The crew was back from a ripping weekend at Snowshoe and after a bit of rest they were ready to get back into some downhill action. I had to take a pass on the Snowshoe trip this time around so you know I was going through some serious bike park withdrawals. To ease my pain OG worked out a weekend for us to raid his cabin and session some new trails along with some old favorites.
OG, Steve-O and me broke out of work early on Friday to get in a few evening runs around the Wilson’s area. After unloading gear at the cabin we set up the shuttle to ride a new downhill rip that had been stumbled upon while checking out a map of the area. It’s a north facing slope with plenty of dark and damp coves full of ferns and mossy rocks. It has a great loamy west coast feel to it and a flow that works well for long travel bikes. After a couple of quick runs it was back to the cabin for post ride brews and grilling out.
What were once bright and sunny skies the day before had turned into dark, overcast and grey skies by the next morning. As we loaded bikes and headed toward Banner Elk for breakfast we all had the sinking feeling that we were in for a dose of classic east coast slop. We arrived at Sugar Mountain around 10.30am and were greeted with temperatures in the low 60’s coupled with mist and fog. As we rode the lift up the fog got thicker and the skies got darker. About halfway down the first run some light rain began to fall and by the time we made it back up for our second run the bottom fell out. Lucky for us there was no thunder or lightning, just solid rain and fog, so the lift kept running all day. As temperatures fell into the upper 50’s the mountain turned into a ghost town. For better or for worse it looked like we were going to have our own private downhill park for the afternoon.
Some folks think of Sugar as a “light downhill” run because of the lack of trail options and the relatively short trail lengths. What most folks don’t realize is that things get super technical super fast in the pouring rain and fog. Some of the steeper lines can get downright dangerous in spots when traction becomes optional. At times things got so slick and sloppy I felt like I was all over the place just trying to control the bike in mellow sections of trail. Slow and tech was the way things went down and by 4:00pm I had enough rain, wash-outs and slams to last me the rest of the summer.
OG forgot his rain gear again so he gets the true survivor award for riding the whole day in a t-shirt while rocking a borrowed umbrella on the lift. Steve-O gets the most dedicated award for inspiring us to buy a full day lift ticket and holding out until the last run of the day. Just a couple of shots from this trip…the camera gear had to stay in the pack most of the day due to the rain and slop.

It’s Friday morning.  I’ve got the seats folded down in my SUV and she’s loaded with all the essentials for a weekend of camping and downhill mountain biking.  We’ve been planning a return trip to Windrock for about three weeks now.

The thought of skipping an afternoon of work to hit some prime downhill trails makes it difficult to concentrate on the task at hand.  Between helping customers and fielding phone orders I periodically check my cell phone to make sure I haven’t missed any urgent messages.  Then a flurry of voice mail and text messages begins.  By the time lunch rolls around most of the crew has dropped out due to work conflicts, equipment failures, bad cash flow, etc., etc.  Facing my own difficulties trying to leave work early, I finally meet up with the remaining riders around mid afternoon.  The line up now consists of OG, C-Los. Steve-O and myself.

Plan A: Windrock.  Bad vibes abound so this plan is history.  Plan B: Drive all night to Snowshoe.  As tempting as it sounded, most of us needed an extra pay day and more than 30 minutes notice to pull off a trip to West Virginia for the weekend.  Plan B is out.  OG graciously offers the use of his cabin for the weekend and this is where the next 24 hours begins.  Plan C: keep it local.

We all agree we’re going to try our best to hit as much downhill riding as possible so we immediately roll out and make our way toward the mountains.  After unloading our gear at the cabin we decide to get a taste of Windrock a little closer to home. We set up the shuttle and saddle up for a late afternoon ride on the local downhill rip near Boone.  We veer on to the new alternate lines and are rewarded with some seriously technical and steep singletrack.  It’s the kind of stuff BBA and Brad Walton used to call “tech-gnar” back in the day.  A few short climbs to keep us honest and its back to the goods.  The trail eventually gives way to a well built, tight and twisty ribbon of dirt filled with berms and nice gaps at the bottom.  As I pass up a few of the drops and gaps I’m reminded that my riding skills still have a long way to go.  While the sun begins to set we load up the shuttle vehicle and its back to the top of the mountain for post ride burgers and brews.  Later we return to the cabin to chill by the campfire and enjoy an extra beer…day one was officially in the books.

Day two I woke up early to take in some of the views surrounding OG’s cabin.  All of us have our own reasons for riding.  One of mine is the amazing scenery that only mountain biking can deliver.  Gear and rigs are quickly loaded and we’re off to the Tartan restaurant in Linville for a proper Scottish breakfast.  Fueled up for a day of ripping it’s onward to Sugar Mountain to enjoy a day of lift accessed downhill action.

While it’s not the biggest mountain or the fastest chairlift ride, Sugar never disappoints with its mix of rocky technical sections, natural features, and blazing fast double track.  Fast and loose was the order of the day and most of us paid the price of testing our limits with a few dirt naps and wash outs. Nothing, however, compared to what we were about to witness. On the way back to the chairlift for another run we noticed some professional camera equipment set up.  We turned our heads to take a look and saw two guys racing each other down the middle of the ski slope.  No lie, these dudes must have been going around 35 mph or more down the middle of the grassy field.  All of the sudden, in a cloud of dust, one of the riders goes down hard and rag dolls for about 20 feet.  Before we have time to take in what just happened the remaining racer flies past us on a pink children’s bike complete with streamers and white tires.  He’s got his feet on the ground Fred Flintstone style trying to stop with little success.  It was all I could do to breathe I was laughing so hard.

We come to find out that these guys are BMX riders from Florida traveling across the US filming footage for an upcoming Jack-Ass style BMX video to be released.  The bikes were purchased the evening before at Wal-Mart and had already been put to the test with a late night urban session involving 360’s and modest drops.  They tell us that this was a piece of cake compared to an earlier stop which centered around alligator wrestling.  Believe it or not the next stop on the trip was Pee-Wee’s to hit the dirt jumps.  We gave them directions and wished them good luck for the rest of their journey.

After a few more runs down the hill the whole group was toast.  Some post ride BBQ at Sledgehammer Charlie’s sealed the deal and it was back to Hickory until the next ride.  Below are a few pictures from the trip…enjoy!

Text & Photos By Dustin R.

Some surprises are good…and then again some are bad.  Catching some extra time on the spur of the moment to head out and ride defiantly qualifies as one of those good surprises.  A couple weeks ago C-Los, Steve-O and I took advantage of our good fortune and headed up to Sugar for some downhill runs.

The closer we got to the mountains the darker the sky became and the sinking feeling set in that we might be in for a major slop fest on this one.  This was one surprise we had not counted on.  The temperature was 66 degrees at the base when we unloaded the bikes and the top of the mountain was nowhere in sight.  As we ascended up the lift into the thick mist surrounding Sugar we immediately felt the rain begin to fall.  Rain gear in place we unloaded and met up with Jeff Moore, Stan Moore and company to head down for the first run.

Everyone took it easy the first run down to get warmed up.  As we picked our way through the rock gardens and mist I could see the sunlight start to break through the trees.  By the time we hit the base of the mountain the rain was out and the fog had lifted…yet another good surprise for the day.  From then on it was fast and rugged runs on nice and tacky dirt with little or no dust to choke on.  The trails were in good shape with little debris.  The only exception was the filled in creek gap this time around.

The last run always arrives too quickly and before we knew it the day had passed us by.  Tired, hungry and happy we rolled out and headed back down the mountain with everyone stoked off of a solid day of good riding. Here’s a handful of pictures below.