MuniAddict and I are seriously talking about going there and riding the lifts all day for a weekend the beginning of July. A couple of the Berkley riders are interested as well.
It would be really cool if we could get a bunch of people together and rent a condo or something.
So who’s up for this? The more the marrier:D
WOOOOOOT! Let’s do it! I wanna take the lift over and over and over…ALL DANG DAY! YEEEEEEEEEOOOOOOOOO!
We’ll see if I join y’all, but I want to point out that the more people you bring, the slower you will move, and the fewer runs you will get.
Also, by muni, you rarely get more than 4-6 runs in a day. At CMW 2004 the best groups of riders got 4-5 runs, IIRC, and they were moving fast. Then again, they were really only doing double blacks, which can really take it out of you.
This seems more appropriate for the muni e-mail list though (and will probably get more attention)…
IIRC?
Yeah, I REALLY need to get in A LOT better shape (as well as a significant bump in my skills, hopefully :o, if I’m to ride a majority of the sameish trails).
I can help round up the troops from this area as well. Maestro8 has possible access to a place nearby if he’s interested (and it’s available).
Like Gerble said, riding the “fun” trails will beat you up fast, so you don’t necessarily ride all day, but that’s okay, you’ll be tired anyway. Last year the mountain bike park was closed due to construction (new village), and hopefully they will have some new trails as well!
Plus I’m working up a MUni Weekend schedule for the fall. Downieville is the anchor ride, but I need to know what rides to put with it…
I’m pretty sure they were building (or maybe had already finished before this summer) a North-Shore style learning area near the lodge, along with some raised log-and-2x4-type stunts on the trails. Could be interesting! Depending on the dates, I’d be interested. Gary, my riding buddy, would probably be up for it, too.
this sounds really cool. sorry, i’m not well informed. they allow unicyclists on the lifts? what is it all about anyway?
I am up for this… I also live in Carson City, so if someone ends up needing a place to crash, I would probably have some couch/floor space available…
-Keld
Let me add another option for those who want a “full value” Northstar experience. Ride the mountain from peak to parking lot. It was my third and last run on that day and it totally killed me. I could barely walk the next day… felt like someone took a baseball bat to my legs.
There have been ladder bridges and drops near midmountain for years… we rode 'em at CMW 2004.
It’s a mountain bike park (in the summer). So they can make money all year, though the market for the mountain bike park is tiny compared to ski season.
Northstar’s summer pages are hard to find during the winter, and vice-versa. That’s the 2007 information, which tells that they were indeed open this year, and it was 2006 that they were closed. We just never made it up there this year. Sounds like they also have new stuff in the mid-mountain area to add to the existing stuff there. All in all it just sounds like it’s getting more and more interesting stuff to ride on!
Yes we did one day of MUni Weekend at Northstar in 2004, 2000 and 1997.
According to the map last summer ('07) they only had the lifts that would take you about 2/3 to the top. I bet it’s going to be the same in '08.
I’m not really interested in doing much climbing, that’s why I want to go. Ride all day w/o getting as tired. I can ride tons of uphill around here.
I think those are the same lifts they always have in the summer. If you want to get to the top, you have to slog up the last 500’ or so yourself. Always fun at the 8000’ level!
But again, don’t get the idea you won’t get tired riding down Northstar’s “fun” trails. They’ll beat you up! Plus I guess the altitude adds to the feeling of breathlessness that lets you know you’re working. The trails even beat you up on a bike (very bumpy!).
How far is the ride up (in miles approx.) and is the rideable area very wide, or are their restricted or bordered areas? When you say the terrain is “bumpy” is it rocky and technical or just uneven singletrak? also, about how long does it take for the lift to get you to the top? I’d love to see actual pictures of some of the DH sections.
What I meant is the lift taking you to the actual peak seems to still be only open durring the winter for skiers.
Lol. Years ago while snowboarding at Breckenridge I decided to hike to the top from the highest lift to get some fresh tracks in the powder (now they have one that goes higer). It dropped me off at about 12,000 ft then had a 1/4 mile traverse and another 1/3 mile + hike to the top w/ 500-800 ft of vert, this after being there at elevation for 5 days. As soon as I started to go up hill all I could do is take 2-3 steps before I had to stop and catch my breath. After 20 min and only gaining 150 ft distance I gave up and boarded down. Until then I never had any fitness issues that trip.
MuniAddict - Each of the two mid-mountain lifts have about 1,000 ft of vert. Distance depends on the route down. It could prob be anywhere from 1/2 a mile to 3.
i will bounce the idea off the crew here. 2 are for sure going to try and come.
and i have 2 who i can try and drag along (tim)
sounds like fun though
Isn’t July like a long ways away?
Currently, I don’t have anything planned, so I’ll be down for driving up.
.corbin
The best trails, as usual, are singletrack. They are marked by difficulty level. There is also wide fireroad, and actual roads that are pretty smooth (fun on a bike for fast coasting). I think they have over 100 miles of trail choices from the tops of the lifts, including connections to larger area trails.
1997 photos
2000 photos
2004 MUni Weekend exploratory riding
2004 MUni Weekend
you don’t want to ride up. it’s a waste of time an energy. There isn’t a spot of interesting uphill riding, it’s either too difficult to ride, or just plain boring. Int he summer the dust can get pretty deep, too, which means you are breathing dirt and pedalling extra hard just so the person behind you can breathe extra dirt.
Terry, no need to question the difficulty of the trails. I guarantee there will be sections you won’t be able to ride (STD comes to mind, assuming it’s still there. I’ve never seen a biker ride it, but then again 90% of them choose to either walk or go around. I’m not referring to wussy cross country boys either). It’s a mix of smooth dusty singletrack with extremely technical, but somewhat wide downhill where the terrain is a mix of large loose racks, embedded boulders, and slippery dust. Excellent place to get nasty tailbone injuries and destroy your break during falls, both of which happened aplenty at 2004 CMW, and this was to the best riders there.
The lifts are pretty fast, but the trails are short, so that’s no surprise. I doubt the MTB park will be all that fun for munis though. Tabletops are boring, and they won’t bother to make any particularly difficult skinnies for unicycles. Maybe they’ll have some rails up though…
here are some pictures:
http://www.corbinstreehouse.com/pictures/thumbnails.php?album=6
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-XXDbpNiPkg (part of STD visible halfway through)
http://unicycling.smugmug.com/gallery/244263#P-1-15
Maybee we should make it the end of July?
btw when’s MOAB? March or something, right? - Edit: March 28-30.
North America Unicycle Nationals
Rapid City, South Dakota (Mt. Rushmore area)
July 6-12, 2008
Corbin - That’s why. Plenty of time to plan and time to save for those who are often low on $ (like me).
As you push the date further into the summer, you’re asking for hotter, dustier rides. Truckee’s temps got into the 100s last July.
Let me add to that guarantee. I’ll buy a six-pack for anyone who can roll STD as it should be ridden (not like a trials course).