New Altura trail at Whinlatter
Comments
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Yes there is. As soon as you finish that last section you'll be on a bit of firetrack just push back up that (all the way up, pass the wooden squirrel) then when you get to the top take the sharp left and in a couple of minutes you'll be back at the top of the last section, takes about 10 minutes to get from the bottom to the top so you can get quite a few rides in just one hour.0
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Nice one thanks for that.0
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Msg to Bungalistic,where are you from,are you local,i'm from Maryport,what do you ride,i have a Boardman Team (modified),maybe hook up at Whinlatter sometime.0
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Losingclaretagain wrote:Msg to Bungalistic,where are you from,are you local,i'm from Maryport,what do you ride,i have a Boardman Team (modified),maybe hook up at Whinlatter sometime.
I'm from Workington and ride a custom DMR trailstar and I usually look something like this: http://www.fat-tyre.co.uk/biking/photo12.jpg if the day is sunny'ish then i'm usually at Whinlatter on a Saturday at some point, Sunday's are usually spent biking in Scotland or possibly snowboarding somewhere.0 -
i thought the altura trail (north) was complete and utter rubbish...in the wet. waiting for it to dry up and then i'll give it another go.0
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bigbenj_08 wrote:i thought the altura trail (north) was complete and utter rubbish...in the wet. waiting for it to dry up and then i'll give it another go.
I don't know the specifics of your dislike but I know that I thought similar to you when I first tried it (also very wet) but i've been back numerous times now both in the wet and in the dry and now I very much like it. It is no where near as slippy as it used to be and it is bedding in quite nicely now.
Big difference i've noticed though is due to changing my tyres, now running maxxis high rollers, I have way more grip than previously and can attack the trail more.0 -
Anybody going up to whinlatter this weekend,we gonna giv it another go now that things have healed up,early start again.
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It's possible I will be there saturday morning depending on if I can get my rear mech sorted. What time were you thinking of being there for as I might need a trip to a bike shop for rear mech spares (or a single speed kit to tide me over)0
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Anybody know what time the main entrance to the carpark opens in the mornings?0
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Bugga,couldn't get to the trail today,work beckoned,will try again nxt weekend,never mind,AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH.
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We did the altura on the 6th and,what can i say,on the 1st lap we really weren't impressed.My mate was running nevegals and in the damp was not doing well.We thought it was s***.New tyres from the bike shop and lap 2 was a revelation We blasted round and thought it was actually quite good :!: I was on (his)High Rollers(42a)front super tacky,62a rear.We found it to be a bit short,needs two laps.If the guy in the bike shop is anything to go by,the 2nd loop will only be good for dirt jumpers etc :shock: 0
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Yeah the right tyres sure make a big difference, once you have rode the track a few times you do know which bits are slippiest so you can avoid some of them.
The North side is quite short to do on it's own you can get round in an hour fairly easily, though you can always do it again or just run the last section a few times.
The South loop from what I have seen will be able to be ridden by anyone, providing they are good enough to ride a red route. The top section starts somewhere up top and seems to come down through the trees so it should be something similar to the North side, the next section does have jumps but you can just roll them there is nothing on this section that is hard for a red route the bottom part that you can see from the car park and the walking tracks seems to be fairly mellow single track through the trees. No idea what the climb up will be like on the South side as I haven't seen any of it.
I will most likely be up on Saturday 15th for another ride too, so maybe see some folk there.0 -
just go do it!!!!
my bike is 14/5 yrs old and managed fine.
If there is something that looks dificult...get off`n walk :oops:0 -
Was back again on Sunday and two of the chaps that ride with our group http://jackrabbitt.net got some headcam footage of the last section of the north side have a look here: http://vimeo.com/22615170
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Thats a great video! Must be the best quality i've seen from a helmet cam.0
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Cheers. I Think it was actually shot on a normal camera that just has decent video capturing qualities, I didn't shoot it nor was it my camera but it was quite large and attached to the helmet with lots of duct tape to keep it secure.0
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I'm convinced the world is against me,i can't get up to whinlater,my Boardman Team MTB is up for sale if anyone is looking for a top spec hardtail bike,i'v got a new bike so it has to go,we've also secured the local dealership for Muddyfox bikes as well,decent bikes at good prices and good to see Muddyfox back again.0
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Quoted from Cyclewise website:
The grand opening of the fantastic 'Altura Trail' South loop is due to be officially opened on December 1st at 10.30 by Lord Clarke of Windemere. With most of the mtb press up last Friday to ride the course there feedback was fantastic with many quoting it is a best man made trail they ridden in a long time. Hugh Clixby has done an amazing job building the trail in terrible weather conditions, This 10km has a beautiful climb and a super fast descent with loads of big air opportunities. All this should help keep you from the winter blues...time to ride!!
