[Quote="jpnutter"]Oh! and don't forget to ride pneuma from the MMR parking lot! that is where lower pneuma starts. then ride straight onto "hot laps" and connect to the pneuma you know and love 1 km later. lower pneuma is a little grown over but still rides rea
Thanks Jon for all your effort to make this happen
Is there a significant difference between riding SS (Station Flats parking lot) to Pneuma vs starting at the MMR parking lot?
yes those are two seperate trails....
CM!
Well... yes.... I should have been more clear in my question, I guess. How does the climb compare SS to Pneuma vs Pneuma to where it meets with SS
we just had yet another successful MMBTS trail day. we worked on most of the trails on the mountain so there should be improvements all over!
thank you to my 3 trail builders who helped connect pneuma to moosepackers. (BTW, Pinkrobe, you missed a turn when you went down that cutline, although that cutline does provide access to pneuma if you are climbing moosepackers.) The new trail rides through some alpine terrain marked by cairns (feel free to add your own and be creative--the more the merrier). Then it drops down a delicious descent, "pneuma DH", that pukes you out mere feet from the moosepacker's junction on the Summit fire road. The downhill is steep and tries to involuntarily dismount riders relentlessly (particularly, near the bottom). Even though it looks like a poorly planned, unsustainable trail at first glance, i think it is actually pretty decent. Due to having almost no soil and being such a narrow ridge it should drain really well... Enjoy.
now that this has been added and the re-routes are well under way on Tom Snow, Moosepackers will be a much more desirable trail. Also, there is another revival of a beauty when "special k" gets a makeover. I think this is great since it will relieve some stress on ROS which sees a ridiculous amount of traffic... A big shout out to ROS builders who constructed a trail that is proving to be sustainable even though it probably sees the most traffic of any mtb trail in Alberta!
Oh! and don't forget to ride pneuma from the MMR parking lot! that is where lower pneuma starts. then ride straight onto "hot laps" and connect to the pneuma you know and love 1 km later. lower pneuma is a little grown over but still rides really good. It needs the traffic. So do yourself and the trail a favour and use it.
happy trails.
On Saturday I rode Pneuma from the bottom and made it to the Shell compressor station near the top before I lost where the trail went. I saw the downhill trail to the east of the compressor, is that part of Pneuma? I ended up just going on the road for about .5km until I got to the parking lot.
On Saturday I rode Pneuma from the bottom and made it to the Shell compressor station near the top before I lost where the trail went. I saw the downhill trail to the east of the compressor, is that part of Pneuma? I ended up just going on the road for about .5km until I got to the parking lot.[/Quote]
The trail continues along the side of the compressor, parallel to the road, up into the trees. It is lined with some rocks on either side. You probably followed it to the left if you were heading up back to the road instead of staying straight and behind the compressor.
Is there a significant difference between riding SS (Station Flats parking lot) to Pneuma vs starting at the MMR parking lot?
yes those are two seperate trails....
CM!
Well... yes.... I should have been more clear in my question, I guess. How does the climb compare SS to Pneuma vs Pneuma to where it meets with SS
Pneuma from MMR parking is shorter than SS. The climbs are more techy and tight with most having switchbacks. The trail is also quite narrow unlike SS which is a highway by comparison. The SS climbs are much longer but straighter. I like the Pneuma route better as it challenges my rather weak climbing skills while SS just grinds me down.
On Saturday I rode Pneuma from the bottom and made it to the Shell compressor station near the top before I lost where the trail went. I saw the downhill trail to the east of the compressor, is that part of Pneuma? I ended up just going on the road for about .5km until I got to the parking lot.[/Quote]
The trail continues along the side of the compressor, parallel to the road, up into the trees. It is lined with some rocks on either side. You probably followed it to the left if you were heading up back to the road instead of staying straight and behind the compressor.
ya, the downhill trail you saw was the start of Special K and it goes down and eventually meets up with Tom Snow. Pnuema keeps going up behind the Shell facility and into the trees.
