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New Duthie Trail: Toilet Bowl

4K views 36 replies 16 participants last post by  YoPawn 
#1 ·
I took a day off work and got the Toilet Bowl trail connected to the NE xc trail. The entrance and exit are still pretty rough, but the fun parts are ready to roll. :cool:

This is a black diamond trail located downhill to the right of the Big Tree Bikes Mini DH course (looking DH) and where the NE XC trail goes uphill next to it. There is a giant toilet bowl terrain feature back there. The Toilet Bowl trail loops back onto the NE uphill.

It's been my personal side option trail project for the last year now. I've been just pecking at it here and there when I have time off from the more important trails.

NOW IS THE TIME TO RIDE IT AND PACK IT IN! :band:
We need it packed in before the dry season hits. Once the base trail is packed, I will be going back through and finishing the rest along with adding as many stunts as possible. It is difficult to built the rest without knowing how fast it rides when packed.

So if you're looking for some new goods, please head out and session it a couple times. It is only a couple hundred feet long, but really damn fast!

Take a look before riding it. Ride it. Let me know what you think. I still have plenty of time to work on making it better. So far it has only been me riding it.

Pic#1 Entrance near the top of Ryan's and Mini DH
Pic#2+3 Dropping into the toilet bowl colon (chute)
Pic#4 Toilet Ride
Pic#5 Optional Skinny Launcher into the main berm.
 

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#2 ·
Stepup Finale.

Once the trail is packed in, I will make this feature larger on the left side.

The goal is to have a stepup where you can either roll it to the right, get a little air in the center, or go full out to the left. Something for everyone.
 

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#4 ·
ssumo said:
I need to get out there again to check out all the progress. Been on a winter break with all the kid and family activities, plus no daylight at 6:00am yet:) See ya out there yohan. John
Thanks John. Haven't seen ya in a while.

Between finishing up at Colonnade and my company moving to Kirkland soon, I should be putting down a lot more hours at Duthie.

Can't wait to start my ridge flow trail for Phase 2! Think Woops trail in Bend. :cool:
 
#6 ·
FM said:
That looks super fun! Nice work, cant wait to hit it!
It will be a great little session loop for people wanting to warm up/keep warm when racing the Mini DH. That is my main reason for building it.

Things to be added:

- Option above the little skinny launcher that airs you higher up onto a log ride above the berm. You then ride the log ride (if you can stick it) and then drop back into the end of the berm
- Ladder drop into the Colon Chute.
- Pump track out of bowl after the stepup.
- Turf Stones on the berm if it doesn't hold up. Would also allow me to get it near vertical.
- Anything else I can squeeze into there. One of the few places in Duthie where you can hit ludicrous speed. :eek:
 
#8 ·
Thanks Flohan! Can't wait to ride it.

jojotherider said:
i'm not sure I understand where the entrance is.
It's a short option off of the NE XC trail that you can session in a loop. You can only get to it by riding the NE XC trail. As you're climbing up NE from the far east side of the park, Zeb's gap jump trail will be on your right for the entire climb, just before you get to the top of the climb, it's a little option off to your left in a steep bowl. You'll be able to easily see it now that Johan has raked it.

jojotherider said:
Is this similar to any other trails out at Duthie?
I'd say "nope" -- pretty unique.
 
#10 ·
So I saw Kevin in the clearing today with a few guys I didn't recognize and asked them about the toilet bowl, and which way from the new walk-in to ryans line I had to go on the NE loop to get to it. They let me know I had to cross into the blocked off x-c trail to get to it, but that you were wanting some more tires on it so they told me the right direction. As soon as I saw pictures I knew that it was those trails I had seen several months before when riding the NE loop that I wanted to hit, but had no clue how to get to, so I was stoked I could actually hit them. I love the concept, but lets just say they need a few more tires than just my two to pack it down. I wish I hit it a few more times to try out that skinny to berm part, but there wasn't much daylight left when I was there so I decided to hit Ryans a few more times. It definitely will be a fun little side trail, just needs some TLC to remove/pack down the organic. Props yopawn, maybe next time I'm out there I'll grab a rake and remove some organic myself if ya dont mind!
 
#11 ·
ExCactus said:
So I saw Kevin in the clearing today with a few guys I didn't recognize and asked them about the toilet bowl, and which way from the new walk-in to ryans line I had to go on the NE loop to get to it. They let me know I had to cross into the blocked off x-c trail to get to it, but that you were wanting some more tires on it so they told me the right direction...
We need to relocate the closure sign from the Ryan/Zeb take-off ramp to the bottom of the Toilet Bowl. While MikeW has been inviting selected riders to tour the rebuilt sections of NE the remainder of the trail is not ready for heavy use (the rebuild process is nearly complete but we need a bit of rain to pack fresh berms and trail bed and lot more volunteer hours to get everything in completed).
 
#12 · (Edited)
Hey guys.

Toilet bowl is incredibly difficult to see even when standing right over it. :confused: :confused:

I added a packed berm entrance and a hip hitter going into the chute. Entrance is much easier to spot now. I also made the main berm larger, but it still needs some good packing.

Also got the first part of the pump track out of there started. Shouldn't be long before you can ride the whole thing without pedaling.

Also, as a courtesy to the guy living behind there, I'm going to plant a bunch of ferns along the toilet bowl trail to hide it more. . :thumbsup:

What would people be more interested in? A stepup hip to log ride on top of the berm, or a inverted wall ride that actually lets you get upside down?
 
