[Closed] Best to call Alpine non-DH non-XC riding "All Mountain","Enduro" or "Freeri

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From that photo I would say All Mountain.

Freeride IMO means hucking big gnarly rocks and sick woodwork.
Enduro is... riding for a long time.

It's all bikes though, innit.

Until the UK gets itself sorted out and stops calling endurance races enduros, you need to avoid that one tbh, it causes a lot of confusion.

All Mountain seems the best fit.
Freeride brings to mind lines with ridiculous features. Enduro is enduros is endurance.

Freemincecore lite? 😉

(But really wot Northwind (and others) said.)

Hare and Hounds is the motorcycle equivalent of the british mtb enduro. While enduro is more like the gravity enduro (european enduro?).

So... I propose Hare and Hounds to replace enduro and enduro to be used for special stage events.

Or... how about the American motorcycle term: Hare Scramble.
😯

lets call it mtbing

I agree with Jodi but that pic looks either like XC riding if you ride up the hill to get to it or DH if you or only riding down it.

It was all so much easier before mtb marketing got sophisticated and people started thinking they needed to pigeon whole the type of riding they do and if they have the right bike!

Gravity fed trail taming on burly sleds.

[GRF mode]

Look, if you've got flat pedals you're hard as nails; chicks dig you and check out your scars, innit. This means that you're a real man and therefore it's proper DH.

But if you ride the same trail with clippy pedals (or faggot-pushers, as my uber-masculine friends call them) then you're a screaming queen who wants nothing more than to have sexual congress with other such riders. This means you're a complete girl, and thus the riding is best decribed as fairy-like XC.

[/GRF mode]

Hope this helps

Hey Pete

We have the same problem, many of our italian and French guests call our pedally but Downhill trails as enduro trails but if the re is no pedalling requireed its called freeride or dh.

I tend to call it all mountain as its more linked with longer travel bikes and long downhill sections often bit more gnarr and with climbng involved....

god i have confuesed myself again

Nice site BTW, We may visit you sometime later this year.... If you fancy some riding in Liguria then give us a shout [url= http://www.rivierabike.co.uk ]rivierabike[/url]

OK thanks for all the comments, enduro is OUT as a term.

Freeride IMO means hucking big gnarly rocks and sick woodwork.

I still think "All-Mountain" puts off those who are quite happy to get a lift up before riding down features like the ones in the photos here (my Elvis photo above was a reference to the linked article 😉 ) and is a label we use for rides like [url= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pNfTN0OLA5M ]the one in this video[/url][img] ?v=4dd00002[/img]
where we don't wear elbow/knee protection and it's a big day (or weekend, in this case) out in the hills, requiring a level of fitness and navigational ability that Freeride certainly doesn't. On an AM ride, one of the criteria for tackling an obstacle is that you really don't want to break yourself or your bike 'cos you're on your own.

So I go with AM and FR I think.

cheers Peter

To avoid confusion, just call it mountain biking, but make sure you say where it is and provide some pictures.

Trying to label it is asking for trouble.

How about 'Alpine riding' ?

Technical Xc / all mountain

Maybe we should be grading rides by how much armour you need?

(As opposed to how much you wear)

All mountain or just plain old mountain biking. Freeride imo normally include drops,jumps and built stunts.

Cycling? Off road?

That's definately AM riding. For freeride think Redbull Rampage, Crankworx etc....

http://fmbworldtour.com/

I think it should all be given names based on facial expression;

1) 'tricky slow bits' - tongue out of corner of mouth.
2) 'mtbing' - mouth closed but face relaxed
3) 'uphill' - mouth like a fresh landed trout, eyes lookign at front wheel
4) 'downhill' - mouth smiling, teeth clenched, eyes lookign 30 yards ahead
5) 'freeride' - lips open, teeth clenched, eyes saying 'I could get hurt doing this so I'd better be looking good'

call it enduro. by making up a term because of the confusion around the word you are adding to the confusion. 😕

