[ocnLogan]

I rode Tokul for the first time this last week.

Generally speaking I’m advanced intermediate-ish rider. Meaning, usually comfortable on blue trails, and am trying/clearing most/all optional features on them, and have started dabbling in a few black trails.

Between two ferns was a great trail, I really liked it. The only questionable part was the steep bit in the middle. Or more accurately, the root drop (2-3’ maybe?) into the kind of blown out right hander right before the final left hand turn in the chute that runs out to the lower jumpy section.

I managed it, even if it wasn’t particularly graceful. The two buddies I rode with though dismounted, and actually got the only injuries of the outing by attempting to walk that section (they both slid into trees and just bruised/scraped up some).

My question is basically, if that segment of between two ferns was close to my/our limit at the moment, what other trails there would be a good place to practice on, and which are best to leave until after I master/feel comfortable on that segment?

Talking to some locals afterwards, they mentioned that that root drop wasn’t there when the trail opened, and that it’s gotten more difficult. Not sure if that’s true or not. But if that was rollable previously, then that would definitely change things.

Of note, I think the trail we had the most fun on that day was lower midtown. Great trail, even if a bit short. Some fun little drops, a few techy bits, some good flow.

 

[cbkoontz]

You might find more dialogue over on the Tokul's only FB page. However, that move on BTF is pretty intimidating and I think it is up there with the tougher legal trails in the area.

 

[ocnLogan]

Thanks Koontz.

I went back and found a few youtube videos of that move from a year or so ago, and everyone else I saw just rolled that move.

This is a video from over a year ago. Its on a gimbal, but if you look, it is hard to see any handlebar movement at all. It looks like maybe the gimbal is doing some work of course, but also maybe it wasn't eroded much at that point.

Here they just roll the thing too.

Here is one that looks like the erosion is there to at least some degree. But he also just rolls it.

And while I didn't stop to check it out before sending it (I knew it was coming, but didn't expect it to be that big, either due to the increased erosion the guys in the parking lot were saying, or the gopro effect (or both)), so I don't actually know if it was rollable just this last weekend. All I know is my brain evaluated it as "doesn't look safe to roll, better drop it instead" as I rolled up to it. So maybe it would feel better going a touch faster. Hard to know.

Maybe I just made it harder on myself.

 

[Jayem]

That's really the skill to riding those trails IME. Being able to at a moment's notice push your front end out to drop it if necessary, vs. rolling it. You won't be able to roll some of it, depending on the transition, but kicking out the front and shifting your weight for a drop is how you deal with it. I rode Invictus for the first time a few months ago and while it's not out of my skill range, it's still challenging and it's especially so when you ride it blind. You have to be pretty careful to evaluate what you see as far as grade-changes and where you might get into a situation you aren't prepared for. I remember one steep part that had drop on the steep that might have been roll-able, IDK, but I knew the right move was to kick out and drop, which I pulled off. If I can get a good feel for the trail, I can usually be pretty confident about what I will encounter and how to handle it, but you always gotta be ready for that option to kick out and drop. I had a friend riding something blind in Bellingham that tried to do the same thing and ended up dropping like 7 feet and busting vertebra in the neck. That kind of goes back to evaluating the grade and being able to control yourself based on what you can see.

 

[ocnLogan]

That's really the skill to riding those trails IME. Being able to at a moment's notice push your front end out to drop it if necessary, vs. rolling it. You won't be able to roll some of it, depending on the transition, but kicking out the front and shifting your weight for a drop is how you deal with it. I rode Invictus for the first time a few months ago and while it's not out of my skill range, it's still challenging and it's especially so when you ride it blind. You have to be pretty careful to evaluate what you see as far as grade-changes and where you might get into a situation you aren't prepared for. I remember one steep part that had drop on the steep that might have been roll-able, IDK, but I knew the right move was to kick out and drop, which I pulled off. If I can get a good feel for the trail, I can usually be pretty confident about what I will encounter and how to handle it, but you always gotta be ready for that option to kick out and drop. I had a friend riding something blind in Bellingham that tried to do the same thing and ended up dropping like 7 feet and busting vertebra in the neck. That kind of goes back to evaluating the grade and being able to control yourself based on what you can see.

