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  • Your favourite DESCENT anywhere?
  • DaveyBoyWonder
    Free Member

    Following on from the singletrack thread, whats your fave descent?

    UK – I just love the drop down from the top of Cut Gate to Langsett. Not techy in the slightest but the speeds you can pick up down there are amazing!

    Abroad – only been to Verbier so it'll have to be one of those… probably the Brazialian. Fast open rocky stuff, then mind boggling fast stuff in the trees, then a rest at the water trough in the village and then switchback overload to the lake for a swim at the bottom. mint…

    Conor
    Free Member

    UK/Ireland…

    Fern Alley in Kilbroney, NI. 400mt down the side of a big, steep hill. Rocks, sheep, drops, whin bushes. Fantastic.

    EU…

    The DH trail from Les Duex Alps to Venosc. Great, tight, drift corners, steep and fast, super flowey, big braking. Big adrenalin rush.

    oldfart
    Full Member

    Tanking it down the grass towards Old Harrys Rocks and remembering the sudden sharp left hander before imminent DEATH over the cliffs .Thats quite a hoot .Purbecks in case you didn't know .

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    oldfart
    Full Member

    Oh and away from these shores Mr Toads Wild Ride above Lake Tahoe oh and the old Kamikaze d/h at Mammoth .It seems like a wide gravelly fire road until you realise the speed you are picking up and the consequences if you get too close to the edge !!!!

    Bernaard
    Free Member

    Little Stretton off the Long Mynd, Blackley Hey, Final descent on the Marin, but favouritist ever ever, from the top of Minch Moor, Innerleithen to the bottom. Brill.
    Shame its so far away 8(

    fauxbyfour
    Free Member

    The descent from Kibo down the tourist route on Kilimanjaro (the looks from the walkers coming the other way is priceles) or up near MacKinders peak on Mount Kenya descending to the North. That is a real days descent, sometimes two going from around 16000 ft to 4000ft!

    kiwijohn
    Full Member

    Hmmm?
    Skyline the speed rush through the trees.
    The luge for the high seed rocky rush.
    S57 because it's nasty & rutty & I shredded the pack down there last night.
    Lower sawmill because it's tight & twisty & just wrong.

    fettling
    Free Member

    South Downs Way – where I first started mountain biking.
    Coming off the top of the Long Man of Wilmington on the SDW itself. Descend towards Alfriston. Starts with grass covered chalk and an open fast track. A few flints to dodge but otherwise just smooth lovelieness. Encourages you to really give it some stick and build up a surprising ammount of speed.
    Ideally you need a friend or two to go on ahead open the gate before the road and tell you if the road is clear. The, just when you think your legs might give way you hit the technical part. Flinty tree lined gulley down the remainder of the hill. Hang on and keep the speed up, if you don't have jelly legs by the bottom you haven't done it properly.

    CaptainMainwaring
    Free Member

    Bealach na Lice down to Annat in Torridon. Not done any biking outside the UK. Gratuitous pic

    rolfharris
    Free Member

    It used to be Cavedale but now I've discovered Carn ban mor in Aviemore.

    My GOD what a trail- at the top you can get up past 30mph with big boulders everywhere and just a wide expanse of trail to hammer down. Then it narrows up and turns into the fastest, most exhilarating boulder fest in the country till the last 5 minutes where it becomes swoopy, loose corners that you can put the hammer down on. 30 minutes of heaven.

    Abroad, it's the DH track at Champery in Switzerland. Lift up, tear down- it's scary steep at the top, berms, fast, brilliant.

    jimster
    Free Member

    The cheeky switchbacks on the Malverns with the rocky drop-off to finish.

    DT78
    Free Member

    Pretty sure the track is called Serpintine at Chatel bike park, Morzine.
    Switchback after switchback, still think about racing my mate down there now and just hanging the back of the bike out on every corner (may not be the quickest way but soooo much fun)

    Hob-Nob
    Free Member

    In the UK, probably Rheola or Mynyndd Du. But for different reasons.

    Abroad, would have to be Drum & Bass in Champery. You can ride the top section of the Champery WC track for a hoot (scare), drop out onto the fire road and hit this for something (a little) more sedate. Not a braking bump in sight.

