The early adopters / investors make the most money just look at apple shares.

A good rucksack is worth having, found it hard at first to make turns as my pack was swinging round and acting like a pendulum ok on good snow but a pain on crud etc. straps on the side are useful also to carry the skis.

good fun and you get to ski and see places you would normally never go. got stuck for three days once in a small bivoac hut under the brigthorn and above chervinia so be prepared for the worst!

Dual ply tyres with low pressure, or just throw away the frame and forks and go full suspension that’s what I did about 15 years ago !!!

Again Five Tens stick like glue to the pedals, the only downfall ( except the price ) is that they a a bit heavy and wick moisture like a sponge.

Snowdon is topped with snow, possibly a few feet or more and ice so I would keep clear.
Penmacho is good fun if windy will give you some protection, Marin trail also ok and a little lower so may escape the worst of the snow.

Unless they live round the corner let the auction run.

Most Ebayers will bid in the last few minutes and you will get a higher price ( most of the time )

Check out ” german alloy wheel paint ” made by wurth. I got Superb results when used with the correct wurth primer and lacquer . It’s about £11 a can but superior to the stuff sold at Halfrauds.

http://www.performancemotorcare.com/acatalog/Wurth_German_Alloy_Silver_Wheel_Lacquer___400ml__1149.html

Don’t over use over the counter sprays etc as they restrict the passage over time, as I was told by my doc.

If you have been prescribed sprays take them regular like clockwork every day.

Hade the same problem for years

A good hot chilly can help also.

On a visit to llandegla I got talking to a bloke on a 40lbs dh bike, he said that he was from Liverpool and that it was the closest place he could ride. Not my choice of bike but he was having a great time on it.

So each to his / or her own

As someone said above trail centres are just part of mountain biking, when I started mountain biking on a DIY job after reading bicycle action over 25 years ago never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that I would have a choice of over 6 trail centres and bike parks/ uplift venues within an hour and a half.
I still enjoy trail centres but it’s nice to mix it all up underground downhill tracks, old school forestry rides such as beddgelert, Xc loops, epic rides hike a bike etc, as well as rides around some back roads looking for new singletrack.

I have one bike with c 2005 fox 32’s and another with fox 36’s which are bolt through.

The 32’s are twitchy on rough corners and I have to make small corrections to make up for it, not really a problem but I tend to look for a smoother line.

The 36’s are rock solid on bends and hold the line with minimal corrections, line choice is not such a problem. They weigh about a pound extra of course !

Given the choice I would buy a new fork with bolt through axle

Pump track is worth a shot also

Mondaine Swiss railway watch may be a bit over £100

Look up a local camera club, you will be able to enter competitions and your work will be judged against others with the rational explained. Although subjective due to different judges your work will improve.

I used to own a Team Marin at one time, used to be owned by Dafydd Roberts who rode for the UK XC Marin Team.

Also had a palisades trail one of the first proper mass market MTB’s in the UK. They made some great bikes but did seem to get lost a bit and turned into the ford mondeo of the Mountain bike world.

Would still like to own a Team Titanium !!!

Snowcard have a good reputation, used them for years
Do all sorts of Adventure sports cover

have a look here there are good links

http://www.anturstiniog.com/accommodation-snowdonia-blaenau-ffestiniog/

The centre is near Penmachno, Marin Train and CYB

How about an Audi s3 mk1 you should be able to get one for less than 6 k, 210 bhp Quattro recaros etc a lot nicer and more practical than a tt. You can also chip it to over 250 bhp
Not as involving a Subaru but a nice quick car

Have you considered a Lapierre Spicy, Ive got a 209 model with some 36’s on the front.
Great bike long quite slack great at speed, but you need to ride it aggressively to get the most form the travel.

Have used it for trail center’s All mountain stuff a few enduros and uplift days.

As others have said you need to establish what kind of riding you do

I got a secondhand nuke proof scalp a few months ago, now that CRC are selling them with big discounts used prices have taken a hit :)
It’s got modern geometry and superb cornering

Advice above about visiting at different times of day is good, also be mindfully of possible abso activity, is it on the route from a pub etc. what line of work do the neighbours do. Drive taxied etc etc

Anyone into Zooboming ?

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-15591350

9 quid, there was a time when I could not afford the stuff in magazines, now I can’t afford the magazine!

Never seen it on sale round this part of the world

The local volunteer gang have done a bit of work on the drainage so it has improved in the last 18 months or so.

Worth the trip if not only for the last 3 or 4 downhills.

I took part in both the coed y Bernin and dyfi gravity enduro, the dyfi was superb ,great fun.

As others have said don’t underestimate the level of fitness required, I made all the start times with a few minutes to spare and was very lucky to reach the second after a puncture.

I was late arriving on the practice the day before and rode 4 out of 5 stages blind.
I held my own on the dh bits but got overtaken on the uphill portions by some very fast riders, it was a true test of overall skill and fitness.

I have got a 1/2 inch sheet of ply suspended across the wheel arch boxes, underneath are storage boxes from b&q to provide extra support and easy storage, the mattress is made from foam from dun elm homes shop. Works fine

I have a 2009 model, it’s very good for trail centers climbs very well and corners quite well the bearings have held up fine. A great bike

The more modern versions with a stiffer fox fork at the front should corner much better.

It’s very similar in design to the Trek session DH bike!

Sometimes you can tighten up the cone by hand. Will last most of the ride

I have a caravan leisure battery £85
10W PV Panel from ebay approx £ 100
Solar regulator £ 15
300W inverter for 240 V low E bulbs.

When I get some time I will loose the inverter and get some 12V LED
as used in campervans etc this will make the set up more efficient.

Works superb and a lot less cheaper than a sum main etc.

As teamhutmore says above take plenty of water.

Did a trip about 15 years ago, slick rock trail was superb but was very hot. Also did some riding in Vail and Durango areas.

The slick rock trail is a must do for all mountain bikers.

Squats !! and General cardio / endurance work would be good for long day of bumps and deep powder.

Still safer than sending cash in a CD jewel case as I have seen some people request!
If you do pay pal gift the payee has to pay the commission rather than the recipient.

Purchased a Cand B Seen light for about £40 for occasional night rides can’t fault it

Used the DIY drift method one side came out OK the outer casing on the other did not move. Result about 2-3 hrs grinding it out with a dremel!

Tried Tubeless for a while the temptation was to run lower pressure and this resulted in lots of damaged rims. not worth the bother and extra expense – I trust a lot will disagree here.

Now it’s Dual ply on the Back, single ply on the front, might slow you down a bit on the climbs but save you a load of down time fixing punchers and getting cold in the winter. !

Rode round loop one about 2 weeks ago, the local trail crew have done some work and a lot of the big puddles have gone.
But as others have said if it’s icy take lots of care.
The last downhill section is superb by the way.

Take it easy on the first few runs and get to know the track, don’t be afraid to stop to look at some of the tricky bits.
As others have said build up the speed slowly and try and keep of the brakes in the slippery corners.
By the end of the day you will be riding faster and buzzing !

Good luck

You will get better results by following the manual, by pulling on the syringe you get a vacuum and can see the tiny bubbles come out.

Here is the article from Pink bike which I read

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/DH-Helmets-vs-Motocross-Helmets-Which-Is-Safer.html

At the moment I have been using a MX helmet but when I buy a new one I will go back to a bike specific model.

I have read that MX helmets are tested to much higher speeds than bike helmets. I theory you could be using an MX helmet for desert racing at 80mph+ and it’s designed to withstand such an impact at the determent of slower speeds that you would encounter at DH speeds.
SO in theory a bike helmet offer you more protection when hitting a rock at say 20mph.