Tahoe conditions?

[Superstar Punani]

What's Toads, Gnar-danelles and Flume like right now? Thinking of heading up there the weekend after the 4th of July.

In other news, the Dirty Aussie has discovered the joys of riding and the gauntlet is thrown down, Yes Greydon Clark you stinking single-speed riding, bike-getting-stolen Mission hippie I'm talkin' to you.

Who's up for some shizznit?

[lph]

flume is good to go.

gnardenelles is good to go.

highmeadows to cold creek trail. (new one for me--good to go. although you won't like the climb, matter of fact lance wouldn't like the climb)

toads.... ja surf may know better than me but 'should' be good to go by 2 weeks from now, judging by his and others description of the snow line last week.

bench is good to go. don't think you have ever been on this one SuPu. it is an out and back technical test.

i wish i could join but i have committed to do this idiotic death ride. (peer pressure from shoelaces. )

[Arty50]

Pu, come up and help me heckle lph and hardrider during the death ride on Saturday the 9th. We can hit some laps during their sufferfest and then catch them while they're wheezing their way toward the finish...if they get that far...muahahahahahahaha!!!!!

Or we can just heckle them on Saturday and ride on Sunday. Either way, I want to be sitting on the side of the road in my beach chair drinking a Foster's mortar shell when they go by.

[Superstar Punani]

Thanks lph & Arty!

Can we lob empties at Shoe and lph?

The Dirty Aussie shares my intense dislike of climbs, so we're looking at shuttling Gnardanelles and anywhere else our lazy arses won't have to climb

[Telenater]

Hmm, If I have all the parts of my bike back by then, I'm very interested in riding that weekend.

[Greydon Clark]

Thanks lph & Arty!

Can we lob empties at Shoe and lph?

The Dirty Aussie shares my intense dislike of climbs, so we're looking at shuttling Gnardanelles and anywhere else our lazy arses won't have to climb

Hmmm… the man from down under told me he loves to climb…
Anyway, I'm in Detroit for the weekend.

[Arty50]

Can we lob empties at Shoe and lph?

That's the spirit!!!

[freshies]

flume is good to go.

has this been confirmed? i thought the Flume and upper sections of the TRT that you access via the Flume were still snowed-in? I am heading up Thur night and would love to do my Brockaway Summit TRT - > Spooner Lake - > Flume - > upper TRT - > Flume ride. Thats an epic and loads o' single track fun. But I was up 2 weeks ago and mosyt of this was still closed down.

[onehotchili]

has this been confirmed? i thought the Flume and upper sections of the TRT that you access via the Flume were still snowed-in? I am heading up Thur night and would love to do my Brockaway Summit TRT - > Spooner Lake - > Flume - > upper TRT - > Flume ride. Thats an epic and loads o' single track fun. But I was up 2 weeks ago and mosyt of this was still closed down.

are you sure you don't mean Mt Rose TRT -> Spooner Lake? i am pretty sure you can't ride past Martis Peak on the TRT from Brockaway. (or at least... not supposed to...)

in any case, Mt. Rose Meadows looked like it still had a bunch of snow (at least from Mt. Rose Highway) when i rode up the other day. Mt. Rose Meadows on TRT -> Marlette Lake -> Flume -> and back to Mt. Rose Meadows = awesome ride. i can hardly wait till this deathride thing is over so i can play on my single speed mtn bike!

[ja_surf]

Toads past the first lookout still had a lot of snow, last Friday. I've done it before with the snow at that level you might lose the trail a few times,
it can be fun falling all over the place and not worring about the granite grinding you to pieces. Should be clear below techincal section on the top third of the trail, the reward should be steller conditions below snow line. The weekend after the 4th should be snow free.

Here is a blurb from the Flume trail website

Wednesday June 22, 2005 9:45am

The Flume Trail is open and free of snow. The Tahoe Rim Trail still has quite a bit of snow over the top. The Rim Trail from Mount Rose meadows still is impassable due to copious amounts of snow. We are planning to run the first shuttle after the Fourth of July.

Taking the Mount Rose Shuttle is a great. Two of my favorite rides using the shuttle are.

1)Mt Rose TRT / Red House / SunFlower Hill / Trt Back North / Flume south back to Spooner Lake

2) Leave a car at the Bottom of Kingsbury Grade. Take Mt Rose Shuttle. Mt Rose TRT/ then continute across the next two fireroad's on the TRT all the way to Snow Peak, drop down to Spooner Lake. Cut up behind Spooner back to the TRT across hwy 50 and ride it over the bench to the end. Then drop the Chinese downhill back to your car.

[lph]

is chinese downhill still open? I heard both it and Jackie chan are done as trails due to erosion, etc...?????

