Omg ss #2!!!!!!!! [Archive]

jabberwocky

July 21st, 2009, 05:58 PM

WW class is gone, only Intro/AM/Pro, and I think AM/Pro will go down lower hareball.Oh crap, thats right. So I either have to race intro and sandbag, or race all the fast dudes in Am. That kinda sucks. Why did they eliminate weekend warrior? As I remember, it was a pretty popular class.

I'm really not that enamored with the idea of racing down lower hairball. Didn't really enjoy that trail when Mark and I rode it on opening day.

TiRyder

July 21st, 2009, 06:09 PM

jabberwocky

July 21st, 2009, 06:19 PM

From past experience, there aren't really any jumps on the intro course (at least, no required ones). There are a few places where theres a rock or jump you can hit, but they tend to be fairly small (a few feet) and fairly ad-hoc. In any case, its generally easy to go around things you don't want to hit. Even the Am course obstacles (like the road gaps) are optional. There are only required obstacles at the pro level.

That said, just the standard terrain is pretty challenging. Lots of steep, twisty rock gardens, off camber, technical turns, etc. A good rider could certainly ride it (as in, get from top to bottom) on a 5 inch bike, but unless you're a bike god its gonna be tough to do so very quickly. :)

skijim668

July 21st, 2009, 06:22 PM

That course looks awesome!! The video hooked me!! ROAD GAP-OR-A-MA :D

laxdad

July 21st, 2009, 07:46 PM

WW class is gone, only Intro/AM/Pro, and I think AM/Pro will go down lower hareball.
according to the donkey on th evideo yes only pro an am go down that. i am glad i ain't gota go down that. ate some seroius shit on that trail last time i was there. can wait to hit the gaps.

laxdad

July 21st, 2009, 07:51 PM

sand bag it chris. there is nothing wrong with coming home alive.

jabberwocky

July 21st, 2009, 08:36 PM

sand bag it chris. there is nothing wrong with coming home alive.Man, I'd hate to do that, especially after managing a 4th place in sport in my one race last year. But the idea of racing lower hairball doesn't really appeal to me all that much.

Does anyone know why they did away with weekend warrior/sport? I seem to remember it being a pretty popular class. Seems odd they would discontinue it. Are they encouraging people to step up to Am or back down to beginner or what?

HuckFinn

July 21st, 2009, 10:49 PM

Wow. Nice course. I was there this past weekend and that rock booter out of the woods in the "Wild Zone" looks pretty crazy in person. Lower Hareball is no joke either, but I actually enjoyed it more this trip then the first time I tried it. In any case, I suppose I'll be racing all you sandbaggers in the noob class if I can get my shit together and make it back out there this weekend. :D

Dr Phil mmkay

July 21st, 2009, 11:28 PM

Goddammit, now I really wanna go! :hammertime: (if only to watch people rip through the pro course--you can't pay me enough money to ride lower hairball).

oldskoolbiker

July 22nd, 2009, 12:17 AM

Does anyone know why they did away with weekend warrior/sport? I seem to remember it being a pretty popular class. Seems odd they would discontinue it. Are they encouraging people to step up to Am or back down to beginner or what?

I have no idea why they got rid of WW class. But I do think they are encouraging people to bump up to AM. They even have on their site about you can only race Intro for 2 seasons, and if your time is in the top so man overall you have to bump up too.

sevenforty

July 22nd, 2009, 09:11 AM

I wonder why they decided to do all these road gaps/rock drops for this race and none of that for race #1?

brian_brox

July 22nd, 2009, 09:39 AM

That is pretty sick!

For the Intro class, since not going down those trails, how much easier is it? IE - can a DH NOOB do it on a 4.5-5 inch bike?

What do you think would be the biggest jump on the Intro class route?I did SS #2 last year with a group of first time DHers. You should totally go out and race, but you should rent a bigger bike.

punga

July 22nd, 2009, 09:51 AM

DaveG

July 22nd, 2009, 10:05 AM

Lower hairball (at least in the video) didn't seem that bad to me. The loose rocks and a few drops didn't seem dramatically different than stuff you might see in the Shed. Am I missing something?
:confused2:

Geez, really? It seemed way worse to me. I know how video makes things look easier and that still looked really hard.