    There is a few other tracks off the main lines in the PDS which are good fun too, but too many riders & too little maintenance = not as much fun 🙁

    benman
    Free Member

    Not cycled outside the UK yet, so currently my fav is the short but sweet Beast of Hope Cross. Trail centre descents certainly don't stir the same emotion for me as natural descents.

    BigJohn
    Full Member

    Yes – for me it's a toss-up between The Beast, Cavedale and the entire descent from the top of Garburn, through Troutbeck and finishing in Ambleside.

    The Monkey's good, too.

    Colin-T
    Full Member

    UK – Mynydd Du DH track.

    Best ever is the descent from the top of the Pic du Midi above the Col de Tourmalet in the Pyrenees (2877 m & you have to ride up) down to Luz (693 m) 18 km of variety starting on treeless moonscape ending in lush village with beer and patisserie from the cafe.

    V8_shin_print
    Free Member

    The 500 metres of steps down the back of the Alhambra, Granada always comes to mind, mainly because it was a bit out of the ordinary!

    MrWoppit
    Free Member

    Only been abroad a couple of times to Mountain Bike, both to the same location, so: The White Church downhill, Levkas (Greece).

    UK: "The Golf Links" Rhayader (Wales).

    steveh
    Full Member

    I can't really pick one but a few highlights spring to mind.

    In the uk the dh course at Bringewood that finishes with the most amazing pump/jump section through the whoops in the trees. Cut throat bridge in the peaks toward the snake with a tail wind on a dry or frosty day.

    In europe the long run from Pila to Aosta is always great, grannys garden in les arcs and various bits in the PDS if you avoid the main trails.

    eat_more_cheese
    Free Member

    2 already mentioned- Carn Ban Mor and descent into Torridon are without a doubt the best and longest ST descents anywhere in the UK.

    My cheeky fave is always gonna be the Winter Hill descent to Belmont.

    Outside UK, Alpe D'huez has a hidden gem in the trees down to Bourg d'Oissans, not far from the megavalanche trail

    grahamt1980
    Full Member

    Megavalanche in alpe d'huez. In the uk i love the descent down to the corner of the road it ladybower. Not hard but you can pedal like hell all the way down and its fun

    mccett
    Free Member

    UK – Prob Rangers path or the pre levelled Addams family sections at Coed Y.

    Elsewhere – The whole of Sun Peaks BC for the fact that its a 5 hr drive from anywhere so they figure if you're gonna make the journey, we better build something worth riding.

    jedi
    Full Member

    my favourite anywhere is lick her sore-gillard creek -british columbia

    🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂

    my favvourite over here is probably still cadon bank for sheer floaty flowy fun.

    coogan
    Free Member

    UK:

    Dumyat from the top down to the road, just love it.

    Ben Cluegh, just fun from start to very long finish. Getting to it is a grind though…

    Gypsy Glen. Fast and a reet larf.

    Aviemore, can't remember the name of it… Rocky, rocky, rocky.

    Abroad.

    France, Whisky and Rye with the The Whiteroom. I was having too much fun to stop and take pictures. Probably the fastest I've been on a bike and knew if I came off it was gonna leave a few marks…

    Canada, Whistler Mountain. So much choice. So much fun.

    BIGMAN
    Free Member

    UK – Tough

    Crazy Wobbler – Track Athertons ride in Earthed 4
    LLangollen
    Bala
    Secret Jazz in North Wales….

    Europe
    Sprint Alvalance Track in OZ
    Crans Montanna Black Run

    Canada
    Goats Gully in WBP
    or In Deep

    freeridenick
    Free Member

    Ranger Path, snowdon
    Gargamel, Whistler
    Sex Boy, Northshore
    Holy Trail, Chamonix
    Jack of clubs, Verbier
    Summer lightning downhill, Surrey hills cos its local!

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    Cut gate going south, the switchbacks before the stream!

    Mainly because I folowed a mate down there and he straighlined down to the stream off the cliff at the penultimate switchback!

