MTB Dirt Mountain Bike Forums forum - Topic - castlehill/blackstone hill

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castlehillbilly

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castlehill/blackstone hill

just a heads up guys,the pallet drop at the end of Campbells(norco bridge trail) has a couple of loose boards,would'nt

ride it if i were you as a face plant from 4ft up is a very real possibility.

also if your riding the new bulldozed bit that runs along spider alley watch out for the little gulley,what looks like firm ground in the bottom is actually silt about two foot deep(kinda like quicksand).sucked my front wheel in right up to

the top of the lowers today .at least i had a soft landing when i went otbmtbdirt2

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castlehill/blackstone hill

I've been out of action for quite a while since breaking my collarbone at Lysterfield a couple of weeks before Christmas. I'd heard there was some new bulldozing down around Spider Alley, but haven't seen it yet. I've been up the hill twice in the last fortnight, and the tracks are looking pretty overgrown. The rain has caused quite a bit of erosion in places. Some of the cleared areas were starting to get overgrown again, but it looks like the new growth has been poisoned up near Squirrel and Lane. I'm not sure how many people are riding at Blackstone these days, but i think it's getting to a point of "use (and maintain) it or lose it" as far as a lot of the remaining tracks are concerned.

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castlehill/blackstone hill

i'm up there nearly every tues and thurs arvo from 5ish. good to see a few new sections 'one off the end of blaines' being created too. i also noticed the clearing down the bottom near the cunningham hwy. shame we cant really do anything apart from build tracks elsewhere.

just did a couple of runs and could barely see the track on a few runs due to long grass. might have to strike a match and back burn the lot.

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castlehillbilly

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castlehill/blackstone hill

Quote: Chrisrx

i'm up there nearly every tues and thurs arvo from 5ish. good to see a few new sections 'one off the end of blaines' being created too. i also noticed the clearing down the bottom near the cunningham hwy. shame we cant really do anything apart from build tracks elsewhere.

just did a couple of runs and could barely see the track on a few runs due to long grass. might have to strike a match and back burn the lot.

whoa dont be lighting fires unless you want to get us all banned.this time of year is always bad

as far as trailcare is concerned,the grass and trees grow back as quickly as its cut so its very hard

to control.some of us like nole and myself do a bit of trailwork up there but like nole ive been unable to work up there of late.there are a few others who are doing thier bit to keep the trails open but as

said its very hard this time of year anyway.as the weather cools in the next month or so (hopefully)

the trails'll start to come good again.the trail off the end of lane is called''killbilly'' by the wayhihi

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Quote: Nole

I've been out of action for quite a while since breaking my collarbone at Lysterfield a couple of weeks before Christmas. I'd heard there was some new bulldozing down around Spider Alley, but haven't seen it yet. I've been up the hill twice in the last fortnight, and the tracks are looking pretty overgrown. The rain has caused quite a bit of erosion in places. Some of the cleared areas were starting to get overgrown again, but it looks like the new growth has been poisoned up near Squirrel and Lane. I'm not sure how many people are riding at Blackstone these days, but i think it's getting to a point of "use (and maintain) it or lose it" as far as a lot of the remaining tracks are concerned.

sorry to hear about your injury mate,i dont think they've done much new dozing up there and what there is doesnt seem to affect the trails too much.

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castlehill/blackstone hill

went out to castle today betwixt rain showers with the trusty whippersnipper and got a start on the trails nearest the highway,got some of spider alley done and the trail that runs off of the end of double or nothing,only got about 13klm's left!

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Awesome CHB. I will get out there as soon as I heal enough.

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With all this clearing, is there a real fear that Castle will all be level soon? No more trails? If so, where to from there? Create new trails in Spring Mt?

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he hasnt done much this time so i wouldnt worry too much.new trails will appear if the old ones go .

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castlehill/blackstone hill

Has anyone been out to castlehill/blackstone in the last 7 days, are the trails OK to ride on? Thinking of doing an AM ride Sunday 7/03/10. How does this area usually handle the wet? Sorry for the nOOb questions.

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I will probably go out there tomorrow. Just have to advoid the really low bits.

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castlehill/blackstone hill

Before all the clearing, pretty much all of Blackstone was fine no matter how wet it was. Nearly all of the singletrack will still be good, but some of the bulldozed areas haven't packed down and will be muddy. It might be best to avoid going in near the railway crossing, as a lot of mud has washed down to the first track junction. That probably means going around past the fertilizer plant to the end of the road and up the back of the hill.

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castlehillbilly

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the dam on ''take two'' is full of water at the moment too so that trail is out ,best to do like nole said and just ride the trails that are actually on the hill.

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did some more whippersnipperen today,most of the trails next to the highway are now rideable

and its pretty good down there at the moment not too muddy..........

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i was only joking about setting fire to the lot Tounge out couple of us stumbled across the mud setion down near the cunningham the other week. fun times. sunk up to my knees in the mud. bit of a mish getting out. guys at work had a laugh at me wearing muddy work boots in the next day. should be heading out there tomoz. hopefully not too wet still.

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castlehill/blackstone hill

Top work on the whipper snipping CHB, I was up there yesterday morning in the fog working at clearing all the cobwebs off the track for everyone. Think I must have taken at least ten direct hits to the face, couldn't see them coming with all the fog in the air and on my glasses. It was also the most unplanned dismounts I have had up there in ages, just couldn't see a line to take.

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castlehillbilly

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that fog was wild was'nt it? i was driving home from work at that time and you couldnt see anything of castle from the highway,i wondered at the time if anyone was riding in therehihi

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''easy up'' and one of the trails leading off it got a haircut today,theres a tree across the offshoot trail

whether to cut it away with the chainsaw or build a rollover hmmm?,open to suggestions.........hihi

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looks like the dozers done another run down by the highway guys.

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castlehill/blackstone hill

Damn! I am thinking of heading over there tomorrow morning, still will, but always feel a little sad when the tracks disappear........

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