Awesome effort chaps!!
Can you sweep off the snow from some of the rocky bits so I can have fun on them?…. 😉

The weather site "XC Weather" is showing cold and no precipitation for the next week with a continuing high pressure advancing from the North East. If that's true, it's going to be amazing.

I'm REALLY looking forward to this!

What an amazing winter.

Guys hats off man, great effort I bloody wish i could get up to lend a hand, honestly dudes you're all **** top blokes with the effort to make sure we all have an event to remember 😉

heading up to the trails…

Digging down from the viewpoint.

Looking back…

What the view should look like behind a mountain bike racecourse.

Time out.
the is how deep the snow was today…
In action

Looking back at where you will be climbing.
More lovely easily ridable trail.
A before shot of a section of trail…
And of course the after shot…
There you go!

Are you not digging out any passing places 😉

Hahah, we actually did!

Nice photos cullen,back is killing me.good nights sleep and back out tomorrow.Think the worst bit was having to keep locating the track.

worst bit was deffinately relocating the track! and actually, my back is hurting me quite a lot as well. If schools out tomorrow, il try and get up digging. Or i'll stay at home and eat pringles, whichever seems like it will be more fun tomorrow.

Guys – this is heroic.

Hard work today eh!? I'll get my photos up later on but am totally knackered now! Will let you all know about tomorrow.

For all of you people that are going to be doing the race, good luck! I'm totally envious, it's going to be EPIC! The descents are silly fun.

Top work… Not that I'm doing the race myself, from where i'm sat it looks like obvious lunacy, but huge respect for the work you've put in, hope it all pays off

Great day Doug.What the photos don`t show is that it never got above -7 allday.Car was showing -9 when I got home

Good Job Guys

That was me who came past on the single-speed 29er and took helm of a shovel for a very short time.

Last half of the puffer is running nice.

Fingers crossed for good news tomorrow

Massive thanks to all of you guys for your hard work
I'm really looking forward to what promises to be an epic event.

Cheers

It didnt seem cold when we were shoveling… only when we dropped into the cool of the shade.

the photo's dont do the depth of the snow justice either… 🙂

Cheers Kbrembo ,was starting to flag on that up hill digging 😆

"Can you sweep off the snow from some of the rocky bits so I can have fun on them?…. 😉 "

See the winky in the text above, that means I was kidding!!!!

Jeez guys, that is truly inspirationally amazing and crazy!!!! I can't believe you've dug all that. Yesterday morning we dug out the caravan we're hoping to use at the weekend from under a foot or so of snow and just that was knackering enough.

I can't put into words how impressed I am.

i wish you had phoned me the day i would have came out to help. rather sitting on my fat arse. good job lads

I agree with Jojo – good effort there chaps!

if more clearing is needed why not get folk to bring shovels along on friday? We could be there from lunchtime onwards.

Still – I shall be at the back so hopefully the other competitors will have packed it all down by the time I get there

Indeed, Jeremy. It wil5 be the perfect warm up for a chilly night's camping. 😉

Hats off to you guys. Back breaking work that I bet. Hope the weather stays on our side

you guys are crazy great work though – whip round (bucket at sign on?) at the event to get these guys a pint or 2 ? after tonights ride in deep snow i was having nightmares about doing 24 hours in it on SS – was nearly ready to stick my gears on ! seeing these photos has put me at ease lol

Fantastic work guys, really hope it all goes ahead. I did it last year and had a great time.

Why not make it a rule every rider has to carry a spade with them for at least the first three laps?

Excellent day out lads……….

Hard work for sure but rather rewarding all the same. Don't think I've ever been so warm in -7deg before. The sweat was pouring down my back! And testing the descent's was awesome fun.

Plenty of work still ahead, so if there's any volunteers out there get in touch via this thread and someone will let you know the plan so you can meet up.

Lets keep it going 😀 I'm excited already……….

Amazing guys! Definitely a good idea about the beer money bucket.

Trail-rat: what gearing? I've dropped to 32×20 from usual 32×16 and it's great in snow.

Cheers, al.

Or a coca cola and haribo bucket for the underage volunteers! 🙁

32:16 tonight – i dont have many options on my light bike only got widebase sprockets in 16 and 18…… i might set my 29er up with 32:22

if its hard pack like those photos after been cleared then 32:16/18 be fine .

Absolute heroes – Fantastic work fellas.

An update on the Strathpuffer site:

" We've had a lap of the course today (Sun 10th) and there's a lot of walking! we could shorten the course (less walking but Quicker laps maybe) or leave it as normal…….decisions, decisions!

Anyway, its looking good either way, all the forest access roads are clear. "

Good shout on the beer bucket. Good work guys.

2nd (3rd?) trail_rat's beer bucket idea – some stirling work going on there!

hope it's all OK to go ahead 🙂

Aready knew,doing a shortened course tomorrow to get an idea of a lap time.Don`t laugh Alex or cullen.

yeah, we all knew that… hah!

been drawn back again now that our snow is melting
cool pics and great work on the digging .
just hope it doesnt get filled in again theres the pesimist in me surfacing.

Good idea cullen-bay about one of my lights doing it .

If anyone wants to give my new prototype a sound thrashing around drop me a mail . and I will whack it in the post .

there is a baby trout doing it I believe so this one is a daddy trout .
2400 lumens but it can be 400 lumens or 700 lumens too

Trout I will demo the light!
EDIT: I think YGM, im not sure if your visible e-mail will work!

Here's a few photos from today's fun.

Testing out the descent:

Testing it out again:

It was pretty tricky to ride:

Lots of stamping:

And shovelling:

This is what the climbs were left like at the end:

cullen-bay – Member
Trout I will!

Good idea – he'll talk about it for years – can't shut him up – couldn't get a better advert 🙂

But the lad may be too fast for the light and outrun your shiny electron lumen thingies so make sure they're all polished up and slippery.

Alek, I don't think I'll manage tomorrow morning, I might manage to get along in the afternoon but am not sure at the moment. I will be up for Tuesday if you guys are still about.

Good idea – he'll talk about it for years – can't shut him up – couldn't get a better advert

But the lad may be too fast for the light and outrun your shiny electron lumen thingies so make sure they're all polished up and slippery.

:lol:Ha Ha Sounds good to me.
Cullen I got your mail and will pop it in the post tomorrow or tuesday .

Love the pics wish we had it that deep down here in the dales.

Awesome. We should send up our school children who are off school to come and help dig!

So what are people's thoughts on reducing the lap length or not?

Personally I'd rather keep the full proper lap and accept that there's going to be a lot of hike a bike, at least at first.