Highland Mountain Bike Park

PB Forum :: USA - East
Highland Mountain Bike Park
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flag ecibis
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Posted: Nov 2, 2017 at 17:04 Quote
treypay wrote:
1. New Skills Area
2. Drop at end of happy hour (the small one)
3. Drop on Cats Paw About Halfway down
4. Drop on the top part of cat's paw
5. Bigger of the two drops at the end of happy hour
6. Drop on helion (potato chip / whale tale thing)
7. Rock Drop towards end of thresh
8. Exit 19 (old NE style drop at the bottom of the hill)
9. Middle Wooden feature on Bonesaw
10. Reef Drop
11. Top Drop on Saw
12. Tombstone
13. Claymore course drop
14. New Old Growth Forest

Not trying to debate, this is my own opinion. I did skip a few by accident like the drop at the end of Cat's Paw, the potato chip on Cat's Paw, Tongue Drop, Rock drop on 2nd line at the top of Ne, End of Maiden Drop, 2nd helion potato chip, oooooollllllllddddddd end of maiden drop, old helion wooden table drop thing, old skills area drops, and exit - 17 (the old happy hour drop after the rock face).
flag ecibis
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Posted: Nov 2, 2017 at 17:09 Quote
I would love to hear an update on what people consider a good progression for drops/jumps. I am slowly working my way through the list and am tackling the last drop in cats paw and second whales tail on Hellion now, I am wondering which is easier and what to target next. I am actually ok with drops, just all the lippy whales tale type of jumps are tougher for me as they get bigger. I did everything else on cats paw.
flag MattMacMTB
Posted: Nov 2, 2017 at 17:28 Quote
ecibis wrote:
I would love to hear an update on what people consider a good progression for drops/jumps. I am slowly working my way through the list and am tackling the last drop in cats paw and second whales tail on Hellion now, I am wondering which is easier and what to target next. I am actually ok with drops, just all the lippy whales tale type of jumps are tougher for me as they get bigger. I did everything else on cats paw.

This is how I tackled all the drops over the years I've been to highland after the cats paw whale tail:

Cat's paw whale tail
Second Hellion whale tail
First Hellion whale tail
Thorton's
third bonesaw long shooter/drop
Reef drop
First bonesaw drop
Cannon/boner log
second bonesaw drop
tombstone
camps drop
A-line

I may have missed a few let me know.
flag samsq
O+
Posted: Nov 2, 2017 at 17:35 Quote
MattMacMTB wrote:
ecibis wrote:
I would love to hear an update on what people consider a good progression for drops/jumps. I am slowly working my way through the list and am tackling the last drop in cats paw and second whales tail on Hellion now, I am wondering which is easier and what to target next. I am actually ok with drops, just all the lippy whales tale type of jumps are tougher for me as they get bigger. I did everything else on cats paw.

This is how I tackled all the drops over the years I've been to highland after the cats paw whale tail:

Cat's paw whale tail
Second Hellion whale tail
First Hellion whale tail
Thorton's
third bonesaw long shooter/drop
Reef drop
First bonesaw drop
Cannon/boner log
second bonesaw drop
tombstone
camps drop
A-line

I may have missed a few let me know.
Where are thorton's and camps drops on the mountain?
flag MattMacMTB
Posted: Nov 2, 2017 at 17:36 Quote
samsq wrote:
MattMacMTB wrote:
ecibis wrote:
I would love to hear an update on what people consider a good progression for drops/jumps. I am slowly working my way through the list and am tackling the last drop in cats paw and second whales tail on Hellion now, I am wondering which is easier and what to target next. I am actually ok with drops, just all the lippy whales tale type of jumps are tougher for me as they get bigger. I did everything else on cats paw.

This is how I tackled all the drops over the years I've been to highland after the cats paw whale tail:

Cat's paw whale tail
Second Hellion whale tail
First Hellion whale tail
Thorton's
third bonesaw long shooter/drop
Reef drop
First bonesaw drop
Cannon/boner log
second bonesaw drop
tombstone
camps drop
A-line

I may have missed a few let me know.
Where are thorton's and camps drops on the mountain?

