Pitch hill shore

Any body know what the score is on building shore on pitch hill? I saw another newly made bit that had been given a chainsaw haircut. I thought they were cool with shore building as long as it was not too high.

Any unsanctioned building on the Hurtwood estate (which includes Pitch) is getting very short shift from the rangers, and has been for the last year or so. Their view is that the existing network needs a lot of work to make them sustainable with the increased usage they are getting.
Whilst on a personal level I would love to see more trails, including the odd bit of shore etc. but the estate needs to balance the needs of all users, and have deemed it not on, stating that further building puts at risk the ongoing access bikers currently enjoy. Set against that, further building seems at best pretty pointless and at worst somewhat selfish IMHO.

Don’t do it, all previous stuff has been ripped down. You’re just likely to give the walkers etc more fuel against us pesky mountain bikers!

Spot on, njee.

Please don’t do it.

I thought they were cool with shore building as long as it was not too high

They’re absolutely NOT cool with anything woodwork based. Unsanctioned new “normal” trails will probably get trashed too. Any new trail proposals should go through the Hurtwood for approval and need to be built to IMBA standards.

The Hurtwood is privately owned and made available for everyone to enjoy. There have to be some restrictions to maintain cordial relations – live and let live.

Don’t build anything at all, please. Esp woodwork!

The volunteer group always needs new help – slowly things are getting done and earning the support and confidence of the land owners, rangers, committees and other groups such as Surrey Hills AONB. It might feel a bit frustrating to not have the freedom to just do whatever one likes – but compare and contrast the constructive attitude of Hurtwood land owners with, say, Wotton Estate to see how well off we are.

dylan i rode that bit the other day, the bank to a chopped down tree with chicken wire along the top to the drop off the end? I saw some guys riding in that direction the other week and then on sunday i went to check out what they were riding and was pretty shocked by what i found! I doubt it will be there for long.

Buzz, The bit I saw was a see saw type thing, well made. I’ll have to try and find the cut down tree bit before the rangers do, sounds fun!

the stunt ramp builders have moved onto leith hill.

dylan/buzz, any hints as to where this is. ;0)

How are the trails around the Holmbury/ Pitch area at the moment? The underlying problem is that the area’s just too popular given the trails there!

*remembers the last time this subject cropped up 😐

Some MASSIVE stuff has appeared on Leith (OK it’s not that massive but it’s big enough to really hurt yourself on if you **** it up).
There’s also a few other tasty treats on Pitch built by the same guy; it would appear that the ranger (who knows about them) is either ‘turning a blind eye’ or has just been too busy to take them down.
Either way, it’s not at all tolerated although I also agree with HeiHei about the personal interest bit.

Are we talking ‘Deliverence’ level of extreme, with the steep ramp to a pallet gap jump about 30 meters to the right of ‘Oh my god , I can see why its called Deliverence’ type of build?

with the steep ramp to a pallet gap jump about 30 meters to the right of ‘Oh my god , I can see why its called Deliverence’ type of build?

The stuff I saw when out walking certainly matched that…I took a few photos but probably best not post them. I’m not that I’m condoning the building of it but I would like to see it being ridden.

Freeride nick, mail me and ill let you know. Cant see your email in your profile.

Geetee agreed about the massive stuff popping up on Leith, some of the doubles are getting bigger and bigger.

Fairly large I would say 😯

I ride Pitch a lot, one of my local areas. I must say on a personal level, it rarely looks good in the natural landscape, and I don’t much like riding the stuff, or anything too man made for that matter.

[he say’s hypocritically – off to Afan for the weekend!]

Freeridenick, was that taken on the bit opposite the main pitch car park, since been blocked?

All the shore I seen recently has already been re-arranged by the estate 👿

was that taken on the bit opposite the main pitch car park

Thats the stuff I’ve got photos of…its not on Pitch.

Great pic BTW freeridenick.

Just found this Rangers blog[/url]

Awesome pic! Noted that one last time out – absolutely massive. Biggest one I’ve seen is the natural gap just above the land slip car park.

my fave bit of uk shore stuff was on pitchhill yrs ago 🙁

Will they ever learn – Esher Bike Park is not that far away…

they building challenges for themselves.
just like building jumps when we were kids

For those looking for hi-octane adrenaline thrills, head over to Holmbury Hill, whereupon you will find some awesome RudeShore.

Rad, and indeed, Gnarly, Dudes…

(Jedi; I know you’re looking at that, thinking ‘wow, wish I had the skills to do that, but I’m too frightened’. Some of us have it, mate, others don’t)

every week some dirt jumps or a shore trail or something gets cut down or ploughed.
every week more spring up.
where’s the progression in riding if people dont push boundaries.

rudeboy is an example of this 🙂

Rudeboy, nice one LOL 😀

Even that’s all been removed now, hardly a big risk.

There can be progression – towards ever smoother, less fussy, less damaging, safer, cleaner riding. The kind of riding you can do in a public space without causing risk or hazard.

