New Altura trail at Whinlatter

Yukon Lad

same here, was up at grizedale, nice teack, good flow and some nice techy bits but theres nothing like the last bit on the northern loop at whinlatter.

Grizedales good and in places better than whinlatter but the last bit on whinlatter is great.

Am looking forward to the second loop and the completion of the northern one. Am hoping they put a bit of red downhill and some more sections like the last bit because at the moment i go slow other jumps to get my landing but i've just about cracked that so am looking to go faster, get more air and possibly see what i can mess about with while i'm up (carefully of course, not anything stupid)

yukon lad

Yukon Lad

just went again yesterday and although the singletrack climb is very rocky i really enjoyed it, in places you can throw the bike around more at grizedale in palces the rush off the last section is great

i threw myself into it, flooring it over the jumps and reallly pushing mysellf throught the berms, came a bit close to going over the handlebars on one of the jumps :oops: but really enjoyed it, and i think i'm getting better but am still a newbie and need to improve on rocky climbs and line choice on rocky bits

Yukon Lad

SGP

I was there on Sunday and thought the surface on the last downhill section had really deteriorated over the last month. The berms in particular were badly rutted and there were lots of fist sized rocks laying around.

I also followed a couple of guys on the penultimate single track section and their technique on any steep bits was just to lock up the back wheel and plough their way down - I'm new to this but I'm guessing that's not good skill or trail etiquette?

What's the usual maintenance regime on these trails, do they get patched up on an ongoing basis or is it a once in a while overhaul?

Yukon Lad

I assume they're overhauled if someone reports a problem, i did notice some deterioration of the trail service and quite a few rocks in the way.

As for those who drag their brakes on the steep bit tell them how to do it or overtake them and demonstrate because,
A. It wrecks the trail and shreds especially when its wet
B. Its bad technique and you can normally take stuff twice as fast as you think you can

Mancunianfightingcat

I did a couple of laps yesterday, the weather was foul and there was plenty of mud and wet roots.
I'm not too sure about this place, there doesn't seem to be any flow to the route.
The first 4 miles are all a bit uneventful, but the last 2 miles are better.
As others have said the trail features are nothing too special although the small kickers on the entrance to the fast berms are good fun!

I did however manage to fall about 50 feet down a very steep hill side whilst waiting for my mate to catch up....which was a tad embarassing!

I will go back but I think I'll wait for the 2nd loop to be completed and maybe some better weather will help!

IainMac1

apart from the drop on the first bit which is mental for me to even try

Is that the crazy directed black bit in the first section, which is just like a meter drop off?

Aye, i thought it was abit naughty.

Done both recently, really enjoyed them.

Abit short to drive any real distance to go tho.

Quite good you can use your ticket for both Grisedale and Winlatter

Yukon Lad

yep, thats the one, but i was talking to a mate who does downhill and freeride and he's done a 13ft drop so i am beginning to think its possibly but you'd have to either roll of it which would be hard , manual off it or do a trails kinda move because there's very little space between the drops landing and the turn after so you can't shoot off it.

Yukon Lad

MikeT

I've ridden it a couple of times when the trail first opened, however i now leave it alone as the run in has worn away significantly leaving a bit of rock sticking up just before the drop which looks really sketchy.
Also, I was talking to one of the trailbuilders who was working on the southern part and he said the last descent will be finished maybe in a week. He said it won't be officially open but theres nothing stopping people from riding it and it helps the trail to bed in as well. I couldnt stop myself walking up some of it (a few hundred meters) and it looked really good. It was all fairly wide and a bit similar to the last part of the northern loop but with some bigger tabletops. Hoping to go again soon to see how it rides.

IainMac1

but i was talking to a mate who does downhill and freeride and he's done a 13ft drop so i am beginning to think its possibly

From what i saw off it, the approach is not quick enough to hit it properly anyways !

Think thats a problem with some of the obsticles, if anyone was rode Dalby, you cant generate enough speed to ride them properly.

Yukon Lad

i noticed some really bad detiororation of the trails, the first bit where that black section is the slope which is the red option has got some massive holes in it and the last bit has started to deteriorate as well. Its getting really bad. I'm actually very surprised but judging by what i've heard i shouldn't be, there are no bits at whinlatter where you can't either freewheel down it and let it get its own speed or brake before it so i think whoever does that needs told what not to do and what to do so its right

Thanks, Yukon Lad

P.S Is that bit of the southern loop the one by the road just after the visitors centre. I like the idea of some more jumps and things but is it an official downhill trail

MikeT

The bit by the road is just a two way track that links the end of the northern loop with the start of the southern loop. The downhill bit I mentioned is way above that, if you look directly across the valley from the visitors centre you'll see an area where the forest has been cut down. The section I mentioned starts at the top it from a forest road just below the top of the ridge and drops a few hundred meters to the next forest road.
Its not a proper DH trail, just part of the altura trail, but there are plans for push-up paths which should be more direct than the forest road if your wanting to just ride that section.

