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bedmaker ygm
Guess what? snowing again
There has never been a more apt time to say MAN THE **** UP than now.
wow thats harsh
Is it? It's the Puffer - it would be shit if the conditions weren't horrendous. I dont consider the Puffer to be a race, it's more an adventure than anything else.
>There has never been a more apt time to say MAN THE **** UP than now.
Give it a rest hero> You're getting very dull.
How about you give it a rest?
I know its the puffer,and I wil be out every day next week preparing the course,the event centre,taping the course as I do every year and staying behind for the clear up. O by the way also doing the race,so instead of teling me to mtfu, why dont you come and help out.You can contact me at the local bike shop with your offer of help
NR - I'll see if I can get up on either the thursday night or early on the friday if that's any good to you.
would be great we wil need all the help we can get this year
Just been round the section from the farm road (start of 2008 'Puffer), down View Rock. The snow has compacted - it seems firmer/crunchier than 2 days ago. I was walking, but I think it was 80% rideable.
There's been a few tree falls so the trail fairies are going to need all the help they can get. (We shifted what we could without tools)
I'll try again with the bike in a couple of days - only snag is fresh snow is falling now 🙂
Just worked out who you are NR. CHeers for all the hard work you guys do behind the scenes. Sorry if I was being cheeky earlier, I didn't realise the extent of the problems the ice caused in '08. My dad's going to be on the team of medics you've got in this year, he can get his ice axe and crampons out for rescues... Will also see if any of we Moray riders can help out.
Thanks Jojo ,the pace you go at should help thaw the course,would like to say sorry to Suronded by idiots "sorry mate shouldnt of gone of on one" 😳
No worries Niterider. I know how hard events are to organise the rest of the year. Hats off to you all for having the audacity to try and run an event there at that time of year. It'll be my 4th one this year.
Also, is there anything that would make your lives easier? Apart from a huge assed thaw..
Niterider, do i know you? i probably do... im the saturday boy in squarewheels... so i've probably made tea for you at some point.
epicyclo- from the start of the 08 puffer down view rock is actually all ridable exept for the first little climb...
Yes young padowan you know me and the tea better be good on saturday
hmmm... Andy? Il talk to you tomorrow if your in the shop about teams for the puffer....
wrong person young padowan
no, i looked at your e-mail in your profile, i suppose it could still be one of the others, but ben never calls me young padowan, and i know you have a history of MTB forums.... unless its callum...?
Just like to say NR- thanks for putting on the best events of my last 2 years- Puffer 09 and the Dawn Raid. Wonderful organisation, good trails, excellent racing.
I'd love to see you go back to Golspie, that was by far the best race course I could imagine.
Curse the internet.What do you mean history?Dont like the sound of that
hah! its not healthy "niterider", thats why i used "history" like in the movies 🙂
d'you know if there will be work happening on the course this week, i cant help next week, im in school....
No plans for a return to Golspie Im afraid Superstar,but the pufferlight should be a go if the snow melts
Ah, that's a pity.
Hopefully we'll get pufferlite done this year. Hope this year's puffer is a success.
Edit: is calum up for a ride tomorrow?
I'm merely a social rider, yet ths Puffer thread is fascinating. One of the guys at work keeps on going on about it and reading this thread it sounds like it'll be out of this world! Good luck to all those going for it (and the organisers) - you'll look back and hopefully say 'I did that'.
Thanks all for continuing updates and efforts. If I could muck in, I would. Is there much tidy-up done on the Sunday? We're going home on the Monday so could help on Sunday afternoon (after a bit of sleep!).
mcwyc: That's it really isn't it? "Because it's there" kind of thing. I read a book before last year's I can recommend to anyone called "We Cannot Fail" by Geoff Powter - it's stories of mountaineering single-minded madness. Good therapy =).
I spent an hour riding round the local park tonight with 32x20 and the Schwalbe Snow Studs, very confidence inspiring and defo the right gearing although not that much snow here just now. Got an 18 on there too, just in case.
[img] 
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[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/allankelly/4246241690/ ]18t and 20t cogs[/url]
Got home and cracked open the huge tub of Torq energy stuff. Put the new number plate on the new bike carrier. It's all coming together!