OK decided "Alpine All Mountain" riding it is, often by the sea so all-year riding
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EXCEPT in our guidebook we don't use for a cover shot tracks we don't include in the guide, [url=

descent is rideable only half-way down[/url] 😥
thx Peter

This is Enduro All Mountain ('Enduro Des Hautes Voseges' and part of the 'All Mountain Series') 😉
http://www.zapiks.com/enduro-hautes-vosges-2011-.html

and its just easy and better to call it Enduro (with variations) as we know its got a mountain in it already as we are riding a 'Mountain Bike'. Just cos the UK called the boring races around a field Enduro doesn't mean it can't be coined in its correct use.
In My Opinion

[i]Just cos the UK called the boring races around a field Enduro[/i]

those are called [i]endurance[/i], surely?

My eyes glazed over about 3 sentences in. We are all still talking about Mountain Biking, right?

Hi Peter!

To the French, it would be "Enduro", no question. For the Brits, I generally just call what we do here "Technical Singletrack". Think that would probably work for you too. Takes out any confusion over riding up/down, etc.

If you're getting lifts/vehicles up then it's "Lift-accessed Technical Singletrack".

If you're not, we call it "Backcountry Technical Singletrack".

We were looking at coming down your way this Spring, but ended up spending a few days in Lake Garda instead. Maybe in the Autumn!

Hi Steve, you'd be welcome and come and stay. We can make a vid for Dave 😉 😉
ciao Peter

'Enduro 6' as an example of boring race

My wife walked past and looked at the first picture and muttered 'sheer stupidity' so will that do as a description then? 😉

Hi Steve, you'd be welcome and come and stay. We can make a vid for Dave 😉
ciao Peter

I'll beat you to that in the Alps with Stevo in August.

I just found some fluff in by belly button.

This is the naval gazing thread is it not?

[i]I just found some fluff in by belly button.

This is the naval gazing thread is it not?

[/i]

You must be bored if you are posting on a thread that bores you.

I think Brits are slowly waking up and realising what Enduro means. Hopefully the term should stop meaning riding round a field until you're very tired indeed. If you call it Enduro All Mountain, then I'm sure people will know what you mean.
Having said that, I still think the term Enduro to mean some sort of staged event, but that's probably just me.

This thread appears to be a good excuse for some pictures of some nice riding spots. Hardly boring in my mind, but then if you're only on here to pick fights and have no interest in mountain biking, then I suppose it might well be like naval gazing... 😛

I think its a very sensible question to which I have very little idea what the answer is

Freeride and DH imply having to jump, does all mountain?

Where does say a black graded trail centre fit in. Is that just trail riding or is it all mountain? Or do you need a mountain for all mountain?

No, you don't need a mountain, but most of the black graded trail centre trails would generally struggle to be anything other than XC. IMHO.

Where does say a black graded trail centre fit in. Is that just trail riding or is it all mountain? Or do you need a mountain for all mountain?

Depends [i]how[/i] you ride it not just the trail itself. 😉

A mountain or a good sized hill would normally* be required.

* I am sure there are flatter places with testing terrain.

Does anyone actually really do 'Freeride' anymore?

[i]Does anyone actually really do 'Freeride' anymore? [/i]

of course they do, they just call it something else now.

Where does say a black graded trail centre fit in. Is that just trail riding or is it all mountain? Or do you need a mountain for all mountain?...Depends how you ride it not just the trail itself.

I would have thought for something to qualify as Alpine it has to be in the Alps?

Uplift companies need to invent uphill riding. Its like Downhill but the opposite.

This means they could double their profits and efficency by selling Downlifts as well Uplifts.

scu98rkr - Member

Uplift companies need to invent uphill riding. Its like Downhill but the opposite.

As for what to call Sicktastic Enduro All Alpine Mountain technoflow downhill uphill with left and right turns... you guys can call it what you want. I just call it going for a ride.

Already been done, it's quite popular in Austria, they even have special uphill bikes that weigh nothing and only have one brake.

Dear lord! 😕

Oh well, it takes all sorts I suppose.

