Blaenau Ffestiniog new downhill tracks – Architrail

Does anyone know what the latest is on the new DH trails in Blaenau Ffestiniog? The latest update from Architrail was in December with construction of the tracks being started.

http://www.architrail.co.uk/projects/post.php?s=2011-12-15-blaenau-ffestiniog-dh-track-construction-started

I was hoping they’d be finished for June as I’m in Snowdonia on holiday, but I’m guessing they’re not going to be finished for then.

Find Antur Stiniog on Facebook for updates. They just posted a preview video of a bit of trail, looks cool.

Think they are saying some time in July though for the opening.

is it this trail, it popped up in my fb feed earlier.

Disco – that’s not a DH track, it’s a wheel chair access track surely?

Blimey – nice bmx track, Llandegela on steroids

Oh here we go – short section of one out of four trails that aren’t open yet and it’s already too easy for someone on STW. 🙄

Thanks chaps, will look up Antur Stiniog on Facebook.

I can’t decide whether to take my XC bike or my DH bike with me. I’m actually going up to hike Snowdon, but will have a spare day to ride my bike.

Oh here we go – short section of one out of four trails that’s aren’t open yet and it’s already too easy for someone on STW.

To balance things out, I’ve seen photo’s of some of the other sections they’re planning and it’s not all going to be like the video shown here.

Some of the picture of a drop on the one of the dh tracks looks properly bonkers, can’t wait for this to open 😀 (purhaps not the drop though 😯 )

Sorry, that all looks soooooooo easy, don’t think I’ll bother 😉

Great views of an evocative landscape

Grum – I was more making a comment about the lack of use of the natural environment, terrain, natural resources etc rather than a comment about how easy or not it is to ride. A beautiful part of the world, where so much more could have been made of the location. I’m sure it’s as easy or hard to ride as one wants to make it or has the skills for.

Disco – that’s not a DH track, it’s a wheel chair access track surely?

Sorry Geetee but building regs part M states that you cannot go steeper than a 1:12 gradient and then only for 10m before a landing is required…… 😉

To be fair, I’d be a bit disappointed if I’d gone to mid wales to ride a new DH bike park and found that trail. Some of the verts I’ve seen pics of look very tasty indeed, maybe the vid is of a green trail?

What’s the history of the site?

I notice from the video credits that one of the partners is the “Nuclear Decommissioning Authority”. 😯

Grum – I was more making a comment about the lack of use of the natural environment, terrain, natural resources etc rather than a comment about how easy or not it is to ride. A beautiful part of the world, where so much more could have been made of the location. I’m sure it’s as easy or hard to ride as one wants to make it or has the skills for.

I was actually replying to geetee but then you joined in too. 🙂

From facebook:

Most of the filming was on the c & d freeride trails, the rougher more gnarly stuff will be on A & b, looking forward to the summer now!!!!

I notice from the video credits that one of the partners is the “Nuclear Decommissioning Authority”.

Yup, although the power station is a couple of miles away and was switched off in the 90’s (or earlier?).

trawsfynnyd?

i think they look ace.

not far down (up?) the road.

The decomissioning bods probably have a duty to support local buisness/leisure/tourism type stuff.

Yup, although the power station is a couple of miles away and was switched off in the 90’s (or earlier?).

Spent nuclear fuel has a half life of 159,200 years! 😐

Three eyed fish or not I can’t wait for this place to open 😀

Spent nuclear fuel has a half life of 159,200 years!

The fuel’s long gone, takes about 5 years to cool and then it’s removed to sellafield, then most of the site is cleared, 50 years after that the reactors are cool enough to be dismantled and taken away.

And there’ll be no three eyed fish as the ‘cooling water’ that’s circulated through the lake is probably three of four closed loops away form the the reactor. The reactor is cooled by carbon dioxide gas under pressure, which is cooled against water which boils to drive the turbines, then that might be cooled against lake water.

A beautiful part of the world, where so much more could have been made of the location.

