't really mind climbing the Peruvian Gulch road at Snowbird either, but I think I'm solidly in the minority there.

  15. #240
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    Did the linkup from Brighton up to Lake Soli, the summit rd, twin lakes pass, grizz, up supreme and back on the Brighton side of Catherine's. What a rad descent that is. Didn't clean it all but most, and got a little off route at one point by Lake Catherine. Have to get back in there and sort out the proper way. There are at least a couple moves that seem beyond me though. The "Grizzly Escape" bit to Albion rd. was more rugged than fun but gets you where you're going. The bulk of the climbing on this route, well, you know the drill.
    There's nothing better than sliding down snow, and flying through the air

  16. #241
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    That would probably be pretty fun the other direction too? Start at Alta, up griz, down honey, up Brighton Catherine’s then down Alta Catherine’s

  17. #242
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    For sure. Up Brighton Catherine's would be a bitch though. Steep uphill mega jank tech gnar. I guess you walk up that or walk up the Supreme road though. Never gone up Grizz on a bike either. Seems like it'd be pretty rugged. Still the descent down the Brighton side kicks the shit out of the Alta side.
    There's nothing better than sliding down snow, and flying through the air

  18. #243
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    I've gone up Catherine's from the Brighton side a few times doing some point-to-points. It was a lot more rideable than I had first expected, but there's definitely some sections no one is riding up short of some MacAskill-level trialsing. Up griz, down honey, up Brighton Catherine’s then down Alta Catherine’s sounds fun for sure.

    Rode Snowbird again on Sunday. If I had a magic wand there's definitely parts of BMT I would change, but it sure doesn't suck either. Add in the 3,000-foot character-building climb that tops out at 11k, and the fact that I can drive up, do the ride, and drive home in 3 hours and it's hard not to love that one.

  19. #244
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    I think I heard they had made some more "improvements" to it? Anything substantial or just minor tweaks?

    Rode bear trap last night. Either I'm having shitty luck picking trails or everything in big is pretty jacked up right now. Maybe the PC side didn't get as beat up, haven't ridden over there in a while.

  20. #245
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    Quote Originally Posted by dfinn View Post
    I think I heard they had made some more "improvements" to it? Anything substantial or just minor tweaks?

    Rode bear trap last night. Either I'm having shitty luck picking trails or everything in big is pretty jacked up right now. Maybe the PC side didn't get as beat up, haven't ridden over there in a while.
    I rode it right before the big rain event and it was already pretty janky from the previous week's heavy rain, can't imagine what it was like after the flood...

  21. #246
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    Quote Originally Posted by dfinn View Post
    I think I heard they had made some more "improvements" to it? Anything substantial or just minor tweaks?

    Rode bear trap last night. Either I'm having shitty luck picking trails or everything in big is pretty jacked up right now. Maybe the PC side didn't get as beat up, haven't ridden over there in a while.
    Just minor tweaks to BMT, mostly new jumps and side hits. Unnecessarily pedally sections are the same, but for me the fast sections make up for those. Per Stava I was above 15 mph for most of the descent and over 20 mph a lot. Time is tight for me sometimes, so being able to swing a 3k climb followed by 7 miles of mostly rippin' one-way DH in 3 hours door-to-door is pretty clutch.

    I haven't been in PC since the Force Majeure. Reports on Trailforks are mixed. Black Forest and upper Empire seem to have fared OK, but one guy said this about Red Bull, "Nothing but a pile of gravel at the bottom. Couldn’t ride it and could barely walk it."
    Last edited by Dantheman; 09-04-2019 at 01:30 PM.

  22. #247
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    Quote Originally Posted by Dantheman View Post
    Just minor tweaks to BMT, mostly new jumps and side hits. Unnecessarily pedally sections are the same, but for me the fast sections make up for those. Per Stava I was above 15 mph for most of the descent and over 20 mph a lot.

    I haven't been in PC since the Force Majeure. Reports on Trailforks are mixed. Black Forest and upper Empire seem to have fared OK, but one guy said this about Red Bull, "Nothing but a pile of gravel at the bottom. Couldn’t ride it and could barely walk it."
    PC is riding well with no major storm damage. That Red Bull report is BS, and it’s exactly as you’d expect after a long dry spell. The spicy move at the bottom is still...spicy. Black Forest is fine other than a new tree down right before the other one, but this one requires a dismount. Empire, moosehouse, speedbag and that new looking trail dropping off empire link are in solid shape.

    The top of beartrap is definitely less fun now but otherwise I thought the whole forested mid section is rising well.

  23. #248
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    That is true, the mid section was as good as it ever is and even the bottom was riding pretty well. That top rut is pretty heinous though.

    I spooked then followed a large moose through the beginning of the mid section. Made it extra enjoyable.

  24. #249
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    Quote Originally Posted by altabird92 View Post
    PC is riding well with no major storm damage. That Red Bull report is BS, and it’s exactly as you’d expect after a long dry spell. The spicy move at the bottom is still...spicy. Black Forest is fine other than a new tree down right before the other one, but this one requires a dismount. Empire, moosehouse, speedbag and that new looking trail dropping off empire link are in solid shape.

    The top of beartrap is definitely less fun now but otherwise I thought the whole forested mid section is rising well.
    Cool, good to know, thanks.

  25. #250
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    Quote Originally Posted by dfinn View Post
    That is true, the mid section was as good as it ever is and even the bottom was riding pretty well. That top rut is pretty heinous though.

    I spooked then followed a large moose through the beginning of the mid section. Made it extra enjoyable.
    If it was a large male, then I think he’s a permanent resident of that gully. I saw him a few weeks ago. A few hours with a shovel or two would go a long way up there and could probably make the top pretty epic, especially the section into the aspens.

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