Diablo and Mount Snow (Spylab Advice)

skipper

New Member
Gonna be going to Diablo when they open, but also planning on a trip to Mount Snow in June/July. I've never ridden anywhere besides Allaire, Hartshorne, Huber, etc...what should I expect? I ride a Felt hardtail right now, probably going to be upgrading my crank, front and rear derailers, and fork before I make the step up to Diablo and MT Snow. How will I be on a hardtail on some of the intermediate/advanced (blue/black) trails at Diablo...and should I invest in a full face helmet?
 

jbogner

NYCMTB: President
JORBA.ORG
You should rent a bike, or buy a used freeride bike, rather than upgrading your current bike. An XC hardtail is not going to be fun to ride downhill at either of those places. And by "not fun" I mean "really, really dangerous."

You have good health insurance, right?
 

Spylab

New Member
I always give the same advice to first timers at Diablo:

1. For your first time, spend the money and rent a bike. They used to run the DH line of Iron Horses, but I think they moved over to Jamis. You want to enjoy your first downhill experience as much as possible and make it about challenging yourself, not make it a Felt demo day and miss out as a result of your bike not being up to the challenge.

2. I highly recommend the purchase of a full face helmet. By purchase, I mean do NOT rent a helmet from Diablo. For a modest price you can get a real nice 661, Rockgardn or Fox helmet (Bell's stuff is very uncomfortable IMO), and trust me when I tell you that Diablo's helmets REEK of the B.O. or riders past. It's almost nauseating.

3. Bring plenty of waters/gatorades and pack a light lunch (like a sandwich and chips). Since DH riding is not as much of a cardiovascular push as it is a workout on the leg, chest and bicep muscles you don't have much chance of getting cramps from lunch, and you will save a small fortune from buying food on the mountain.

4. Comfortable flat-soled shoes and nice riding gloves/Mechanix gloves are a big help, and you are better to wear comfortable fit shorts and a T-shirt instead of lycra. This is as much a functional mobility issue as it is a way to prevent heckling from the regulars.

5. There is NO NEED - I repeat, NO NEED, to have a Camelbak/Dakine bag with your water pouch, patch kit, tire levers, pump, granola, bad aids, picture of Grandma Babs etc. An average run is, with stops to get your bearings, maybe 10-15 minutes tops, so you can hold out on the juice box and animal crackers till you get to the bottom. If you get a flat, there are plenty of main ski trails that you can walk your bike to the bottom and fix it there. The backpack will inhibit your dexterity and be all over the place if you are hitting jumps and drops.

6. Never stop in the middle of a trail to analyze the situation. If you want to investigate a double black diamond trail or a feature, ditch your bike in the woods and walk along the side of the trail to get an idea of what you are in for, allowing incoming riders to have the right of way at all times. Parking in the middle of the trail will get you hurt or severely verbally abused, and it is straight up disrespectful.

7. Don't be afraid of black. For all first timers, I recommend an opening run of GREENHORN to DEVIANT to LOWER BREAKOUT to ALPINE. This gives a good, manageable introduction to smooth flow, technical rock gardens, tabletops and berms. Trails like DIRT MERCHANT, TRIPLE DROP, TEMPEST and VICTORY shouldn't prove too problematic at all, though generally some type of nasty name (ASYLUM, SLAYER, RIPPER, DECEIT) have some bark to go with that bite, and I might steer clear of them for a couple trips.



Apologies for the long winded response, but as a guy who started going up there on a Trek 820 with a rented helmet and now a season pass holder, I want everyone new to the scene to have some advice based on personal experience. You'll have a blast, I'm sure.








Unless you end up in the hospital.
 
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ellbiddy

Active Member
Last time I went, there were tons of like dudes in jeans an abercrombie t-shirts with walmart looking hardtails. They did NOT look like they were having fun :p
 

Sircrashalot

New Member
Great advice above from Skylab. I rode Whiteface several times & Diablo once on my 01 Specialized Rockhopper hardtail with an upgraded front fork. I had fun, but it was VERY sketchy and bone jarring at times. I am amazed I didn't chip any teeth. I got sick of kids that I passed on the trails (was faster than a lot of people...and MUCH slower than regulars) yelling stuff like 'Old School!' & 'Hardcore, man' & everybody asking if I was OK every time I stopped. I pinch-flatted the rear tire twice each day.

Full squish is much more fun for DH. I am no expert at all, but I would add to the above awesome post that you strongly consider buying or at least renting elbow pads, knee/shin guards, and shorts or undershorts with hip pads. I also wore an old motocross chest protector under my jersey which may have looked a bit goofy but surely saved me. I guess I am saying the more pads the more comfortable & confident you will be which equals more fun...and I guess its safer too!
 

dhsean

Member
Great advice in here for a first timer.

I would recommend Diablo as your best bang for the buck. Mount Snow is far and doesn't have as many open trails for DH as you would think.

Keep your eyes open, be alert and observe other riders. You will learn a lot just by watching. Most of all have fun!
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Great post Spylab, you've earned your stinky.

Sticky, whatever.
 

Spylab

New Member
I am no expert at all, but I would add to the above awesome post that you strongly consider buying or at least renting elbow pads, knee/shin guards, and shorts or undershorts with hip pads.!

When you rent a Diablo bike, it comes with the lift ticket and rental of arm pads, knee/shin guards, chest protector and helmet. The body armor is manageable, just steer clear of those god forsaken helmets.
 

qsilvr99

Member
Definately want to go back to Diablo sometime this year.