Living not too far away and having walked the majority of the tracks on a visitors day the guys up there have done an awesome job. Yes, some of the trails are easier than others but none are Green status! My overriding impression wasn’t “this is like Llandegla” but “**** me this is rocky!”. As you’ll see when you ride it, the builders have made excellent use of the mountainside and the various features and boulders strewn about it. There’s something for the slopestylers, full-on DHers and the rest of us. Roll on July 😀

There’s something for the slopestylers, full-on DHers and the rest of us

I’m sure the STW elite will be making it look easypicking their teath out of their met parachute

My overriding impression wasn’t “this is like Llandegla” but “**** me this is rocky!”. As you’ll see when you ride it, the builders have made excellent use of the mountainside and the various features and boulders strewn about it.

Erm…. excuse me don’t come in here with your ‘first-hand impressions’ and your ‘actual experience’ – the STW panel of armchair experts has seen at least 30 seconds of video and I think their judgement counts for a bit more than yours sonny. 🙂

I’ll inform Mei and Jace of your dis-pleasure regarding their handywork. If you you could send me your home addresses so they can reply ‘in person’ 😀

This video I’d indeed of the easy tracks. Just wait for the Dh. It’s fantastic.

well it looks ace to me
videos always flatten out trails and it was obvious the guy was carrying a lot of speed without having to pedal= steep!

it may look a bit smooth there but i expect that exposed piece of snowdonian mountainside may experience a teeny bit of weathering now and again 😉

It must be shit. He appears to be riding a 29er in the first half of the vid and the wheels didn’t explode. 😀

I can’t wait to have a play on it for half a day.

Any idea how much the uplift will be? Or can you just ride up?

All I can say is that if a video like this means less grumpy riding Gods of STW on it, then all the more space for people like me who will be riding it and then glowing with more radiation than any decommissioned nuclear power station at the bottom. That looks amazing, an absolute blast and something that someone like me could potential have a go at. 😀

Looks like some of the Lee Quarry trails on steroids. Looking forward to a combined trip with CYB sometime soon!

£25 a day for approx 15 runs they reckon. Not sure about riding up.

Ta.

£5 per day to ride up and this gives you access to the jump park at the bottom of the trails.

Cut and pasted from their Facebook page[/url]:

We are talking about season ticket’s, and mid week season passes ( summer hours ), prices are still being discussed, also we will be thinking about the guys who want to push up and dont want a uplift ticket, if we can access a push up path to the top that wont have people walking up the track, and creating a hazzard to other riders riding down we will cater for that, and charge a minimal fee ( £5 ) a day, you will also be able to use the pump track, and jump site for that price.
Cost of the uplift will be £25, for this you will get a nice plush 16 seat minibus and trailer uplift x 2, so 30 people per day will be able to book the service ,if the demand is there we will purchase another minibus and so on.You will be able to book on the uplift through the website once it is finalised, a couple of week’s tops hopefully! We ran tests yesterday and it took 7 mins to go from the visitors centre to the top of the trails, and 5 mins back down to the pick up point.
The 4 trails ( 2x black, 2 x red / blue ) will vary from 2.30 to 3.30mins for good riders, and then dependant on your ability a lot longer!! I would think that up to 15 runs is possible before your arms fall off, but we will run test uplifts there once one of the trails is fully complete, and see how many runs we can get!!

I like the sound of that. An uplift with trails suitable for incompetent oafs on bikes that might fall apart, sounds good to me.

Hi, to all those that are already knocking this “new” course just stop and think for one tiny second.
Anything that promotes this sport is a “good””
thing.
Anything that can generate money into the local economy is a “good” thing.
Embrace it, don’t knock it because it looks smooth or easy, we all started somewhere, wish I had this kind of thing all those years ago.
I for one relish the thought of riding it.

So…these trails scheduled to open next month? Still on schedule??

70 mph winds and rain will not stop uplifts here.
It will be fantastic.
Go onto their facebook page for info on opening.

What’s their Facebook page called?

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Architrail/109472799129220

This is the group for the centre itself I think. Looks like mid July is still the aim for opening.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/173299206126422/?ref=ts

Just about to copy and paste that! Are you waiting for the results too? 😉

looks epic

still waiting! chiefgrove ive got a feeling itll be tomorrow b4 theyre up