Bright - Hero trail

[Ezkaton]

Blue Dirt have informed me that the local council and stakeholders are meeting today to discuss the closure, and that said parties are confident things will be resolved before the weekend.

Let's hope! Been planning this weekend's trip for a few weeks now!

 

[Mrlinderman]

Are the trails well sign posted? with grading and warnings i mean. haven't been but if they are going to get allot of public traffic then the correct signage should help keep those that are out of their depth from getting hurt

 

[Miguel75]

There are a few warnings around though the one at the start could be bigger. I rode up to the start of Hero the other night and a family of 5 we're looking to ride down it. They asked if it was safe for their little (>9yr old) kids... After chatting and determining they weren't very avid riders I suggested the lower sections of Hero (slowly) but the dad said the kids wanted to play on the jumps. I suggested he take them to the pump track or the play ground as they have smaller jumps and Hero's jumps were in the 2-6m range... The dad didn't seem to understand my concern.

When I was getting my stitches the Dr told me they'd had 11 significant injuries on Hero, worst being a fractured femur....

EDIT: I can understand where some injuries may occur: Hero is smooth, fast and fun and I found myself pushing a little harder with each run. I'm saying that, I knew which jumps were friendly and which weren't and didn't push too hard on them.

 

[Markee]

Are the trails well sign posted? with grading and warnings i mean. haven't been but if they are going to get allot of public traffic then the correct signage should help keep those that are out of their depth from getting hurt

You would think so but Public Liability concerns will always be there in our "in our bubble wrap/participation award" society, like who going to bare the cost of getting the injured out, why did they allow this to go ahead in the first place - especially in the public domain.
It is bullshit we need to protect ourselves from ourselves. If you choose to ride these trails and ignore the warning signs then you should pay the consequences for your actions, not anyone else.
It's like motorcyclists in Victoria given access to TAC insurance but continue to ride around there $10000+ motorcycle in shorts and t-shirt. Sorry but you crash or get hit wearing that it should come out of your pocket not the governments! (this probably belongs in the LTYH thread, but anyway I digress)

 

[latheboy]

I was there for the opening and just spent the last 4 days in the area.
The amount of people riding it who shouldn't be was mind boggling.
Just yesterday I watched a lady push her bike down the start ramp then get on to ride the trail... I was too dumb founded to say anything...
XC guys and girls with the seat post as far north as you can get having a go.
Families on shitty bikes.
One guy on his beach cruiser with no helmet...

A bigger sign at the top would be a good idea but You can't stop the Fuckwits, they will do it anyway.

It will be terrible if they do close it, this is what Aus needs to move into the future trail wise.

 

[Logic]

You would think so but Public Liability concerns will always be there in our "in our bubble wrap/participation award" society, like who going to bare the cost of getting the injured out, why did they allow this to go ahead in the first place - especially in the public domain.
It is bullshit we need to protect ourselves from ourselves. If you choose to ride these trails and ignore the warning signs then you should pay the consequences for your actions, not anyone else.
It's like motorcyclists in Victoria given access to TAC insurance but continue to ride around there $10000+ motorcycle in shorts and t-shirt. Sorry but you crash or get hit wearing that it should come out of your pocket not the governments! (this probably belongs in the LTYH thread, but anyway I digress)

I totally agree, maybe they could even rate the track as a black diamond? (not that it really is), but it could scare off some of the people that are not so confident in riding and make them come back another day. As you said above, people should be responsible for their own actions.:grumpy:

 

[Boom King]

I totally agree, maybe they could even rate the track as a black diamond? (not that it really is), but it could scare off some of the people that are not so confident in riding and make them come back another day. As you said above, people should be responsible for their own actions.:grumpy:

In my experience, many of the folk currently riding it would have zero clue what a rating was, let alone bother to read the sign.

 

[Mywifesirrational]

I was having a laugh with mates a few weeks ago saying the local hospital services and air ambulance are about to get a flogging, when this trail opens.

Out of curiosity, how do bike parks in other parts of the world deal with injuries?

Obviously the more people riding a park / trail is going to result in more injuries and also more serious injuries, how does management police trail use, to ensure the right people are riding trails at their skill level? I presume there is no practical way, other than making the first few hundred meters scary enough to deter those that aren't up to skill level required?

Was opening the trail in the Xmas period actually a smart thing, if it had have opened at a more obscure time, you'd mostly get MTB enthusiasts, and also allow a break-in period, prior to randoms and familys having a crack.

Hope I get to ride this one soon, before all the fun is bulldozed - I have ambo cover

 

[Knuckles]

I was having a laugh with mates a few weeks ago saying the local hospital services and air ambulance are about to get a flogging, when this trail opens.
Hope I get to ride this one soon, before all the fun is bulldozed - I have ambo cover

Says the bloke who put himself in a coma on Delatite....:behindsofa:

#knuckleswasadrunkenchunt

 

[Mywifesirrational]

Says the bloke who put himself in a coma on Delatite....:behindsofa:

#knuckleswasadrunkenchunt

Ambo cover! should have used it that day, would have gotten a helicopter trip, would have been cool.

I know flow town is a more mild all rounder of a trail, I wonder what the injury rate there has been.