Was first there back in summer of 2000, riding my old K2 with double crown noleen fork with a wopping 4" of travel:getsome:

Prices seem to have gone up quite a bit, my map I kept has season passes for gravity & waterpark at $120:rofl:
 

Ironjunk

Well-Known Member
I usually go up to the A&P and grab a gallon of water to start and leave it at the top in the shade. Halfway through i'll eat a a few whopper juniors from burger king and get a coffee from DD then i'll hit the hill feeling awesome.

It's usually the first few runs back after the middle break i'll feel like superman over the tabletops.

Hand cramps suck when you start. My first two seasons my hands hurt the entire summer. Move your levers in to create better leverage.

Don't be too scared to go down dominion. Some people whine at others rolling the tables, but you have to go on them eventually.

If you wanna just go go go, then don't stop where everyone congregates they should be out of the way you have the right of way to bomb past.

Wet damp days are an entire different ballgame....avoid going.
 

FFT

Gay & Stuffy
The run out on Victory is no place for a begginer. There is a water fountain in the big bubble building that is turbo charged. And everyone up there is friendly and full of advice, dont be afraid to ask questions upon arrival. Also why Mt Snow?
 

TTPjake

Member
I plan on going to diablo for the first time sometime in may.

I just bought a used Specialized Big Hit just for that purpose because I have a Felt Q620 and I figured it isnt goin to be fun for my joints to run a hardtail.

Cant wait to go!!! I heard they have new trails this year. Which ones should I go on as a brand newbie to freeride/downhill?
 

betta285

New Member
I plan on going to diablo for the first time sometime in may.

I just bought a used Specialized Big Hit just for that purpose because I have a Felt Q620 and I figured it isnt goin to be fun for my joints to run a hardtail.

Cant wait to go!!! I heard they have new trails this year. Which ones should I go on as a brand newbie to freeride/downhill?

It honestly can't hurt to try them all out cautiously. The more difficult rated trails are usually only rated so for tech features like wall rides or jumps, and pretty much all of them have go-arounds. Start on Greenhorn, which is still super fun despite it's beginner rating, and work your way down the mountain on the different trails that fork off of it.

Jim
 

Ian F

Well-Known Member
I agree with most of what Spylab posted... my only real disagreement is about running a hydration pack... I like to be able to just to the bottom and hop back on the lift, drinking from my pack during the ride up. Do NOT underestimate the amount of water you'll need riding DH... especially when wearing hot armor on a hot day... you'll sweat a ton...

Lycra or not is a personal thing... Personally, I can't ride without it... DH or not... so I wear both shorts and a tight jersey under my armor... the jersey also helps prevent nipple chafing (which really sucks).

One of the most difficult things about doing lift-serve riding is know when to say "I'm done..." This is especially true if you're just starting out... or you're like me and only do a day or two of lift riding a year these days...

Pedals - if you are really used to riding clipless, then you may not like flats... again, it's a personal thing... I run flats at Diablo... but always run clipless at Plattekill... but I grew up on BMX, so I can swap between them with no acclimation time. Another on of those "experience" things...

Wrecks tend to happen when you're scared and/or tired... you tense up and don't let the bike float under you well... and you go down... which at Diablo can be very painful (those damn rocks... they don't move...). Try not to watch the clock and don't worry about getting as many runs as possible during the time before the lift shuts down.

When you have more experience and if you're racing, you can do that... but when you're just starting out, I recommend erring on the side of caution and being healthy to recover and ride another day.

Mt. Snow = not worth a trip unless it's for a National race... those great looking trails you see in racing videos? Yeah... those are closed to riding during the rest of the year...
 
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grumner80

Member
hey, that all sounds like good advice. I hope you all know what your talking about, lol; i'm entering a dh and slalom race next weekend, and the closest thing to downhill i've done is round valley, which seems pretty technical to me, but then again i dont know how it's going to be at diablo. i want to try to get out there sometime before the race day, but i want to order my helmet first and get used to wearing a fullface. anyone intrested in riding there sometime this week?
 

mtn

Well-Known Member
I'd really ride at diablo a lot this next week if you want to try a race. Will it be your first time at diablo?
 

grumner80

Member
I'd really ride at diablo a lot this next week if you want to try a race. Will it be your first time at diablo?

yea it is going to be my first race, but because i have an xc bike i'm debating about whether or not to compete in the downhill race, but i'm still going to compete in indy cross . i heard that the intro class is on an easier course, is that true?
 

Spylab

New Member
yea it is going to be my first race, but because i have an xc bike i'm debating about whether or not to compete in the downhill race, but i'm still going to compete in indy cross . i heard that the intro class is on an easier course, is that true?


Not for nothing, I think it would be silly to enter in a race given that you have no downhill experience whatsoever. The course is much different from anything you can experience at a state park in NJ, and this upcoming race uses a route which is tricky for advanced riders even (Epitaph to Stalker to Crap Chute). If I were you, I would take at least a couple non-race days to rent a DH bike and explore the mountain on your own terms, to get a feel not only for a 40+ pound long travel bike, but for the steep, technical terrain that makes Diablo famous. No sense spending the extra money to enter the race, when you could find yourself in over your head right from the start gate. The added mental weight of trying to ride against the clock could be disastrous if you are not 100% confident in what you are doing. I have seen plenty of helivacs and some major broken bones at Diablo race events...this is not something to take lightly.


However, to answer your comments directly, though:

- A XC will NOT cut it on this race course. Stalker is a continuous rock garden where the best path is to plow straight over everything. A XC bike will get hung up through the entire section.

- The Intro course is usually the same as Pro. When drops/technical features are incorporated in the course (past courses have used Road to Nowhere, Phantom Drop, Dom's Denial etc.), Intro riders are offered the option of taking the go-around, whereas Pro riders are required to navigate all drops.
 
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