Yukon Lad

So are we allowed to ride it now or is it officially out of bounds, whats the officaial opening date on it?

Yukon Lad

Yukon Lad

Update, just found on everyday cycling that the full trail will be opened in october but found nothing on whether you're allowed to officially ride it yet or that you'll have your bike confiscated or get bollocked by the people at the centre.

Thanks, Yukon Lad

bungalistic

I'll have to take a look at the new track sections this weekend then, I did walk up some of it a few week ago but couldn't find any of the interesting bits but will spend more time on Saturday exploring. I'm hoping in the future they build a 4X track (like Mabie) or a downhill jump track (like Ae), something along those lines built there would be amazing and i'm sure would get some serious use.

For anyone who is interested in riding with others and finding new folk to ride with check out http://jackrabbitt.net We ride every sunday in various places, though Scotland seems to be the big fave amongst most folk, and we'd love to welcome more people into our mini community.

MikeT

Yukon Lad- Like I said, one of the trailbuilders said it would be ok to ride it before the rest of the trail is complete, so I guess there allowing us too, obviously as long as its properly finished and there not working on it.

Yukon Lad

COOL, I've been waiting for ages. Thanks for that i'll get up there this weekend i hope and give it a try, might get some shinnies first cos it sounds like its a bit more like the last bit and i'm not that good at things like that and have given my self guite a few pedal bites recently

Thanks, Yukon Lad

MikeT

Well if you do go I hope its finished. With all this rain we've had i wouldn't be surprised if they've got a bit behind schedule. Although it was a week and a half ago when I last looked and it was nearly done then, and the guy did say it'd be done in a week or so. I'll probably try and get down there some time next week.

Yukon Lad

yep, might leave it actually cos if i shred it up then most people are gonna get seriously pissed off. Might leave it till the official date but will probs go today and ask at the cyclewise place

Thanks, Yukon Lad

Rocketmagnet

I rode it sunday night and many areas have been fixed. The red section next to the black dropoff has been redone and most of the puddles that were forming have been filled in.

I'm not sure it's that fair to complain about surface deterioration when you consider the constant rain. I've ridden it a few times per week since it opened and it's always easily rideable. To be fair it's not bedded in yet so to not expect loose stones is a bit early IMO - many courses take a year + - many i've ridden were quagmires in a slight drizzle at the start. Even coed y brenin had many more problems than this and only in the last 2 years have they all been fixed.

I think were used to fully bedded in track are we simply have too high expectations and were a bit spoiled with many courses that have had many years to bed in. Persoanlly i like some of the "problems" it adds variety.

As for brake dragging - there is only one quick drop where this is an issue. It's steep and very loose - the course is aimed at red route riders but does get new people. So I can see why they brake on this section - it's impossible to educate everyone in correct technique and therefore I believe they should alter this section.

Love the new singletrack climb at the start - I didn't really notice the drop but yeah I suppose it could be offputting for newer riders - if you don't like it - it's easily avoided.
I recall I got to the top and someone said - wow you see the drop... no i was concentrating on where i was going ;P. New section is great for learning how to do switchbacks better as they are fairly tight.

This course has it's own character - the roots and wild nature make it unlike the virtual tarmac roads were seeing many courses "upgraded" to .. yes they are fast and "swoopy" but TBH it's nice to have a mountain bike course that remembers it's supposed to be offroad. If all courses are the same then it's gonna be a bit dull riding them.

My only issue is it does loose altitude quickly in some places - the current trend to make them seem to "flow" is to have shallow extended decents = more fun imo.

As for the new section I think they may want people to ride it prior to it's opening date to help bed it in - but i'd wait until your told you can - there could be workers on it. Not sure who would tell you it's available .. possibly the shop but im not sure?

ratty2k

Anyone taken pics of this yet? If so, please post as I'm debating going...

bungalistic

MikeT wrote:

Yukon Lad- Like I said, one of the trailbuilders said it would be ok to ride it before the rest of the trail is complete, so I guess there allowing us too, obviously as long as its properly finished and there not working on it.

Hmmm i'd be wary about riding it as it isn't yet finished and won't be being officially opened until Oct/Nov. I was talking to one of the trail leaders/tutors who had rode the new section on Saturday morning (sept 13th) who told me this. The top section of it is apparantly very fast with some really nice bits, slippier than the north section though, but after that the trail flattens out and a lot of speed is lost so they are taking some time to fix this and keep it flowing and fast, also mentioned were some proper table top jumps, lipped take offs to nice roll outs.

