The more the shore

Well, the back-yard shore trails are growing and growing! After the success of our wall ride trail there has been an explosion of activity and building. There have been a few days of building and BBQ-ing! polishing up our existing trail and adding a few extras. I finally managed to get up there with my camera again and capture some more of the action.

Rob and Tom K have been thinking of building a BIG Huck line, and have added a big kicker that should fire you over the wall ride, but it's then a long way down! and they now need to build a REALLY BIG down slope!

Me on the wall ride again

The big huck over the wall ride

The ladder drop takes shape, time for some digging!

I wanted to add a nice ladder drop, so I knocked up a ladder out of a few bits of wood, chose a spot and put it in. Then I realised that it was a long way down too! So I had to go back later and add a down slope. With all hands on deck on Monday, and lots of mud shovelling we finally managed to get a down slope built.

Rob tweaks the ladder gap

Me, on the ladder gap

It turns out to be an absolute gem of a drop. Easy to ride, and a super smooth landing. Rob And Tom K had lots of fun hitting it up, and seeing how tweaked they could get it, or how long they could jump!
Then it was time for some more BBQ action. With the weather being as warm as it has been recently almost every trip to the trails has been accompanied by a BBQ. Brilliant!!

BBQ, Brilliant!

Rob, styling the ladder

Me, ready for a smooth landing on the ladder drop

Tom K showing his skills on the ladder

Fools bash - Haldon

It's April Fools day today, and also the Fools bash at Haldon Forest Just outside Exeter. An organized day of mountain biking demos and events. Loads of the local Bike shops turned up with stalls selling off kit cheaply, and offering demos of all the latest bikes. Plus Trials biking demos, and people riding the big demo shore that was set-up by Oke freeriders.
We had a quick look round, chatted to a few people, sat on a few bikes, checked out was going on and spent our hard earned cash!
Then after that we hit the trails. Lots of the trails at Haldon had been badly damaged by bad weather over the winter, with water washing away some parts of the trail, and trees falling over and damaging other parts. But with lots of hard work, much of the trails have been rebuilt and are even better than they were.
We ripped it up, check out the action!

Tom K, hucks the ladder drop

Andy hucks the ladder


Me, Railing a berm


Tom K, enjoying the sweeping berms

Tom K, riding the new rock garden

Andy in the rock Garden, me following.

Tom K, in the middle of another berm

Me, sketching my way through a berm

Andy, chucking his bike through a berm

Big Props to Ewart, for taking all the pictures, and having to wander around and watch us biking and enjoying ourselves, while he waits for his thumb to get better. Cheers chap!

Build your own 'shore

Build your own 'shore. For anyone whose confused, or not a mountain biker, we're not talking about beaches or seafronts here, we're talking North Shore. Wooden and dirt trails for riding over on mountain bikes. Originaly from the deep dark woods of Canada, first built to cover stretches of bog, now built just for the fun of it!
We've been allowed access to a piece of private woodland so that we can make our very own 'shore, jumps and general MTB mayhem! It helps lots that the land owner (another Tom K) is a keen biker and paddler and general outdoor sportsman, and was just as keen to join in the action as we were!
It was the first time I'd been upto the woods, but Tom and Ewart had already started on the trail building, but this time there was a whole mob of us, Tom, Ewart, Andy, Phil, the other Tom and myself. Plus this time we'd brought power tools with us! So armed with a chainsaw, a hammer and a pocket full of nails I set to work.
Ewart acted as trail boss, having fallen off his bike two days before and badly dislocated his thumb, he set to, telling us what to do to turn his shore vision into a trail reality! Most of the action began with finishing off the wall ride that had been started on previous days. Ewart, rake in one hand, started marking out the rest of the trail, and Andy started trying to clear under growth.