Camps drop is another name for the slope course drop because it has the highland camps logo on it. Thorton's is just the rock drop on lower thresh that shoots you into the cobble.
flag samsq
O+
Posted: Nov 2, 2017 at 17:38 Quote
MattMacMTB wrote:
samsq wrote:
MattMacMTB wrote:


This is how I tackled all the drops over the years I've been to highland after the cats paw whale tail:

Cat's paw whale tail
Second Hellion whale tail
First Hellion whale tail
Thorton's
third bonesaw long shooter/drop
Reef drop
First bonesaw drop
Cannon/boner log
second bonesaw drop
tombstone
camps drop
A-line

I may have missed a few let me know.
Where are thorton's and camps drops on the mountain?

Camps drop is another name for the slope course drop because it has the highland camps logo on it. Thorton's is just the rock drop on lower thresh that shoots you into the cobble.
Thanks mayne
flag ecibis
O+
Posted: Nov 3, 2017 at 10:39 Quote
Thanks for the info! Gives me something to think about all winter Smile
flag shrinky
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Posted: Nov 5, 2017 at 11:04 Quote
They are still open! So stop thinking and start riding Smile
flag lazarus2405
O+
Posted: Nov 6, 2017 at 9:30 Quote
MattMacMTB wrote:
ecibis wrote:
I would love to hear an update on what people consider a good progression for drops/jumps. I am slowly working my way through the list and am tackling the last drop in cats paw and second whales tail on Hellion now, I am wondering which is easier and what to target next. I am actually ok with drops, just all the lippy whales tale type of jumps are tougher for me as they get bigger. I did everything else on cats paw.

This is how I tackled all the drops over the years I've been to highland after the cats paw whale tail:

Cat's paw whale tail
Second Hellion whale tail
First Hellion whale tail
Thorton's
third bonesaw long shooter/drop
Reef drop
First bonesaw drop
Cannon/boner log
second bonesaw drop
tombstone
camps drop
A-line

I may have missed a few let me know.

Can you (or anyone else) compare that list to the features over at Mountain Creek? I've done the ~8ft deck drop ("Phantom") and the wood features on Salvation ("On-Off" step-on/drop and "U-Kicker" whale tale) and am wondering where on that list I should be working at Highland when I can get up there this weekend.
flag manhattanprjkt83
O+
Posted: Nov 6, 2017 at 11:41 Quote
What's the '14. New Old Growth Forest'? Anyone have a pic of that?
flag arewolfe
Posted: Nov 7, 2017 at 7:35 Quote
ecibis wrote:
I would love to hear an update on what people consider a good progression for drops/jumps. I am slowly working my way through the list and am tackling the last drop in cats paw and second whales tail on Hellion now, I am wondering which is easier and what to target next. I am actually ok with drops, just all the lippy whales tale type of jumps are tougher for me as they get bigger. I did everything else on cats paw.

I'll throw in my 2 cents based on my estimation of difficulty. I didn't go through a typical progression at Highland since I spent much of my youth riding street BMX and riding off relatively dumb stuff back in the 90s and early 2000s. By the time I got to Highland in 2008 I was quite comfortable riding bikes.

All measurements are my best guesses at effective vertical drop, not distance from takeoff to landing. Above 6 feet I won't even try to guess. I haven't actually measured any of these so I could be way off. Also, I don't know the mountain as well as some so I might be missing a few.