Yeah, in this case I was riding the trail "blind" (I mean, I'd watched youtube videos beforehand, but my first time riding it), and didn't want to risk a bad roll. Just like you said, my brain just thought "thats on the wrong side of 'maybe I can roll it'", and so I went with the sketchy drop, as even though it was rough (front wheel center punched a decent root), I knew 1) the drop wasn't all that tall, and 2) that I could ride out a the visible (but sketchy) landing.

But as that was the only black trail that we rode there that day, I was curious how it stacked up with the other trails in the area. Because while I survived it, it was a bit closer to the "edge" of my ability than I usually like to ride. So I didn't want to go drop into PNWheel, or Goosechase, and accidentally be launching myself (and my 2 riding buddies who were with me, who didn't ride that section of between two ferns) into "certain doom".

I will be going back and hitting it again at some point, I'm certain of it. Just also curious if there were other good trails to practice on there. As I did notice that compared to duthie, and my local riding area (Lord Hill), the blues at Tokul are more difficult. One buddy crashed on one of the drops on the top of Last Frontier, but we all really loved the last part of Midtown (but they didn't do the steeper roll section).

And yikes, what was your buddy riding in Bellingham?

I was there on Saturday, and rode SST for the first time (great trail). But as it was my second big day in a row, and our first time there, I elected to skip the SST drop/roll, even though I'm fairly certain its in my wheelhouse. But thats a solid 5-8ft ledge, and if it snuck up on you, it could be bad.

 

[Jayem]

And yikes, what was your buddy riding in Bellingham?

I was there on Saturday, and rode SST for the first time (great trail). But as it was my second big day in a row, and our first time there, I elected to skip the SST drop/roll, even though I'm fairly certain its in my wheelhouse. But thats a solid 5-8ft ledge, and if it snuck up on you, it could be bad.

His accident happened off a bridge, but some of that bridgey and bigger-jump stuff really has to be scoped and is incredibly hard to ride blind, as in dangerous. You need speed to clear a lot of the stuff, but you need to know that you kneed the speed, etc. Tokul has some different stuff up there, kind of a good spread of challenges, some are bigger jumps/drops, some are tech rollers and steeps, etc.

 

[GeePhroh]

You'd be fine on pinwheel or goosechase. There's nothing mandatory/non-rollable on either, though they're likely as tracked out as b2f right now since Tokul is usually at its worse right around now. Maintenance season starts when the rain comes in.

Over the last couple of years, I stopped riding that place outside the late-fall/winter. The amount of traffic, along with the disappearing canopy has taken a serious toll on the trails. I'd rather ride 27 or tiger when it's blown out these days...

 

[chopyourown]

As you've already noted, that big blown out drop didn't used to be there. There's always been the steep bit, but it's definitely harder now. That move is on par with or harder than the required moves on the other black trails there... the trick is just knowing where they are and what the best line is, as some spots are difficult to scout.


If you liked midtown, you'll like Lower Crazy Ivan. Almost all just fast and flowy, some optional drops and booters. Anything mandatory is rollable.
OGDH is fun, fairy short/steep and with some root drops (I think all rollable...) but all manageable. It's not nearly as steep or high consequence as B2F.
Goosechase is loose and fast. Couple of surfy sections where it's difficult to slow down, so keep your speed in check the first ride. There's a log drop part way down.
PNW is similar, mostly steep, loose and fast. Do be aware of the big step down.

Over at west, the black trails tend to be pretty steep (that's the theme at Tokul haha).
I'd start with a short lap on Jerry Springer to get your bearings. Dog Wash is another that's likely well within your abilities - mostly ridgeline, but no real serious exposure and (as of the last time I rode it in the spring) no drops.
Tokyo Drift is kinda a trail of two sections. The upper is big, flowy jumps (not really my jam, but all have ride arounds). Lower has a couple of pretty steep, unavoidable chutes. You can scope it out from the bottom off the SVT to get an idea of what you're in for, it's hard to scope from the trail.
Kamikaze is mostly steep bermed turns... I don't recall any legit drops
Clearcut is pretty chunky and techy. No huge drops, but it's definitely not an easy trail.

As others have noted, Tokul isn't really a summer riding spot. It gets dry and consequently blown out super fast. It'd be nice if Evergreen or even Trailforks admin could put up a big bulletin that Tokul is basically closed from July-September. It'd save a lot of wear on the trails and kinda sucks to ride in those months anyway. The flip side is that the more gravelly, sandy soil tends to drain super well in the winter, and riding the steep stuff at Tokul all winter helps you build major skills and crush the other areas all summer.