Rab Wardell Explores How Scotland's Trail Infrastructure Helps Riders Progress in 'Old Enough to Know Better' Ep 2

 100% on Tracey and Emma situation. Also the vid mentions it that the funding for GT was a 'game-changer' along with the other 7 stanes, but we're talking about 20 years on now and the investment since, in things other than cafe's, tangental activites like go-ape etc. is absolutely horren. This video practically eulogises the 'freeride area' which if anyone doesn't know will be destroyed completely soon in order to build a bunch of cabins. #bermsnotcabins

 @browner: This is a huge point. We are all mega sentimental about the freeride, we even made another video featuring it in the last episode of Scotty Laughland's showcase. I hope they come to their senses and choose another spot for Glamping. It's not what the place needs right now. #bermsnotcabins

 @MaxxRendall: #bermsnotcabins has to be the 2022 hashtag for the valley - nice video

 @browner: Didn't know that - absolutely shocking - if they want more glamping it's up to them but not if it means destroying popular bike trails! They need to remember what put GT on the map. The freeride is not only beloved of the 'jumpers' but also vital to families and up-and-coming young 'uns, being right next to the carpark.

Also 100% on Tracey and Emma. After they got ousted I stopped giving my money to the post-Hub corporate GT 2.0 except on very rare occasions - not even parking (95% of the time I'll ride in from elsewhere). Bike parts/servicing can be got from I-Cycles. Those lassies put their heart and soul into GT and the Hub and I'm sure we can all relate a time when they helped us out - will never forget the ride with Emma's own carbon headset spacers on my bike - would have been a long journey for nothing otherwise!

 Thanks for the hard work in Dallas. Those trails are mint! The red ones are lovely, and one of the black ones too. But man....those 2 triple black diamonds are steep AF for me!!!!!!!

 @Bitelio: we are so lucky to have such a rad place to ride.
I guess the triple black diamonds are dead doe and frankie.
Frankie is steep for sure, gonna sort out the end of the last chute to give it some support at some point over the winter.
Gi (the red) was originally built as a Fort William practice track way back when the dirt 1.04 was a thing.
Amazing how much the place has evolved since then.

 @betsie: aye, those are the ones.
Really good trails, but I struggled with my hardtail.
Gone in 60 is one of the best trails in this part of the world.
Excellent work!!!!!

 Lol, almost sounds like an Uncle Albert special, "It was so cold, the flame on my lighter froze"

 The two stories I heard were that a lad went over the top of the curved wallride and had to be airlifted off the hill. The second was that after that, the hight of the structure was called into question and that it was built higher than the permission allowed. Weird that they never bothered to pull it down though. Just put up a barrier or two and left it to rot. A fairly apt metaphor for Glentress as a whole. A real shame there has been so little investment over the years.

 @samfr1000: Both of which are factually incorrect. The reason for the closure was that if in some obscure and seemingly impossible scenario that someone actually did make it over the top of it then they would land on the forest below and could then 'potentially' have a collision with another forest user. The sad thing is that the build coincided with the peak of the no-win-no-fee period for FLS and management had become very risk-averse and nervous of things being built beyond their own comprehension of what is and is not possible on a bike. They (the management) did propose that the run-up was shortened to reduce the risk of going over the top, and when it was pointed out that A) you need speed to stick to the wall, and B) slower speeds would result in more accidents as riders did that Friday Fails lean the wrong way on the wallride shape, they (the management) failed to grasp the physics of it all. I did pitch a solution of adding a rumble strip to the top as a way of deterring people from 'daring one another to ride the top edge' but unfortunately, it was too late as they had made their decision. As for the loss of the freeride area (and should the new plans ever come to fruition) I don't think it is such a bad thing, there will be many more trails lower down the hill and new features to learn. Thankfully they (the management) have become more familiar with the business risks that hosting mountain biking brings to the organization and they are so well equipped with all the processes and paperwork that no-win-no-fee claims are a thing of the past.

 @THEATB: I never stated them to be fact, but they weren't a million miles away from the truth. Good to know no one was ever injured from it.

Still would have been nice to repurpose it as those corners into the table top jump with the wall ride and the step-up were great fun.