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Riding
in Michigan can be fun, but in most respects the riding that High Gear
does is “geared” to riding at venues outside of the state. Over
the past 3 or 4 seasons we’ve had enough misadventures riding out of
state ranging from the language barrier to getting lost on trails, to
fill volumes. So here are
some boiled down tips for the Midwest rider to consider when venturing
outside of the state to hone your downhill chops: Riding
in Quebec: The Language
Barrier English is one of
the most widely spoken languages in the world, second maybe to Mandarin
Chinese, so when you ride in Quebec – just forget that you had 3 years
of high school French when you’re talking to the locals.
Most of them speak English and are way more content to hack that
apart than listen to our nonsensical ramblings in their language.
So – don’t fear the language barrier.
Just speak English, and show them our green money.
You’ll find that their communication skills are more than
adequate for you to get all the information you’ll need. Big
Mountain Riding: Find a
“Local” Riding
in a new place can be an awesome adventure, but with riding in a new
place comes the risk of getting lost. As
many times as Team High Gear has been to Plattekill, it was unfathomable
that we would ever find ourselves “lost” on one their trails.
Well, about 2 years ago it happened.
We took one wrong turn and found ourselves about 2 miles down the
ridgeline headed toward the neighboring town of Roxbury.
Needless to say the riding was good, but the walk back sucked. So
unless your GPS savvy, at least talk to someone in the mountain pro-shop
about the trail system and do your best to find a map before hitting the
trails. We’re just trying
to save you a death march back to the parking lot, or a night on the
slope. Tech:
Bring 2 - of everything Don’t
show up at a big mountain with 1 tube.
Just don’t. You’ll
end up getting bent over a barrel for another one at the pro shop, and
chances are, your friend’s have already flatted once or twice and
can’t spare another tube. Plus
you’re a big boy (or girl) and you should be able to take care of
yourself. Foreign
Lands – Hot Chicks. Chances are your not going to see too much of this unless you’re in Bromont and the water park is in full bloom. So, be prepared. These opportunities are fleeting. You don’t want to blow you only shot with a line like, “Hey, I’m gay” thinking that the playboy bunny will at least hang with “gay” dude. Trust
me, it doesn’t work. |