I was simply shocked that it seemed dry. That has not been my experience any time I've ridden in the area.

oldskoolbiker

July 22nd, 2009, 10:13 AM

Lower hairball (at least in the video) didn't seem that bad to me. The loose rocks and a few drops didn't seem dramatically different than stuff you might see in the Shed. Am I missing something?
:confused2:

Remember that everything looks smaller on video, and the clips they had were of the Pro's going through it. Lower hareball is really tough.

laxdad

July 22nd, 2009, 09:45 PM

Lower hairball (at least in the video) didn't seem that bad to me. The loose rocks and a few drops didn't seem dramatically different than stuff you might see in the Shed. Am I missing something?
:confused2:you mos def are missing something. that trail is no joke. yes you may encounter some of that stuff at the shed, not nearly as long. try to picture the rock sec tion on evo only 2.5x longer and bigger holes for your tire to fall into. the secret is stay of the front brake. if not you are otfb!!!!.

jabberwocky

July 22nd, 2009, 10:29 PM

Yeah, lower hairball is pretty tough. Its a bit hard to see in the vid but its pretty damn steep, and there are some 180 degree rocky switchbacks that drop like 4-5 feet. The combination of steep and rocky means that even on a DH bike, if you hit something wrong you're going right over the bars. Oh, and theres a 3-4 foot drop near the end that drops you right back into the rock garden. Clean dirt runouts are for pansies. ;)

Its definitely ridable, but I've always gone down it pretty carefully. Gonna be interesting at race speed. That section right before you enter hairball is sketchy too (hella off-camber steep-ass dirt turns). Its right under the lift too, so everyone gets to watch if you screw it up. :p

whale

July 22nd, 2009, 10:30 PM

cool race course! it's nice to see a race course stepping it up with a mixture of technical sections and jumps on the same course. if i was in town this weekend and up for racing (not likely to spend the money on it though), i would race elite class just to hit up the gaps... but alas i'll be vacationing in florida for a week followed by a 2 week trip to BC. :thumbsup:

as for complaining about classes, what do you want? age classes by the month increment? how about bike classes by the 0.5 inches of travel? maybe there could be a class using a ratio of body mass to bike weight to rear suspension travel to years of experience in DH racing to shoe size to age to bar width? i bet EVERYONE would be #1 if we broke race classes down enough! YEAH bro, i came in 1st place out of 1 racer in my class!!! :hammertime:

i bet i would be #1 out of 32.9 year old DHers with a 6.5" travel 40 poundish DH bike between 192.5 - 194 pounds body weight (depending on the bowel movement of the day), with 5 years of DH experience, size 10 shoes, and 29.5" wide bars!!! :flushed: and if you beat me, then we will just add a class by blood type, bike color, and birth date just in case!

good luck to all you snowshoe racers. have fun, ride safe, ride fast... and be the best in your "class" ;)

if all else fails, i hear they serve some good beer, bbq, and a deep fried pbj sandwich at the firefox.

jabberwocky

July 22nd, 2009, 10:39 PM

as for complaining about classes, what do you want? age classes by the month increment? how about bike classes by the 0.5 inches of travel?What? No. I was just wondering why they eliminated the sport-equivalent class. I mean, beginner-sport-am-pro is a pretty standard class configuration for bike racing, and all 4 classes seemed to be populated relatively equally at all the Snowshoe races I've been to. I can see removing a class that was unpopular, but I don't think that was the case. Just wondering what the reasoning is behind it.

whale

July 22nd, 2009, 10:59 PM

What? No. I was just wondering why they eliminated the sport-equivalent class. I mean, beginner-sport-am-pro is a pretty standard class configuration for bike racing, and all 4 classes seemed to be populated relatively equally at all the Snowshoe races I've been to. I can see removing a class that was unpopular, but I don't think that was the case. Just wondering what the reasoning is behind it.

i have no idea why they eliminated the sport equivalent class. maybe due to the number of racers showing up? i mean... what kind of bragging rights are there if you podium in a class of only 10 racers?

IMHO... beginner, amateur, pro makes sense. Keep It Simpler Stupid?

if you are a loser in your class due to sucking, sandbaggers, being a pansy, getting a technical on your race run, etc... i hear they serve some pretty good beer and BBQ at the firefox and you can talk all night about how you should have won! ;)

jabberwocky

July 22nd, 2009, 11:25 PM

i have no idea why they eliminated the sport equivalent class. maybe due to the number of racers showing up? i mean... what kind of bragging rights are there if you podium in a class of only 10 racers?Ok, but from what I remember there were pretty similar numbers of riders in sport and am. There were usually 20+ in my age group, at least. Its was definitely more popular than intro.

if you are a loser in your class due to sucking, sandbaggers, being a pansy, getting a technical on your race run, etc... i hear they serve some pretty good beer and BBQ at the firefox and you can talk all night about how you should have won! ;)Don't drink. I'm happy to come eat BBQ and make fun of beer drinking idiots though. ;)

HuckFinn

July 23rd, 2009, 12:25 AM

Did the old Weekend Warrior class run the same course as Intro, or would they run the Am/Pro course if there were two courses like there will be this weekend? I suppose having a Weekend Warrior class that would run the easier course might cut down on the sandbagging in the Intro class in this case. I'm sure some people are going to drop down to Intro because they don't want to run Hare Ball.