Sounds good.0 -
Time for another visit then me thinks, rode the north loop twice last time I was there and loved it0
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yup - wish it was open this weekend though. why open it on a monday when everyone is at work.0
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Rode the whole lot today, although its not "officially" open, the trail is complete and all the waymarkers are now in place.
The south loop is excellent, theres a stonker of a climb with loads of tight switchbacks which seems to go on forever and takes you right up to the lower summit of Whinlatter with superb views over Keswick. Then its down all the way with loads of berms, switchbacks tabletops and drops (all rollable), it just needs to be ridden so it beds in a bit.
All in all its an excellent trail, not sure which way round would be best. Both North and South loops have big climbs, but the South seems tougher, although it could be because i was tired whilst riding it.
Just go and ride it.
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Oh and as a side note, be careful where you park/ what you leave on view in your car. A lady had her car broken into and a jacket stolen at Revelin Moss carpark, so be careful, particularly if it's quiet.0 -
Rode the south side this morning.. only a couple of finishing touches to be made imo.
The sign was up warning about operations but it was 0645 and the logs that were across the trail on Tuesday had been moved.. there was also no tape over any section so I rode it
Not a breath of wind with the sun just coming up the views were spectacular with a light dusting of snow the ground was frozen solid yet it was easily rideable - which bodes well for winter riding. The north side has a couple of standing ice sheets which can catch out the unwary. A couple of tiny bits look like they will be difficult thawed out but i'm only talking 1 or 2 10 yard sections (they were deeply rutted frozen mud).
Climb is easier that the north side and generally mainly because its easier rolling - though some sanitation of the north side has started with many of the "fun" features being modified to make them easier (you can read easier as worse) - most roots are now built over or removed
On the climb id say the only thing was the odd tight switchback about the same as the north half ... so if you've ridden them you'll not bat an eyelid at these - still they are much tighter than anywhere else i've ridden so are fun close to full lock jobs on a large/xl bike. Yes they are slippery with fresh stones but made the whole way around with no trouble .. even in the snow. Ulitimately the trail has to be rideable by as many people as possible and being the only man made course in the NW lakes I suppose it's unrealistic to have it tougher.
Still it's a fun climb with only the odd section of fireroad - but it's very gentle yet you gain a suprising amount of altitude for what seems like little effort. Many climbs in the lakes are brutal so perhaps new riders may disagree but i'm not that fit and made it up easily at a sedate pace so it's a tough as you make it..
The last downhill is very very fast and wide - there are a number of tabletops but nothing silly. For a first run down I was grinning like an idiot .. looking forward to doing it again. If i was taking someone new i'd take them around the south side first as the climbs easier rolling - without newbie distracting drops to the side to worry about (that i noticed). Also the downhill is b road wide with no steep switches to catch out / scare the new riders and they can take their time riding within their limits. It's wide enough to overtake safely in certain places.. wouldn't advise startling a new rider tho as coming up behind someone quick may be frustrating for you it's dangerous to distract a new rider.
There is one black feature with two options - a dead drop off a 4ish foot plank or a short section of north shore with a couple of small steps and a steeply ramped run off so you can choose to drop off or roll it. As with the rest of the course any balck feature is parallel to the normal route so can be avoided. At the end of the course there are a couple of short north shore sections but they are not trail features - simply practical bridges so are flat and wide.
I really like rock gardens / rock features and it's something I feel Whinlatter lacks - the new section has some but they are very short and essentially paved. Personally I think they have deliberately made it less technical from the start rather than sanitise it later like they are with the north side - please dont do anymore :P
Overall it's excellent and with it being 2x self contained loops your free to do "just one more loop" without commiting yourself to more than an hour extra - it's a winning formula that any other trail builder should copy if the terrain allows. Another loop would be excellent.. but i would suspect any next addition would be green/blue before anymore red/black. Close to the end there is a section of downhill fireroad..i think a track off to the side would be better - going downhill on fireroad should be illegal 8) .. still its only a tiny section.
