How do you ride the nasty slab inthe Dalbeattie skills loop?

lochussie

I don't mean the slabs on the red route, these are all easy enough. I mean on the black bit of the skills loop. It's big, steep, has a bottom right to top left 4-5ft high almost vertical band and a censored run in and out. Roll it: looks like over the handle bars. Hit with speed and get some air: run in and out don't look the best. More than I was prepared to try without the full facer and armour.

Any tips?

delcol

any vids of the slab in question.

ashfanman

lochussie wrote:

I don't mean the slabs on the red route, these are all easy enough. I mean on the black bit of the skills loop. It's big, steep, has a bottom right to top left 4-5ft high almost vertical band and a censored run in and out. Roll it: looks like over the handle bars. Hit with speed and get some air: run in and out don't look the best. More than I was prepared to try without the full facer and armour.

Any tips?

When I was up there I did the skills loop but can't remember anything that difficult.

What I didn't like the look of, however, was the 'qualifier' before 'the slab' on the full red/black route. Did you do that? I can't remember it exactly, but it just looked like a short yet ridiculously steep drop to a flat ledge and another drop. The only thing during that trip that I didn't at least have a go at - I couldn't see a line that even had a slim chance of me not faceplanting.

r3 guy

must admit, i chickened out of the qualifier as well, sometimes you just gotta feel the trail, and on saturday i had no love for the qualifier, did the walk of shame down it.

Gotta balance giving it a go with possibley breaking summat, being off work etc, so actually no shame at all. Just good sense.

Tel39

Not just me then who failed the qualifier I actually thought the slab was easier, well only a touch maybe! I did attempt the qualifier but sort of bodged it about a quarter of the way down so gave up, so went straight to the slab, couple of seconds later hit that point of no return and within a second was at the bottom, still upright and in one piece, god knows how though lol

lochussie

No pics I'm afraid. It's much harder than the qualifier, with that you just roll the start slowly and pick up speed through the rest, no worries. I do remember qualifier being more intimidating a couple of years ago, but better skills and switch from HT to 6" makes a big diff!

You could easily miss slab I'm on about on the skills loop, the route to it starts vague and then has a wee rock ridge and North Shore bit. It starts on the right just before the skills loop turns into the main trails.

RichMTB

Ahh the Qualifier, can't say Iever done it myself either.

However I did witness two guys from what looked like the Irish XC team, clean it on race hardtails without so much as dropping their saddles, made me feel a bit silly walking passed it on a 5 inch full sus!

77ric

is this the slab in question?

the slab

from here

colintrav

77ric wrote:

is this the slab in question?

the slab

from here

I fail to see the point of going down it only to push the bike back up the hill face ...

That's high school antic's ,, Doesn't it not lead to anywhere ie that trail I see up ahead ..

lochussie

No that's the qualifier and slab out on the red route. Much easier. You push back up so you can do it again, cos it's fun.

Paulie W

The censored thing about that slab is that you miss out one of the better bits of singletrack on the route unless you go back up.

lochussie

Yeah, the black route to the right of the slab is more fun than the slab, once you've done it once.

ashfanman

Hmm, I don't remember the qualifier looking anything like that when I went. The Slab itself is pretty easy - just pick a line and don't lock the wheels - but I remember the qualifier looking a lot tougher. Hmph, I'd like another crack at it now!

77ric

colintrav wrote:

77ric wrote:

is this the slab in question?

the slab

from here

I fail to see the point of going down it only to push the bike back up the hill face ...

That's high school antic's ,, Doesn't it not lead to anywhere ie that trail I see up ahead ..

it's what the yoof call sessioning, but to you and me and the other "more mature" riders would call practicing, see it's how you get good at something.