littlewave
Well-Known Member
I started posting this in I Rode My Bike Today, but it got a little wordy and I didn't want any post police coming after me!
I rode Mammoth last Friday. We were up in the Sierras last week, culminating in a couple days at our place in Mammoth, so of course I brought my bike!
Took the gondola up and warmed up on Off The Top. Fun rip down the mountain, but I'd say without some major work that trail is getting to be tougher than the blue they have it listed at (if you're riding all of it, if you walk the more technical stuff, then it's blue, but then that's not really how a trail should be rated...). There are no major steeps, but there are more and more rocks and roots that take it above blue level. I had a dismount that was almost a crash in the most technical rock section. I think I was just too slow and needed more momentum.
Had a window to ride for awhile but my son wanted to ride the gondola, and even though we rode it multiple times every day we were there, I can't pass up quality father son time, so I rode back to our place by main lodge, picked him up, and we took a ride to the top and then cruised around McCoy on the way down, checking out their snow equipment exhibit. Dropped him back off and headed back up the gondola. I was debating getting off at McCoy and riding some of the lower mountain, but my plan was to eventually ride over to Snowcreek from the top of the mountain to meet my family at our friend's house for dinner. Since I had never done the ride, and didn't really map it all out beforehand, I had no idea how long that would take me. So, I stayed on past McCoy and headed up to the top.
Once up top, I rode Skidmarks, and unfortunately ended up on the new top route which sucked. Apparently they've re-opened the old route for now, but the signage was horrid, so even though I've ridden Skidmarks multiple times I missed the old route. Don't miss the old route!
Cleaned the rest of Skidmarks, which I've never done before. From there, I took Juniper all the way down to Lakes Trail. Juniper is a blue trail but it was an absolute blast to cruise under the pine canopy, and there were plenty of rooty, rocky, blown out switchbacks to keep you on your toes. Sometimes I would stop and just listen to the wind through the pines. From there, I took Lakes Trail which dumps out at the bottom of Twin Lakes. I didn't see a single person from halfway down Skidmarks until I dropped down to Twin Lakes.
At Twin Lakes, I headed over to Panorama Dome trail, which although not long or punchy had my lungs grasping for the thin air. Panorama is definitely a blue style trail with a couple technical bits here and there but nothing hard. Just beautiful mountain scenery. Panorama drops you out on to Old Mammoth Road, where it's a quick downhill road ride to the Mammoth Rock Trail.
Mammoth Rock Trail was pure awesome. It started out with a couple small punchy climbs, and then just ran along the mountain with some decent exposure. The portion through the rock slide was pretty cool, and overall the dirt was less pumicey than on the mountain. There were plenty of technical bits to keep you on your toes, but no super steep grades. During my minimal route planning, I had noticed a trail called Meadow Connector which hits Mammoth Rock Trail at about the halfway point, and looked like it might put me in my friend's backyard.
So, I cut my Mammoth Rock Trail experience short and headed down Meadow Connector, which was also a blast. Steeper than Mammoth Rock Trail, with plenty of rocky bits thrown in. It was over all too fast when I hit the end of Meadow Connector and bushwhacked through someone's backyard and into Snow Creek. A quick cruise down the road and I literally rode into our friend's backyard where the kids were playing and there was cold beer waiting.
Overall, this was one of the most fun rides I've ever done. I liked the point to point aspect of it, and checking out new trails outside of the bike park was awesome. Although I was travelling well known paths, I didn't encounter anyone on the trails other than a hiker and a runner. So while I was never far from town, I felt really out there. Throw in the gnarly bike park trail at the top, and this was my kind of epic!
I rode Mammoth last Friday. We were up in the Sierras last week, culminating in a couple days at our place in Mammoth, so of course I brought my bike!
Took the gondola up and warmed up on Off The Top. Fun rip down the mountain, but I'd say without some major work that trail is getting to be tougher than the blue they have it listed at (if you're riding all of it, if you walk the more technical stuff, then it's blue, but then that's not really how a trail should be rated...). There are no major steeps, but there are more and more rocks and roots that take it above blue level. I had a dismount that was almost a crash in the most technical rock section. I think I was just too slow and needed more momentum.
Had a window to ride for awhile but my son wanted to ride the gondola, and even though we rode it multiple times every day we were there, I can't pass up quality father son time, so I rode back to our place by main lodge, picked him up, and we took a ride to the top and then cruised around McCoy on the way down, checking out their snow equipment exhibit. Dropped him back off and headed back up the gondola. I was debating getting off at McCoy and riding some of the lower mountain, but my plan was to eventually ride over to Snowcreek from the top of the mountain to meet my family at our friend's house for dinner. Since I had never done the ride, and didn't really map it all out beforehand, I had no idea how long that would take me. So, I stayed on past McCoy and headed up to the top.
Once up top, I rode Skidmarks, and unfortunately ended up on the new top route which sucked. Apparently they've re-opened the old route for now, but the signage was horrid, so even though I've ridden Skidmarks multiple times I missed the old route. Don't miss the old route!
Cleaned the rest of Skidmarks, which I've never done before. From there, I took Juniper all the way down to Lakes Trail. Juniper is a blue trail but it was an absolute blast to cruise under the pine canopy, and there were plenty of rooty, rocky, blown out switchbacks to keep you on your toes. Sometimes I would stop and just listen to the wind through the pines. From there, I took Lakes Trail which dumps out at the bottom of Twin Lakes. I didn't see a single person from halfway down Skidmarks until I dropped down to Twin Lakes.
At Twin Lakes, I headed over to Panorama Dome trail, which although not long or punchy had my lungs grasping for the thin air. Panorama is definitely a blue style trail with a couple technical bits here and there but nothing hard. Just beautiful mountain scenery. Panorama drops you out on to Old Mammoth Road, where it's a quick downhill road ride to the Mammoth Rock Trail.
Mammoth Rock Trail was pure awesome. It started out with a couple small punchy climbs, and then just ran along the mountain with some decent exposure. The portion through the rock slide was pretty cool, and overall the dirt was less pumicey than on the mountain. There were plenty of technical bits to keep you on your toes, but no super steep grades. During my minimal route planning, I had noticed a trail called Meadow Connector which hits Mammoth Rock Trail at about the halfway point, and looked like it might put me in my friend's backyard.
So, I cut my Mammoth Rock Trail experience short and headed down Meadow Connector, which was also a blast. Steeper than Mammoth Rock Trail, with plenty of rocky bits thrown in. It was over all too fast when I hit the end of Meadow Connector and bushwhacked through someone's backyard and into Snow Creek. A quick cruise down the road and I literally rode into our friend's backyard where the kids were playing and there was cold beer waiting.
Overall, this was one of the most fun rides I've ever done. I liked the point to point aspect of it, and checking out new trails outside of the bike park was awesome. Although I was travelling well known paths, I didn't encounter anyone on the trails other than a hiker and a runner. So while I was never far from town, I felt really out there. Throw in the gnarly bike park trail at the top, and this was my kind of epic!
