6.05.04: Snowshoe West Virginia

Snowshoe West Virginia
Freeride Festival
May 28th- 30th 2004
Submitted by Rob, Edited by Iggy

Allured by the media blitz of photos of wooden ladder bridges and massive drops, myself and 4 other Brooklyn Bike Riders made the pilgrimage to Snowshoe, WV on Memorial Day Weekend for the 1st Annual Freeride Festival. We were a diverse group of riders, Klaus-Danish Downhill Specialist, Chun-Huckster/Dirtjumper Extraordinaire, Kelvin-Freeride Freak, Scott-Hardtail Hucker, and myself.

Snowshoe West Virginia
Freeride Festival
May 28th- 30th 2004
Submitted by Rob, Edited by Iggy

Allured by the media blitz of photos of wooden ladder bridges and massive drops, myself and 4 other Brooklyn Bike Riders made the pilgrimage to Snowshoe, WV on Memorial Day Weekend for the 1st Annual Freeride Festival. We were a diverse group of riders, Klaus-Danish Downhill Specialist, Chun-Huckster/Dirtjumper Extraordinaire, Kelvin-Freeride Freak, Scott-Hardtail Hucker, and myself. When we arrived at Snowshoe Village I was amazed at the natural beauty and pleasantly surprised by the quaint village atmosphere. We were greeted by the group manager of the outdoor program, Dave Huber. Dave took us on a ripping run down the 1500 ft vertical descent of the western side of the mountain. The trail will serve as the Sport Course for the upcoming NORBA race on June 12th. The terrain was extremely technical, a swirl of rocky, rooty and muddy madness. The trail had the flow of Plattekill with the rock gardens of Mountain Creek. The Pro Course was next on the agenda. A freshly cut trail, the Pro Course is extremely challenging to the rider due to the greasy off-camber sections interspersed with a cache of natural stunts, including a 6 foot diameter fallen tree that will serve as a launch for the DH pilots in 2 weeks.

On the Pro Course Klaus’ Orange took one hit too many and his 5th Element’s rebound broke. Dave was nice enough to not only furnish Klaus with a fresh out of the box Kona Stinky, but he also treated hardtail bound Scott to a rental due to the course’s rough treatment of he and his bike. When we stopped up to get the bikes at the Mountain Adventure Center, we were all amazed at the large stock of clothing and protective gear from Fox, Troy Lee, 661, Kona, and many other brands. The rental fleet is second to none, boasting a full line of brand new Kona’s. With everything from the slick XC Kahuna to the massive Stab Primo every rider could find the right bike for his or her needs.

After a great lunch at one of the many reasonably priced Snowshoe Village Restaurants, we headed to the new Freeride Park. I could tell that this is what the more freeride oriented members of the group came down for. Dave took us on just a few of the more than 20 new feature packed freeride trails that have been built in the last month. I’d seen the pictures all over the Internet of these stunts, but to see them up close is very intimidating. After a series of wooden ladders up to 6-8 ft rock drops complete with beautifully groomed transitions the rider is faced with a skinny that splits into either a roll down to a 5 ft drop or a 20 ft whoop roll down complete with chicken wire and grip tape for traction. The Freeride Park kept us occupied for most of the rest of the day. With its smooth flowy stunt filled runs and quick lift access, it’s a beautiful compliment to the burly rock garden encrusted drop zone of the Western Side.

Saturday night was a treat for all who battled the mountain all day. After a solid 9 hours of riding, we took a dip in the Split Rock Pool hot tubs, before dipping to the Junction Bar where there was a live DJ, great barbeque and tons of prizes from Fox, 661, Dakine, Platypus, and Snowshoe Mountain. Support these sponsors for helping out with cool events like this one.
After way too many 2-dollar Belgian beers we got a few hours of shuteye and returned to the mountain. The 4 cross course was the top of the agenda. It was described as the mother off all Mtn-X courses but I was skeptical…I stand corrected. I think some of theses doubles and triples would have Lopes thinking twice. Well in any case it had me thinking twice. Chun hit the largest gap of the group, barely clearing the 25-foot monster double only to be ejected on the largest step up off the course moments later. Props to all the Brooklyn cats for rocking the Mtn-x course but major props to Chun.

The afternoon was spent frantically trying to ride all the freeride trails we missed the day before and exploring last year’s Pro Course on the Western Side of the mountain, including, “Femur Alley,” an insanely technical chute that deposit’s the rider into a rock garden that Keeanu in the Matrix would have trouble clearing.
As the day came to a close we packed the trucks and headed back to the Junction for free food, more live music, and yes folks more free giveaways. Everyone in our group came up big, especially Chun who ended up with a season’s pass to Snowshoe Mountain. Maybe it’s a sign for him to move down there.

Snowshoe is one of the finest mountain resorts in North America. With its reasonably priced package rates and beautiful natural terrain as well as newly added freeride park, it is a must for any East Coast rider to make the pilgrimage. But I think the best part of Snowshoe was the Southern Hospitality. From the Mountain Adventure Center to the Pubs every member of the Snowshoe team did everything in their power to make our stay an enjoyable one. I want to thank the whole crew especially Dave Huber, Phil Duncan (the senior designer of the mountain), Shauna Johnson from Communications and Bob from the tech department. Thanks to all who made this trip a special one and keep digging!