*updated shot showing new roll-in down ramp*
*John shows the scale of the ramp by balancing at the top on his Scirocco*more info:
http://www.eshershore.com/slope_style.htmWork is well and truly underway on Esher's new "Slopestyle Park" which is being built on the site of the old, defunct Dirt Jump park next to the Freeborn Shop at Esher Shore
*sketch idea for intermediate and start of expert lines*First step has been figuring out what to do to make use of the limited space, and how to re-use the existing materials - 350 tonnes of dirt and lots of timber left over from the Shore park
*sketch idea for the roll-in tower rebuild*We've started by rebuilding the roll-in tower to raise the height of the roll-in deck for riders on suspension bikes to get some extra pump, and shifted the roll-in four foot to the left to get a better line into the first jump...which will be a speed jump type construction
*these dirt take-offs will be replaced with timber for all-weather durability*Adding transition to the top and bottom of the roll-in will also improve the "pump" and once the tower is done, we are integrating the bottom of the tower into a timber deck leading into a timber take-off ramp, and huge dirt landing
Drainage is key, so we are paying close attention to making sure its correct - we want the SS park to be usable in all but the wettest weather, as the old DJ park got shut down for weeks at a time due to flooding and soggy jumps
The bulk of the take-offs will be made from timber, with a north-shore style ladder section, timber quarter-pipe and "kona" box type structures - with the majority of the park being "intermediate" so ideal for riders who ride the "red" trail at Esher Shore
To the right will sit an "expert" line for the more advanced riders with a timber volcano, big trick jump and timber kicker ramp to elevated wallride and hip line
* roll in tower rebuild is going well *I'm busy building out there whenever possible, which is a little easier during what is typically a quieter time of year in the UK bike trade, before Springtime gets people back onto their bikes and things get super busy at Freeborn
Big thanks to volunteer trail crew : John "Jesus" Holme, Steeev, Keith Scott and his two friends Dave and Alex - the Mythic AMP and Mythic Wildcard have been used for testing so far, which is giving a good idea of how the jumps would ride on a DJ hardtail and slopestyle suspension bike
We've not setting a solid date for opening, but are aiming at around May 08 to get the SS park open to the public, ready for the annual Freeborn / Esher Shore park Jam
More info on Esher Shore can be found at
http://www.eshershore.com/cheers!
Rob C
Also make sure you check this out if you're from Australia cause we've had 2 bikes stolen in less then a month. The Rune was on route to Revolution Mag and someone at TNT nicked it, and then 2 days ago one of the demo Sciroccos was stolen right under the nose of Ken. It should go without saying that if you own a Banshee don't let it out of your site for even a second. If you see someone on any of those bikes punch them in the face and take the bike back.
Some comments from Dave on his impressions after his first day on the bike.