Jombru

As a former resident of Whistler, chair lifts and gondys are obviously what I have used most. I had a DH bike exclusively. Now I'm back in the UK, that's changed. There isn't so much of a 'shuttle' scene here as there is in the PNW. The UK has only one chairlift/gondola and that's Fort William. We do have some pretty mean bike parks though, and I've ridden a few. All of these use truck/bus/tractor powered uplifts. Honestly - I'm super interested in ebikes right now. I think the technology is ALMOST there. In my opinion, the next year or two will be huge for the ebike game. Looking at the Decoy, Levo and the new Mondraker, we have hugely capable bikes that can throw down on gnarly trails, with your own personal uplift built right in. They don't look ridiculous either. We're really close to 'normal' looking enduro ebikes. All day laps of UK bike parks without having to run a big dirty diesel tractor on loop for 8 hours? Sounds like a win to me.

My pick for Rampage winner is whichever rider backhand slaps that annoying kid in the finish corral that keeps asking for goggles.

Absolutely no reservations what so ever. For the value alone I KNOW my next bike will be a direct sales brand. There is no chance I'm dropping 3.5k on a sub par big player when I can get a Fox Factory YT for the same money. I'll take the chance that a medium will fit, just like every other medium bike I've ever owned has fit. Educate yourself. Invest some of the money you save on a decent tool kit. You don't need a bike shop to do routine maintenance. When you take your broken bike to a bricks and mortar shop all you're doing is letting the shop staff handle a warranty claim that you can easily do yourself with the manufacturer, and 9 times out of 10 it's quicker to do it yourself anyway. Source: bike mechanic and former shop manager.

No womens specific rake? Rake culture.

@pigman65: does skid in mud - YEOOOOWWWW does another skid in mud - YEEEOOOOWW crashes on small step up - YEOOWWWWEE does another skid - YEOooEeewwwW