Beechworth park DH track rework. Stage 1 complete.

[spinner]

Stage one of the rework of the DH track was completed today. We put in a new section between the start and the existing rock garden. You start in the same place , but turn off Mojo to the right after 50m or so , there's a sign at the turnoff.

It's pretty flowy section with a 3 line rock feature halfway along and more rock garden near the wooden ramp above the existing rock garden. The aim is to stop DH and XC riders from having to share Mojo. Eventually Mojo will be closed and the XC trail will be re routed so we can rehabilitate the area where the 3 rollers are.

Stage 2 will re route the DH trail after the existing rock garden , we're not sure where yet but have a few ideas. Once we decide on a route it will be submitted for approval and work will begin.

The fresh trail is soft and very dry so take it easy and check the right hand "hip" line at the rock feature before hitting it please. It's not rollable. Once we get some rain and the topsoil gets scrubbed off it should be faster and more fun than the section it replaced.

Cheers.

 

[Kizzmtbr]

Is Mojo the track labeled as 'Short Course DH'?

I was up at beechworth a month ago and went to find the 'mineshaft'

We headed up to the top of the jumps and then went along.
Where it cam to a sign for the Short course DH.

we then went along and found a juction - Intermediate or Advanced.

I was riding with my dad who had a rigid so we took intermediate.

was this mojo and was advanced the mineshaft.

What happened to the videos i had seen of doubles, Gaps, chutes and burms?

 

[BEN ROBBO]

sounds shweet, is there going to be any more done to the park? can we pleae bring back bigger jumps and freeride stuff!!!

 

[SouthYarraSage]

Nice one! We will be coming up next weekend to ride (Sat and Sun), more than happy to put in some hours with a spade if that's any use to you. PM me if interested!

Ben

 

[spinner]

Is Mojo the track labeled as 'Short Course DH'?

I was up at beechworth a month ago and went to find the 'mineshaft'

We headed up to the top of the jumps and then went along.
Where it cam to a sign for the Short course DH.

we then went along and found a juction - Intermediate or Advanced.

I was riding with my dad who had a rigid so we took intermediate.

was this mojo and was advanced the mineshaft.

What happened to the videos i had seen of doubles, Gaps, chutes and burms?

Yes , Mojo was (and still is) the start of the short course DH as well as part of the XC loop. I'm not sure where the sign you saw was , but I'm guessing it was just before the wooden ramp. At that point , you were on Mojo and Advanced was Mineshaft.

The videos are years old now and the park has changed since then. To get support from the land managers and make it all legal and legit we had to make the changes that have happened over the years. That's why the freeride stuff has been removed or closed. Any sort of man made structure more than a metre off the ground (I think) needs handrails , so it's not an option for any North Shore features , I'm sure you'd agree. We hope to build some natural freeride trails in future (no wood , just hucks off rocks etc) but at the moment we're focussed on realigning existing trails , dealing with erosion and creating more sections of XC trails. I hear you though , a lot of riders came to the park specifically to do freeride. It's on the list of things to do , I assure you.

sounds shweet, is there going to be any more done to the park? can we pleae bring back bigger jumps and freeride stuff!!!

Yep , as mentioned the DH course will change a lot. We want it to finish closer to the road (near the creek) so you don't have to push back up so far to your shuttle. Thats also being done because of the erosion issue at the current finish point. Also being considered is a longer DH trail that will finish down in the gorge but that will be a bigger push back up , some riders have said they would be happy to do that for a longer run.

The problem with big jumps and freeride trails / features is they are a liability for the land managers. As you are probably aware there have been 2 serious incidents at the park over the years , and although neither of them involved big jumps or gaps , we are on thin ice so anything we submit for approval has to have safety as a major consideration. Thats why the jumps track is now all tabletops. If an 8 year old decides to roll down it , they won't find themselves falling short of a gap and hurting themselves. If we as a club can regain the trust of the land managers to show responsibility and good management of the trails , they may be more likely to start approving some new freeride trails. It's a slow process but we are in it for the long run.

South yarra sage , thanks for the offer but we won't be doing anything else until we get approval. The main focus now is to get some new XC trails in before the 6 hour in May.

Thanks guys.

edit: added a modified map , the new DH section is shown in dark green.

 

[Kizzmtbr]

Thanks for the massive post.

Yeah i think i should of turned right.

You guys have got a great potential. I hope some clearer signs get put up though

How long is the mineshaft?

 

[Calvin M]

sounds shweet, is there going to be any more done to the park? can we pleae bring back bigger jumps and freeride stuff!!!

I think your missing the point of all the changes. For the park to stay open they had to be removed gaps, northshore and pyramids. All has to be safe enought for anyone that can get on a bike.
Just tell Tony to use the right bike ay.
Keep up the good work and have all the tracks sweet for when the kid returns.

 

[spinner]

Thanks for the massive post.

Yeah i think i should of turned right.

You guys have got a great potential. I hope some clearer signs get put up though

How long is the mineshaft?

Yeah , new signage is also on the list. We figured it would be best to get the trails sorted out before putting up signs , with all the changes that are being made.

The whole DH track is pretty short , under 2 minutes. It's not a big hill but its better than having no DH at all.....and its legal.

Cheers

 

[spinner]

I think your missing the point of all the changes. For the park to stay open they had to be removed gaps, northshore and pyramids. All has to be safe enought for anyone that can get on a bike.
Just tell Tony to use the right bike ay.
Keep up the good work and have all the tracks sweet for when the kid returns.

Roger that.

 

[Kizzmtbr]

Also when i got the mottom of mojo i rode up a XC to the right. Which track was this?

 

[spinner]

I'm not sure , have you checked the map that I posted ? Might have been Secret Track.

 

[BEN ROBBO]

nah i new that there were two inccidents but would there be anyway that there could be some more things like there was to be built, if you get an aproval from the land managers?

 

[spinner]

nah i new that there were two inccidents but would there be anyway that there could be some more things like there was to be built, if you get an aproval from the land managers?

With approval , absolutely ! Money is the next issue , but in the big picture of things it's minor. We'll find a way.

 

[BEN ROBBO]

Great, i can lend a hand if you need it aswell.

 

[Tizz--]

Just out of curiosity and a bit off topic..
But what were those two serious injuries and how did they happen?
I heard someone died there but yeah if you don't want to answer that.
Don't worry about it.

 

[24alpha]

Nice work Tony. Can't wait to get up there and check it out.

 

[spinner]

Great, i can lend a hand if you need it aswell.

Thanks mate. I'll put up info for working bee days here when they are organised.

Just out of curiosity and a bit off topic..
But what were those two serious injuries and how did they happen?
I heard someone died there but yeah if you don't want to answer that.
Don't worry about it.

You're right , this isn't the place nor is it my position to discuss these incidents. All I will say is that we will do our best to ensure it never happens again.

Nice work Tony. Can't wait to get up there and check it out.

Thanks Hux. All the work isn't going to suddenly transform the DH (and XC) trails into the most amazing trails in Vic , but it will make them more erosion proof and fun to ride. Not sure when the next stage of the DH will be finished , but we aim to complete a lot of stuff over winter. Some rain would be nice too , it's like working with sand up there at the moment.

 

[jakey_trickster]

Awesome fun.

The Park is awesome fun now.
The changes to the DH track are good as, heaps more fun than how it was in my opinion.
Keep up the good work, I should be there next working bee if I find out about it.
Jake.