Freeridenick +1000. What the lads have built up on them hills is quite amazing. It’s a massive network of trails, a mecca, which caters for all abilities. This is why so many videos, so many articles feature SHs.
Accidents happen. They happen on all trails and it’s easy to blame a feature, but rarely does a feature have no line choice.
Damn shame that trails get knocked down, but it’s a price to pay and will always be a risk if the trails aren’t sanctioned. More Will pop up soon enough 🙂

teamhurtmore – Member

Either that or play on the hidden stuff 10 miles to the west!

At the risk of being indiscreet, which town would one head to as a starting point for those hidden trails?

teamhurtmore – Member

Yes, loved Evian once I realised bomb hole was not a big deal and used to enjoy the bottom section even on the old HT. Only found SM recently and on my own late in the afternoon. And was worried about making a mess of the exit on the bomb home. Didn’t help that on first run there was an ambulance siren in the distance. I would like to see how much air (If any) you get on the exit

I am just being a pussy really !!

Felt like I got about 6ft of airtime (lucky if it was more than 18″!) before crashing nose and going OTB. Even captured the stupidity on video. 🙄

Have you tried Charlie Bronson? It’s on the same patch as SM.

Yes, the Devils punchbowl (Hindhead)

Any link to the video – world love to see a ideo of anyone doing the hidden jump too!

Teamhurtmore – Video of my first time on the step up

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8X8i_UeRTQ[/video]

danbo – I see Mr Jacobs in your vid 🙂 He’s not bad for an old boy lol!

@danbo chapeau 😀

Nirvana indeed

teamhurtmore – Member

Yes, the Devils punchbowl (Hindhead)

Any link to the video – world love to see a ideo of anyone doing the hidden jump too!

I’ll have to give Devils Punchbowl a try one day – thanks.

My crash SM crash: [video]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-h_Hza7pz7s [/video]

danbo – Member

Teamhurtmore – Video of my first time on the step up

Fair play mate, how you walk with balls that big is beyond me. 😯

Dan and sofa, thanks for posting both videos. Great to see the big jumpy being tackled successfully. I can only imagine how high that feels when you do it! Way beyond me.

Interesting that on both, you take quiet a lot of air in the standard BH. That’s the bit that is worrying me. I have only ridden SM twice and both times bottled it because of the exit not the drop. I need to watch someone do it I think.

Thanks again.

teamhurtmore – Member

Dan and sofa, thanks for posting both videos. Great to see the big jumpy being tackled successfully. I can only imagine how high that feels when you do it! Way beyond me.

Interesting that on both, you take quiet a lot of air in the standard BH. That’s the bit that is worrying me. I have only ridden SM twice and both times bottled it because of the exit not the drop. I need to watch someone do it I think.

Thanks again.

I hadn’t done the SM BH for about 5 months before that vid I posted and when I got to the BH I didn’t realise I was already at that part of the trail.

Just as my rear wheel went over the lip was when I sussed that I was going too quick and on the wrong line, I then target fixated on a tree just to the left of the default exit line. Had I been on the right line I’d still have had a nose landing but I think the bike would have seen me through. As it was, I bottled it, first instinct was to put a foot down (my RH foot, you can see it leave the pedal on the vid) and, well, the rest is history.

I haven’t attempted the BH since and I must admit it’s messed my head up a bit on the others (not the Evian one though as the exit is not that severe).

Interesting that on both, you take quiet a lot of air in the standard BH. That’s the bit that is worrying me. I have only ridden SM twice and both times bottled it because of the exit not the drop. I need to watch someone do it I think.

I doubt I get more than 3″ air out of the bombhole, I find the biggest problem on a short travel bike is nearly nutting the stem at the bottom, but it’s absolutely fine.

I used to find that bomb hole tricky. I think it’s the sudden transition from steeply down to steeply up and I tended to lean into the up face too much. Don’t get how you could come out of it in a nose landing…you must be absolutely flying into it to come up into the air with nose pointing down!

myti – Member
Don’t get how you could come out of it in a nose landing…you must be absolutely flying into it to come up into the air with nose pointing down!

I think that was the main problem, too much speed and not reading the trail.

Did the BH today for the first time since my off. Little speed on the entry, no air on the exit. All quite uneventful.

Watched quite a few riders doing the big Red Bull (the hidden jump on Summer Madness). Will see if I can upload it a bit later.

On the subject of Evian et al. – all blocked up at what looked to be several points. Even the car park at the south of Dogsh*t Alley (close to Area 51) is blocked up with logs.

There looked to be a couple of trail builders on the side of the hill where Northern Monkey is. Didn’t get a chance to talk to them which I kind of regret now. 🙁

> On the subject of Evian et al. – all blocked up at what looked to be several points.

Intentionally blocked, or as a side effect of logging/clearance?

mattjg – Member

> On the subject of Evian et al. – all blocked up at what looked to be several points.

Intentionally blocked, or as a side effect of logging/clearance? [/quote]

Intentionally blocked using logs/heavy branches at several stages along the trail (only viewed it from the road). No logging/clearance along the trail though I think there have been logging ops on that side of the hill as evidenced by the log stacks in the car park at Area 51.

haha, whack it on one of the obstacle racing community sites, next week there’ll be a 1000 runners going up it!

Glad you had a good ride. I was thinking about you guys today but just ran out of time to ride myself.

mattjg – Member

haha, whack it on one of the obstacle racing community sites, next week there’ll be a 1000 runners going up it!

We were beaten to it, there were a load of orienteering runners out today, some kind of official event with full support. Think they started at the steel gates just east of Evian but they progressed across to Pitch. I was making good time on the short climb out of Proper Bo to be met with one of them blocking my path. He looked to be suffering more than me so I was happy to give way. 😀

teamhurtmore – Member

Glad you had a good ride. I was thinking about you guys today but just ran out of time to ride myself.

Shame you didn’t get out. The trails were busy but the Peaslake car parks all had space. I can’t help but wonder if some riders stayed away because of the weather/temps or because of recent ‘Evian’ events.

Think I need to explore the area over by Summer Madness a bit more.

Wouldn’t mind tagging along to Devil’s Punchbowl when you head out that way. 🙂

A quick note on trail blocking during harvesting operations. I haven’t talked to the foresters or the landowner or their factor, so don’t know for sure, but in the past, forestry workers in the area have blocked trails to avoid unpleasant bike / logging machinery meetings while they’re working. The people doing the clearing often have obstructed vision and hearing Because Chainsaws and also because of the bigger stuff they’re using, and want to minimise the risk of someone getting their gnarl on somewhere where they might end up in a chipper by accident.