please.

thinking of spending a day there next week.

– is it all open, good to go etc at the mo?

– is uplift essential or if I cant get it booked how is riding up?

– if I’m just on the hardtail will I be ridiculed/ostracised out of the park?

(most importantly) – is it good fun ?

I thankyou. 😛

its a great laugh, would strongly recommend the uplift as it is fast and efficient. extremely rocky so a hardtail may not be the best idea but depends on how confident you are. i’d imagine you’d be fine but take it steady first couple of runs. go onto their website and see what spaces they have and get yourself booked on. cracking day out.

No riding up allowed- the only access is the uplift road. Bails of this parish seemed to be having a great time on his C456, it’s rocky and lumpy and generally suits a full suss better so I left my hardtail in the car- I’d be happy riding them all on a hardtail though (I chickened out of the final black drop and the big doubles, and I’d chicken out of them on a hardtail too)

It’s really good, I loved it tbh. I think they’ve added another trail since I was there, but there was already more than enough for a full day uplift, I could have gone back the next day though some folks might find the repetition offputting…

It is brilliant, and this is from someone who isn’t a downhiller and just rides the blues and minces down the red.

You can’t ride up, it is uplift of nothing.

There was a lad there on a hardtail the first time I went who just kept puncturing on the rear, even running high pressures with a downhill tube. I’m not sure I’d enjoy it on my hardtail (although mine is only a 100mm XC bike, so maybe on something a bit more substantial it would be doable).

http://www.anturstiniog.com/Booking/

Book an uplift here. No riding up, no personal uplift, just the approved uplift.
You can hire all mountain and downhill KTM bikes there but will probably be needed to be booked in advance..
It’s very rocky there but great fun.
The blue would be fine on your hardtail. It’s not very challenging but riding flat out is great fun.

cool thanks,
don’t mind a bit of rocky action myself.

No riding up, not even up the road? I’d better get an uplift booked then. will look into availabilities, ta.

Nope, no pedaling up yourself, the road is theirs. It’s not quite wide enough for the vans without people cluttering it up.

The black is beyond black – serious new pants time.

It’s all a tad sketchy if it rains, but still gloriously good fun.

Are the zip lines open yet?

The zip lines are open.

It’s all a tad sketchy if it rains

Ah great, looks like I’ll be praying that the weather forecast for next Thurs is wrong!

cheers all.

Fantastic place. Will be a bit rough on a ht but definitely ridable, exciting in the wet but they’ve very kindly painted some of the more polished rocks with a grippy/textured paint to give you something to aim for!

And just in case you were wondering what to do the day after, there’s this 8)

It’s ace – I’ve been twice now.

If I’m honest I didn’t the first time that I went; I didn’t ride very well and thought myself out ot stuff. The weather was a bit grim too – windy and wet. There’s no shelter up top. I didn’t struggle for grip too much.

Went again a few weeks ago and enjoyed it much more – rode all the runs (but did take the easy / chicken lines round certain stuff on the double black). Weather was greatw hich helped.

I find that the blue beats me up more than the red or black, probably beccause it gets the most traffic. The new option on the blue Jympr (spelling?) is really good although I’m not a fan of the bottom as much.

One of the guys I went with the first time was on a cheap hardtail and survived.

As above, its an awesome place to ride. I’d imagine in the depths of winter its like hell on earth, but on a sunny day (which there are some of in Wales…) its the best centre I’ve ridden. I reckon my riding progressed more in one day of uplifts there, than any other centre.#
And the bacon rolls at the café are ace.

I’m going to buck the trend of Antur Stinkydog worship here…
Yes, it is very good but… if I compare it with Fort Bill WC track, Fort Bill has almost constant rock gardens and drops, etc., whereas Stinkydog feels like an overgrown BMX track with fewer rocks and features and some big doubles that I don’t have the skills/confidence to clear.
You’ve got to be very confident on big doubles to enjoy Stinkydog to its full potential. If, like me, you can’t quite get those doubles, then you end up frustrated that you have to take speed off and put the wheels down between the two.
Whereas, at Fort Bill it doesn’t matter if you only make 50% of the distance accross any of the tabletops on the motorway section, you can keep trying and progressing. There’s not that progression option on Stinkydog, it’s do or die (I died).

saxabar – Member

And just in case you were wondering what to do the day after, there’s this

The Hellmouth? No ta

great place, but the top half of the black (y du) is hard as nails, I’m not ashamed to say I walked down most of it.

The new blue (jympr) is a bit smooth and pedally. The old blue (drafft) is great fun, you can just blast the whole thing. The red (wild cart) is largely like drafft, but a bit steeper in a couple of places.

I’ve never ridden the other black (black powder), so cant comment on it.

You’re not supposed to go on either of the blacks without a full face helmet, they were checking when I was there a couple of weeks ago.

full stormtrooper kit it is then.

God I hope my full facer hasn’t been growing mould inside in the garage…..

@Northwind – had to Google that one.

Those that didn’t click the link, Blaenau now has the world’s largest underground trampoline in the Llechwedd slate quarry. Another pic:

Just to add from a DH beginner, no FF but 150mm FS, I found the ‘easy’ blue very rideable immediately and had progressed enough to attempt the black by the end of the day. Adrian offered to lend a FF to try it! (Un)Fortunately a blowout took me out and wasted enough time to make it not possible! Great day, I personally wouldn’t want to be there on a HT, to enjoy it to it’s full potential the more DH rigged your bike the better, IMO!

Although whilst I was there looking at the massive black drop off, a guy whizzed past on a 120mm xc bike made the jump and scooted off.

I’m in Wales in August and was going to book a day at Stiniog. The original plan was to make it one of the first proper tests for my new Rocket, but that probably isn’t going to happen now. Reading the above though I ought to be OK on my BFe as long as I’m sensible?

As Northwind says, I did it on my C456 and enjoyed it. No punctures but I did use dh tubes. I stuck to the blue and that was enough for me (confident on trail centre reds and will normally succeed in riding the blacks too). I should have tried the red but by the time I’d got the courage up I was starting to flag as you get much more of a beating there than at a ‘normal’ trail centre.

Fwiw I watched someone absolutely smash down the black on a hardtail (slackline) most impressive, and way quicker than me on a session. If you’re just mortal then the new blue is super smooth, you’ll have fun for a day on any bike. You can just turn up and pay if they have space, I often just do a half day like that but weekends are normally fully booked.

A Bfe is fine, I rode the blue, red and the “easier” of the blacks on mine. I missed out most of the bike bike park stuff down the bottom not my thing. Brilliant day out will be going again some time this summer.

Does anyone else find the berms at the end of the new blue completely without rhythm? Perhaps that’s not the fault, they just didn’t seem to work properly.

I’d say more that it’s a challenge to find the rhythm on a couple of them, it’s all there though when you find it.

Blue Pig hardtail with spd’s.

Did all the runs inc both blacks. No problems.

Does anyone else find the berms at the end of the new blue completely without rhythm? Perhaps that’s not the fault, they just didn’t seem to work properly.

Nope, not just you. I found them to be the same, shame as the top bit is great fun.