The wall ride takes shape

Ewart his rake and his busted thumb

Trees were cut (only using what had already fallen or was dead), nails were nailed, Berms were dug, and pine needles were raked. The wall ride started to take shape. Tom and Andy made a ladder, for a bit of elevated shore action. This was incorperated into a step-up jump onto the ladder, with a jump off the other end, onto a downwards sloping ladder.
The wall ride was finished and christened. Tom K (the land owner) rode it first, and became its first victim, sliding of the wall half way round! I rode it second, and going a bit slower, managed it all the way round.

The step-up and ladder in the making

The trail then snakes across the hill side, weaving between the trees, before a tight berm spits you out towards the step-up. With a last all hands on deck effort the step-up, ladder, was finished. With the light rapidly fading under the trees there was only one thing to do, RIDE!

Two views of the trail weaving through the woods

Andy hits the wall ride

Andy and power tools, and dangerous combo!

Trying to keep enough speed through the tight berm was daunting, but with a reasonable run out and some gradient there was just enough room to gain the speed for the step-up. After riding it a few times Phil and I realised that with enough speed, you could jump up the step-up, and then launch off the top of the ladder, getting a good bit of air, before just landing on the end of the down ladder.

Phil, air from the top of the ladder

Me, also airing the ladder

Phil steps up

me, landing the step-up

There's still lots more trail to be dug, but what we've got so far rocks! with a few more Sundays spent digging, cutting and nailing we'll soon have some awsome trails!

Sunny Sundays at the pots

Its a Sunday, the sun is shineing, the Exe levels are perfect, theres only one place to be. The Mighty Pots. We arrived a little late, (having had to fix Andys Playboat first) and found a few of the usual faces getting off. But Sam A was still on, Greg was in his squirt boat, and Andy and Ewart were soon kitted up and on the water as well.

Ewart wheelin'

Andy trying not to split his boat again

Sam Clean wheelin'

Be-nighted on britsh class 4

Imagine the situation, be-nighted on your favourite stretch of class 4 white water. Having to sleep under the stars and cook food on an open fire. Doesn't it sound terrible? Errr, no, actually it sounds like a great idea, lets try it out!
So off to our local favourite river we went. We launched into the near complete darkness (having spent a little to long getting ready!) with boats laden heavy with kit for our first taste of British multi-day expedition boating.
Having carefully picked our way down a number of rapids, relying on our ninja skills, river knowledge and a small slice of luck, we settled on a flattish looking piece of river bank for the night.
We set up a little shelter, gathered some wood for a fire and made our-selves comfortable for the night. With a fire burning in out portable fire bowl (so as not to leave our mark on the landscape) and our collapsable grill assembled dinner was grilled, drinks were drunk, and the wonderful surroundings were taken in. What a great and relaxing way to spend a night.

Getting a fire going

Our little shelter in the darkness

Grilling our dinner on the collapsable grill

The next morning dawned cool and bright, the sun slowly making it's way to the bottom of the valley to warm our bodies, and raise our spirits once again. Breakfast was eaten, kit was packed, boats were loaded. Then it was back onto the river. What a great way to start the morning, barely nine in the morning, sun shining in our faces and already stuck into some classic whitewater!

Early morning

Packing it all back into the boats.

The Team, (L-R) Andy, Ewart , Robbin and Me

But Like all good things it had to come to and end. And so we finally made our way off the river, quietly treasuring our memories of a slightly different but very enjoyably different way to paddle our favourite local river.

It's a hard life

Wednesday, paddling, Carbon Copy of Sunday!

Less water than on Sunday, Just tickling the Slab at Newbridge, but the Upper was Great, the Loop was a little on the Low side but there was just about a playwave at Triple. Paddled this time with Leo, Andy, Roger and Ewart. Plus this time I managed to get my Camera out on the Upper as well as the Loop.

Roger, Euthanasia
Leo, Euthanasia
Ewart, Euthanasia
Andy, cheeky grab, Euthanasia


Roger, Suprise Suprise
Ewart, Deck grab, Suprise Suprise
Andy, big deck grab, Suprise Suprise

Leo, Triple Play wave
Andy, Triple Play wave

Leo, The Anvil
Andy, Super clean, The Anvil
Ewart, Triple Play wave
Roger, Triple Play wave