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Remolition ride the (dirt) monkey enclosure Field report: 22/2/09, Frimley Fuel Allotments nr. Camberley, Surrey. DAZ: After reading Smilies 'The Art of the Bonk', JB and I were left a little perplexed. Not by his definition but because JB and I always describe our local terrain as jibby. There aren't any really long runs but there are lots of them as the hills are all long ridges with runs off either side and its nearly all been used by the army at one time or another. They love to dig. As the ridges make good vantage points all the runs cut through old diggings and drops which are made for styling up and sweet drifts on the loose pine needles. Every school holidays, different jumps and berms appear as kids build some surprisingly scary looking features. We figured it needed a second opinion so we dragged Smilie and Wills down to pass judgement.
SMILIE: JB and Daz seem to head over our way lots, so it was way over time for us to visit them. After a fairly reasonable lay in, I picked wilz up at his studio and arrived at Daz's strangely almost at the time I said I would, for the magic mystery tour to begin. After a quick natter and skim through some old pics from the Arctic Challenge (the first World freestyle comp held in Weston Supermere), we headed off to the woods. First impressions a nice looking little pine wood with so many lines to choose from, just could wait to pad up and go ride. As for jibby, hum.....you could jib about, JB was doing stalls on a tree and it was fun slashing about in the gullies. But a whole wood classed as jibby I don't know?
DAZ: To start with we thought we'd quickly demonstrate our idea of freeride. To me the word free means go where you like, you can't free-ride on a track. Just by the car park of a place we call the fuel dump is a whole face of hillside with perfect gradient covered in mature pine trees. The idea is to pick a new line down. You can pull hard fast cutbacks as the softpine needles have a really snowboardy ride. Your brain goes in to overload as you're constanty changing your plan with new lines opening up to you as you pass by each tree/bomb hole/drop off/lake of pine cones. Well that's the plan anyway... (hey smilie). After loads of rides and a quick photo session, trying to get that snowboard like cutback in the bag, it was time for a sweet cup of extreme tea and to hear the verdict so far. WIL: The verdict was guilty. Guilty of being a great spot to spend the day riding with more than enough to tempt you back again and again. The initial lines of fairly short but steep descents forces you to plan an attack, to visualise quick imaginary paths through the trees and adapting, whilst walking back up was not a chore as it sometimes is. The photo session was great fun, riding the same line repeatedly- slashing through the leaves in the same spot in order to acheive those magical *flash* photos..
SMILIE: Unfortunately my imagination let me down a couple of times, especially on the ride out of the woods, when the decision to straight line the middle meant I had to stop to stand any chance of avoiding important stuff like trees at the bottom. But yah a totally sick spot, kinda looking foward to going back and seeing more of what these ridges have to offer.DAZ: As you progress along the ridge there are runs dropping off to each side including a massive sandy gully with a big hip on one side. The sand is too soft when its wet and you sink up to the axels on landing, as I found out last week with 'you've been framed results'! The next spot I really wanted to show them is only about 150 yards on, I think it sums up what JB and I look for and if you follow Rem Extra you'll already of heard of it... I'll let Smilie explain... SMILIE: It was a budding little dirt half-pipe. We have found natural features in the past which we refer to as half pipes but really they are nothing more than steep gulley's: Which you can only dream about riding up it's side getting some air time and getting back in for another carve across the bottom before getting some hang time on the other side. This gully was different you could drop in, carve across to the other side get a little air, ( it's banks were only small - an optimistic metre at the highest), then carve back across for another little bit air. Another carve round before heading back and hitting the biggest transition. It was also steep enough so you kept about the same speed from top to bottom. So in my book anyway that makes this gully something you could truly call a half pipe. If only it wasn't in such a obvious place it would so be getting shaped up... I s'pose you can't have it all. But for me, the cool thing was that after you'd hit the (dirt) 'pipe' you could carry on your descent to the bottom of the hill, transfering to grass, heath and scrub, and dropping through a silver birch glade to an enforced stop. It lengthened the overall run time and added another dimension. Mixed woodland offers a cool diversity of environments, riding styles and approach. There was also another sweet run from the top of the 'pipe' which had a little shelf for small air ( cue some more snaps ) and a lovely chicane near the bottom. We also found some small biker-shaped bits n' bobs that were fun for 5. We started to lose the light and so finished off in the pipe and headed back along the ridge, leaving one more mental descent towards the motors. That final run was hold-tight-here-we-go madness, and left me grinning like a fool. Sweet. As the sun set, Smilie & I drove off through the very 'normal' housing estate that backed directly onto the wood, and we realised so many people must have this kind of spot right on their doorsteps, and don't even know the fun that can be had. The public, aka 'non-mountainboarders' are missing out on so much...! However; i rather like my slopes empty, so tell you what; let's all agree not to tell anyone else about mountainboarding again. Ever. Nice one dudes. ;) Now go and check out the incredible Dirt-Monkey photo shoot from the session. There is a reason they are Remolition's resident photographers... |