 

[rgy1993]

Ambo cover! should have used it that day, would have gotten a helicopter trip, would have been cool.

I know flow town is a more mild all rounder of a trail, I wonder what the injury rate there has been.

Was up at Falls during Ignition a while back, heard from some other people that a dude did his back on Flowtown. Everyone seemed to be riding it alright as far as I saw though.


Bummer about Hero Trail closing (is it actually?)... are Blue Dirt doing refunds for anyone that booked shuttles this weekend?

 

[Markee]

I was at an event in late 2016 that was threatened to be shut down due to 6+ ambulances being called to the site. This is probably the same reason for the Hero Trail closure, too many people reporting injuries from riding there and then a ham fisted response from local authorities because of pressure from emergency services not being able to cope with the influx. Local club therefore has to do the last thing it wants to do and shut the trail.
I think on busy weekends that the clubs in the area should man the starting area strongly advising riders about to enter what they're actually getting into. With all the media attention the trail gained it would've helped immensely I think.
Also to any rider thats got a broken arm/simple non life threatening injury (yes it's painful, we know) instead of calling an ambulance maybe get your own way to the hospital? Think about it seriously first as you just could be taking the only ambulance in the area available from someones mother/father/child/grandparent that actually needs an emergency service not an expensive ride to a doctor! Parents this includes you, think about it first, SERIOUSLY!

 

[Camdyson]

Yeah - some riders I know were pushing their Trances down the steep lower berms....ound:

Realistically it's a lot more challenging than all the other Blue runs in the local area - better signage describing it as a steep/jumps run for skilled riders only would be more realistic. "Go slow on your first run" just doesn't quite convey what awaits.

Manning the start on "busy" weekends wont happen - that's about 50 weekends of the year in Bright!

Here's hoping they reach a solution, it's a great run.

Cam

 

[Rider_of_Bikes]

I run a local bike shop in Bright and am attending the meeting tonight about the trail. I will keep you all posted.
There has been a sharp increase in injuries and local resources have been very strained as the town is packed and other incidents have also taken place.
We are going to lean heavy on the land manager and land owner to take steps to make riders more aware of the risks ahead before things are dumbed down or closed.
Wish is luck! I feel it will be an uphill battle!

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[Mywifesirrational]

I run a local bike shop in Bright and am attending the meeting tonight about the trail. I will keep you all posted.
There has been a sharp increase in injuries and local resources have been very strained as the town is packed and other incidents have also taken place.
We are going to lean heavy on the land manager and land owner to take steps to make riders more aware of the risks ahead before things are dumbed down or closed.
Wish is luck! I feel it will be an uphill battle!

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Give us a warning if they are going to dumb it down, give us city folk a chance to sneak up become quadies before hand :behindsofa:

 

[Nautonier]

Fingers crossed that World Cup and Mystic remain open. If Hero had the same kind of reputation (and grading) as those tracks, K Mart bike riding punters might have a bit more respect for it. In its essence a 'flow' trail should be able to be ridden by all level of riders, but you can't stop some unskilled riders on inappropriate bikes hitting big jumps that will take them very far out of their comfort zones in a dangerous way. Unless perhaps every jump has warning signs all over it...

 

[Rider_of_Bikes]

There is a chance the Hero trail may open tomorrow afternoon. The land manager is working hard to get more signage in place to appease the land owner amd hopefully reduce the amount of rider injuries. Although there haven't been many compared to the amount of laps the trail has seen- less is always better. It seems a few jumps will have trajectory changes as well. Nothing major, and probably for the better. Should help the trail flow better.
All in all just teething issues i would say, and realistically this should almost be expected with a trail as rad as this on private land that is free for the public to use.

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[Rider_of_Bikes]

Fingers crossed that World Cup and Mystic remain open. If Hero had the same kind of reputation (and grading) as those tracks, K Mart bike riding punters might have a bit more respect for it. In its essence a 'flow' trail should be able to be ridden by all level of riders, but you can't stop some unskilled riders on inappropriate bikes hitting big jumps that will take them very far out of their comfort zones in a dangerous way. Unless perhaps every jump has warning signs all over it...

Mystic and WC are riding better then ever. The bottom of WC has a newish section (a few months old now) with some rad jumps. AM is getting gnarlier all the time too.

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[Boom King]

There is a chance the Hero trail may open tomorrow afternoon. The land manager is working hard to get more signage in place to appease the land owner amd hopefully reduce the amount of rider injuries. Although there haven't been many compared to the amount of laps the trail has seen- less is always better. It seems a few jumps will have trajectory changes as well. Nothing major, and probably for the better. Should help the trail flow better.
All in all just teething issues i would say, and realistically this should almost be expected with a trail as rad as this on private land that is free for the public to use.

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Sounds like all interested parties are coming at the issue with a level head. Bravo.

 

[Switch]

Sounds like a fairly positive outcome, like many local to the area you know when to stay away from Bright and the tourist crowds. I have been holding off hitting it until the crowds die off a bit and my new ride arrives and the news of its closure had me a bit worried I had missed my opportunity. Hero trail and flowtown at Falls in the next couple of weeks are the reason I love living in this area.