Oh! and don't forget to ride pneuma from the MMR parking lot! that is where lower pneuma starts. then ride straight onto "hot laps" and connect to the pneuma you know and love 1 km later. lower pneuma is a little grown over but still rides really good. It needs the traffic. So do yourself and the trail a favour and use it.
except that most of the DH trails (and particularly the soon-to-be classic pneuma-packers) end at station flats, leaving an unappetizing ride from SF to the MMR. i suspect lower pneuma will remain largely ignored. just sayin...and if i'm missing something let me know because pneuma is simply awesome.
on another note:
quirk creek/wildhorse
found a small amount of time today, the trail is in FANTASTIC shape. smooth, so smooth.
Is there a significant difference between riding SS (Station Flats parking lot) to Pneuma vs starting at the MMR parking lot?
doug is right... i would emphasize a little more by asking is there a difference between the gravel road and pneuma? A rhetorical yes... SS is a longer, wider, more physically demanding trail and is less inspiring in terms of the technical aspect of it. In other words, there is nothing to take your mind off the burn in your quads other than perhaps passing your buddy with room to fit three bikes abreast... Lower Pneuma is in my opinion more fun and takes less effort so you have more to give at the steeper and more technical higher elevation parts of the trail.
Yes, it does require a ride back to the the parking lot if you choose to descend ROS, Special K, or Moosepackers (Side note: Pneuma provides access to every single downhill trail on the mountain). A ride doesn't always have to be a UP then DOWN. Elbow Valley trail provides a decent finish to ride down lower pneuma and Ing's mine provides access from the canyon creek side... I agree Lower Pneuma will never be the most popular trail on the mountain but it has a lot to offer and I encourage people to be creative with their rides on the mountain. It doesn't have to be the same old thing anymore... I really think a trail paralleling 66 would be beneficial.
thanks, crosscheck for the pics and stats. great work.
Let's keep up the momentum and get more stuff done on the mountain!
except that most of the DH trails (and particularly the soon-to-be classic pneuma-packers) end at station flats, leaving an unappetizing ride from SF to the MMR. i suspect lower pneuma will remain largely ignored. just sayin...and if i'm missing something let me know because pneuma is simply awesome.
you, my friend, are 100% correct, which is why we need a connector from SF to MMR that parallels hwy66. I propose adding a new single track from Elbow Valley at Paddy's Flats to the MMR parking lot (red line, A to B). For less than 2km of new single track we will have a complete loop(s).
Speaking to the general audience here, would you ride these loops (clockwise or counter)? a) SF-> hwy66 connector-> Pnuema-> Elbow Valley-> SF b) SF-> hwy66 connector-> Pnuema-> Sulphur Springs-> SF c) SF-> hwy66 connector-> Pnuema-> ROS-> SF d) SF-> hwy66 connector-> Pnuema-> Special K-> Tom Snow-> SF e) SF-> hwy66 connector-> Pnuema-> Moose Packers-> Tom Snow-> SF
you, my friend, are 100% correct, which is why we need a connector from SF to MMR that parallels hwy66. I propose adding a new single track from Elbow Valley at Paddy's Flats to the MMR parking lot (red line, A to B). For less than 2km of new single track we will have a complete loop(s).
Speaking to the general audience here, would you ride these loops (clockwise or counter)? a) SF-> hwy66 connector-> Pnuema-> Elbow Valley-> SF b) SF-> hwy66 connector-> Pnuema-> Sulphur Springs-> SF c) SF-> hwy66 connector-> Pnuema-> ROS-> SF d) SF-> hwy66 connector-> Pnuema-> Special K-> Tom Snow-> SF e) SF-> hwy66 connector-> Pnuema-> Moose Packers-> Tom Snow-> SF
all of the above, in the order you have them. plus combinations. really i am just in love with pneuma, one of the best climbs in all of kananaskis. i am not in love with Sulphur at all, but it beats riding the highway...
let me know when this 2km connector is going to be built, i will be there.