Cheers, al.
niterider, i thought you were always awash with the help? seeing as i was oh, two minutes late to be competing, both me and t can be available if you're needing it. let me know and i'll give you a bell the next couple of days
Hi swiss long time no see,you bringing your enduro up for its annual 1/2 lap of the puffer before it packs uplol.
ho de ho de ho! no disguising your identity now eh? no my unreliable spec chariot will not be making an appearance this year as i missed the entry (two minute!) window so sadly there'll be no repeat of that or the i headered a tree/covered the course in chunder/ have a saddle made of spikes shenanigans that've characterized all my previous attempts.
i would've stuck to the tried and tested scott approach. i've even got another one. i didn't consider another make, um, what's their name, begins with a g or something but i think they're only good for road bikes... mr 'my bmi is normal' above described it as a 'carbon race bike'
which i found very faltering as he's obviously too young to recognise the too fat/old/slow trinity that sees me clutching at the straws that is the belief that somehow the bike will make the man. or not.
anyway, i'm off out on the bike. i can't get out of the habit of this puffer training!
like i say me and t can be up late thursday early friday, weather dependent, if you're needing us
Dont say anything bad against giant swiss. Ours haven't broken, your spesh has! As for my bmi... il have you know its actually on the too low side of normal. I suppose someone has to balance it out.... 😯 🙂
Well all I can say is that I really hope it goes ahead! Even if it turns into a bit of a long walk (but still with the occasional riding section, hopefully!)
I'd love to help out in some way, if I was't 370 miles away I'd be there like a shot!
From now until the race date I shall be praying that the roads stay passable 😕
due to injury i can't ride 🙁
so there's a solo place up for grabs. i mailed the guys using the address from the site yesterday but haven't heard anything. does anyone know of an alternative contact?
We've got a 1202Mile round trip (according to Google) to get there Gulp! 😕
We're leaving early on the friday morning too
LWB transit with snow chains at the ready
fingers crossed! we all really want to make it
cheeeesekate, i may be interested in that solo place. could you hold onto it for me until tonight, and il confirm if i can/cant take it. thanks!
cheers cullen-bay. i just thought there was a waiting list, so had to let the organizers sort it.....but i'll wait to hear from either you or them 🙂
http://photos-by-martin.digimig.co.uk/c1800364.html
some pics from new years day around a little bit of the course and up to the viewpoint.The descent down from the viewpoint was amazing.bonty mud X 1.8 on the rear and a racing ralph up front and it goes up and over anything! the last fast blast down to the carpark in contin was a bit sketch (as the long straight tyre marks-to-slide-out will show if you take a wee walk up the track lol)
anyone going around it today? i need to do more snow riding. didnt get out yesterday.
i would be heading out today, would have joined you, but my knee and tailbone are wrecked from sledging, resting up.
SNow coming thick and fast in Moray, assuming it's doing the same further west...
Yikes it's going to be interesting!
do you know what the catsback is like? quite fancy a push/ride up and a seat down descent off it. would be quite a nice angle to keep a nice amount of speed up without pedalling.
A few more Strathpuffer questions from me. Sorry.
I am heading up a team of 4, I am considering a tent (for living in) and gazeebo (for working under) How much space does each team get away with? I'm looking to buy the tent this week and I'd hate to buy something too big and have the rest of the people rolling their eyes at us 🙂
Looks like we're going to be staying in the hotel the night before so will it the case where we will get the opportunity to pitch up on Friday then go off and stay in the hotel and return to our tent (if we can find it under the fresh 3ft fall of snow 😀 )the morning of the race?
Cheers
Paul.
It's a bivvy bag only event - no tents.
If you manage to pitch a tent in that snow and use it without destroying it.. you will be doing very well.
George/ISBI, you really should put a winky after that post, you naughty thing!
Barney, it's pretty much first come, first served on site space, but some consideration to the fact that there are heaps of people and not much space would be prudent... The area for camping is restricted by lots of trees, so smaller is easier to find a site for. I [i]just[/i] managed to creatively squeeze our team's 6 berth tent into the trees around the picnic site that is the main camp, but it was more by luck than anything else.
I reckon the best approach would be to think 'New Age Traveller' creative for stringing up tarps etc amongst several smaller tents.
I shall have a van a couple of small tents a series of tarps and bungee cords and the biggest space heater I can find. Just for this weekend its [b]sod the environment - melt some snow[/b] 🙂
its pelting down with snow and blowing around the garden now.heading up the catsback in the next hour!
up the cats back will be a push at best, and down the way your front wheel will probably get buried in snow and you may flip, if your not very cautious.
