Return to the Chase, Freeride Meet - 7th February 2010

After last years successful freeride meet-up at Cannock Chase (read about it all here) there is a similar event happening in a couple of weeks time.  Details are to be found either through facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/event.php?eid=257889599900&index=1
Or through the Surfing Dirt forums:
http://www.surfingdirt.com/forum/showthread.php?t=1448&highlight=cannock

Not sure if I can make it due to possible family commitments, but with Goofy Mark, Mutley and Roger already on the attendance list, it's sure to be a good'un!  Plus it's close to Marks birthday - a good a reason as any to turn up!

Adjusting the Turning Resistance on your MBS Channel Trucks

From an old MBS brochure that  came with my original Comp 16, a handy chart detailing how you can increase or decrease your board turning resistance.  In summary to increase turning resistance you can:

 

a) Position your springs in the outer holes

 

b) Change your egg shocks from None to Yellow to Orange to Red

 

c) Compress your springs using a suitable allen key

PS, Don't forget the washers - crucial for preventing sudden spring decompression as the top-hat thread disengages! Just ask KMC's Simon.

Drum Hill Recce

 Friday afternoon, wife had visitors, baby fast asleep, me itching to stretch my legs, didn't want to go far, thought I'd go for a scout* around Drum Hill.

Otherwise know as Breadsall Moor, just up the hill from Little Eaton, Drum Hill is nice in that it retains the snow long after it has disappeared from the Derby streets.

 

Couple of routes I wanted to check out, the first marked in red arrow is a nice decent with couple of wiggly bits to negotiate and a lovely pile of rocks approximatley 2/3rds of the way down just to spoil things (prevent the 4x4s too much access).

 I reckon with a bit of soil, this'll make a nice little kicker for someone who can be arsed.

Main part of the woods and that with the most possibilities is marked on the map as 'Here Be Mountain Bikes' as there is absolutely loads going on.  Unfortunately a lot of it is very mountain bike oriented but I'll have to return for another visit as a quick search for 'Drum Hill Mountain Bike' on youtube throws up plenty of vids showing the potential, for example:

Almost, the problem is that there is too much choice of routes and trying to work out ones that don't just finish in a bush, or have massive gaps that would require peddling, or huge north-shore style drops.

I'll try and report some more in the future as I'm convinced areas are ridable, but if anyone in the area fancies a look, parking off Morley Lane and trekking across the golf course along the bridle path is a good place to start.  Note that whilst there are closer roads marked on the map, much of it is 4x4 access only with deep ruts and potholes. 

* -This is a poor pun.  Half of Drum Hill is off limits as a Scout Camp.  Though I'm not usually one to stick to the paths, getting caught in the bushes in a scout camp looks decisively dodgy at the best of times...

Cracking Article at Remolition on the Perception of Safety

http://www.remolition.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=224:perception-of-mountainboarding&catid=4&Itemid=11

Go read, then read all the other great articles and features as featured at Remolition.
When your done there then read and follow the Remolition Blog.
Then become a Remolition fan on Facebook.

With their high production values, I assure you that you wont be disappointed!

Operation 'Obtain a Snowboard' project!

Just a cheeky request:

Wanted: Snowboard (Adult)
Does anyone in the Derby/Midlands region have a snowboard in their shed or garage that has sat unused through the last cold period or has been replaced with a new one? I am looking out for a second hand board that I could use if/when we get more snow. Condition not important as long as its ride-able but probably needs to be at least 158cm due to me being tall and heavy.

Any offers considered, alternatively if you know of any good deals or anyone that might be getting rid of a board, please let me know.


Cheers, Ade!

ps: just to clarify, I only ride snowboard around four times a year, usually at Tamworth Snowdome and hire their kit.  Its unlikely I'll get to go abroad anytime soon with the new baby and I'm only going to get to use a board on the local hills if or when it snows.  Splashing out on new kit is therefore probably a waste of time so not looking at spending much, plus, any decent board will soon get scratched up by the inevitable patchy snow or lovely hidden rocks.  Ahh, thank god for mountain boarding for the other 50 weeks of the year!  On the subject of spending, need to pull my finger out and get sorted those 9 inchers......

