@Kristin I’m heading out to Nine Mile shortly, I’ll let you know what kind if shape it’s in.
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Anyone scoped out Whopper or MacFight?
Wondering if and where I might ride this weekend.
Great, thanks.
Have fun!
Nine Mile was great- hard frozen snow and ice, no exposed dirt or rocks at all. At some point before the current freeze a trail groomer or something tracked went through so there’s a nice wide base. Front loop is quite bombed but solid, with fewer tracks the further you go towards the lake. I’d definitely recommend studs for regular sized tires, not sure about wide (4”+) tires.
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According to the FB page, apparently a rogue snowmobiler decided to groom the trail without permission, despite the fact motorized vehicles are prohibited.
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Rode the Railyard today. It’s MINT! 100% snow and ice, studs recommended.
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Rode Bowater today. Overall conditions are ok, great in places for fat bikes, not awesome for skinnies anywhere, except maybe Boreal and the Jankytown section of Shoreline.
Good: Boreal, top of Funny Bone, Shoreline from Boreal to bottom of the climb to EZ$.
Decent: #8, Dump Run, climb up from dam to EZ$, descent from EZ$ to Shoreline, Alp.
Poor: Shoreline section close to dam
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I also rode Bowater today. I cleared several blowdowns on Knuckle Buster, which has been boot bombed but is still rideable. As @brightwhite said; the lower section of Shoreline (circled) is pretty rough with loose snow, post holes, and a skinny track. Dump Run is decent with a few icy patches as well.
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Yup. Snowmobiler went through without the permission of the association. The Nine Mile River Trail Association’s lease agreement doesn’t allow motorized vehicles. The Association does use motorized vehicles at times for association business - maintenance and trail construction - but not for the public to just come and ride the trails any time they want.
I do appreciate the snowmobiler’s willingness to donate time and equipment and want to make the trail better, but they should have talked to the Association first.
The thought has occurred to me (@Rockhopper, the Association hasn’t discussed it formally) to investigate grooming the trail as it can get rutted and boot-bombed. I’m not sure we’re there yet, though. For one, the boardwalks, especially the older ones weren’t designed for motorized traffic, and are getting weaker as they age.
I was out at the trail yesterday (Saturday), and conditions were as @gtrguy described. The trail was fairly bumpy and studded tires recommended. I made it partway up to Dipper Lake. The Dipper Lake section hasn’t had much traffic and was a bit of a slog, although all the water holes are frozen and you can ride right over those. I did try the woods road, and it looks like the waterholes are frozen - they are easy to ride, but in-between the water holes there’s enough snow to make it a slog on 27+ tires. Maybe on fatbike tires it would be rideable. It would be great if someone were to break trail with snowshoes to make the woods road section rideable.
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Conditions at The Gorge were excellent today. Almost no ice. I’d think you’d get away with non fat bikes on the groomed sections but a fattie will take you farther.
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Rode Whopper today. It’s mostly a few cm of snow on ice. Not great, studs recommended. Will improve when the temperature drops and the wet snow freezes.
The lakes are perfect though.
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Did a big groom at Irishmans today, place is looking mint.
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I snowshoed E-Z Money, Shorline up to Funny Bone, and the Funny Bone DH tonight. It should be good once it freezes tonight.
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Railcard was great today. Few more icy spots building up under some trees but ice was roughy and grippy so no issues there. Nice little dusting of new snow in there.
Bit softer than Sunday and overall in great shape and worth the trip up there (for the city folk)
N
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Aubs: E-Z Money snowshoe packed, too soft for skinnies though. Shoreline is icy. Funny Bone is snowshoe packed and a little rough.
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Nine Mile was very good tonight. Main trail is packed snow, very little ice, a bit bumpy. Rode the woods road from first trail intersection to the second intersection. A bit of work on 27+ tires. Maybe better now that I’ve laid down a track. Would be better on a fatbike. Rode on and around both frozen Comeau Lake and Dipper Lake. Did not ride Hemlock. @coaster did ride Hemlock on his fatbike and said it would be a slog on my tires.
To add to @Rockhopper on NMR conditions, I’d say snow conditions on Hemlock are similar to out to Dipper Lake but terrain on Hemlock is much more techy. If it had been snowshoed, it would have been a blast because no roots!
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Anyone know if you can get around the rail yard without studs? Would like to take my son for a ride this evening before the snow.
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I was there this morning on my fatbike without studs. There were some patches of ice that required caution but the majority was smooth sailing.
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