I imagine the timber at the reservoir has been taken to be put to the use it was cut for! It wasn’t delivered there for riding purposes – probably been built into something on the Hurtwood, or nicked!

jedi, if pushing boundaries means that more places get shut down for riding, there’ll be no progression.

didnt any of you lot make any jumps as a kid??
if kids cant get what they want they are more likely to go make it.

glenp – Member

There can be progression – towards ever smoother, less fussy, less damaging, safer, cleaner riding. The kind of riding you can do in a public space without causing risk or hazard.

levitation escpaes most people

Jedi – With all due respects the Surrey Hills, in particular the part that Pitch, Leith and Holmbury Hills are found in are a honey pot for thousands of MTBers, ramblers, horse riders and other trail users every weekend and to be fair the Hurtwood Control has been very generous with the amount and scale of trail building that has been done on the area it controls up to this point, but there is a limit. This limit has, if other trail users are to be taken into consideration, been reached (with regards to manageability) and as a result a line must be drawn, at least until the current network of trails is made sustainable and (in some cases) ‘safe’.

Of course if a partnership and understanding is to be fostered between the various user groups and necessary funding and permission sought/given to turn the miles of ‘cheeky’ singletrack into something more long-term then all further building needs to be curtailed and this includes ‘shore’. Mr and Mrs Rambler rarely see ‘XC rider’, ‘shore rider, ‘DHer’, they just see ‘MTBer’. Even more rarely will they be able to tell the difference between ‘MTBer riding approved trial’ and ‘kid riding on some planks of wood nailed to some healthy trees’ and as such when the complaint goes in to Hurtwood (as it will) it will be ‘MTBers have damaged some trees and created illegal trails, con tray to the agreement in force’.

The current agreements are not about hindering ‘progression’ for a few, they are about stopping regression, a far more damaging thing for MTBers as a whole.

im talking uk in general sooty.

as for the surrey hills. they are so perfect for trail building of any kind.illegal building will always happen

This progression argument is plain stupid. The place for a progression of that kind is not anywhere sensitive and public. Sorry, but 8″ bike and full face (and the riding that kind of gear merits) aren’t cool in a mixed use space.

To reiterate, we are making lots of progress here – progress towards great singletrack with maintenance where needed (progress is admittedly slow, but certainly in the right direction). Also, hopefully, progress with community relations and land owners/managers and, significantly, with groups such as Surrey Hills AONB and the National Trust.

Jedi – The Surrey Hills may be perfect for trail building for us, one of the user groups that use this very popular area but the agreement in force and resultant cessation of further trail building is about compromise between all user groups.

I myself have in the past removed sections of shore (pre-current agreement) because even though this large area is apparently perfect for trail building the particular trail building pixies who bodged the bits I removed together had built it with the only possible run out leading through a blind exit, across a very well-used by equestrians Bridleway and into a car park. Not only was the run out potentially dangerous if the rider was still on two wheels but due to the steepness of the run out if the rider fell off there was a good chance they’d roll/slide/rag doll onto the Bridleway anyway.

Other sections I’ve removed in the past have been built on existing, perfectly good and well-used ‘tolerated’ singletrack. Why ruin a perfectly good, flowing section of singletrack, enjoyed by many, in order for a small number or individuals to ride a foot or two above the same piece of singletrack on poorly built wooden structures? This just smacks of ignorance.

Of course I don’t speak from a position of ignorance on the ‘shore’ scene myself. I (as well as a few others) was very heavily involved with the original Esher Shore and helped rebuild many of the trails there to the new standards after the H&S approval was sought, so whilst I may not have your level of knowledge on shore I’m not some ‘xc jeyboy’ who sneers at stuff he doesn’t understand, just someone who is concerned over further illegal trail building ruining the current good relations that have sprung up on the Surrey Hills.

I fully understand the desire to “build” – I’m pushing 40 and for the last few years have regularly dragged a spade and assorted plankage up into my local (Surrey) woods, and build it to try and push my own boundaries.
Sadly, perfect as it may be, the Surrey Hills are just too damn popular, and not just with bikers, to go building that sort of stuff.
I’d rather have the Surrey Hills as an area available long-term to ride good singletrack and get my airborn kicks elsewhere, rather than short-term jumps that could jeopardize long-term usage.

excellent points heihei, glenp and sootyandjim.

we’re getting there slowly but surely. hopefully the message about the importance of maintaining relationships and acting responsibly will get to everyone and the regional riding trend will align more with what is suitable for the area. i.e. xc/trails/singletrack rather than shore/DH. Wales is only a short car trip away!

Join us on Monday evening for a couple of hours of legitimate sanctioned trail building on Holmbury hill if anyone here is not already involved. email mtb@hurtwoodcontrol.co.uk to get on the list to be kept informed/volunteer.

see you monday glenp and whenever you can next make it geetee1972 and Jon.

southernstaffy, I’d love to join you but this weekend sees me in the wilds of Cymru. Keep up the great work, though!