[freshies]

are you sure you don't mean Mt Rose TRT -> Spooner Lake? i am pretty sure you can't ride past Martis Peak on the TRT from Brockaway. (or at least... not supposed to...)

in any case, Mt. Rose Meadows looked like it still had a bunch of snow (at least from Mt. Rose Highway) when i rode up the other day. Mt. Rose Meadows on TRT -> Marlette Lake -> Flume -> and back to Mt. Rose Meadows = awesome ride. i can hardly wait till this deathride thing is over so i can play on my single speed mtn bike!

doh! yes, meant Mt Rose TRT - > Marlette - > Flume, then we hit that upper loop section of the TRT, and merge back onto the fire road that takes you back down to the parking lot @ Spooner. We usually leave a car 2 Spooner, have some one drop us off at Mt Rose TRT trail head. Its a sweet ride.

[ja_surf]

is chinese downhill still open? I heard both it and Jackie chan are done as trails due to erosion, etc...?????

Did the Forest Service Close Chinese Downhill also? have not done it since last year. I know they closed down Jackie chan last summer.

Last time I talked to Garrett Villanueva a forest Service Engineer he was working with someone to fix up sections of it, but that was a couple years ago.

BTW do antyof the North shore Mags know if The section of the TRT from Brockway to Tahoe city is snow free yet?

[Tyrone Shoelaces]

Thanks lph & Arty!

Can we lob empties at Shoe and lph?

No.

Please lob full one's only.

Cold too would be nice.

[ja_surf]

is chinese downhill still open? I heard both it and Jackie chan are done as trails due to erosion, etc...?????

Hey LPH

Here is the word on the Chinese Downhill now offcially renamed. Also looks like the X-mas valley reroute will finally happen this year which will move the trail away from the creek.

Hopefully Upper corral will start this year which will connect corral to the armstrong pass trail bypassing the road

Hi Jeff,
Chinese Downhill is still around but we changed the name to Kingsbury
Stinger for PC. The Upper Corral Trail will likely be constructed late
this season and it could happen next season. We are getting a late start
due to all of the snow. TAMBA is still around, I'm not sure what the deal
is with the website.

We have started working on trails in the Freel area and Meiss areas. You
may have noticed the TRT in Meiss has had some big reroutes. We plan to
work on Lake Valley (X-mas Valley) trail this summer too. Additionally we
have already constructed a hiking only trail to the top of Freel Peak
(check it out it is a very cool trail).

Let me know if you have more questions.
Happy Trails,
Garrett Villanueva
Civil Engineer
Lake Tahoe Basin Management Unit

[lph]

cool.

all good things, especially upper corral as that is my backyard ride.

[gonzo]

you doods have any good suggestions/resources for single track in the north lake neck of the woods? i'm heading up for the hoopla this weekend with some buds. we found a place up by squaw to stay and will likely ride thereabouts if not somewhere else...would be diggity down for routing up for some rides or beers if anyone else is around this weekend. likely doing toobing sunday in the river i think...

word to the mummyfucker.

[onehotchili]

you doods have any good suggestions/resources for single track in the north lake neck of the woods? i'm heading up for the hoopla this weekend with some buds. we found a place up by squaw to stay and will likely ride thereabouts if not somewhere else...would be diggity down for routing up for some rides or beers if anyone else is around this weekend. likely doing toobing sunday in the river i think...

word to the mummyfucker.

i am getting out of town... but check at the Backcountry in Tahoe City or Truckee for suggestions. Rides like Emigrant, Loyds, JPs, Sawtooth have been in shape for awhile. Those guys would prolly have more info on rides like Western States/Watson Lake/Painted Rock or Stanford Rock, Paige Meadows etc. I am guessing those are all in shape now as well... but I haven't hit them yet this year....

[lph]

stanford rock is a kick ass trail. long, occasionally difficult trail and just a blast going downhill, some fast, some technical, alot of predictable stair steps.... love that ride. couple of 'moist' meadows on the way up this time of year, wear mosquito repellent.

i guess hole in the ground probably needs a while longer than all the others, huh??

[freshies]

you doods have any good suggestions/resources for single track in the north lake neck of the woods? i'm heading up for the hoopla this weekend with some buds. we found a place up by squaw to stay and will likely ride thereabouts if not somewhere else...would be diggity down for routing up for some rides or beers if anyone else is around this weekend. likely doing toobing sunday in the river i think...

word to the mummyfucker.

Emigrant Trail is in the best shape right now single-track-wise. Its a sweet out and back ride, and you can do a swim in te resevoir half way is ya like. The trail head starts at Donner Camp, just off 89, heading out of Truckee.

