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View Full Version : Snowshoe, West Virginia - photos and a little story




robert.seth
06-07-2007, 10:32 AM
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4899.jpg

A group of us from the Re:cycles bike shop (Greensboro NC) went to Snowshoe, WV over Memorial Day weekend. This was my first trip to Snowshoe during the summer and I had heard tons of hype surrounding this place. I tried not to build up any major expectations or buy into the hype. I watched a few race videos and saw a few photos, but I kept hearing stories that painted a different idea than what the intarweb had to offer.

I had the pleasure of riding a ‘07 kona coiler deluxe. I did a little set up the night before swapping tires and setting suspension sag. There was a little rebound damping dialing left to do, but I had a good base set up until I rode on trail a bit, I thought anyway.

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4897.jpg

After arriving around midday Friday we set up the condo and geared up for our first run of the trip. The guys I went with had a tradition of running a certain two trails as the first descent on any Snowshoe trip. So far I had heard about an eight foot skinnie at the trail head, but that was pretty much it. So off we go on my first descent at Snowshoe.

The coiler felt awesome. More travel with better suspension than my dawg, plus a much more relaxed cockpit. I had (maybe) 30 minutes seat time with the coiler and was not too sure what to expect as far as trail conditions, but I was stoked none the less. So we get lift passes and head to a trial head on the basin side. The five of us gathered at the trailhead and someone said “here we go, A to H”. Then I notice the sign with the letter “A” and I followed there lead.

I will admit my first run at snowshoe pretty much put the fear in me! The top of A was insanely steep and nothing like I had seen before… and that is really all I remember about that run. I made it, but whoa…

Anyway my fist descent at this place made for a run I’ll never forget. After I recovered from the shock of riding the craziest sh!t I’ve ever seen, I managed to find myself a little flow on some of the “mellower” trails. I was pretty stoked on trails like M, O and D and of course there is lots of good stuff on the west side.

So there are no photos from my first descent, but I did take some photos on the basin side and during other parts of the trip. Enjoy!

merritt showing a little excitement upon our arrival
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4808e.jpg

a place we hung out and had a few beers throughout the trip
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4811e.jpg

had a little urban sesh one evening
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4818e.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4828e.jpg

braggi doing his thing… chillen
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4810e.jpg

chris getting stylie on the hip at the top of the basin side
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4859.jpg

enjoying the views and the company
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4866.jpg

saw these guys when going for coffee one morning
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4873.jpg

bdub rippen a fun section of M on the basin side
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4887.jpg

gnarly sections of B
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4891.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4892.jpg

(the photos don’t do the steepness any justice)
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4900.jpg

couple of nice berms (still on B)
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4918.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4937.jpg



After this shot above and while standing at the top of G… the sky fell out. So it was a fast, haul ass down G to get to the shack at the base of the hill. I had the concern of keeping the photo gear from getting wet. I rode G faster than my first time, even with the added weight of my photo gear on my back. (I forgot to take any sort of rain gear out that day)



the rain stopped for a little bit while we were down by the basin
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4943.jpg

so then these four and i wondered back to the fire fox
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4962e.jpg

for more beer
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4970e.jpg

a few stories were swapped
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC5004e.jpg

http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC5008e.jpg

some day dreaming went on
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4978e.jpg

I was stoked I had new shades
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC4815e.jpg

Later we hit up a little more urban
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC5095e.jpg

[forest gump]I like this one alot[/forest gump]
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC5128e.jpg

This guy always looks good in front of the lens
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC5133e.jpg



Our last day of riding was muddy as hell due to the rains the day before. I made two runs down the west side and said some thing like ~screw this… :reaching for energy:… I’m too tired~. :D
I felt spoiled after riding for three days with dry conditions and the wet was just too crazy for my tired beat up body.



just something I saw through the window on the way home
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC5152e.jpg

self portrait
http://i38.photobucket.com/albums/e108/pbhighrevs/070525-snowshoe/_DSC5160.jpg

So… these are my ramblings and photos from a recent trip to ride bikes and… well… drink beer.
-robert seth




gotham
06-07-2007, 10:43 AM
Thanks for sharing your story & pics...great read.

the Master Plan Dan
06-07-2007, 11:30 AM
Sick looking trip!

Have yet to do an epic road trip... but soon!

SEKTER13
06-07-2007, 11:54 AM
Great pics, looks like a fun time!

Air Supplier
06-07-2007, 12:34 PM
that must have been an awsome road trip!

robert.seth
06-07-2007, 12:50 PM
It was an awesome trip. Just getting away from the daily grind with group of good friends for a few days is good stuff, but throw in some bike riding and it becomes seriously killer.

Oysterboyz
06-07-2007, 12:54 PM
cool

Air Supplier
06-07-2007, 01:19 PM
I love the second to last photo :lol: that is something that would happen to me!

LeeLau
06-07-2007, 02:16 PM
beautiful shots robert

Rampager
06-07-2007, 04:42 PM
Man those are some awesome pics! Keep up the good work.

rockymountainrider
06-07-2007, 05:05 PM
sweet pics, such original trail names A, F, G

skimtb1
06-07-2007, 05:16 PM
nice pictures.

those trails look really awesome for being in a bike park and all!!!

Mountain Dewd
06-07-2007, 05:56 PM
Great photos man, sounds like a fun trip.

cove_boy
06-07-2007, 06:14 PM
that looks like a sweet trail nice street riding

D1r7 R0(k
06-07-2007, 07:28 PM
we spent 4 days at snowshoe last summer for monster park. sucha sick and chill mountain with prices that wont empty your wallet.. 4 hour drive on that mountain road is killa tho.

robert.seth
06-07-2007, 10:08 PM
those trails look really awesome for being in a bike park and all!!!

I've seen lots of photos of the park features, but not too many of the gnarley steeps leading to the big features. The steep sections made the most of an impression on me throughout the trip... The west side (non park side) pretty much rocked also. Longer, flowier trails with few to no wooden features.

Thanks for the props on the photos!. I was very hyped on this batch, enough to try and tell a little story anyway. :D