[i]I just call it going for a ride. [/i]

No you don't 😉

Irs interesting that how much of real world riding is just akward rather than big drops

I use to be quite good at that sort of thing back in the day. At 7 stanes last week I felt quite rubbish at the low speed rocky stuff

Uplift companies need to invent uphill riding. Its like Downhill but the opposite.

roadies love that. a guy i know who i told about my white room chalet holiday laughed and said they got dropped off in the valley each day and rode up, got collected on the pass and did another climb in the PM.

MENTAL!

but then if you're only on here to pick fights and have no interest in mountain biking, then I suppose it might well be like naval gazing

Good photos yes and of course I have an interest in mtbing but this further and further sub-categorisation is bullshit, marketing and an ego **** to make people feel hardcore.

roadies love that. a guy i know who i told about my white room chalet holiday laughed and said they got dropped off in the valley each day and rode up, got collected on the pass and did another climb in the PM.

MENTAL!

The problem is decending a properly steep pass on a road bike isnt much fun (IME), on nice flowing roads where theres oppertunity to pedals it is, but in the alps i imagine its just scary!

I'm surprised nobody's suggested XXXXXXXXC or aggressive XC 😉

looks no different to mountain trails to be honest

looks no different to mountain trails to be honest

Skiing is divided into alpine/downhill, XC, snowboard, skimountaineering

Snowboarding and skiing are not different disciplines of the same sport, Peter.

At the end of the day, it is simple semantics. Call it enduro and be done with it.

Cross-frocore-jeymountain-downhill(lite).

Fo' sho'.

looks no different to mountain trails to be honest

We took an award-winning Dutch journalist from Fiets magazine to ride the 1st stage of the Rally Sardegna MTB http://www.rallydisardegnabike.it/index.php?l=1 , a 6-day 70-km-a-day event, each stage has a technical "special stage" sandwiched between transfers, the stage finished with some big steps which are hard on a hardtail...he said, "I am an averagely-skilled Dutch rider, for me this is enduro...our readership would not expect to find this labelled XC." So labelling is unfortunately needed, hence the debate about categories. Skiing is divided into alpine/downhill, XC, snowboard, skimountaineering, we're just having the same discussion here. Bet you guys look for these labels when you're booking a holiday? ciao

errr no i dont.
i look for where i want to go

IMO

[url= http://www.allmountainventure.com/ ]All mountain[/url] / Enduro - Ride up a [u]mountain[/u] and then bomb down a technical descent.

Trail / technical trail - Ride up a hill and bomb down a technical descent.

Marathon - Long distance or high elevation gain or both.

Shuttle run - Getting a lift to a trail head.

Jedi surely the phrase north shore attracted you to Whistler

no!!!! i wasn't arsed about going there! bc trails for the win

i have the same problem describing to guests the nature of a ride.

free ride.
UK: jumps, drops, man-made bits ridden on a "big" bike
europe: riding high alpine single trails on a medium travel bike. the UK idea of "free ride" comes under "bike park".

XC.
UK: dashing about the hills/in the woods on walking/single trails.
europe: up and down on wide tracks, e.g. fire roads, as fast as you can.

in germany trails riding is a genre itself. the idea that you don't think riding on tight single track to be the norm is alien to me.

i think the norwegians (assumption made on those i've ridden with) tend to agree more with UK terminology. probably because there aren't that many wide open tracks everywhere, just near vertical walking trails.

i can't be done with the whole "enduro", "marathon" (who wants to shag themselves out riding uphill only to ride on some wide track on the way back down?)

alpine riding for me encompasses everything natural that you are likely to encounter when on a mountain. that includes slow techy, almost trialsy sections, to nice flowy, swoopy trails.

i like riding.

"Alpine riding" is the best description, without a doubt. Yesterday two riders from N Italy, used to the Alps, exclaimed, "Wow, this is just like the Alps or the Dolomites, we didn't realise Sardinia had mountains like these!" as we rode to the highest point of the island, the 1834m Punta La Marmora
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The photo on top was taken by two Austrian walkers, and we pointed out to them the island's many other mountain features you can see from there where we walk (they had the Rother guide we'd contributed to) and mountain bike. This was my last ride for the guide we're writing to MTB Sardinia, and so I was very happy that it was such a nice day up there, even if a bit chilly!