It may well be that the trail is 90% finished but I think they're going to take several more weeks testing it and making sure it is as good as it can be before the opening day, they may not want people riding it before then but I wasn't told not to ride it just that it wasn't ready to ride just yet.

Yukon Lad

Yep, decided to leave it. But when i went on Sunday that place by the drop was still bad, what do you mean by lipped take-offs, like the sound of proper tabletops and more freeride type things

Yukon Lad

bungalistic

Yukon Lad wrote:

what do you mean by lipped take-offs, like the sound of proper tabletops and more freeride type things

Bit like skatepark ramps, the take off is curved to a lip to launch you further. The two table top type jumps on the last bit of the north section used to have lips but were smoothed down a few week after it was opened.

If you want a bit more challenge and you're keen to try more freeride style trails out get yourself up to Ae Forest, just outside of Dumfries it has a new Orange route, a freeride style downhill run with good jumps, berms, drops off's etc. You can also just session the last bit of the Omega Man (on the red route) which is full of jumps, drops etc. Definately worth a visit.

cakesie

I can certainly reccomend the AeLine trail. I went up there on Sunday and it was brilliant! I did the full trail then sessioned the Omega Man for a while cos it was so much fun. Nothing too scary up there, Yukon Lad.

bungalistic

cakesie wrote:

I can certainly reccomend the AeLine trail. I went up there on Sunday and it was brilliant! I did the full trail then sessioned the Omega Man for a while cos it was so much fun. Nothing too scary up there, Yukon Lad.

It's quite possible we saw you there then, there was a big group of us sessioning that very last section all afternoon. So many people crashed out too, the most crashes i've seen in ages.

cakesie

bungalistic wrote:

cakesie wrote:

I can certainly reccomend the AeLine trail. I went up there on Sunday and it was brilliant! I did the full trail then sessioned the Omega Man for a while cos it was so much fun. Nothing too scary up there, Yukon Lad.

It's quite possible we saw you there then, there was a big group of us sessioning that very last section all afternoon. So many people crashed out too, the most crashes i've seen in ages.

Aye there was. I hspoke to a lass that had taken a bad knock to her head at the bottom of the jumps. She was really badly concussed and couldn't remember her surname or her job!

Yukon Lad

I'd like to do some more stuff like this but only have a 4" travel yukon fx2, am looking to invest in a hardtailonce i've got enough cash just because it might do me better to do a bit of learning on one of them cos i want to get started in downhill but need a bombproof DJ type bike (possibly shred) and i need to kit out with some body armour, (probs just knee and shins but maybe suit cos i might to DH but am not sure cos i'm a bit of a wuss about big drops and gap jumps and the like.

Thanks for the help, alsodoes anyone know of a blue or a red graded freeride park type thing in cumbria

Thanks, Yukon Lad
P.S there is word of a new place in Penrith with everything you could think of, anyone else know anymore

cakesie

There is a place near Penrith called Scratchmere Scar. I think it's pretty extreme from the pictures i've seen of it and the descriptions.

bungalistic

Yukon Lad wrote:

I'd like to do some more stuff like this but only have a 4" travel yukon fx2, am looking to invest in a hardtailonce i've got enough cash just because it might do me better to do a bit of learning on one of them cos i want to get started in downhill but need a bombproof DJ type bike (possibly shred) and i need to kit out with some body armour, (probs just knee and shins but maybe suit cos i might to DH but am not sure cos i'm a bit of a wuss about big drops and gap jumps and the like.

Thanks for the help, alsodoes anyone know of a blue or a red graded freeride park type thing in cumbria

Thanks, Yukon Lad
P.S there is word of a new place in Penrith with everything you could think of, anyone else know anymore

Yeah Cakesie is right the only thing like that is at Scratchmere which seems to be more orientated around DH at the moment, though they do plan on adding a lot more stuff so future looks promising for that place.

I really would encourage you to get up to Scotland, both Mabie and Ae are really good for XC style tracks and play style areas (4X at Mabie and quite a few cool sections at Ae) If you can drive then definately go you'll learn so much and really enjoy it. Here is a very recent video of us and a few others that a nice man has uploaded to vimeo: http://vimeo.com/1758385 of the last section of Ae.

Depending on how much money you have to spend shop around a bit for a good hardtail, I have nothing against Kona but some stuff does seem a bit overpriced. If you're wanting a good hardtail that can take jumps and DH abuse i'd suggest a steel/cro-mo frame (not an Alu one like the shred) and a decent fork with adjustable travel, this does depend on your money though.

cakesie

Hey, that's a great video! I remember seeing the camera and you lads by the split to the black section.