If those were taken this weekend, I was probably driving the noisy van. Apparently the exhaust just went again. It was a very busy weekend with a Saturday trail day and Sunday race. I sure like taking the easy way up, but for those riding, pnuema is the best way to go. We all feel bad about the dust on the road. My understanding is that some of the MMBTS grant went toward building the top portion of Pnuama and of course Jon put in countless days on it. So it would be great to see more people riding this option and avoiding the dust, expecially on weekends. Thanks for posting the arial view and profile.
Also - note to the downhillers, the use of this road is a privelege. Use it responsibly. I know most of you do.
I think I saw your tailpipe on the road Sunday. In two pieces!
you, my friend, are 100% correct, which is why we need a connector from SF to MMR that parallels hwy66. I propose adding a new single track from Elbow Valley at Paddy's Flats to the MMR parking lot (red line, A to B). For less than 2km of new single track we will have a complete loop(s).
Speaking to the general audience here, would you ride these loops (clockwise or counter)? a) SF-> hwy66 connector-> Pnuema-> Elbow Valley-> SF b) SF-> hwy66 connector-> Pnuema-> Sulphur Springs-> SF c) SF-> hwy66 connector-> Pnuema-> ROS-> SF d) SF-> hwy66 connector-> Pnuema-> Special K-> Tom Snow-> SF e) SF-> hwy66 connector-> Pnuema-> Moose Packers-> Tom Snow-> SF
SF-> Sulphur Springs-> Pneuma-> hwy66 connector -> SF for an after-work quickie would be nice. I don't know if I'd do Pneuma from bottom to top on a regular basis - I actually enjoy the climb on Sulphur. Ever since the bottom half of the SS loop was widened a few years ago, I'm happy to skip it in favour of more climbing to get to Moosepackers.
except that most of the DH trails (and particularly the soon-to-be classic pneuma-packers) end at station flats, leaving an unappetizing ride from SF to the MMR. i suspect lower pneuma will remain largely ignored. just sayin...and if i'm missing something let me know because pneuma is simply awesome.
you, my friend, are 100% correct, which is why we need a connector from SF to MMR that parallels hwy66. I propose adding a new single track from Elbow Valley at Paddy's Flats to the MMR parking lot (red line, A to B). For less than 2km of new single track we will have a complete loop(s).
Speaking to the general audience here, would you ride these loops (clockwise or counter)? a) SF-> hwy66 connector-> Pnuema-> Elbow Valley-> SF b) SF-> hwy66 connector-> Pnuema-> Sulphur Springs-> SF c) SF-> hwy66 connector-> Pnuema-> ROS-> SF d) SF-> hwy66 connector-> Pnuema-> Special K-> Tom Snow-> SF e) SF-> hwy66 connector-> Pnuema-> Moose Packers-> Tom Snow-> SF
I think I'd do all those clockwise, except for 'b', which I have little interest in doing in any direction. I'd also add another loop:
f) SF -> hwy66 connector -> Riverview -> last bit of Elbow Valley -> SF
I'd love to see that hwy66 connector built! Loop 'a' would be a nice quick ride without too much climbing. Loop 'f' would be an easy beginner loop (would be nice though to have a proper exit point that doesn't go through the campground).
I realise the highway isn't exactly exciting but if you start at SF and use the highway as a nice warmup spin it makes the lower Pneuma climb that much easier.
We rode the whole loop last night over the new Pneuma summit and down Pneuma Dh to Packers and it was fantatsic. On top of that we were the only people on the mountian and only vehicle in the parking lot! That annoying wind was not a factor out there and it was a beautiful night to ride moose.
What kind of shape do you have to be in to climb pneuma? I'm just getting back into riding this summer and have had some lovely, long pushes. I know the answers will be kind of subjective.
What kind of shape do you have to be in to climb pneuma? I'm just getting back into riding this summer and have had some lovely, long pushes. I know the answers will be kind of subjective.
Its mostly a "blue Square" kind of climb. There are a few slightly steeper switchbacks towards the top, but is ridabale all the way for most riders. You might walk a few switchback sections in the beginning, but none are more than twenty feet of hiking anyway if you walk em. A very nicely built trail.
Ever since the bottom half of the SS loop was widened a few years ago, I'm happy to skip it in favour of more climbing to get to Moosepackers. 