EDIT: enjoy all the snow thats falling as i type.
cullen you and your ilk are too young and made of elastic to be mr bmi. which is another reason why your giant hasn't fallen to bits. aside from the 'joy' that is avid and my break if you look at them srams the spesh has to cope with my fuller figured approach. oh yeah, and the lack of skills.
having just been out in my much more user friendly environment and by some miracle not come off (or been taken out - anyone else noting that four wheeled vehicle drivers seem to lose the plot when they see a bike out in the current weather?), in the words of that great cycling advocate mr t, i pity the fools who don't have snow tyres if it stays like this.
i wish i was made of more elastic than i am, im in so much pain, my knee and tailbone are preventing me from walking or cycling today.
eh? you've not gone and broke yourself? do tell. i thought it was only a certain gentlemen of our acquaintance who managed that sort of caper when he was trying to keeping up with his kids
You'll hear all about it a week saturday. It is a thrilling tale though. so your entering as a pair swiss? where are you going to camp?
i'm not entered! i waited up on the entry day but fell to blethering and was about two minutes too late. and while there's those that might say i'm a johnny no mates on the bike front those i did hint that it might be an idea to do it as a team were all too unfit/fat/old/scared.
a woeful performance. but not that surprising when i consider i've just been out in order to suss out if it's 'safe' enough for them to go out tonight.
let that be a warning to you about the nature of the lands of the soft southern softies.
metcheck are forecasting 5 degrees again. i love how bad that site is.... 🙂
check puffer wedsite for up to date info
Hi swiss,sorry you not in but pleased you don`t ride that genralised anymore.Hope to have my new Giant in time for the race.See you soon
NR, could you check your e-mail please.
Cheeeesekate, i can take your soloist place, my e-mail is in my profile.... thanks!
I never made it up to strathpeffer earlier but on new years day it was a great descent down from the viewpoint. the front wheel didnt dive in once. ive got a racing ralph up front and it seems to do the job fine! I might leave it on after all.was planning another bonty mud-x 1.8.
Just for a laugh. Join our teams Facebook group, and I'll provide updates as the race goes (if it goes) on the day
I was out again on the snow tyres this evening, south Scotchland so no comparison to the snowy-balls of the kilted crowd oop north. But still, those tiny metal bits are amazing, 30 laps of the football field and I was ploughing into the turns like it was summer 🙂
No blimmin use in drifts though...
Also fell on the steps out front this morning and whacked my back. No! Not the Puffer injury curse! No!
Back to bloody work tomorrow too.
Cheers, al.
alan, i fell last week down three steps in the snow.went down them on my back too!
i was wearing flip flops at the time and my elbow took most of the weight and its now hard to put pressure on it.
top tip: dont walk in snow in flip flops.
i was sledging yesterday, when we decided we didnt like the igloo we made, we started dismantling it, i tried drop kicking it, landed on my left leg, curled under my body, and now i can hardly walk... my tailbone hurts front the sledging.
Gentlemen, this is the Puffer injury curse. This is my 3rd year. In 2008, I hit black ice on the way to work in early Jan and ripped my shoulder muscles trying to break my fall. The many falls on the 2008 Puffer skating rink were excruciating!
In 2009, I avoided commuting injury and instead broke my patella (knee-cap) at 2AM about half way round my 10th lap. Nasty! I hobbled/coasted back to the finish (and that earned me a quaich for being old & SS! Thanks!). 3 months off the bike.
This year: well, I've dodged it so far but watch out it's a bit nippy.
Cheers, al.
leg seems better today WOO! gonna take it careful between now and the puffer...
So local guys.....how many 'feet' of snow did you get last night?? I see they are determined the Puff will go on.....D Day next wedesday!
We didnt get much last night, if we got any at all higher up...
Right! I'm feeling inspired, I'll forgo the turbo session tonight and get out- another tyre swop I think and a few laps on the cycle way.
I wish i had some motivation... looks like im Soloing the puffer now!
Gonna be great - I hope
tried to get up the fireroad in a landrover this afternoon,we had to reverse down before the first corner.It is being ploughed tomorrow so hopefully it will be more accessible
are you going up tomorrow aswell? d'you want help?
No help needed cullen as the FC are doing it
I thought the singletrack was going to be cleared as well in some places?
Good to see the FC have thier priorities right....bugger the locals get the course cleared....Puffer comes first...quality 😀
I'll be heading out on Saturday to clear some tree fell on the singletrack with a hand saw.
Not been out since before December so where best to start?
Park at Steves' old place and walk in reverse from there up to and past Bill?
You guys are really putting in a great effort to get this thing on....you deserve a few pints!! really hope we dont get much more snow so we can get up the A9 to race with you....
Just looked at my weather app and strathpeffer is the warmest (with exception to Marbella which is +9)out of all my saved places. It's only -5 compared to
Edinburgh -10
Airdrie -9
Peebles -10
Dumfries -10
Aviemore -6
Glasgow -14
Things are looking up haha
Xan, that app is lying...
and Alek, walking back from steve's old place is the best way...
Weather permitting - Decided to take the bike for a spin too! Folding spade and bow saw in camel back............happy days 🙂
Il have the kettle on ready for you. 😉 I doubt you'll be able to take your bike on the top half of the course, but the lower half should be fine.