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(Winter) Trail Conditions

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24K views 167 replies 26 participants last post by  BlackCanoeDog  
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#1 ·
Albion, Durham, Palgrave, Ravenshoe-These are the places I try to ride in the winter. I'll report on conditions when I'm out and would appreciate the same.
I rode Ravenshoe Dec 10. All trails were well ridden and in great shape. No studs required.
 
#3 ·
Road at Albion yesterday. They have rolled the black section, however it's still really tough riding where you're sinking down 6 to 8 inches. Impossible to go in a straight line. Even the slightest downhill is treacherous. It was literally easier when it was just patterned ice last year if you can believe that.

Probably getting more snow soon, and I'll wait until the trail receives more attention before attempting another ride there.

Unrelated note - I believe their xc ski trails open sometime this weekend!

Anyone been to Puslinch or Hilton/Mohawk/Lynx/etc in the last day or so?
 
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#4 ·
There was a pretty good article written in the Durham Region News earlier today about the Global Fat Bike Day a couple weeks ago and it also went on and spoke of the grooming in Durham Forest. The wife and I will attempt riding Sat afternoon but we are both going to give some sweat equity in helping groom Sunday morning.

Here's the link: Link.

I'll update the conditions this weekend.
 
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#7 ·
Hey Guys - Dagmar Trails are now officially closed for the season. Here is the text from the DMBA message, this is also posted on the DMBA FB page and the website.

"The Dagmar mountain bike trails are now closed for the winter. Our friends, the Dagmar Ski Resort have exclusive use to the property over the winter months where they have some great cross country ski trails. Please respect the closure. This includes mountain biking, hiking and snowshoeing. Thank you. For some great fat biking - head up to Durham forest where there are some great trails groomed by the DMBA members."


Back to my words... I believe if caught using the trails without specific permission or cross country skiing through the Dagmar Resort you will be considered trespassing, this will also look bad on all other bikers.
 
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#10 · (Edited)
Just back from a grooming session followed by a ride in DF. I think most of the single track around the main lot has now been groomed with at least 1 pass over. We are on 29+ bikes and the ride after was not too bad, but did have to walk some sections ironically that we groomed ourselves. At first I was dismayed thinking our 3" tires are not going to be successful and then noticed the other tracks and footprints of the person on the 4+" tire... this was only on Stone Soup, but the rest we managed fine.

I'm editing this post - this has been on my mind all night - having seen the prints from the guy with the 4+" tire (plus just hikers) we probably should have turned back and not ventured down the trail, but also not knowing why we he may have been walking at the time either. This has me thinking it is like riding while it is super muddy, it is an experience but not a great one for the trail. Lesson learned for me in the snow now.

Apparently falling in the snow does not hurt as much as when it is dirt!

Sorry... I tried to rotate the pic's but they still come out rotated... :madman:
 
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#16 ·
Durham saw some grooming love last night. Ogre & Out and Logs Over Easy had two passes of the tires and snowshoes. Maple Gravy and the Pines were done for the first time, they may be a little soft but the milder temps and some traffic should firm them up nicely.

While a mechanical groomer would be great some people are missing the point, human powered grooming accomplishes three things; One, it does get the job done. Maybe not as effectively as a machine but it does work. Two, it is a great workout, especially if you take a turn on the tire dragging. These workouts will pay off when fatbiking. Three, it is a social event. It is a great way to meet new people and have many laughs along the way. It gets us out in the woods and that is never a bad thing.

Oh, and time for a DMBA membership plug, if you are a DMBA member and you help out with the grooming you may win a 2017 Norco Bigfoot 6.2 fat bike.
 
#20 ·
Don't get me started on their website..

Just got back, and that fatbike trail is still pretty deep and greasy. Has received a lot of traffic but it's still not enough. Hate to say it but it was just not enjoyable.

Crappy given the fact that they have the grooming equipment sitting there.
 
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#25 ·
Mikhs said:
I have sent off a couple of emails to clarify what is allowed in EDH (Glen Major/Walker Woods).

I would be surprised if snow shoeing is not officially permitted though as it is essentially hiking with bigger feet.
Click to expand...
According to the response I received both snow shoeing and fat biking are allowed in EDH, (Glen Major/Walker Woods). The TRCA, the land managers, do request that all walkers, riders and snow shoers stay off any track sets that cross country skiiers have created. Sounds reasonable to me.
 
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#27 ·
A message from Terry from the DMBA, if your thinking in heading to DF tomorrow(Boxjng Day) with the reported rain and warm temps the trails will get ruined and rutted.

I'm pasting the FB post:



Durham Mountain Biking Association
3 hrs ·
I'm pleased to report that the trails in Durham Forest are amazing for fat bike riding right now. That isn't a fluke. That's what 130+ hours of volunteer grooming gets you.
This can be totally trashed by impatience. Tomorrow, it is forecasted to be 9 degrees with 10-15 mm of rain. That weather will make the trails into soup that will show every tire print or foot print. The following day is supposed to be freezing and we'll be back having fun on our trails.
Please stay off of wet/slushy trails, so that we can preserve the smooth trail bed.
Thanks,
Terry
 
#30 ·
Hydrocut Trails today tweeted this out:

"Once again it is Fat Bike nirvana at The HydroCut! Trails are packed down and fast. Dagmar, Creepy, Bootleg, Adam's, Sweet Street,Jake's Attack and Breakaway, Dead Camel, Jessica all great. Twister is rideable but not as sweet as the others. Enjoy!!!"

Anyone been to Albion ,Palgrave or Puslinch in the last day or two?
 
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#34 ·
Just back from a ride up at Durham Forest, the folks out grooming have been doing a fantastic job :thumbsup: (the DMBA rocks!!). I know they had a group of 15 last night do some of the trails as well which we rode and they were stellar.

All told we probably did 8k worth of riding most of that was single track and I imagine everything else is groomed and packed like what we were on. The double track was also packed and in some sections had 2 tracks, I'd expect walkers and more cross country skiers now (which we saw) on the double track.

So, DF trail conditions are pretty firm pack groomed trails as you can see in the pic. We were on 29+ bikes (3" aired down to 4psi) if we were sinking we would have aborted.

Clearly I am having an issue adding pictures. I put up my image and it rotated it in the process, fixed it (twice) and the 3rd attempt it kept it vertical but seems the first 2 attempts are attached and I can't delete them...
 

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