#14 · (Edited)
Things people can do to be courteous to the neighbors. :D
Everything helps. :cool:

1. Don't use gas-powered equipment when working close to their yards. Toilet bowl has been entirely axe and hand saw built/cleared so far.
2. Clean up trash, like plastic bottles.
3. Plant ferns to cover damage from trail building in spots that will not be ridden on.
4. Say "Hello" if they are walking by or staring at you from over a fence.
5. Bite your tongue. Even if someone is raving about not being able to fire an automatic rifle in the clearing, there is no point in arguing.
 
#15 ·
Locating the Duthie Toilet.

Toilet Bowl is located at the left end of the arrow showing closed. You can see where Ryan's and Mini-DH start. Just SE of there is the toilet bowl, which you can see in the contours.

I am hoping more people ride it when the NE trail opens back up.

For those who have tried it or looked at it. Any feedback?

I have tried to get people riding the DH line to come over and try it. Seems like most people are intimidated by it. :confused: or do they just think it sucks too bad to even try? One kid was clearing the entire DH line like it was nothing and came over to see what I was working on. He had a look of utter disgust and fright. :lol: :eek: and just walked away.

I want people to enjoy it more than I do, so any feedback will be helpful while I can still make changes. It was definitely designed to look way more scary and difficult than it is, but not to the point where people don't want to even try it.

Is it lame? Is it too scary? Please let me know. :D
 
#16 ·
ExCactus said:
So I saw Kevin in the clearing today with a few guys I didn't recognize and asked them about the toilet bowl, and which way from the new walk-in to ryans line I had to go on the NE loop to get to it. They let me know I had to cross into the blocked off x-c trail to get to it, but that you were wanting some more tires on it so they told me the right direction. As soon as I saw pictures I knew that it was those trails I had seen several months before when riding the NE loop that I wanted to hit, but had no clue how to get to, so I was stoked I could actually hit them. I love the concept, but lets just say they need a few more tires than just my two to pack it down. I wish I hit it a few more times to try out that skinny to berm part, but there wasn't much daylight left when I was there so I decided to hit Ryans a few more times. It definitely will be a fun little side trail, just needs some TLC to remove/pack down the organic. Props yopawn, maybe next time I'm out there I'll grab a rake and remove some organic myself if ya dont mind!
Were you out there yesterday? Someone came by looking to help and I sent them off to help Zeb's line which is more important.

I did clear out ALL of the organic from the top to just after the stepup. Most organic of any area in Duthie. :eek: :eek: 3.5 feet deep in some places.
 
#17 ·
YoPawn said:
Were you out there yesterday? Someone came by looking to help and I sent them off to help Zeb's line which is more important.

I did clear out ALL of the organic from the top to just after the stepup. Most organic of any area in Duthie. :eek: :eek: 3.5 feet deep in some places.
Nope, wasn't me. And ya, it does have an awful lot of organic. Are they making zebs rollable right now, or what is being worked on?
 
#20 ·
jojotherider said:
So I still haven't check this out yet. If i'm standing at the start of Ryan's, can I just take Step it up to get to the entrance of it?
If you ride to the bottom of Ryan's and then ride back up, you will see it on the way back.

It's up to Mike if he wants to move the one way signs back on step it up to before TB so you can get there quick from the top of Ryan's.

I think it is probably better to keep it non-accessible from the top, to limit the amount of traffic on it. People who work their way back up the XC trail are rewarded with their own little section to session, sans the crowds. :cool:
 
#21 ·
I want to thank all you guys that built the trails in D. Hill! I finally got out there today and I love the place! Insane and such great flow! You all did a fantastic job, and since I don't have time to volunteer I bought a Evergreen jersey and sent them some extra money. I can't wait to ride it with out mud (today was a bit mucky, but still a blast)..........MTT :thumbsup: Cheers and keep up the good work!
 
#22 ·
well i finally hit this yesterday because my friend dragged me around Step It Up.

the first drop in (can we call that the flusher? hahaha) was fun, but I didn't set up for it very well. Instead of being pointed more down the trail, I was pointed straight off the drop. I came pretty close to hitting that tree on the left side and then taking out the ferns right below it. I managed to get away unscathed, but it was scary. I need to figure out how to get a different approach on that drop.

-joel
 
#24 ·
We can dig in some more dirt to bank it away from the tree. That will help.

It looks like a tiny drop, but there is a black diamond sign on there for a reason. The trail is high speed and takes a lot of skill to make it without skidding. The upper drop was put in there to filter people who might hurt themselves more on the faster parts lower down at the big berm.

The drop is angled to the right and down at the lip so you can push off of it the opposite direction without your wheel slipping. Learning how to do off angle "hip" drops is an essential part of aggressive bike riding. People who have not mastered these skills will find Toilet Bowl much more difficult than it may look. People who have these skills find Toilet Bowl incredibly easy, and is without a doubt the easiest Black Diamond line in Duthie when ridden right.

Over 90% of the skilled riders I've seen ride TB for the first time didn't even look at the drop first and cleaned it fine.

So this raises the age-old question. Do I dumb it all down and remove the black diamond sign? or do I keep the black diamond sign and maybe also add a sign explaining how to hit hip drops, while keeping it the way myself and others like it?

It is a black diamond and the drop it incredibly easy for people I would expect to be able to hit the other BD trails. One thing that I WILL do regardless is bank in the landing more so people going straight off the drop can turn back in easier. :cool:
 
#25 ·
i say no, don't dumb it down. let us work up to it and no extra signage at this point.

maybe we need some sort of beginner/intermediate hip to learn that skill. I see it all the time on videos and I don't really know how to do them myself. I know how to go straight off a jump, but don't know how to get my bike turned in the air. :shrug:

and the drop itself was very easy, the landing though...:D

-joel
 
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