Route Recce: Farnah Green, Over Lane

Had this route in mind for a few days now after being reminded of it by good-old dad.  A downhill section of track that used to form part of a circular walk that we used to trek when a lot younger, incorporating a couple of pubs along the way.  Although this was over 15 years ago, a vivid memory was of us climbing the path, overtaking a Landy that had made it half way up in an attempt at some off-road action!

Todays weather was blizzardy, so parked just off Over Lane and hiked across as I didn't fancy getting stuck on the side road.

First impression was good - a good, not completely straight path of reasonable gradient wide enough to scrub speed accordingly of about 400m in length, looking promising!

But just at the point where the most speed could be achieved was the above gate.  Real shame as it breaks right at the worst point possible.  Made worse that it is padlocked with no obvious indication as to who would have a key.  (not that I'm normally one to seek permission, where's the fun in that?!)

So a nice walk, just a shame that it won't be a route that I follow up with the board in tow.  Fortunately on the to-do list are a couple of runs I have already scouted and at the next opportunity will be run, one on Drum Hill, Little Eaton, the other a 1km run just North of Chatsworth, will update blog as appropriate.

noSno Snow fun!

Got out this morning with the noSno for a go at snow mountain boarding, a first since last February when I found out that 8 inch tyres and deep snow don't mix!  After the decent fall of snow 6pm last night till late, we had roughly 3 inches but this time I was armed with 10 inch tyres.  Let most of the air out to give me half a chance of any grip and to hopefully ride above the snow rather than ploughing through it.   First impressions, not bad!  This was only on the short slope round the corner from me, but gave me the push to try the golf course tonight, remembering that the snow really lights up the terrain, even when on the middle of a golf course.  Maybe the speed wasn't great, but with only perhaps 50-75% of the usual control, it really keeps the heart rate up.  Brakes sort of work too - surprised me! Looks as though the snow is staying for a few days, so more soon, I hope!  Just wish my bearings luck - they will definitely need a strip down with all this moisture!

2010 and all that!

All the best everyone for 2010! Last year has a lot to live up to but there are some great things on the horizon.  For example, I haven't blogged so much over the past week or so due to this fella making an emergence:

Will he be likes his mothers side of the family and be a fisherman, or will he be like his daddys side of the family and be a boarder??  Either way, give it a few years and we'll get to find out!  Though I'd be chuffed if he became a boarder (Uncle Rob has already offered to teach him snowboarding), in the meantime I'd be happy if he slept between 11pm and 7am!

I've added some code to this site so that firstly I can keep track on how many people visit the site and where they came from, just for curiosities sake.  To be honnest, I'm not fussed at this stage on getting loads of followers or hundreds of hits, but occasionally, when I do spend half an hour on a post it's nice to know that people do read it!  For now I'm averaging around 10 page views a day according to sitemeter rising to 53 visits when the Macclesfield Forest write up was posted.

Sitemeter also revealed that visitors to the site weren't visiting other pages within the site so further code was added from http://widgetsforfree.blogspot.com/2009/01/related-posts-widget-for-blogger.html to add automatic related posts at the end of each post.  Lets see if any of this works!  Otherwise, I'll have to resort to quality posts and media - oh noes! : D

So, 2009 as mentioned was a quality year for both me personally (married, wife pregnant, birth of first child) and for boarding and though I don't have time to summarise right now (a distinct smell is heading this way...) Roger S has compiled an excellent review here.   As I personally attended two of the events listed, I certainly can vouch for its awesomeness!

And for 2010?  Well, there's plenty of activity going on through ATBA as well as anything else that may be organised by the BFC etc.  In the meantime, find locations and mountainboard centres from here!

See you on a hill soon!