1. The super low whale's tail on Cat's Paw (≈ 12 to 18") after a sharp left hand berm
2. Stone jump on Cat's Paw (≈ 12 to 18")... that ramp shaped rock that looks like a 45-degree angled grave stone
3. Last drop on Lower Happy Hour (≈ 2 feet) ...I went over the bars on this one last year when I tried to manual the deck while riding without a chain (broke my derailleur hanger early in the day).
4. First drop on Cat's Paw (≈ 2 to 3 feet) before the two table tops
5. Cat's Paw drop that goes in between two trees and lands in a sharp left hand berm (2 to 3 feet)
6. Whale's tails on Hellion (both are about the same height, ≈ 3 to 4 feet depending on how far out you land)
7. Rock drop entry to ODB and ODC (≈ 18 to 24"). I think this is more difficult than a wooden drop because of the unevenness of the run-in
8. Road gap at the beginning of Hellion (after the two tabletops and left hand berm) ≈ 3 feet
9. Last drop on Bonesaw leading into the tabletop (≈ 3 feet but requires speed to get to the best sections of the landing)
10. Thornton's on Threshold (≈ 3 to 4 feet, but the landing can be hard if you air it rather than stay low/scrub it).
11. The two natural rock drops about halfway down 10 minute. They're only about 18 to 24" but sketchy as hell... roots, rocks, and trees everywhere, and multiple cambers on the takeoff and landing. The MTB version of riding a bull.
12. Tombstone. I know it's high, but the landing is absurdly perfect, it feels like cheating. I think the most difficult part of this drop is psychologically dealing with the height of the takeoff.
13. Reef drop (Threshold) ≈ 6 feet. It's a bit easier now that's it's been smoothed over with cement. Still a semi-sketchy run-in. The landing is fast.
14. Miller Lite Drop (2nd drop on Bone Saw) ≈ 6 feet. If you take it easy this one is buttery smooth due to the steep and well sculpted landing. The landing zone is fast and a bit high-consequence.
15. First drop on Bone Saw. I have a love/hate relationship with this one. Bone Saw is such an amazing run and this drop is an epic way to kick it off especially if you're in a train. But the landing is one of the hardest hits on the hill. I've learned to take it with speed but stay low. In the past I'd take air off the lip and bottom out my entire bike harder than any other hit on the hill. It'd be sweet if they threw a yard of dirt on landing to steepen it, but it's a fun challenge. I think higher-level riders don't think twice about this one.
16. Slopestyle course drop. This is essentially the same height as Tombstone, but it feels slightly uphill forcing you to pedal along the relatively short deck. For me that makes it sketchier than Tombstone which has a flat deck that you can coast right off if you take the lead-in berm fast enough.
17. Pink Bike. If they made the landing a bit steeper this would be a lot more fun. I hit it 3x this year then decided it's too sketchy for my current skill level and stopped riding it.
18. Dump truck (the true A-Line on NE Style) when it goes into the woods. I have no intention of ever riding off this -- thing is ugly. Most of the people I've talked to who've hit it have crashed on it at least once. I heard Aaron Chase even crashed trying to bonk the rock in the middle (everything you hear on the chairlift at Highland is true, right?)

Edit: I think the ochre-tinged rock drop at the top of NE Style B-Line is in the same range as numbers 6 and 7.

Here's the order I progressed through. The chronological gaps are due to the fact that I didn't ride between 2010 and 2016:
-Cat's Paw [2008]
-Thornton's [2008]
-Reef [2008]
-Old Pink Bike drop [2008]. It was about 3 feet lower back then. The wooden decking wasn't raised if I recall.
-Hellion whale's tails and road gap [2016. This trail wasn't around in 2008].
-1st drop on Bone Saw (2017)
-Tombstone (2017)
-Slopestyle drop (2017)
-Miller Lite (2nd drop on Bonesaw) (2017)
-Pink Bike Drop (2017).
flag ecibis
O+
Posted: Nov 7, 2017 at 10:25 Quote
shrinky wrote:
They are still open! So stop thinking and start riding Smile

Yeah, I made it up last weekend and knocked off the last drop on Cat's Paw and second Hellion drop. Heading back this weekend for one last day Big Grin
flag nw27
Posted: Nov 16, 2017 at 9:38 Quote
I LOVE DUMPTRUCK
arewolfe wrote:
ecibis wrote:
I would love to hear an update on what people consider a good progression for drops/jumps. I am slowly working my way through the list and am tackling the last drop in cats paw and second whales tail on Hellion now, I am wondering which is easier and what to target next. I am actually ok with drops, just all the lippy whales tale type of jumps are tougher for me as they get bigger. I did everything else on cats paw.

I'll throw in my 2 cents based on my estimation of difficulty. I didn't go through a typical progression at Highland since I spent much of my youth riding street BMX and riding off relatively dumb stuff back in the 90s and early 2000s. By the time I got to Highland in 2008 I was quite comfortable riding bikes.

All measurements are my best guesses at effective vertical drop, not distance from takeoff to landing. Above 6 feet I won't even try to guess. I haven't actually measured any of these so I could be way off. Also, I don't know the mountain as well as some so I might be missing a few.

