Mountain bike tours and clinics in the improved Northstar

After several weeks hearing stories about the improved Northstar trails, I decided to bring some clients from the Bay Area to show them Tahoe's downhill riding.

The great rumors about Northstar were true! And as they continue to improve the trails, our Northstar will be our own Whistler right here in Tahoe.

New or improved obstacle transitions have been installed along several trails. The transitions have made smoother trails with better flow.

 

Many of the old table top jumps have been re-designed to better respond to the speed you build up by the steepness and length of the trail sections before the jumps.  I am particularly thrilled that many table tops have been flattened in the filled areas between the take off and the landing, eliminating gaps or the double bumps they used to have on the top. This allows for "progressive learning" when trying obstacles that require getting air. This means that if you are a shyer rider wanting to add air little by little, you can start by just rolling the jumps to get a feel of them, then hit the jumps fast enough to lift your front wheel or a bit faster to lift both wheels to land on the top flat area, to finally let the trail dictate the right speed you need to clear the jump and land in the smooth landing section. 
Here is a sample of the new jumps with the flattened top you now find in Northstar.

I am also thrilled with the new features on the Gipsy trail.  The wooden trails are super smooth and their berm design allows you to ride them at the right speed.  It does feel like a fun roller coaster! Below is one of the new features called the "Whale tail".  The feature design allows you to hit it at a slower speed to get the feeling of it or to hit it fast to get bigger air.  In the video below, Kristy was hitting this obstacle for the first time.  It only took her watching me do it after discussing how to ride it. There is even a railing on the right side to protect riders from falling off from the highest spot.  It is just amazingly safe and fun!