hh45

Sorry but watching both vids i thought that they were ruining a good walk.

mikey74

Some of those corners did not need you to hop the back wheel around to make.

Agree with the guys above, and the angles seemed very skewed. At any rate, it actually seemed pretty laboured and in a way tame compared to this which, you can rest assured is steeper and probably much more difficult, only it’s ridden with insane commitment and skill

That’s a completely different type of riding, you’re comparing apples and oranges there.

RealMan

That’s a completely different type of riding, you’re comparing apples and oranges there.

Is it though? Or are the riders just riding very in very contrasting styles? I’ve ridden down mountains before, steep enough that I had to scale parts of them on my hands and knees. I learned there was two ways to get down, teeter down on the brakes, like those guys or go balls out and hope for the best.

I reckon (and I admit I am speculating here) the guys in the video could have cut loose and attacked that trail a bit – guaging their speed and cornering accordingly. Ask yourself, how do you think Gee Atherton would have negotiated the trails in that video?

Fast and loose I reckon.

Sure someone like gee atherton would have ridden it differently but you simply cannot carry speed on some of these trails. Those steps for example, I would fly down those on my glory, speed would be your friend for sure but not if they end in a rocky steep hair pin with vertical cliffs off to the side.

Some of the black hiking trails in zermatt are similar, very tech hair pins with very tech entries and exits and simply no option to cock it up or you’re off a cliff. I was riding the hair pins, whereas my mate was giving it a little rear wheel hop round. He was getting round cleaner and as fast or faster.

And Realman is right, no comparison to the rampage. Sure that’s fast and steep but the lines are often straight down with runs outs and the riders build them themselves. They need the speed for the stupid jumps and drops too.

The trails in these vids are hiking trails built by mountain goats and marmots…FACT

a month or so back i hiked my bike up onto Risserkogel, the highest mountainin the Tegernseer area (but still only a mere 1800m-ish). the hills around there are very rocky/stony.

one guy took a photo as he said people wouldn’t believe him if he said there was a guy with a bike up there. several people told me i was Beschuert, or **** stupid, to be carrying my bike up there. some sections were climbing sections where you had to throw the bike up onto a ledge and scramble up after it.

i signed the book at the top with cartoon of me and the Gipfel-cross.

about 50% of what i climbed up was rideable without risking life and limb. maybe those guys in the vid could have ridden more.

it certainly wasn’t a place for all out, fast ‘n loose riding….

interesting stuff

Love that kind of stuff. I’d sort of agree that maybe thay didn’t need to do as much hopping as they did, but from practical experience, once you’re in that slow/trialsy mindset, you do it pretty instictively. (I’m not suggesting that I’m as good as those guys btw).Its also means you get a chance to look at/think about what’s coming if you’re riding the trail blind.

Comparing it to the Rampage is not really apples to apples. One is a “groomed” course with on site medical facilities, and ridden by pro riders the other is 3 guys on an isolated mountain goat track with no back up who I presume don’t get paid if they’re too hurt to work. Both sets of riders worthy of huge respect, but for different reasons.

Me? Given the choice of going to Utah to ride the rampage course/area or going to the Alps to ride those trails, I’d take the Alps every time (and I’m not afraid of a bit of airtime). That’s exactly what I love about biking. Hard technical trails in a location where you desperately want to look at the view, but know that if you do, it’s gonna hurt. Bring it on. 🙂 Each to their own though!

Beautifully filmed video and well edited.

Makes me want to go back to the Alps.

Cool videos but as said massively tilted. Some of the stuff clearly can’t be that steep because they are managing to stop on it and edge down it slowly.

The wheel hopping is pretty annoying – and someone calling themselves Fabi-Dude is quite an amazing Euro dude cliche.

Still cool videos though.

Yawn!

Ok Its a pretty vid and there is skillful riding but give me fast flowing singletrack any day. Swoops, jumps, g outs and speed. Using your body to the max.

Not holding on to your brakes as you thump down a slope… bam, bam, bam. Any trail where you have to hold on to the brakes for extended periods gets thumbs down in my books.

Think Fruita, glentress, crested butte, downieville NOT the alps.