Trail Conditions

[Rufhausen]

Post Westwood trail conditions here.

[Paul_Arlinghaus]

Here is useful link. I suggust bookmarking it.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/ind/

Click on "Local Radar" on the left,

Then click on "storm total"

This is a good way to see how much rain some place else got.

So far it looks good.  Westwood got some rain yesterday, but that is a good thing as dry as it has been.  With everything as dry as it has been, a little bit of rain will soak in quickly.

Check this site in the morning and see if they got any rain over night.

Paul

[Alex]

Tim and I made it out for a couple laps this evening.  The trails were in amazing shape, dry and tacky. 

Huge thanks to the WWW crew.  I was prepared to duck and cover in all the know ivy prone spots only to see that everything had been trimmed back or sprayed.  As tight as the undergrowth gets on this trail it was surprising to be able to roll the whole thing without being touched by the usual summertime growth, evidence that a lot of trimming hours have been spent.

It was also great to see how all of the new reroutes and additions that Huf has been working on lately have added to the trail.  His hard work has really made some of the formerly sticky and/or unsustainable sections a real treat to ride.  I really like the new crib on the old gravel section of the IMBA bench.  That blind corner was a little unfair for most and I'd imagine had only gotten worse this dry summer.  The new crib, benching and visual aid (rock) really make that corner nice.  Here's a photo of that corner the day it was built:  http://alexmtb.smugmug.com/gallery/3165132#174005219  We knew we'd have to crib it someday and 4 years later it's complete

[deanarammalamma]

http://www.hmba.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=59&Itemid=44

[Paul_Arlinghaus]

I saw John last night and sent him off with a stack of "Don't Ride Muddy Trials" signs. 

There is a responsibility on our part to educate riders.  If I decide to go hike a trail, I don't log on the web and search for websites to find out the latest info on that hiking trail.  Just like John and Sally Q. Public, look out side and see the sun so they head of to the trails.   With no signs or warnings, they honestly don't see any reason why the trail should not be ridden. 

Most of the people I talk to at Town Run who are riding or unloading their bikes on a muddy day, honestly don't know that they shouldn't be riding that day. 

About half the people I talk to are very new to mountain biking (some on their first off road ride).  Often, I end up in long conversations, explaining HMBA, other places to ride, how to make bikes shift, what shop to go to, how to learn to ride, etc...

The real successes are when we see someone riding in the mud or about to and end up with a new HMBA member by the time we are done talking to them.

There are always going to be a very small percentage of people who don't care and will ride regardless of the damage it does.  These folks often get tired of being stopped and talk to,  and eventually figure out that we keep a pretty close watch on our trails.  I may not have ever played a CSI agent on TV, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn once, so I am pretty good at watching for tire tracks in the mud and figuring out when rogue riders are sneaking out for mud rides.  We eventually find them and have a chat and they realize that HMBA is a bit harder to a allude than a park ranger. 

Paul

[onandoff]

and don't forget to mention the $ factor. Most might know but some don't that muddin' can do a bit of damage to the bikes as well. Chains, cogs, brakes and derailleurs can wear out faster when ridden during trail damaging conditions. Not only is staying of soft trails the right thing to do but it also saves money. I bet that money saved could buy the whole family HMBA memberships or at least some quality 6-packs and a few videos to make it through the freeze/thaw cycles.
...and now for something completely different (sort of)... http://www.freezethaw.com/

[crewan]

Good news!  Thanks for the update.

[crewan]

Trail conditions are great and the weather was perfect today.  I would get out and ride while the conditions hold.

[Mikey]

Anyone ride the last 24 hours that can give an update on conditions? Thanks.

[Ty Peck]

Rode a lap late this afternoon and most of the trail was in great shape.  However, many of the hills facing the West and especially a lot of trail in the last 2 miles were very greasy and slick in spots.  Should be OK in the morning until the sun starts warming everything up again.

[crazylarry]

I rode today at 12:40. The trail was pretty much dry except for a few small puddles. There were a few greasy hills that I fell over on and became one with earth ( Still learning when to kick out of the SDPs). I also found that my stock tires on my bike are probably a 3 on a scale to 10 for mud. All in all the trail was great.
All in all, this report is pretty much useless due to the rain thats coming down right now. I wanted to write this because I want to say that mountain biking is a true blessing for me. I had a huge hole in my soul since not being able to go out and run my 3 to 5 miles anymore. I now get off the trail at WW and I drive away feeling like putty...but its a good putty. I have also met some great folks also. And thanks to everyone that took time to build these great trails we all ride. I plan to get out and help with these trails when I can from now on.
Take care.
 

[moose]

Think it will be frozen enough tomorrow morning to ride?

[moose]

Frozen trails rock! Frozen toes....not.

[mrbiggerstaff]

Couple of us are hitting the trail at 6:45am Saturday for two laps....not that anyone would want to join us or anything... but just sayin'

[mrbiggerstaff]

Trail frozen this am.  Watch for a few small limbs across the trail and the frosty bridges!