1. The super low whale's tail on Cat's Paw (≈ 12 to 18") after a sharp left hand berm
2. Stone jump on Cat's Paw (≈ 12 to 18")... that ramp shaped rock that looks like a 45-degree angled grave stone
3. Last drop on Lower Happy Hour (≈ 2 feet) ...I went over the bars on this one last year when I tried to manual the deck while riding without a chain (broke my derailleur hanger early in the day).
4. First drop on Cat's Paw (≈ 2 to 3 feet) before the two table tops
5. Cat's Paw drop that goes in between two trees and lands in a sharp left hand berm (2 to 3 feet)
6. Whale's tails on Hellion (both are about the same height, ≈ 3 to 4 feet depending on how far out you land)
7. Rock drop entry to ODB and ODC (≈ 18 to 24"). I think this is more difficult than a wooden drop because of the unevenness of the run-in
8. Road gap at the beginning of Hellion (after the two tabletops and left hand berm) ≈ 3 feet
9. Last drop on Bonesaw leading into the tabletop (≈ 3 feet but requires speed to get to the best sections of the landing)
10. Thornton's on Threshold (≈ 3 to 4 feet, but the landing can be hard if you air it rather than stay low/scrub it).
11. The two natural rock drops about halfway down 10 minute. They're only about 18 to 24" but sketchy as hell... roots, rocks, and trees everywhere, and multiple cambers on the takeoff and landing. The MTB version of riding a bull.
12. Tombstone. I know it's high, but the landing is absurdly perfect, it feels like cheating. I think the most difficult part of this drop is psychologically dealing with the height of the takeoff.
13. Reef drop (Threshold) ≈ 6 feet. It's a bit easier now that's it's been smoothed over with cement. Still a semi-sketchy run-in. The landing is fast.
14. Miller Lite Drop (2nd drop on Bone Saw) ≈ 6 feet. If you take it easy this one is buttery smooth due to the steep and well sculpted landing. The landing zone is fast and a bit high-consequence.
15. First drop on Bone Saw. I have a love/hate relationship with this one. Bone Saw is such an amazing run and this drop is an epic way to kick it off especially if you're in a train. But the landing is one of the hardest hits on the hill. I've learned to take it with speed but stay low. In the past I'd take air off the lip and bottom out my entire bike harder than any other hit on the hill. It'd be sweet if they threw a yard of dirt on landing to steepen it, but it's a fun challenge. I think higher-level riders don't think twice about this one.
16. Slopestyle course drop. This is essentially the same height as Tombstone, but it feels slightly uphill forcing you to pedal along the relatively short deck. For me that makes it sketchier than Tombstone which has a flat deck that you can coast right off if you take the lead-in berm fast enough.
17. Pink Bike. If they made the landing a bit steeper this would be a lot more fun. I hit it 3x this year then decided it's too sketchy for my current skill level and stopped riding it.
18. Dump truck (the true A-Line on NE Style) when it goes into the woods. I have no intention of ever riding off this -- thing is ugly. Most of the people I've talked to who've hit it have crashed on it at least once. I heard Aaron Chase even crashed trying to bonk the rock in the middle (everything you hear on the chairlift at Highland is true, right?)

Edit: I think the ochre-tinged rock drop at the top of NE Style B-Line is in the same range as numbers 6 and 7.

Here's the order I progressed through. The chronological gaps are due to the fact that I didn't ride between 2010 and 2016:
-Cat's Paw [2008]
-Thornton's [2008]
-Reef [2008]
-Old Pink Bike drop [2008]. It was about 3 feet lower back then. The wooden decking wasn't raised if I recall.
-Hellion whale's tails and road gap [2016. This trail wasn't around in 2008].
-1st drop on Bone Saw (2017)
-Tombstone (2017)
-Slopestyle drop (2017)
-Miller Lite (2nd drop on Bonesaw) (2017)
-Pink Bike Drop (2017).
flag prophet413
Posted: Nov 28, 2017 at 10:06 Quote
http://highlandmountain.com/2017/11/28/winter-operations


holy shit. Highland will be open this winter!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
flag mdg3d
O+
Posted: Nov 28, 2017 at 10:17 Quote
Nice! Will be great to ride up there in the snow when the conditions are good as opposed to the day last winter.

 


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