    Ewan
    Free Member

    Dodgy little cheeky trail under the big cable car at Champery. Very hard to find, but ooooo so tech 😀

    robdob
    Free Member

    The Beast is definately up there for me. It will take your soul apart if you get it wrong. Such a perfect description.
    The bridleway off Rushup Edge, from the west end ENE down to the road. Something Gate, can't remember. Now rocky with eroded away Tarmac giving you natural north shore. I've been riding that for 20 years and I still love it. My brother will tell you (peterpoddy) about the time we did it the first tine and I went past him sideways round a corner. Sounds skillful but in reality even my XT11 cantilevers with Scott Mathauser brake block never stood a chance of slowing me down from the speed I was at!!! I could lay the blame on the Tioga farmer john tyres as well. 😉

    peachos
    Free Member

    that'll be chapelgate robdob! excellent choice.

    thisisnotaspoon
    Free Member

    robdob, thats chappel gate

    Am I the only one that finds the beast just a little boring? Unless you hit it at warp speed, at which point its just scary?

    zomersetglider
    Full Member

    Smith's combe in the Quantocks, fast grassy drop into a loose rocks and roots which can spit you out anywhere prior to dropping steep into the first combe crossing, then twisting through the heath crossing the combe several times…ohh mamma!

    A descent in the hills behind Finale,Italy. drop steep into a left hander then underneath a tree branch into a 6ft gully whooping it up. Lush berms,do it in the morning in september with the sun piercing through the trees and the dust rising, oh yes!

    docrobster
    Free Member

    another vote for the beast. It's not as good now as it was the first time in 1996 with Q21R's and 1.95inch tyre on a hardtail though, or is it just me?
    and cut gate path derwent end
    (robdob that is chapel gate you are thinking of.)
    EDIT: but you know that already

    peachos
    Free Member

    UK – I just love the drop down from the top of Cut Gate to Langsett. Not techy in the slightest…

    ??

    it starts off with a multitude of lines over grit and peat banks with large gritstone boulders to negotiate before tracking along a dry riverbed and then turning into fast singletrack interdispersed with rocky sections to negotiate/smash your mech off. granted, not the most tecnical piece of singletrack you'll find but i certainly wouldn't call it 'not techy in the slightest'!

    it is great though, i'll join. you in that!

    garburn pass down to kentmere side has to be up there for me. love it.

    lowey
    Full Member

    Sooo many to choose from

    San Marino (the Belmont Descent off Winter Hill)
    Snowdon Ranger
    Walna Scar to Coniston
    Moor Lane in Grizedale.

    JonEdwards
    Free Member

    UK. Oooh. Lots of choice. In no particular order:-
    Snowdon Ranger
    Chapel Gate
    Cavedale
    a couple of cheeky Peaks descents
    Dollywagon Pike/Grizedale tarn (not done that in quite some time though)
    Some of the lesser known Surrey Hills stuff.

    Abroad
    LaVarda, Grange Hill, Double Header – Les Arcs
    CBC->Neds – *the* 'shore. Or O-sin/In Deep/Fatcrobat/Too tight/Schleyer/Clown Shoes in WBP
    Artigue, Benque Ridge/Saccourvielle/Black Rocks – Luchon
    Mega Qualifier – Ad'H

    stcolin
    Free Member

    Have to agree with Conor in this thread. The descent in Kilbroney is amazing, the amount of speed you pick up is unreal and the views, if you have time to look, are pretty breathtaking.

    Colin

    DaveyBoyWonder
    Free Member

    Maybe I've always been going too quick to notice peachos!

    furry_marmot
    Free Member

    Conor is clearly a man of great taste. the track to Venosc is legendary.
    Pleney is still amazing fun on a DH bike, provided you're quick enough to skim over the braking bumps…
    Pont Bourquin trail in les Diablerets is delightful.
    "student houseparty" in Morzine – blissfully under-ridden.
    the old WC track in Metabief – simple to ride, not simple to ride fast.
    Chaumont Shore in Neuchatel
    Glacier DH in Saas Fee (in winter, on snow)

    I could go on…

    CaptainMainwaring
    Free Member

    Coogan, that one you can't remember near Aviemore looks like Carn Ban Mor

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