The work thats gone in is very impressive indeed and hats off the to Clixby team bulding this in the terrible weather - i've ridden many courses just after construction and nothings come close in initial surface quality - it's basically battries included and ready to go out of the box so to speak. Yeah a couple of problem sections that i'd guess will need some maintenance in future but it's a brilliant course. Only complaint will come from the hard core tech riders but the downhillers and normal people like us will love it.0 -
ah bugger - wish i had known you could already ride it today.0
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Just got back from riding the south side and I agree with Rocketmagnet's comments.
There's virtually nothing tricky on the entire loop but it has a really nice long climb to the top - and it literally is the top with incredible 360 degree views from the summit. I felt like planting a flag when I got there. - The downhill is long, fast and swoopy without many sharp turns, although there was one tabletop that lands a few metres before a hard right that nearly caught me out.
The temperature was about minus 3 degrees today and there were a lot of icey rocks that weren't much fun so I didn't bother with the North side but I think riding both loops together will be a good 90 minute run and well worth taking a look.0 -
I was up there today as well. It was pretty ropey in places with black ice. Like others have said, its a nice "ride" route without anything really technical.
SGP, I know the corner you mean cos it nearly got me too! It'll be much better when it thaws so i'll have another look then.0 -
Rocketmagnet wrote:Ulitimately the trail has to be rideable by as many people as possible and being the only man made course in the NW lakes I suppose it's unrealistic to have it tougher.
No. It's a red route and should be made as hard as a red route should be, no dumbing it down, everyone is free to ride it for sure but they should realise red routes aren't meant to be a fun jolly for all the family and kids they are technical and they are hard work and meant to be a challenge for even experienced riders.Rocketmagnet wrote:Personally I think they have deliberately made it less technical from the start rather than sanitise it later like they are with the north side - please dont do anymore :P
I agree, there's supposed to be routes and tricky little bits, paving/smoothing over them detracts from the track.Rocketmagnet wrote:Another loop would be excellent.. but i would suspect any next addition would be green/blue before anymore red/black.
Yes it will be. A blue route is next to be added for a wider range of people to be able to ride, which is why (see point above) the red route shouldn't be dumbed down to let just anyone ride it.
Overall I really am very pleased I have this track only 20mins drive from my house I loved the original north section (once it bedded in) and the south rides very nice (or will when I get some gears back). The top part of the downhill section on the south side was quite technical in places and very narrow, very enjoyable indeed. And of course I love the wide jumpy section it's just the sort of thing I like to ride so if you're on there going slow watch out because I will just fly past. I'm hoping they build a wee push up track so I can just push up and ride that bit on repeat.
Nice work will be there every weekend for a very long time to come.0 -
SGP wrote:although there was one tabletop that lands a few metres before a hard right that nearly caught me out.
I'd be interested to see how that bit is supposed to be ridden, if you take that jump at speed and clear it you're pretty much screwed for making the turn, maybe taking it even faster and jumping up and over and turning in the air to land into the berm.0 -
bungalistic wrote:maybe taking it even faster and jumping up and over and turning in the air to land into the berm.
Hmmm, I don't think I'll be trying that - there's nowhere nearby for the air ambulance to land!0 -
SGP wrote:Hmmm, I don't think I'll be trying that - there's nowhere nearby for the air ambulance to land!
It doesn't look too hard just flick the back end out, bit of a tweak and bam you're shot out of the turn. Not that i've ever tried it :?0 -
My thoughts (and first post on this forum so Hi all).
I went round the South loop today for the first time after been round the North loop almost every week since it opened. I absolutly love the North loop but have always felt that it could do with a few more proper jumps rather than the series of bumps to flat landings on the final bit. The downhill on the South loop is spot on with some good tabletops and some nice fast bits. The climb is easier than the North loop and it only took me 50 mins to get round, that was taking it easy and stopping to take some amazing pictures.
I was a bit confused when I came out of the climb onto the fireroad and there was a post with a red arrow pointing left and right! It was only when I came back down from the summit that I realised that you come back down to the same bit, so if you want you can miss out part and just do the fast jumpy part of the downhill bit.
I was there at about 10 oclock this morning and there wasn't a soul about but there were about six other sets of tyre tracks in the snow so somebody must have been up there early, I thought I was keen going today! There was about an inch and a half of snow at the top-very hard going at times but worth it for the views. Cant wait to get back when the conditions are better to have some fun on the downhill.
So overall an excellent addition to the North loop.
Cheers
DR1V3R0