I will be riding there Sat morning.

edit: for a list of sweet rides, check out: http://www.thebackcountry.net/mtnbiking/wheretogo.htm

[freshies]

i guess hole in the ground probably needs a while longer than all the others, huh??

yeah, from what i understand, still snowed in up top, needs a few more weeks

[ja_surf]

My Favorite North Shore trail is the Rim Trail between Brockway summit (267) and Tahoe City, it just rocks, literally! you going better to do this as a shuttle and leave a car in Tahoe City. Pick up the start on Brockway summit just a little ways down from the summit on the lakeside, there is a parking area.

Like Freshies said check with the backcountry and pick up a map from them. My bet it is killer right now. I'd be up for it this weekend if it were not for all the crowds and trouble to get up there over the 4th. Last time I drove up to the North shore on 4th of July weekend I swore I'd never do it again

It is possible to do this ride as a loop if you know how do it with only about 4 1/2 miles of pavement. But I'd be pressed to give accurate instructions since I just kinda ride by instinct to do it, trails go off in all directions.

[ja_surf]

A little more info on the x-mas valley loop I'm sure some of you will be interested in.

In a nutshell...
We are planning to reroute the trail away from the creek. Riparian
disturbance will be reduced by something linke 10,000 sq feet on this
trail. Additionally we will be reducing the average trail grade and
eliminating the steepest sections. I know that will disappoint some
mountain bikers.

As you know I enjoy mtb and have even successfully competed (5th overall in
AZ in 96, 3rd in 24hrs of Tahoe, and a whole bunch of finished races).
I've been around the sport since 1987, so I get it.

When I analyze impacts from the spectrum of mountain bike uses I have found
that certain types of riding on NF are more appropriate than others. For
example, an XC rider on a 3" to 5" travel bike with small discs can ride
all day and move very little dirt, not intimindate hikers, and have a good
time. A Freeride or DH rider is looking for something over 35% and wants
to ride at the edge of control, this rider will cause significant erosion,
intimindate other trail users, and have a good time.

We plan to reconstruct the trail to meet FS standards (>10% grade except
for short sections), reduce maintenance needs, reduce resource impacts,
reduce user conflicts, and improve quality element define great trails.

That will include things like good sight lines, signage, variation of
kinestetic elements, scenic opportunities, resource interaction, etc.

When it is done we hope users will not even notice the trail because it is
designed into the landscape and carefully placed to minimize resource
impacts. We also plan to construct a trail that is more enjoyable for
multiple use. I expect that it will be more enjoyable for XC type riding.
There will be technical sections and tight single track. Additionally the
trail will be ridable in both directions. As you may know it is not as
much fun as a barrel of monkees to try to ride up now.

Let me know if you and your friends would like to get together to learn
more about what we are doing.
Garrett Villanueva

[Telenater]

When I analyze impacts from the spectrum of mountain bike uses I have found
that certain types of riding on NF are more appropriate than others. For
example, an XC rider on a 3" to 5" travel bike with small discs can ride
all day and move very little dirt, not intimindate hikers, and have a good
time. A Freeride or DH rider is looking for something over 35% and wants
to ride at the edge of control, this rider will cause significant erosion,
intimindate other trail users, and have a good time.

We plan to reconstruct the trail to meet FS standards (>10% grade except
for short sections), reduce maintenance needs, reduce resource impacts,
reduce user conflicts, and improve quality element define great trails.

That will include things like good sight lines, signage, variation of
kinestetic elements, scenic opportunities, resource interaction, etc.

When it is done we hope users will not even notice the trail because it is
designed into the landscape and carefully placed to minimize resource
impacts. We also plan to construct a trail that is more enjoyable for
multiple use. I expect that it will be more enjoyable for XC type riding.
There will be technical sections and tight single track. Additionally the
trail will be ridable in both directions. As you may know it is not as
much fun as a barrel of monkees to try to ride up now.

Let me know if you and your friends would like to get together to learn
more about what we are doing.
Garrett Villanueva[/I]

I'm going to have to get in touch with this guy. The USFS needs more people like him who can clearly state why they're doing what they're doing. Its a definite bonus that he's also a recreationalist.

While I enjoy the DH stuff, it is awfully damaging to the trail network unless massive trail hardening is done.

[Arty50]

I guess I'm not clear as to which part of the X-Mas valley loop he's talking about. If the downhill changes at all, especially the super technical sections; I will be very sad. It's probably my favorite ride up here. That ride has forced me to become a much better mountain biker and it still challenges me. There's quite a few sections I still have yet to clean.

Not that many people ride it because of the difficulty, and the trail never seems to be in bad shape. Even when it gets loose, it's still substantially less sandy than other trails in the area. I'm no environmental expert, but I don't get this.