It won't bother me personally. Unless you finish first in Pro, there's going to be someone there faster then you. I'll consider it a successful weekend if I don't come in last, don't break anything, and my shoelaces don't get caught in my chain on my race run. I managed to avoid those first two in my first race. Just need to work on that last one this time around. :p

Oh, I'll buy any of you MOREons a beer (or apple juice for Jab) if you hit the booter out of the woods by the Wild Zone sign under the lift. :D

pirate

July 23rd, 2009, 08:34 AM

I foresee a very "competitive" intro class this weekend. :nope:

jabberwocky

July 23rd, 2009, 11:45 AM

Did the old Weekend Warrior class run the same course as Intro, or would they run the Am/Pro course if there were two courses like there will be this weekend?Weekend warrior ran the same course as Intro, and Am/Pro ran the harder course.

I foresee a very "competitive" intro class this weekend. :nope:Heh. I'll probably enter Am (feel bad sandbagging) but I might only take a few runs down the expert course and spend the weekend running the intro course and Ninja Bob-Missing Link. Hareball just isn't fun enough to spend an entire weekend running. I don't really care how I do in the race itself.

jamiejones

July 23rd, 2009, 12:58 PM

I foresee a very "competitive" intro class this weekend. :nope:

Looks like i picked one hell of a race for my first time.

mrsjones

July 23rd, 2009, 01:46 PM

jabberwocky

July 23rd, 2009, 01:57 PM

Jamie is trying to talk me into racing. I would hate to think that I would be racing intro against someone as good as you guys...eek. I think maybe i'll just go busy myself on missing link and powerline...You'll be fine. The intro course isn't that tough, and remember that riders are spaced a minute or two apart (depending on class) so you're unlikely to even see anyone while on the actual course. Plus, they won't let you ride the course without actually entering the race, and the race is a pretty good deal (it isn't that much more than a lift ticket, and you get a t-shirt and free race-day lunch with it).

Remember that women have their own classes. You'd be racing against the men intro riders only in the sense that you could compare your time to theirs afterward if you want.

You'll admitably be nervous as hell when you're in the starting gate for the first time waiting for the buzzer to go off so you can start your run, but once you're on the course its basically like any other run.

sevenforty

July 23rd, 2009, 03:14 PM

and remember that riders are spaced a minute or two apart (depending on class)

I swear at race #1 it seemed like they had 15 minute spaces between riders. :D

oldskoolbiker

July 23rd, 2009, 03:21 PM

Jamie is trying to talk me into racing. I would hate to think that I would be racing intro against someone as good as you guys...eek. I think maybe i'll just go busy myself on missing link and powerline...

Enter the race. Womens intro class is FREE, and entering the race allows you to buy a discount lift pass for only $59 for two days.

HuckFinn

July 23rd, 2009, 03:52 PM

Enter the race. Womens intro class is FREE, and entering the race allows you to buy a discount lift pass for only $59 for two days.

Yup. It will cost less to sign up for the race and get the $59 two day lift pass deal then if you just paid for a regular two day lift ticket. The intro course will be tame compared to the steep side of the Shed and I've seen you ride there. If you really get freaked and don't want to race on Sunday, I suppose you could always just skip your race run.

mrsjones

July 23rd, 2009, 04:08 PM

Hmmmm....maybe this isn't such a bad idea after all.

mrsjones

July 23rd, 2009, 04:10 PM

You'll be fine. The intro course isn't that tough, and remember that riders are spaced a minute or two apart (depending on class) so you're unlikely to even see anyone while on the actual course. Plus, they won't let you ride the course without actually entering the race, and the race is a pretty good deal (it isn't that much more than a lift ticket, and you get a t-shirt and free race-day lunch with it).

Remember that women have their own classes. You'd be racing against the men intro riders only in the sense that you could compare your time to theirs afterward if you want.

You'll admitably be nervous as hell when you're in the starting gate for the first time waiting for the buzzer to go off so you can start your run, but once you're on the course its basically like any other run.

what happens if I'm slow and hold up the person behind me? Won't they be pissed? What trails would I be riding? I'm wondering if they are ones I've ridden before...

jabberwocky

July 23rd, 2009, 04:26 PM

what happens if I'm slow and hold up the person behind me? Won't they be pissed? What trails would I be riding? I'm wondering if they are ones I've ridden before...The general procedure is that if the person behind catches up to you, they call out and you pull over as soon as possible and let them by. Remember that the person behind you (and in front of you) is probably another beginner girl, as they send people down by class.

I don't think we took you down the Pro DH side when we had you there last year. The race course is on the other side of the lift from Ninja-Bob/Powerline. The terrain is not that different than the steep side of the shed (but not really as steep). The rock garden portions tend to be flatter, and the steeper sections are mainly dirt. Its definitely challenging, but if you can handle Diablo and the steep-side shed stuff you'll have no problems.

I think you'll be fine, but the bottom line is that if you are really worried about the race run you don't have to show up. If you aren't there they'll just send a ghost rider (nobody) and then send the next girl. No big deal.